2-3-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

State corporate subsidies are double that of pension costs.

  Washington Post: It’s easy to cast about for other big pots of money to raid when these kinds of shortfalls arise, and no politician wants to raise taxes. There is, however, another big expense that tends to get overlooked: The tax breaks states already hand out to corporations, on the theory that they won’t stick around without them. In Pennsylvania, they amount to about $3.9 billion per year

by Fred Klonsky / 18min hide  //  save

Retirees are poor enough to qualify for property tax relief but plenty rich enough to have our pensions cut.

  Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. Fred, Just noticed on my Cook County tax bill that to qualify for senior freeze, a program for low-income people, the income cut off is $55,000. Isn’t that above the average teacher pension? If a pensioner is living on a pension, his/her income would be considered marginal by these standards. How many more will meet that standard if the 3% revision is upheld?

1 by Fred Klonsky / 39min 

Ten minute drawing. Property of Pearson.

2 by Fred Klonsky / 41min 

Stealing from old people.

We live in a state and country whose political leaders and corporations have no problem with stealing from old people. And by old, I mean anyone over the age of 65. Maybe we need a new word, but you know who I’m talking about. And, of course, not just us. But still, us. In Illinois and other states, it means robbing public employee pensions. In Virginia the state legislature just refused to pass

by Fred Klonsky / 3min 

2-2-14 Fred All Week Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Making pension theft issue one in the 39th State Rep race.Since the start of this election season I have advocated for those who oppose so-called pension reform to find candidates who can primary every Democrat who voted in favor of pension theft. In the the 39th senate district we have Bob Galhotra c

by mike simpson / 8h

2-3-14 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

AndersonGate: Cami Anderson Last Minute Newark Schools Closing Endangers Children and Staff

Add Andersongate to Christie's list of misfortunes. Some students were already on the buses. What happens if the parents are not home when the children many of whom have special needs are dropped off? Some teachers traveled over an hour on slippery roads. Security guards were at their posts. Custodians were outside clearing walks. The crossing guard was in position. None of them knew school was cl

by ed notes online / 1h 

NYSUT Update: Kiev on the Hudson as Randi Plays Role of Ukraine President Yanukovych

Randi is behind the so-called NYSUT insurgency multiple and trusted sources have informed us. I don't have particulars but this info came in response to my comments the other day in this post (The Battle for NYSUT: Ebbs and Flows)While some think Randi must be behind the move of the UFT to take over NYSUT completely and totally (they pretty much have a lot of control now) this doesn't have her fin

by ed notes online / 7min 

2-2-14 Ed Notes Online Week

Ed Notes Online: Norm in The Wave: Three Weeks of the Good, the Bad, and the UglyPublished January 31, 2014by ed notes online / 3h 2-1-14 Ed Notes Online WeekEd Notes Online: Ed Notes OnlineNYSUT Rift Update: The Fat Lady Hasn't Sung as Hobart and Cortese Endorse Iannuzzi SlateRumore is making a gambit that Mulgrew would defend his local better than Iannuzzi? Who is he kidding? ... Comment on ed n

by mike simpson / 8h 

2-3-14 Wait What?

Wait What?:

NEWS FLASH: Hedge fund founder buys leadership ‘pipeline’ in Malloy’s office

Don Michak of the Journal Inquirer newspaper has a blockbuster story on the way Governor Malloy, Commissioner Stefan Pryor and the corporate education reform industry have contaminated the public policy making process in Connecticut. The JI story, entitled, Hedge fund founder buys leadership ‘pipeline’ in Malloy’s office, raises extraordinary legal and ethical issues about the […]The post NEWS FLA

by jonpelto / 24min 

Mass Insight contract “magically extended” on its last day. Cost to taxpayers: $800,000

Mass Insight Contract “magically extended” on its last day.  Cost to taxpayers: $800,000 The cornerstone of Governor Malloy’s corporate education reform industry initiative is the concept of “turnaround schools” and the creation of the “Commissioner’s Network.”  Both strategies are part of Malloy’s broader effort to allow private entities to run public schools. The task of […]The post Mass Insight

8 by jonpelto / 1h 

Commissioner Stefan Pryor gets another “F” for complying with Freedom of Information Act:

Connecticut’s Freedom of Information act is extraordinarily clear: Connecticut State Statutes:   Sec. 1-212  reads: “Any person applying in writing shall receive, promptly upon request, a plain, facsimile, electronic or certified copy of any public record.” Out of sheer frustration about the State Department of Education’s failure to respond to Freedom of Information request, a Wait, […]The post C

3 by jonpelto / 29min hide  //  save

CT Superintendent Thomas Scarice’s letter on “education reform” makes the Washington Post

On Friday, in a piece entitled, “A CT superintendent speaks: Madison’s Thomas Scarice and the Power of Truth”, Wait, What? posted Madison Superintendent Thomas Scarice’s letter to legislators about the fundamental flows associated with Connecticut’s “education reform” initiative and what Connecticut’s students, teachers and public schools really needed from state government. Over the weekend, the

30 by jonpelto / 1h 

2-2-14 Wait What? All Week

Wait What?: Malloy to Retired Teachers: Will you forget the past if I give you a little tax break?After undermining, maligning and insulting retired teachers and teachers for the past three years, with nine months to go before the next gubernatorial election, Governor Malloy has had an epiphany and is now offering retired teachers a “tax break.” Malloy’s proposal plan would reduce the state income

by mike simpson / 8h 

@ The Answer Sheet 2-3-14

The Answer Sheet:

NCLB crashed and burned. When will we ever learn?

