CMS hopes to use no-interest loans to build schools, save millions - CharlotteObserver.com

CMS hopes to use no-interest loans to build schools, save millions - CharlotteObserver.com:

"Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders hope no-interest school construction loans from federal stimulus money could help build two new schools and renovate or expand four others.

CMS wants to sell $52 million of the special bonds this summer. No-interest loans could save Mecklenburg taxpayers $12 million to $15 million in the long run.

But uncertainties about the federal plan remain. Nearly a year after the school construction bonds were approved as part of the federal stimulus package, few school districts in the state or across the country have found institutional investors willing to buy them."

House bill gives superintendents more power to fire teachers - The Boston Globe

House bill gives superintendents more power to fire teachers - The Boston Globe:

"The Massachusetts House of Representatives appears poised to consider an overhaul of the state’s most troubled schools next week, as members take up a bill that could represent a major setback for teachers unions."

The proposed bill would give superintendents extraordinary powers to ignore teacher contract provisions in firing teachers for good cause at underperforming schools.

It would also allow superintendents to impose changes in workplace rules, such as extending the school day, at those schools if negotiations break down, key House leaders said in a telephone briefing yesterday.

Unlike a Senate version approved last month, the House bill does not establish an arbitration process for teachers to appeal those changes by superintendents.

Rising property values fuel Dallas ISD's first 'Robin Hood' payment | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Rising property values fuel Dallas ISD's first 'Robin Hood' payment | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News| Latest News:

"For the first time, Dallas taxpayers had to give some of their money to less-affluent school districts in 2008-09, part of Texas' share-the-wealth school finance system that critics and proponents say is out of whack.

Some say the fact that Dallas schools had to pay the 'Robin Hood' payment last school year is proof that the formula doesn't make sense. Nearly 90 percent of DISD schoolchildren are poor, and the school district has been struggling with deficits.

For 2009-10, projections show that Dallas taxpayers will not have to send their money away."

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - Do schools need more male teachers?

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - Do schools need more male teachers?:

"Do schools need more male teachers?

Only one in four school teachers are men, according to a 2008 report.

Ronald Maggiano is somewhat unusual in the teaching profession. That is because he is male.

Maggiano is an award-winning teacher in the Social Studies Department at West Springfield High School in Virginia. He has taught in public and private schools for 25 years.

In a piece on his blog called “The Classroom Post,” he calls for more males to enter the profession.

Here's why:"

Berkeley High May Cut Out Science Labs | News | East Bay Express

Berkeley High May Cut Out Science Labs | News | East Bay Express:

"Berkeley High School is considering a controversial proposal to eliminate science labs and the five science teachers who teach them to free up more resources to help struggling students.

The proposal to put the science-lab cuts on the table was approved recently by Berkeley High's School Governance Council, a body of teachers, parents, and students who oversee a plan to change the structure of the high school to address Berkeley's dismal racial achievement gap, where white students are doing far better than the state average while black and Latino students are doing worse."

Public Sector Unions Are Killing California � The Foundry

Public Sector Unions Are Killing California � The Foundry:

"Before 1990, [California and Texas] grew much faster than the rest of the country. Since then, only Texas has continued to do so. While its share of the nation’s population has steadily increased, from 6.8 percent in 1990 to 7.9 percent in 2007, California’s has barely budged, from 12 percent to 12.1 percent.

Unpacking the numbers is even more revealing—and, for California, disturbing. The biggest contrast between the two states shows up in “net internal migration,” the demographer’s term for the difference between the number of Americans who move into a state from another and the number who move out of it to another. Between April 1, 2000, and June 30, 2007, an average of 3,247 more Americans moved out of California than into it every week, according to the Census Bureau. Over the same period, Texas saw a net gain, in an average week, of 1,544 people."

Community college juggles reduced state budget and student demands | TahoeDailyTribune.com

Community college juggles reduced state budget and student demands | TahoeDailyTribune.com:

"Enrollment is increasing at Lake Tahoe Community College but the schedule is shrinking, presenting a challenge to school officials who are juggling the demands of a dwindling state budget and students vying for classes they need.

