Thursday, April 1, 2010

Do Calif. firms pay fair share of taxes? | pay, getting, california - Business - The Orange County Register

Do Calif. firms pay fair share of taxes?

California businesses are getting more bang for their tax bucks than most other states, according to a new study by the accounting firm Ernst & Young for the Council on State Taxation.

Local companies pay between a dollar and $2.68 in taxes for every dollar of government services they receive. That's better than 44 other states and the District of Columbia, according to Ernst & Young'scalculation.

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Why the range? If you calculate that businesses directly benefit from half the money government spends on education, then California businesses get a dollar's benefit for every tax dollar they pay. If you think they get no direct benefit from public educational spending, businesses get $1 in benefits for every $2.68 in taxes they pay.

"Due to the large expenditures of education in every state, the ratio of business taxes to government expenditures for services benefiting business is sensitive to assumptions about who benefits from public spending for education," the report says.

In California there has been debate for years about how well or how poorly the schools prepare students for the work world, from technical training to soft skills like showing up on time to basics like the ability to read a work manual.

But that debate over the value of education aside, the tax/benefit ratio is significant to businesses, Ernst & Young says, because it influences where companies choose to locate.

"This comparative measure was developed to answer questions from legislators asking, 'Are businesses paying their fair share of taxes?' Increasing economic competition among states and around the globe has transformed the initial question into a more fundamental query: 'What is the basis or rationale for business taxation at the state or local level?'

"The basic rationale for business taxes, recognizing that the economic burden of business taxes are ultimately borne by consumers or owners...or workers is to pay for government services that directly benefit business..."

A separate Ernst & Young analysis showed that business taxes are passed on to individuals in the form of

Native-born Californians regain majority status - latimes.com

Native-born Californians regain majority status

A USC study finds that immigration has peaked in the state, a longtime melting pot. Border restrictions and the recession are seen as factors.

By Teresa Watanabe and Hector Becerra

April 1, 2010

California has long been the ultimate melting pot, with the majority of its population coming from outside the state.

Dust Bowl emigres, Asian railroad workers, high-tech entrepreneurs, Mexican laborers and war refugees from around the globe flocked to California. The majority migrant population filled the state's myriad labor needs, challenged the schools with a cacophony of new languages and roiled its politics with immigration debates.

But, in a dramatic demographic shift, California's narrative as the nation's quintessential immigrant state is giving way to a new reality.

For the first time since the 19th century Gold Rush, California-born residents now make up the majority statewide and in most counties, according to a USC study released Wednesday. And experts predict even Los Angeles -- long a mecca for new immigrants -- will become majority California-born by the time the 2010 census is completed.

"Home-grown Californians are the anchor of our economic future," said Dowell Myers, a USC urban planning and demography professor who coauthored the study. "But people are living in the past. They still think we are fighting off hordes of migrants."

The study showed that California's share of foreign-born residents grew from 15.1% in 1980 to a peak

State: Salinas school emergency trusteeship first in California caused by board turmoil | thecalifornian.com | The Salinas Californian

State: Salinas school emergency trusteeship first in California caused by board turmoil

BY RIA MEGNIN • RMEGNIN@THECALIFORNIAN.COM • APRIL 1, 2010

The emergency appointment of a trustee for a Salinas school district is unprecedented, the state Board ofEducation said Wednesday.

California has intervened in the past for districts with severe financial problems, as it did last year for south Monterey County's King City Union School District, and for those with ongoing academic performance issues.

But the immediate appointment of a trustee to oversee the Alisal Union School District marks the first time leadership issues forced the state's hand, Board of Education spokeswoman Regina Brown Wilson said.

"This is uncharted waters," Wilson said.

The Alisal Union School District, plagued by turmoil and high turnover on its board, has been under scrutiny for low student test scores for years. The district learned March 11 that it would fall under state trusteeship primarily for its academic performance. But since then, the board drew scrutiny upon itself by actions that included:

Issuing layoff notices to principals without the approval of its superintendent.

Replacing Esperanza Zendejas with new superintendent John Ramirez.

Hiring Zendejas as a consultant at her previous salary.

Those moves led the state board to vote unanimously Tuesday to give Monterey County schoolsSuperintendent Nancy Kotowski the power to overturn any potentially damaging decisions made by the

City Brights: Rachel Norton : Lessons from Race to the Top winners

Lessons from Race to the Top winners

The big news in education earlier this week was that Delaware and Tennessee were the winners in the first round of the Department of Education's Race to the Top competition. These states will win $600 million -- $100 million to Delaware and $500 million to Tennessee -- out of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund.

