Union's Advice to District: Don't Play Budget Game - voiceofsandiego.org: Education

Union's Advice to District: Don't Play Budget Game - voiceofsandiego.org: Education:

Union's Advice to District: Don't Play Budget Game

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  Bill Freeman

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From the Reporter

Changing a Broken System

The teachers union says the school district should stand up against a broken budget system that requires it to issue hundreds of layoffs every year before it knows what the state’s budget will look like.

The Union’s Advice

As the second-biggest school district in California, San Diego Unified should use its clout and refuse to play the layoff game, and it should work with state lawmakers to reform the budget process, union officials say.

The Stumbling Blocks

But if the district refused to play the budget game, it wouldn’t be able to borrow any money and teachers wouldn’t get paid, district officials say. And changing the budget system would require the unions themselves to agree to change a layoff deadline they’ve so far fought to protect.

Posted: Wednesday, February 8, 2012 7:26 pm |Updated: 7:24 am, Thu Feb 9, 2012.

• By Will Carless

The bulk of a teachers union's press conference on Wednesday afternoon was devoted to pouring scorn on San Diego Unified School District's budget numbers.

Several union officials took turns at the podium to discredit the district's projections and lambaste the school board for insisting on issuing layoff notices when nobody yet knows how California's state budget will look in the summer.

That's nothing new for the union. It's been taking this hardline, confrontational approach towards the district for years. But at the very end of the press conference and in an interview afterwards, the union offered something of a new approach.

San Diego Education Association President Bill Freeman said the union understands that the district has to work within a frustrating system that requires it to put out a worst-case-scenario for its budget every year. But, he said, it doesn't have to be like that.

"Now is the time for us to come together and to demand that this broken budgetary system be corrected," Freeman said

Life in Rahm’s Chicago: Thursday edition. « Fred Klonsky

Life in Rahm’s Chicago: Thursday edition. « Fred Klonsky:

Life in Rahm’s Chicago: Thursday edition.

by Fred Klonsky

Rahm, Herbie Pulgar and the winning design.

I’m an art teacher. When my kids draw hearts, former Chicago police commissioner Jody Weis claims they are drawing a well-known gang symbol. A drawing of hands? They must be members of the Maniac Latin Disciples.

Who knew?

Right here in Park Ridge.

How foolish. And heart breaking for young Herbie Pulgar whose design for Chicago’s car sticker won a city-wide contest. The sticker design honors first responders and Herbie said he was just trying to do something good. But the City withdrew the award and the sticker. They claim it is

Deborah Meier's Blog on Education: February 2012 - Trip to Japan

Deborah Meier's Blog on Education: February 2012 - Trip to Japan:

February 2012 - Trip to Japan

I survived our ten day trip to Japan, thanks to my two sons and granddaughter and to our generous hosts. We had a great time. People in Japan were extraordinarily kind and gracious to us. I have returned home with a new appreciation for all the bowing back and forth. I rather liked it!

The sights were amazing—from ancient to futuristic standing side by side. At our hotel room in Tokyo we looked out of our room onto Mount Fuji. At sunset it was like a fairy tale. We ate and ate and ate—wonderful food. We stopped at the City Museum in Nagoya to see my family’s one-time wall mural by Diego Rivera from the controversial Rockefeller Center fiasco. It is Diego’s redoing of the central and most controversial panel—with Lenin, Marx and Engels leading the way

Shanker Blog » A Big Open Question: Do Value-Added Estimates Match Up With Teachers' Opinions Of Their Colleagues?

Shanker Blog » A Big Open Question: Do Value-Added Estimates Match Up With Teachers' Opinions Of Their Colleagues?:

A Big Open Question: Do Value-Added Estimates Match Up With Teachers’ Opinions Of Their Colleagues?

by Matthew Di Carlo

A recent article about the implementation of new teacher evaluations in Tennessee details some of the complicated issues with which state officials, teachers and administrators are dealing in adapting to the new system. One of these issues is somewhat technical – whether the various components of evaluations, most notably principal observations and test-based productivity measures (e.g., value-added) – tend to “match up.” That is, whether teachers who score high on one measure tend to do similarly well on the other (see here for more on this issue).