In the fall, enrollment was up for full-time students by almost 20 percent compared to 2008, with those students competing for fewer classes after 410 sections were eliminated to accommodate state budget cuts.

California's community colleges sustained $840 million in state funding cuts for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years combined, while the state legislature raised tuition $13 to $17 per unit."

Santa Rosa teen earns spot in elite U.S. Senate program | PressDemocrat.com | The Press Democrat | Santa Rosa, CA

Santa Rosa teen earns spot in elite U.S. Senate program | PressDemocrat.com | The Press Democrat | Santa Rosa, CA:

"When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asked Montgomery High School student Rena Wang to whistle during an official function, she didn’t wonder why, she wondered, “How loud?”

Wang was at a constituent breakfast with Reid and John Ensign, the two U.S. senators from Nevada, when they told her they needed to get the attention of the crowd and wondered if she could whistle.

Wang, at 17, just might have more political connections, and savvy, than weathered old pros who have spent years wandering Capitol corridors.

So she stepped up and let fly, sharing a good laugh with some of the most powerful politicians in the country."

Congressperson Tom McClintock (CA-04) Called Out For The Tendency To Be Untruthful - Roseville Press-Tribune

Congressperson Tom McClintock (CA-04) Called Out For The Tendency To Be Untruthful - Roseville Press-Tribune:

"Mendacity: The tendency to be untruthful (WordReference.com English Dictionary)

Congressman Tom McClintock’s recent constituent newsletter praises the “conservative” philosophy. But what is it conserving, really? Certainly not historical accuracy.

In it, McClintock (R-Granite Bay) complains the current administration is taxing and regulating us too much. In contrast, he says, “Ronald Reagan responded [to high unemployment] by cutting taxes and reducing regulatory burdens…producing the biggest peacetime economic expansion in the nation’s history.”

Virtually none of that is accurate.

Reagan’s “regulatory burden” reduction led to the Savings & Loan bailout–until recently, the most expensive financial scandal in U.S. history, far more expensive than Teapot"

News: 'The Cultural Capital of Asian American Studies' - Inside Higher Ed

News: 'The Cultural Capital of Asian American Studies' - Inside Higher Ed:

"The Cultural Capital of Asian American Studies (New York University Press) explores the state of the discipline more than 40 years after its founding amid the student protests of the 60s. Mark Chiang, associate professor of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago, writes about how the field has grown and also changed since its early days. In an e-mail interview, he discussed the themes of the book.

Q: What are the key ways Asian American studies as a field is different today from the era when it was created?"

A: The first Asian American studies program at San Francisco State University was distinguished by its community orientation and founded on two main slogans regarding the relation of the university to the community: community autonomy and relevant education. The institutional structure of Asian American studies marked a radical break from the typical model of the American university in that it gave community members who were not academics a voice in program governance over such matters as hiring and curriculum. In this regard, the program threatened the principle of faculty autonomy and self-governance that were essential to the modern research university. The necessity of institutional survival, however, meant that the program soon was forced to conform more or less to the rest of the university and thus to exclude non-faculty members from any participation in program operations.

Christie Channels Schwarzenegger as New Jersey Braces for Cuts - BusinessWeek

Christie Channels Schwarzenegger as New Jersey Braces for Cuts - BusinessWeek:

"Dec. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Montclair, New Jersey, where the median family income is almost twice the U.S. average, may have to shut one of its two libraries. The Newark suburb of Irvington is considering firing police officers.

The towns are bracing for the impact of state aid cuts, after Governor-elect Christopher Christie said he may slash spending by as much as 25 percent next year amid declining tax revenue that the Washington-based Pew Center for the States said rivals California. If the proposal for New Jersey pushes costs down to local governments and schools, mayors and educators may have to choose between raising taxes and eliminating park maintenance and trash collection."

20 O.C. school districts get behind Obama education reforms | school, districts, california - News - The Orange County Register

20 O.C. school districts get behind Obama education reforms | school, districts, california - News - The Orange County Register:

"At least 20 of Orange County's 28 school districts have tentatively committed to implementing a series of controversial education reforms outlined under President Obama's competitive Race to the Top grant program for schools.