The more interesting question is why these two states won, and why California came in a dismal 27th out of 40 states that submitted applications for funds in this round. Education Week is reporting that support from all stakeholders -- most notably the teachers unions -- proved to be the essential ingredient for a successful application. However, the magazine also speculates that being a swing vote in Congress also didn't hurt:

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del . . . are the ranking minority members in the subcommittees in their respective chambers dealing with K-12 policy, and both are considered leading moderate voices on education who have worked well with Democrats in the past. In fact, in an interview with the Washington Post's David Broder, Secretary Duncan singled out Alexander and Castle as the two Republicans who had offered ideas that were incorporated into the administration's ESEA [the Elementary and Secondary Education Act]blueprint.
Of course, the Obama administration has stressed repeatedly that politics would play absolutely no part in Race to the Top and set up a process intended to keep just these sort of considerations out. But the fact that Tennessee and Delaware apparently submitted such stellar applications might be a lucky break for the administration as its works to get GOP support for its ESEA ideas.

Along with the winning applications, the Department of Education also released the comments and reviewer scores on unsuccessful applications, including California's. Analysis of the state's

Preschool education extremely important - The Reporter

Preschool education extremely important

BY RICHARD BAMMER

Posted: 04/01/2010 07:48:02 AM PDT

Matt Regan worries about two things: high school dropout rates of 25 percent in California and the need to make preschool education a priority. He sees them as inextricably linked, asserting, as many educators do, that a child's enrollment in early education programs significantly increases the likelihood of graduation from high school, success in college and, ultimately, a better life. He believes the U.S. business community is better served with an educated workforce that will make it a competitive global player in the coming decades.

"There are countries that are cleaning our clocks when it comes to early education," said Regan, vice president of governmental relations for the Bay Area Council, a business-sponsored, public-policy advocacy group in San Francisco. He cited Europe and Japan as leaders in early childhood education.

Speaking to some 150 Solano business leaders, educators and elected county and city officials on Wednesday, he said the issue of increasing opportunities for preschool education "is a business imperative."

"We forget about human capital investment," he said during the Solano Economic Development Corporation's Fairfield breakfast meeting, themed "Business & Children - They Are More Connected Than You Think!"

As one of several speakers, Regan cited a lengthy Chicago study that tracked a sample population to age 40, some of which enrolled in preschool classes and others that did not. Those that passed through preschool programs tended

to be better educated, well-adjusted and successful. Additionally, he said the California dropout rate "is climbing."

"How do we fix these problems with limited funds?" Regan asked rhetorically.

Through public-private partnerships, community support and "advocacy efforts" targeted at county, state and federal leaders, he said.

Schools Matter: Who Needs A Republican Party When You Have a Democrat Eager to Implement Your Plan?

Who Needs A Republican Party When You Have a Democrat Eager to Implement Your Plan?

from Schools Matter by Jim Horn

For those who worry about the future of the two party system as the Tea Party ushers the Republicans into BozoLand, never fear. With a President intent upon occupying the Center-Right, all the Republicans have to do is to continue to move further right with the Tea Partiers, and the former Republican agenda gets appropriated by the former Democrats as they chase westward. By 2012 Obama, himself, will likely be labeling the 2008 Obama a socialist. In the meantime, "Drill, Baby, Drill" becomes a "Democratic" priority as the world melts and the U. S. moves closer to fascism. From Raw Story:

"Drill, Baby, Drill," chanted conservatives at the 2008 Republican convention and at rallies across the country ever since. Now, they claim President Barack Obama's embrace of the idea doesn't quite meet their standards.
Republicans have reacted largely with derision to Obama's announcement to expand offshore drilling Wednesday, declaring that his move -- which adopts a key plank in their energy platform --

This Week In Education Media: Banchero Becomes WSJ Education Reporter

This Week In Education

Media: Banchero Becomes WSJ Education Reporter

by Alexander Russo

News is out that the Tribune's award-winning education reporter Stephanie Banchero is headed to the Wall Street Journal, where she'll be the national education reporter. Though mostly focused on state and national issues Banchero also wrote about Chicago Public Schools and was one of the few journalists who braved to comment on this site using her own name. Banchero may be best known for her in-depth series about a little girl namedRayola Carwell who changed schools under No Child Left Behind. (What's your favorite Banchero story?) Her awards include two first place awards

Media: Biggest Education Stories Of The NCLB Era

Here's my list of the 10 biggest, most influential stories of the NCLB era -- memorable stories that shaped public understanding of the law and education over the past eight years (for better or worse):

Testing Limits New Yorker Nicholas Lemann 2001...The Test Mess NYT Sunday Magazine James Traub 2002...Rayola Carwell Chicago Tribune Stephanie Banchero 2004...The Turnaround Specialist PBS NewsHour John Merrow et al 2005...Schools Cut Back Subjects to Push Reading and MathNew York Times Sam Dillon 2006...Swamp Nurse The New Yorker Katherine Boo 2006...She Found Abuses in US Plan for Reading NYT Joseph Berger 2006...Huge Loophole In

Viewpoints: Teachers are asked to give more for less - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Viewpoints: Teachers are asked to give more for less

Published: Thursday, Apr. 1, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 11ABy Jill Duman
Special to The Bee

On most days, Jonathan Defty opens his classroom at about 7:45 a.m., a full 45 minutes before school begins. Tall and lean, with a stocking cap, jeans and a khaki-colored jacket, Defty looks more like the Marine that he was than the first-grade teacher he is now, 23 years later. On the walls of his classroom are the expectations for his small-fry students:Be Responsible. Be Productive. Be Kind. Be Your Best.

