Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The kids be damned: Cowardly Legislature betrays state's children and taxpayers

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Democratic Conference boss John Sampson yesterday betrayed New York's children and taxpayers in the most cowardly and irresponsible fashion possible.

Without taking a single action in public - without voting on the most consequential piece of education legislation in decades - they trashed this bankrupt state's shot at securing as much as $700 million in federal Race to the Top aid.

In the process, Silver (top photo), Sampson (bottom photo) and fellow Democrats told President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan to drop dead, denied thousands of kids the chance for an improved education and shredded what little was left of Albany's credibility as a seat of government.

Speaker Silver: The teachers' union pet - NYPOST.com

It was crystal clear yesterday that New York's teachers unions aren't just joined at the hip with Assembly SpeakerSheldon Silver and the Democratic legislative leadership, they ARE part of the leadership.

The tragic evidence of their extraordinary power was out in the open for all to see minutes before the death knell tolled for Gov. Paterson's and Mayor Bloomberg's effort to win $700 million in federal "Race to the Top" education assistance.

Shortly before the Assembly planned to convene to at least consider the RTTT legislation, Education Committee Chairwoman Catherine Nolan (D-Queens) was huddled -- in full view of the public -- 30 feet from Silver's office with Carol Gerstl, counsel to the all-powerful United Federation of Teachers.

New Education Funds Spur States to Compete - WSJ.com

Forty states are seeking federal school funding through a competitive Obama administration program that has prompted educational changes as well as resistance in much of the country.

States have spent months, and in some cases millions of dollars in consulting fees, preparing applications for the first round of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top program, due Tuesday.

The initiative has generated stiff competition among states eager to prove their bona fides as education reformers in a scramble for federal cash. Administration officials promise to award grants worth up to $700 million to states that show the greatest willingness to push innovation and implement tough testing standards in local schools.

The program has met resistance in some quarters. In Florida, eight of the state's 67 counties declined to sign on to the state's application, citing disagreements with the federal policy. Hundreds of districts in California also declined to go along.

Teachers unions in some states, such as Michigan and Minnesota, have urged members to oppose their states' bids. Unity among a state's educators and unions is one of the criteria administration officials will use to grade requests for funding.

At Robeson High, Attendance Rates Don't Add Up - NY1.com

At Robeson High, Attendance Rates Don't Add Up - NY1.com:

"If the city goes ahead as planned, Brooklyn's Paul Robeson High School will close in June, never to reopen and with nothing to take its place. All this week, NY1's Lindsey Christ is taking a behind the scenes look at the school's challenges, its successes and its failures.
Fifteen minutes into Mr. Jacobs' second period U.S. history class, he's the only one in the room. Ten minutes later, two students sit at their desks. By the end of the period, there are five. His roster for the class has more than 30 names. At Paul Robeson High School, teachers say simply getting students into the classrooms may be their biggest challenge.

'It's kind of like if you walk in and out of a movie, you don't know what is going on. A lot of kids have that kind of attendance in school. They're called LTAs -- long term absences. And then when they come back, you are like 'Yeah you're back!' but the kid is lost because he hasn't been here,' said Paul Robeson High School teacher Larry Jacobs."

City, Environmental Protection Agency make deal to test schools for PCB toxin

The city has agreed to test schools for PCBs and, if needed, come up with a plan to protect kids from exposure after a Daily News probe found the toxin in the window caulking of several schools.

The settlement between the city Education Department and the federal Environmental Protection Agency heads off a parents' lawsuit for now - and puts the schools under tougher federal scrutiny.

The deal dictates a million-dollar pilot study of five schools that could lead to much more testing.

"The program outlined in this agreement, along with general EPA guidance on managing the issue, will serve as a model for school systems across the country," said EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck.

Because PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were routinely added to caulking before the chemicals were outlawed in 1977, buildings nationwide constructed before then are at risk for serious PCB contamination.

Public School 15 in Brooklyn one of many struggling against charter schools

Nothing Schools Chancellor Joel Klein can say will calm the furor and sense of betrayal parents and teachers at Public School 15 in Brooklyn have felt for the past few weeks.

"There is a deliberate attempt [by Klein] to undermine and dismantle a successful public school, and we're going to fight it," Lydia Bellahcene, a leader of the Parents Association and mother of three students at the Red Hook school, vowed Tuesday.