In discussing this type of validation exercise, the article notes:

If they don’t match up, the system’s usefulness and reliability could come into question, and it

Schools Matter: The brave new tests

Schools Matter: The brave new tests:

The brave new tests

by skrashen

Sent to the Baltimore Sun, Feb. 9

We should all “worry about overwhelming students, schools with tests” (2/7/12).

As the Sun points out, the new testing will be extremely time-consuming. There is no scientific evidence, however, that increasing the amount of testing done will increase student achievement.

As the Sun points out, the new tests need to be given online, and schools don’t have the technology needed to administer the tests. Not to worry, the test publishers and computer companies will be happy to sell it to them, as well as sell them costly new equipment as the old equipment rapidly becomes obsolete.

As the Sun points out, the tests will be used to evaluate teachers. Study after study, however, has shown that

The Feeble Strength of One! - Bridging Differences - Education Week

The Feeble Strength of One! - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

The Feeble Strength of One!

by Deborah Meier

Dear Diane,

Yes, Diane, we do have a few reasons for being hopeful of late. I was delighted to hear that California's Governor Jerry Brown has spoken out about testing. I had a good conversation with him recently about early childhood. It, too, left me optimistic.

It's interesting to speculate on why liberals are so divided on schooling issues. One consistently useful predictor of who's on which side is their attitude toward organized labor. The shift from seeing "labor" as underdogs to "big labor" or labor "bosses" goes back a while. From World War II to the early 1980s, trade unions were all-American favorites. The Left was more mad at them, it seemed, than the Right. (I'm exaggerating.) The shift coincided perhaps with the end of the war on Communism?

The other night I found myself muttering under my breath, "and the feeble strength of one." It took me a minute to

Los Sures Ready to Stand Ground Against Evil Moskowitz-Bloomberg!

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública:

Los Sures Ready to Stand Ground Against Evil Moskowitz-Bloomberg!

Los Sures (Southside Williamsburg, Brooklyn) Town Hall Meeting 8 February

The Sister speaking here is Frances Lucerna, Executive Director & Founding Principal of El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice.

Let's all try to be at MS50 on Thursday, February 16 to show our solidarity with the community around stopping school closings and charter school bumrushing "co-locations".

Popout

I vote for sending the principal to Virginia instead of closing the school. « Fred Klonsky

I vote for sending the principal to Virginia instead of closing the school. « Fred Klonsky:

I vote for sending the principal to Virginia instead of closing the school.

by Fred Klonsky

Reports that CPS CEO J.C. Brizard will go ahead and act on his plan for targeted school closings and turnaround, even ahead of all the public hearings, has caused concern.

There will be even more concern today with the release of a study by the Consortium on Chicago School Research.

Catalyst reports:

The study provides only a little evidence that the upheaval and financial investment in turnarounds is worth the substantial cost, estimated to be at least $20 million in the coming school year. That does not include millions more in

Arizona Law SB 1467 Would Make It Illegal to Teach Law, History, or Literature « Student Activism

Arizona Law SB 1467 Would Make It Illegal to Teach Law, History, or Literature « Student Activism:

Arizona Law SB 1467 Would Make It Illegal to Teach Law, History, or Literature

by Angus Johnston

Just when you thought the Arizona legislature was out of bad ideas.

SB 1467, newly introduced in the Arizona State Senate, would force schools and universities to suspend, fine, and ultimately fire any teacher or professor who “engage[d] in speech or conduct that would violate the standards adopted by the federal communications commission concerning obscenity, indecency and profanity if that speech or conduct were broadcast on television or radio.”

For the first offense, you’d get a one-week suspension without pay. For the second offense, two weeks. For the third, a pink slip.

As Greg Lukianoff of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education notes, this law would not only block the

Cullerton puts his s*** out there. « Fred Klonsky

Cullerton puts his s*** out there. « Fred Klonsky:

Cullerton puts his s*** out there.

by Fred Klonsky

Madigan and Cullerton. Leading the charge against teacher pensions.

Democratic Senate President John Cullerton has a plan for solving the state’s pension obligation.

His plan is to have the teachers pay it.