The reforms, which include evaluating teachers based on their students' academic performance, are necessary for school districts to apply for a slice of a $4.35 billion federal stimulus pie. At least 663 school districts and other educational institutions across California have already signed letters of intent to apply for the Race to the Top funds, according to state education officials. The deadline is Thursday."

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Hebrew charter school proposed

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Hebrew charter school proposed

Hebrew charter school proposed

Albert Einstein Academy would be first of its kind in SCV and California

A local rabbi hopes to establish California’s first Hebrew language charter school in the Santa Clarita Valley.

If approved by the Hart district during the Jan. 20 board meeting, the Albert Einstein Academy for Letters, Arts and Sciences would be a college preparatory school planned for a fall 2010 opening, Rabbi Mark Blazer of Temple Beth Ami in Newhall said.

The public charter school would be open to everyone and students would not have to be Jewish to enroll, he said. The school would not have a religious base, he said.

In its first year, Blazer estimates the school would have 75 students in each seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade class. Each year, the school would add a grade until it becomes a 7-12 school, he said.

Academy leaders are still looking for a place to house the academy for the upcoming year.

At full capacity, the school would hold 450 students, he said.

“We have not had a problem getting interest from parents,” Blazer said.

Meeting a need
Local children are able to learn Hebrew at Jewish congregations, but, for Blazer, meeting two or three times a week is not enough.

Sacramento mayor resolves to make peace with City Council - Sacramento City News - sacbee.com

Sacramento mayor resolves to make peace with City Council - Sacramento City News - sacbee.com:

"Like many people hoping to shed a few pounds after the holidays or promising to finally learn a foreign language, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has made a list of resolutions for the new year.

His top one should make at least eight people happy: improving relations with the City Council.

'When I ran, there were a lot of people thinking that City Hall and City Council was a dysfunctional environment. I've been in office for a year and we have not yet improved upon that,' Johnson said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. 'So I want to make sure we do a much better job.'

The mayor announced his goal in a list of 10 'resolutions.'"

Sacramento Press / The Broad Road Show finally comes to Sacramento

Kevin Johnson's Photos - Broad check presentation for Stand Up

Sacramento Press / The Broad Road Show finally comes to Sacramento

Mayor Kevin Johnson announced STAND UP; a new initiative launched on Monday. A $500,000 grant will kick-start the first phase of the new nonprofit's development. It will focus on raising academic achievement and college completion rates by advocating, supporting, and developing excellent public schools. The seed money comes from a national philanthropy group,the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.

Mayor Johnson said he's looking for a new education liaison; someone who will work with STAND UP. Rumors and speculation has Michelle Rhee, lightening rod Chancellor of Washington DC Public Schools as a leading candidate. Rhee a nimble leader, has played a major role in the Education Reform movement which is currently being promoted by the Obama administration, Governor Schwarzenegger and the Mayor.


 This reform movement promotes privately operated public Charter schools which are opposed by teachers unions and some parent and community groups. Ms Rhee and the Mayor announced their engagement last month.


 Really, what could be better than some rich guy (billionaire) coming to town dropping a cool half million on our public schools in these times of shocking budget cuts. In Sacramento I think there are three schools of thought on that subject:


1) Stand Up
2) Sit Down
3) Shut Up

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.:

"What's Next: Education in 2010

Here's my breakdown of the top four issues in local education to watch in 2010. These are the things I'll be focusing on and the unanswered questions worth paying attention to:
Budgets, Budgets, Budgets

How big will deficits actually be? And how will San Diego Unified balance its books if the shortfall really is that bad?

And there's a third, crucial question: Can schools actually fend off the cuts by protesting to Sacramento? The school board is sounding the alarm and asking parents to fight back. But with little support for tax increases in the state Legislature, it's unclear whether they can turn the tide.

The Next Superintendent"

Census Bureau to hire hundreds in Rancho Cordova - Sacramento Business Journal:

Census Bureau to hire hundreds in Rancho Cordova - Sacramento Business Journal::

"Census Bureau to hire hundreds in Rancho Cordova"

The U.S. Census Bureau needs several hundred qualified applicants to work in the Rancho Cordova area in the spring.