The target here is not a failed school. Even the bureaucrats at Tweed have given PS 15 an A rating for three straight years.

Yet, parents at the school find themselves locked in a neighborhood civil war instigated by the Department of Education. Their nemesis is PAVE Academy, a charter school that shares their building but keeps demanding more space.

The same conflict is being fought out in scores of New York Cityneighborhoods.

It is one of the main reasons Democratic lawmakers in AlbanyTuesday rebuffed intense pressure from Klein, Mayor Bloomberg, Gov. Paterson - even from the Obama White House- to lift the cap on the number of charter schools in the state.

The lawmakers did so even though they risked the state's losing hundreds of million of dollars in "Race to the Top" federal school aid.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) showed the most courage. He was

Choice Education Chiefs - WSJ.com

Choice Education Chiefs - WSJ.com:

"Kudos to the country's two newest governors, Republicans Bob McDonnell of Virginia and Chris Christie of New Jersey, who have tapped strong school choice advocates to head their state education departments.

Last week, Mr. McDonnell chose Gerald Robinson to become Virginia's next Secretary of Education. Mr. Robinson currently heads the Black Alliance for Educational Options, a national nonprofit that backs charter schools and performance pay for teachers. Meanwhile, Mr. Christie has picked former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler to serve as his state's next education commissioner. Mr. Schundler is an unabashed supporter of using education vouchers and charter schools to improve the plight of urban school districts."

At a Brooklyn School, Weeding, Writing and Arithmatic - NYTimes.com

At a Brooklyn School, Weeding, Writing and Arithmatic - NYTimes.com:

"THOSE who believe trends start on the West Coast and are perfected on the East Coast might add to their argument a garden planned for an elementary school in Brooklyn."

This summer, supporters will tear up a quarter-acre of asphalt parking lot behind P.S. 216 in the Gravesend neighborhood and start building the first New York affiliate of the Edible Schoolyard program, developed by the restaurateur Alice Waters of Chez Panisse.
It’s a $1.6-million architect’s dream. A new building, powered by the sun, will hold a kitchen classroom with communal tables where children can share meals they make from food they grow in the garden.
Designers from the Work Architecture Company have incorporated a chicken coop, a composting system, an outdoor pizza oven and a cistern to collect rainwater. A movable greenhouse will be rolled out each fall.

Burbank Leader > Education

Burbank Leader > Education:

"DOWNTOWN — For local education officials, the sky keeps falling.

Burbank Unified stands to lose $3 million annually, according to estimates from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget proposals unveiled Jan. 8. The loss in Glendale Unified is expected to be up to $5.8 million.

“We’re looking at five years at least before we begin to think about getting back to what we were getting,” said Lori Ordway-Peck, Burbank Unified School District interim deputy superintendent. “And yet, we’re being asked to do more, achieve greater results and absorb higher costs of operation. Something’s got to give . . . public education is at a point where it cannot continue to do this.”

Factoring in the latest cuts steepens Glendale Unified’s projected deficit to almost $50 million in 2012-13, up from a previous estimate of $32 million. Burbank officials came into 2009-10 having made cuts to reach a balanced three-year budget, but will have to make additional cuts next year to close the $3-million annual loss."

New Year, New Semester At Bakersfield College - Bakersfield News Story - KERO Bakersfield

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- There’s nothing more exciting than the hustle and bustle of a new semester at Bakersfield College. Just take one look around the campuses on Panorama Drive in Bakersfield or on Timmons Avenue in Delano, and you’ll see more than 17,000 students walking to classes, looking for books, seeking out old friends and learning their way to a better future.

Over the last four years, Bakersfield College has seen an increase in student enrollment, and early student enrollment numbers for Spring 2010 are indicating that this trend will continue for the near future.
Despite California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget, which made little to no cuts to higher education, Bakersfield College is bracing for continued difficult budget times. Above all else, Bakersfield College is working to provide access to quality, affordable higher education to students.

“The Governor’s budget was a pleasant surprise,” said Dr. Greg Chamberlain, president of Bakersfield College. “But any political analyst, any California resident, anyone who has watched the state budget process, can tell you that we rarely end up with the Governor’s proposed budget as the final budget. Because of this, Bakersfield College continues to closely examine every expenditure. We are working to ensure that we are making the most logical, sound financial decisions possible.”