Defty, a teacher for 17 years, is at his post early for the handful of kids needing help on their way to reading fluently. At the end of the day, he'll stay an hour after school to supervise the running club he started at Marguerite Montgomery Elementary. When he's done, he'll head over to the new Davis High School track where Defty, a former school athlete, is coaching DHS track and field runners over the hurdles.

"It's all about making progress," he tells the runners who slow their pace on the approach. "Think about going through the hurdle."

The obstacle course is a perfect metaphor for

Pony Express began 150 years ago; Sacramento observances are few - Outbound - sacbee.com

Pony Express began 150 years ago; Sacramento observances are few

Published: Thursday, Apr. 1, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 1DBy Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

The Pony Express turns 150 years old this weekend, and the old gray mare ain't what she used to be.

When the fabled mail route started up April 3, 1860, it galloped directly into American mythology.

"The Pony Express is iconic in the national imagination," said University of Maryland professor Christopher Corbett, author of "Orphans Preferred," a book on the Pony Express legend.

It lasted barely 11/2 years, carrying mail between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento and sometimes San Francisco, but today anyone can envision a young rider hopping off a lathered horse and onto a rested one, rocketing a leather pouch across the forbidding Western landscape.

"It's this powerful and romantic bit of the Old West," said Corbett.

We carry the image, but we don't celebrate it much. There will be one small ceremony in Sacramento to mark the anniversary this weekend, but there's not much horse power behind it.

The bulk of the mail route from Old Sac to Folsom will be covered via light rail.

The Educated Guess Harlem Children’s Zone times 20

The Educated Guess

Harlem Children’s Zone times 20

Tags: Franklin McKinley Children's Zone, Geoffrey Canada, Harlem Children's Zone,John Porter
Posted in Preschool, Program innovation

Non-profits and school districts nationwide will soon vie for $200 million that President Obama envisions as seeding the next generation Harlem Children’s Zones. A local school superintendent and organizers of the Santee neighborhood in south San Jose, a mix of poor Vietnamese and Hispanic immigrant families, hope to be one of them. They’ve lined up philanthropic dollars and persuaded agencies to come together to form their own Children’s Zone.
The Harlem Children’s Zone is matrix of interwoven schools and social services for children and adults, spanning from cradle to college, that its visionary, Geoffrey Canada, hopes will wipe out intergenerational poverty in New York City’s famous uptown neighborhood.
(Read more and comment on this post)

Schools Matter: Florida Test and Punish Policy Shifts Focus to Teachers

Florida Test and Punish Policy Shifts Focus to Teachers

by Jim Horn

With the Jeb Bush brain trust now rushing through a Senate bill in Florida that would make teachers' jobs dependent upon test scores, Arne Duncan and his philanthro-capitalist cabal at ED must be second-guessing their RTTT contest picks last week. What an opportunity missed to make starving states understand what Arne and the Oligarchs are looking for! Oh well, by the time this Bill becomes law, the second round of RTTT will be upon us, and the Florida message can be hammered home in even a more convincing fashion, i.e., with hundreds of millions of dollars.

But what is that, that rumbling? Oh, I see, it is students, teachers, and parents all together twittering, signing petitions, marching and emailing and calling their representatives to shut down this most insidious Republocratic

NEA Presents Congress With ESEA Wish List - Teacher Beat - Education Week

NEA Presents Congress With ESEA Wish List

by Stephen Sawchuk

Congressional lawmakers got a recent present in the form of a thick mailing from the National Education Association. It details the union's vision for the reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, i.e., No Child Left Behind.
Your intrepid blogger has read all 170 pages, and the documents largely align to NEA's earlier "positive agenda" for the reauthorization, but are much more detailed and even include sample legislative language. They also underscore just how starkly the NEA's stances on teacher quality and accountability differ from those of the Obama administration's blueprint, as there is nary a reference in this document to "teacher effectiveness" or "school turnarounds."
So, what does the NEA have in mind? The union has long said there's too much testing under the current ESEA, and the documents make clear that the union wants standardized assessments in just two grade spans.

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Thursday, April 1, 2010