It’s the year that all U.S. public schools were supposed to reach 100% student proficiency. It didn’t happen, of course. The law under which that was mandated, No Child Left Behind, has crashed and burned, but, unfortunately, its worst ideas haven’t. Writing about this is Lisa Guisbond of The National Center for Fair & Open […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 13min 

#evaluatethat

Teachers and parents are taking to Twitter, at #evaluatethat, to point out the countless ways in which teachers help their students that cannot be assessed by student standardized test scores or other traditional methods of evaluation. The effort was inspired by Stephanie Lavender Weber, a teacher in Georgia who spent the night with her students […]    

2 by Valerie Strauss / 1h 

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s high school district honors him

Here’s a young Philip Seymour Hoffman, who graduated from Fairport High School in upstate NY. #RIP pic.twitter.com/9spwLgUxKr — The Film Stage (@TheFilmStage) February 2, 2014 The death of the great actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has prompted a mountain of remembrances and condolences to his family, including this from the superintendent of Fairport Central School District […]    

3 by Valerie Strauss / 29min 

Superintendent on school reform: ‘It is not working’

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy has just asked for a “pause” in implementation of a controversial new teacher evaluation system that uses student standardized test scores to assess teachers as well creation of a task force to study the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Is “a pause” the answer? You might think Malloy did […]    

100+ by Valerie Strauss / 5h hide  //  save

Public education failing? Not in this school

The “public schools are failing” narrative is pervasive, even though the facts aren’t there to support the systemic failure that many school reformers insist there are. Here a parent paints a different story. Lynn Michie is a chaplain at the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women in Black Mountain, North Carolina. She and her husband, David […]    

43 by Valerie Strauss / 6h 

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 2-2-14

The Answer Sheet: How we teach kids to cheat on testsHere is a piece about a cheating scandal in Wisconsin that speaks to a much larger problem about how and why kids cheat on tests. It was written by Vicki Abeles, a filmmaker, attorney and advocate for students and education. She is the co-director and producer of the education documentary “Race to Nowhere” and founder of […]    by Valerie Straus

by mike simpson / 8h 

2-3-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum:

When/Should the City Step In? You Tell Me

Here are the new Transportation Service "Standards" for 2014-2015.  I can't even read it because it has been hacked up so much.  (I note that elsewhere parents have attempted to figure out what it means.)In my opinion, it is messy and a hack job that the Board should reject simply on principle. (The principle being that parents were pretty much left out of the process, it has been done a

by Melissa Westbrook / 2h 

Here's a Question

by Melissa Westbrook / 1min

Sorry Kids, No Superbowl Champion Parade for You

From SPS:Seattle Public Schools to remain open on Wednesday. From Superintendent Jose Banda: Congratulations to the @Seahawks on an amazing season and Super Bowl win! I It’s been so fun to see our school communities get into the spirit these last few weeks. I've enjoyed seeing the photos and videos of our students and staff celebrating the Seahawks. We have received questions about the parade

by Melissa Westbrook / 4min 

Charter Schools And Washington State

After the flurry of activity around charter approval/denial last week by the Charter Commission, let's take a step back.First, a great piece of work by Professor Wayne Au, at UW's education program in Bothell, and Joseph J. Ferrare, a researcher at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at UWisconsin/Madison.  Valerie Strauss covered it at her blog at the Washington Post, The Answer Sheet.  T

by Melissa Westbrook / 1h 

Washington State Legislature Education Bill Update

The Legislature has had its usual flurry of ed bills, some quite random, some with focus and a couple that have/will pass.  Here's a comprehensive list from Parnership for Learning.  There are many returning bills like one for teacher/principal evaluations (SB 6055); old ideas but repackaged to look new. I believe that tomorrow, the 4th, is the Washington State PTA Legislative Focus Day in Olympia

by Melissa Westbrook / 47min 

Behind Every Promise - An Educational Journey for Two Boys

PBS is showing a documentary called Behind Every Promise about the journey, over 13 years, of two African-American boys and their education.  I heard about it on NPR and it sounds very good.  American Promise spans 13 years as Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, middle-class African-American parents in Brooklyn, N.Y., turn their cameras on their son, Idris, and his best friend, Seun, who make the

by Melissa Westbrook / 29min

Seattle Schools This Week (and News)

Tuesday, Feb 4thSpecial Education Advisory and Advocacy Council Meeting starting at 6:30 p.m., JSCEE, room 2700Wednesday, Feb. 5thParade for the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks 11 am (I put this in because if you are going to the district headquarters that morning, you might be aware of this because of the traffic.  The parade is to end at Century Link Field which is only about a mile north of JSCEE.

by Melissa Westbrook / 8h 

2-2-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum Week

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Arts and EducationTwo items of note:Your youth jazz story can become a KCTS film!Do you have a connection to a jazz program, jazz teacher or jazz student, and have an idea for a story you think should be told? The instructors at KCTS’s 9 Media Lab can help you tell it and share it with our viewers. Beginning in March, we will be offering free workshops to individua

by mike simpson / 5h