Louisiana making headway in 'Race to the Top,' President Barack Obama says | New Orleans Metro Education News - - NOLA.com

President Barack Obama on Tuesday again cited Louisiana as one of the state's adopting effective school reform policies as final applications came due for a share of a $4.35 billion education grant program known as the"Race to the Top."

"In Illinois, Louisiana, Tennessee, California, we've seen changes in laws or policies to let public charter schools expand and succeed," Obama said during an appearance at a Virginia elementary school. Such schools, he said, are given more independence as they are generally formed by teachers, parents and community members.

In announcing the state's application for Race to the Top financing, Louisiana education officials said the state should benefit by having the highest concentration of charter schools among the 50 states and other policies.

But since Obama announced the grant program, other states have engaged in the educational overhaul agenda, meaning Louisiana will face some stiff competition.

In states such as California, Rhode Island, Nevada, Wisconsin and Indiana, officials have either lifted restrictions on charter schools or repealed laws that the Obama administration viewed as harmful to reform efforts. For example, the legislatures in California and Wisconsin repealed laws that banned the linkage of student achievement scores to performance evaluations of teachers.

Teen duck hunter appeals school expulsion | News10.net | Sacramento, California | News

Teen duck hunter appeals school expulsion | News10.net | Sacramento, California | News:

"WILLOWS, CA - The high school junior who was expelled for leaving two shotguns in his pickup truck at the edge of campus has asked the Glenn County, California Board of Education to reinstate him.

Gary Tudesko, 17, was kicked out of Willows High School in November after a school security dog alerted to the shotguns and ammunition in his locked truck on a public street adjacent to school grounds. Tudesko had gone duck-hunting with a friend before classes and told administrators he didn't have time to take the guns home before the first bell.

Tudesko was represented by two attorneys hired by a consortium of gun rights advocates at a Tuesday hearing before the Glenn County Board of Education. The National Rifle Association hired a camera crew from Washington, D.C. to record the event A crowd of supporters wearing ribbons packed the hearing room, some of them wearing hunting gear."

State leaders lobby Congress for federal funds

State leaders lobby Congress for federal funds:

"California's state leaders are in Washington today and Thursday for the first round of visits this year to press the federal government for billions of dollars to help the state's beleaguered budget."

In his budget proposal, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has assumed that the state will get $6.9 billion in federal aid for health care, incarcerating undocumented felons and special education, among other requests.
The governor has maintained the state is not getting its fair share of federal dollars and the four Republican and Democratic leaders of the Legislature are on the East Coast with him to press the argument. If that money does not materialize, Schwarzenegger has proposed the wholesale elimination of programs for the poor, sick and elderly.
So far, though, California's congressional representatives have been cool to the governor's demands, though they have pushed the Obama administration for more money for incarcerating undocumented felons. Schwarzenegger and lawmakers plan to meet with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, along with Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/19/BAQL1BKF9H.DTL#ixzz0d9oVCkJa

Race for Education Funding Poses a Test for States | PBS NewsHour | Jan. 19, 2010 | PBS

Race for Education Funding Poses a Test for States | PBS NewsHour | Jan. 19, 2010 | PBS:

"GWEN IFILL: Now: Billions of dollars are about to come available in new federal education spending, and states are competing for a piece of the pie. The money, part of the government stimulus package, is designed to give public school systems a leg up. But there's a catch.

John Merrow, the 'NewsHour''s special correspondent for education, explains."

JOHN MERROW: President Obama visited a school in Falls Church, Virginia, today to promote his major education initiative known as Race to the Top. The program offers a shot at new funding. But the president was quick to remind the states that not all of them would win the money.

U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: And it's the competitive nature of this initiative that we believe helps make it so effective. We laid out a few key criteria and said, "If you meet these tests, we'll reward you by helping you reform your schools."

JOHN MERROW: Most states have accepted the challenge. Representatives flocked to workshops held in December, eager to learn the rules of a competition that offers a share of $4.35 billion.

JOANNE WEISS, director, Race to the Top: Most of the Department of Education's funding is -- is formulaic funding. It's funding that Congress gives the department, and we have to give it out on a formula basis.

JOHN MERROW: Joanne Weiss is the director of the Race to the Top.

JOANNE WEISS: This program is a competitive program. The states that win Race to the Top, we're hoping that what they do is show the way to the rest of the country for what could and should happen out there.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Sacramento Press / Labor, religious groups back youth jobs measure

A proposed measure to fund jobs and other services for young people in Sacramento is being supported by a coalition of labor and religious groups and some local elected officials.