Springfield State Journal Register:

Cullerton said local funding of teacher pensions could be phased in over a five or 10-year period. The effect wouldn’t be as drastic for downstate school districts, he said, because downstate teachers are generally paid less, he said.

“You guys aren’t paying a lot to your teachers down here,” Cullerton told the

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Legislative Updates

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Legislative Updates:

Legislative Updates

by Melissa Westbrook

At this morning's Executive Committee meeting, the district's lobbyist, Cliff Traisman, was on hand to give updates. Here's how he put the atmosphere in Olympia - "They are sharpening their elbows." Meaning, of course, instead of sharpening their pencils to get to work, they are ready to elbow their way to get ahead to getting bills passed.

He said that all bills had reached the committee cut-off date last week and are technically dead but nothing is really dead until the end of the session (March 8th). He said bills with a fiscal note (and that includes the charter bill) have until Feb. 14th to be out of their house of origin. He said the next budget forecast is scheduled for Feb. 16th. He said the sales tax polling was going badly and that there is the feeling they may end up with across-

Education Justice News - State Constitutions and Control of Charters

Education Justice News - State Constitutions and Control of Charters:

STATE CONSTITUTIONS AND CONTROL OF CHARTERS

A look at states with "local control" of K-12 education in their constitutions and what that may mean for charter school "authorization," that is, the process of reviewing applications and approving the opening of charters.

As the funding and oversight of charter schools debates heat up, the question of who---states or local school districts---can authorize charters has come up again, this time before the Supreme Court of Georgia in Gwinnett County School Dist. v. Cox. In its May 16, 2011 ruling, written by Chief Justice Carol Hunstein, the court held that local districts---not the State---have exclusive control over charter authorization in Georgia. The state argued that charters are "special schools," as defined in Georgia, but the court explained in detail why that is not the case.

Similarly back in December 2008, Judge Edward T. Barfield of the Florida First District Court of Appeal authored that court's ruling in Duval County Sch. Bd. v. State Bd. of Educ., declaring that the state could not create a parallel system for chartering schools because local districts have exclusive control. In both cases, a statute creating a state commission to authorize charters was deemed unconstitutional and invalidated.

The common thread in these cases is Florida and Georgia's respective state constitutiona

Brent McKim | The many problems of charter schools | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com

Brent McKim | The many problems of charter schools | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com:

Brent McKim | The many problems of charter schools

Proponents' ads ignore failings

Written by

Brent McKim

Special to The Courier-Journal

• FILED UNDER

• Opinion
• Oped
• Jefferson County Public Schools
• Jcps

Recently, proponents of charter schools have been spending remarkable sums of money on advertisements designed to make our public schools look worse and charter schools look better than they really are. Before jumping on the charter school bandwagon, Kentuckians should consider these points:

Charters would divert critical funding from our public schools. At a time when the state repeatedly fails to fund textbooks for children, it would be terribly damaging to redirect crucial funding and resources away from our public schools to charter schools.

We don’t need charters. Advocates claim charters cut through red tape and empower school buildings, but in Kentucky, site-based decision making already cuts through red tape and empowers schools locally.

Our public schools are making greater progress statewide than neighboring states with charters. In fact, Stanford University found th

LAUSD Elementary Schools Could Soon Offer 100% Less Arts Education [UPDATED]: LAist

LAUSD Elementary Schools Could Soon Offer 100% Less Arts Education [UPDATED]: LAist:

LAUSD Elementary Schools Could Soon Offer 100% Less Arts Education [UPDATED]

Photo by Valeriy Lebedev via Shutterstock

For many children, a chance to do some artwork, make some music, or get up on a stage is the highlight of their school day, and a opportunity to learn lessons in a creative way. But the Los Angeles Unified School District is looking to take that away from their elementary school students, with a proposal of "total elimination of its elementary school arts education program," according to Arts for LA, an L.A. County arts advocacy group.

The LAUSD even prides itself on "nationally recognized Elementary Arts Program," and appears to understand the value that kind of instruction has for their 700,000 elementary-aged students, as explained on the LAUSD site:

Elementary Arts Teachers provide direct instruction to students and strategically support classroom teachers in growing their capacity to teach foundational skills in all arts disciplines. This cultivates