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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Democrats add teacher money to war funding bill - Boston.com

Democrats add teacher money to war funding bill - Boston.com:

Democrats add teacher money to war funding bill

By Andrew Taylor
Associated Press Writer / June 30, 2010
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WASHINGTON—House Democrats who are trying to pass a long-stalled war funding bill are sweetening it with $10 billion to help local school districts avoid teacher layoffs when schools reopen.
The approximately $70 billion measure is anchored by President Barack Obama's $30 billion request for the troop surge in Afghanistan and contains money for disaster aid accounts, foreign aid and disability benefits for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange.
The bill's release was the surest signal yet that House leaders are committed to passing it this week, despite deepening anxiety over the Afghanistan war effort



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Boston takes charter school nonprofit as a partner

School Superintendent Carol R. Johnson will tap a charter school management organization to run one of the district’s low-achieving middle schools, a first for the state, under a plan she will present tonight to the Boston School Committee. (By James Vaznis, Globe Staff)

City youth gain 400 jobs for summer

Boston officials, hoping to stem a wave of early-summer violence, announced more than 400 new summer jobs and new summer school programs for at-risk youth. (By Meghan E. Irons and June Q. Wu, Globe Staff | Globe Correspondent)

Gloucester critics of charter school sue

A group of parents filed a lawsuit yesterday against the top state education officials, alleging that they approved the opening of a charter school in Gloucester in “blatant violation’’ of the state Board of Education’s regulations governing the granting of school charters. (By David Abel, Globe Staff)

Taunton man warned his son before attack, police say

TAUNTON — The father of a 17-year-old who was stabbed to death near a convenience store Friday night warned his son not to fight, because the other man, who he had been feuding with since middle school, had a knife, according to court records. (By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff)

Student describes knife attack as he slept in MIT dorm room

WOBURN — Wolfe Styke and Anna Tang met at a social gathering for MIT students and quickly became friends and study partners. (By Denise Lavoie, Associated Press)

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Today’s World Cup Links | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Today’s World Cup Links | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

New Gifted Testing in New York May Begin at Age 3 - NYTimes.com

New Gifted Testing in New York May Begin at Age 3 - NYTimes.com

The current test is valid only for children 4 and older, but a new test could work for even younger children, allowing the city to speed up the admissions calendar.
Pete Malinowski, an aquaculture teacher at the New York Harbor School, unlocks Lima Pier on Governors Island.

At the New York Harbor School, Growing Oysters for Credit

On Governors Island, high school students form a relationship with the city’s marine environment.

Last Day of ‘Rubber Rooms’ for Teachers

The waiting places known as rubber rooms were a requirement for teachers accused of incompetence or wrongdoing, who would idle there on full salary.

Justices Rule Against Group That Excludes Gay Students

The majority said public institutions of higher learning were not required to recognize student groups that did not accept all comers.

University Chief Is Selling Tobacco Holdings

Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann of the University of California, San Francisco, is re-evaluating her portfolio after questions about her stock in Altria.

Many Sacramento-area school districts face money woes, California official says - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Many Sacramento-area school districts face money woes, California official says - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

More than 400 needy students at Sacramento middle schools have received free computers as part of a study that is testing the educational benefits of having a computer at home.
Jack O'Connell, the outgoing state superintendent of schools, declared Tuesday that a record 174 school districts have been placed on the state's list of financially troubled education systems.

3M30SCHOOLS
Nearly every Sacramento County school district and some in Placer, El Dorado and Yuba counties are in financial trouble, state officials announced Tuesday.
Sacramento City Unified School District Health Services is providing free whooping cough, H1N1 and other vaccinations to students, their parents and community members.
Sacramento City Unified School District Health Services is providing whooping cough, H1N1 and other vaccines to students, their parents and community members. The district will hold six clinics beginning today through July 15 to offer vaccines to preventable diseases.

1W28LUNCHES
Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? There is. But it's becoming more of a rarity.
Five students from California State University, Chico, are spending the summer on Alcatraz Island helping to preserve and repair deteriorated concrete structures, some dating from the 1850s.

7M27KINDER
Child development experts say parents should begin preparing their children as early as possible for kindergarten.


Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/education/#ixzz0sL3PG8Q6

Portland school board reluctant to spend more from savings to prevent painful teacher cutbacks | OregonLive.com

Portland school board reluctant to spend more from savings to prevent painful teacher cutbacks | OregonLive.com

Portland school board reluctant to spend more from savings to prevent painful teacher cutbacks

Published: Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 10:33 PM Updated: Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 11:05 PM
Portland Public Schools should spend down its savings account rather than cut physical education teachers in the face of a $19 million cut in state spending, the school board was told repeatedly Tuesday during a packed budget hearing.

But board members, including David Wynde, the budget chairman, said the board must hold the line and not spend any more from savings given a looming $50 million shortfall for Portland schools in the next two school years, taking into account state revenue forecasts.


"I reluctantly feel we have got to hold on to our reserves," and make permanent cuts to the staffing levels and operating costs of the school system, said board member Dilafruz Williams. "It's sobering, it's depressing, but it's the reality we are facing."

"No matter what we do there is going to be harm to our students," said board member Ruth Adkins. "There is just no way to avoid that."

Board member Pam Knowles said she might be willing to take some amount, but not the full $19 million, from savings to blunt the pain this fall, knowing there will be more pain ahead. "No matter how much we have in reserves,


olunteers needed to teach sustainable living projects to schools and clubs

By Washington County Reader Contributor

June 29, 2010, 6:42PM
4-H partners in this training are Oregon Farm to School and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Full story »

Forest Grove School District administrators get cost of living raise

By Wendy Owen, The Oregonian

June 29, 2010, 4:01PM
Forest Grove principals, superintendent, directors and others will get a 1.75 cost of living raise, but six days of furlough will cut any salary gain Full story »

'Save Portland PE' campaign makes a fast, well-funded splash

PEclass.jpg

By Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian

June 28, 2010, 6:32PM
Backed by hospitals, the Blazers, doctors and Nike, the coalition takes just days to commission a poll, place ads, jump on FaceBook and otherwise mobilize a full-blown media campaign to save gym class in Portland elementary and middle schools Full story »

Small Philly schools with big hopes | Philadelphia Inquirer | 06/30/2010

Small Philly schools with big hopes | Philadelphia Inquirer | 06/30/2010

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DAVID SWANSON / Staff Photographer
Science Leadership Academy seniors await their graduation procession. Ninety-seven percent will attend college; 40 percent plan majors in science, technology, or math.
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Small Philly schools with big hopes

High School of the Future and Science Leadership Academy, four-year-old Phila. high schools just graduated their first classes. Their experiences differ greatly.

First of two parts
Small high schools came to Philadelphia in a big way four years ago, when four new ones opened their doors.
Less than three miles apart, High School of the Future in Parkside and Science Leadership Academy (SLA) in Center City had vastly different beginnings.
Expectations for both were high. Both awarded their first diplomas this month.
But although leadership was identified as key to both, one had turmoil at the top and the other had a stable principal. Though both emphasized technology and were given freedom to innovate, one kept a close eye on district standards and the other initially veered from the path.
One accepted only top students, and its test scores were high. The other took mostly neighborhood students, including those who struggled, and its scores were low.
Jasmine Thomas picked SLA because she "thought it would be kind of cool to go to a place where you built it from the ground up," she said. Thomas, 18, just earned her diploma and said she is thrilled with her high school


Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/education/20100630_High_School_of_the_Future_and_Science_Leadership_Academy__Small_Philly_schools_with_big_hopes.html#ixzz0sL2CFZK6
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