A $29 annual tax on parcels of property in the city would be set up to pay for programs provided through Youth Jobs and Opportunity Act. Property owners would be charged the tax.

The proposed initiative could appear on the November ballot. Supporters say they intend to collect 30,000 signatures from residents. Proponents say several kinds of programs could be funded through the program, including after-school programs, apprenticeships and street outreach services.

Groups supporting the proposal include the Yes to Youth Coalition, Sacramento Area Congregations Together, the Sacramento Central Labor Council and the Urban League of Sacramento.

Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson and City Councilman Kevin McCarty, who are running against each other for Assemblyman Dave Jones’ seat, both spoke in favor of the initiative at a Tuesday press conference.

40 States Plus D.C. Apply for Race to the Top - Politics K-12 - Education Week

40 States Plus D.C. Apply for Race to the Top - Politics K-12 - Education Week

There will be more analysis forthcoming, but let's get right to the news. Forty states plus the District of Columbia made the 4:30 p.m. deadline for applying for the first round of Race to the Top.

Here's who did NOT apply: Alaska, Maryland, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.

In a statement, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said: "This exceeded our expectations. We received word from 40 states that they intended to apply, and thought there might be some drop off. There wasn't. Let the race begin."

Big Promises in Race to the Top Applications

By Michele McNeil on January 19, 2010 3:40 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

With the deadline less than an hour away for states to get their Race to the Top applications in, many already are putting their exhaustive submissions online. It will be interesting to see if all states follow suit and publicize their applications.

The U.S. Department of Education has said it won't make the applications public until the winners are announced in April. But what's already online makes for very interesting reading, especially the opening narratives in which states are encouraged to brag about how great they are in the area of education policy.

Florida's 327-page application (not counting the 606-page appendix) boasts: "Florida is better poised than any other state to implement RTTT successfully because Florida has learned from prior reforms and has built a valuable knowledge base of what is necessary to implement a successful comprehensive RTTT agenda."

Sacramento Press / SCUSD budget gap grows by $10 million

SCUSD budget gap grows by $10 million

School district facing eighth year of reductions

Story By Maria L. Lopez

Photo by BigEducationApe.blogspot.com

Surveys by K12 Insight

Sacramento City Unified School Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond announced today that the district will need to reduce its 2010-11 general fund budget by $28 to $30 million. The projection was readjusted after review of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget proposals.

Raymond said the district had expected to trim $18 million from next year’s budget but revised the estimate after the Governor’s proposals were released.

Raymond said that since 2002-03, SCUSD has cut more than $144 million from its budget. “While the news is not good, we will do what we have to do to meet the needs of our students. We will need the best thinking and efforts of everyone from our staff and parents to community members to meet this new challenge,” Raymond stated. “The priority will be students and what we

Arne Duncan: Paterson’s budget shouldn’t assume a RttT win | GothamSchools

Arne Duncan: Paterson’s budget shouldn’t assume a RttT win | GothamSchools:

"Gov. Paterson’s proposed school budget could actually hurt the state’s chance of winning federal Race to the Top funds, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan suggested today.

Duncan told reporters this afternoon that he was surprised to learn that Paterson’s proposed budget appropriated $750 million in Race to the Top funds even before the competitive fund’s application deadline today.

“This is going to be very, very competitive, so for anyone to assume they’re getting this — that’s a bit of a leap of faith, I would say,” Duncan said. “And obviously if this money is seen as simply something that is going to be plugging budget holes, that’s not something we’re going to be interested in.”"

TRAIL BLAZERS Blog | The Dallas Morning News

TRAIL BLAZERS Blog | The Dallas Morning News:

"President Barack Obama chided Gov. Rick Perry this morning for refusing to compete in the 'Race to the Top' education program that could have awarded Texas up to $700 million.

'Innovative districts like the one in Texas whose reform efforts are being stymied by state decision-makers will soon have the chance to earn funding to help them pursue those reforms,' Obama said during a speech at a Virginia elementary school.

The 'Race to the Top' program is one of the centerpieces of Obama's plans to reform the country's schools. Upwards of 40 states are already competing against one another for slices of $4 billion in awards, and today, Obama announced a $1.35 billion expansion to the program that would allow local school districts to apply directly for the funds.

If passed, the addition would render Perry's opinion moot."

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