The Census Bureau is now accepting sign ups from prospective workers who would like to test for those jobs, beginning in January.

The part-time temporary jobs will be for Census takers and staff for Census offices and questionnaire assistance centers. Field pay starts at $15 per hour.

Most of the jobs require a valid driver’s license and use of a vehicle. The Census Bureau also wants to find some candidates who can speak Spanish, Russian or another language in addition to English.

Prospective employees must take and pass a 30 minute Census test.

Testing will be conducted at several locations in Rancho Cordova, including at City Hall on Prospect Park Drive, the Folsom Cordova Unified School District’s Adult Education Center on Gadsten Way and the Sacramento Works One Stop on Old Placerville Road.

Candidates can sign up for a test by calling the Elk Grove Census office at 1-800-866-2010 and entering their ZIP code. More information, including a practice test, is available online at 2010censusjobs.gov.

Beverly Hills schools move to cut outside pupils - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Beverly Hills schools move to cut outside pupils - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Beverly Hills schools move to cut outside pupils

Associated Press Writer

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Threats on Facebook, name-calling, security guard escorts - tempers are running high around schools these days in this normally sedate enclave of ostentatious wealth.

The reason: The Beverly Hills school board is preparing to boot out 10 percent of its students as it ends a decades-old practice of allowing out-of-district pupils to attend city schools on "opportunity permits."

The move has upset many so-called permit parents - mostly middle-class families living in the tonier areas of Los Angeles who are loath to send their children to the beleaguered Los Angeles Unified School District, where more than a quarter of high-schoolers drop out.

"Every family on permit is outraged," said Simy Levy, a Los Angeles resident whose two daughters attend school in Beverly Hills. "It's incredibly unfair.

CPR: Feature News Story | Schools Ask For Help In Catching Vandals

CPR: Feature News Story | Schools Ask For Help In Catching Vandals:

"(Sacramento, CA) They say vandalism usually goes up when school’s out-of-session. Vince Matranga heads security for the Sacramento City Unified School District.

“During the two-week winter break we probably average around $5,000 in damages to our school buildings. And that’s primarily graffiti. And at this time with the budgets the way they are for public schools we just cannot afford to be spending our money repairing our buildings because of vandalism.”

Matranga says the district is installing video surveillance cameras at school sites as funding becomes available.

Meanwhile, he’s urging neighbors to be the eyes and ears of the district…and call the police or Sheriff’s Department if they see any suspicious activity."

Troubles persist at several charters | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/28/2009

Troubles persist at several charters | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/28/2009

Troubles persist at several charters

By Martha Woodall

Inquirer Staff Writer

Rosemary DiLacqua's husband was in trouble.


Joseph J. DiLacqua, a captain in the Philadelphia Police Department, had been charged in early 2002 with covering up the drunken-driving accident of a fellow officer, and the family needed $15,000 to pay for a lawyer.


Brien N. Gardiner, founder of the charter school where Rosemary DiLacqua was board president, provided the solution. He secretly lent her the money.

But the money had strings attached, prosecutors said, and accepting it exposed DiLacqua, who was also a police detective, to federal charges.


It was just one part of a web of criminal intrigue that pervaded Philadelphia Academy Charter School. Details came to light earlier this month when Rosemary DiLacqua was sentenced in federal court for taking a total of $34,000 in secret payments from Gardiner and a former chief executive and then giving them raises and lucrative contracts.


A lot happened between spring 2008, when The Inquirer first reported allegations of fiscal mismanagement at the Northeast charter, and Rosemary DiLacqua's sentencing on Dec. 15. 
And the school was not the only one shaken by the revelations of suspected corruption. Reverberations are still felt across Pennsylvania's charter-school landscape.


Federal investigators who began their probe of Philadelphia Academy in May 2008 concluded that Gardiner and Kevin M. O'Shea, the former CEO, had looted the school. Gardiner committed suicide in May when indictments seemed imminent. O'Shea, who pleaded guilty to stealing as much as $1 million, is serving a 37-month sentence in federal prison.


Although the federal probe has spread to at least five other charters in the area, the Philadelphia School District has made only modest changes to increase oversight of the city's 67 charter schools.