Update: Brouhaha in Brooklyn: Live-blogging the PEP’s school closure vote | GothamSchools

Brouhaha in Brooklyn: Live-blogging the PEP’s school closure vote | GothamSchools

Brouhaha in Brooklyn: Live-blogging the PEP’s school closure vote

by Philissa Cramer

Anna and Maura were on the scene of the Panel for Educational Policy’s meeting Tuesday night to decide on proposed school closures. They provided dispatches until the meeting’s bitter end, in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

4 a.m. After a two-hour protest that closed the streets in Fort Greene; nearly nine hours of testimony by concerned elected officials, parents, teachers, and students; and a series of votes that underscored the divide between Mayor Bloomberg and everyone else on school politics, the Panel for Educational Policy determined early this morning that 20 city schools, both young and old, small and large, will begin to close this fall. We’ll have more about the implications of the panel’s decisions starting sometime tomorrow afternoon.

But for now, with Brooklyn Tech empty, at least for a few hours, and Anna and Maura safely in taxis, we’re closing the blog for the night. Be sure to scroll through all 70+ entries to see exactly how the marathon meeting unfolded.

3:43 a.m. Maura managed to corner mayoral appointee David Chang before he left the building. “These are tough decisions but I think they’re all thoughtful,” he said. “I’m convinced the change is for the better.”

3:42 a.m. City Hall just sent out a press release with statements from Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein. The release is dated Jan. 26 — the day the PEP meeting began, but not when it ended.

Here’s what Bloomberg had to say:

Public sentiment has turned against Mayor Bloomberg's dictatorial school reforms

Public sentiment has turned against Mayor Bloomberg's dictatorial school reforms

Mayor Bloomberg has ignited a firestorm among parents and teachers with his latest move to shut down 19 more low-performing schools - including many of the city's biggest high schools.

The hundreds who filled Brooklyn Technical High SchoolTuesday night to protest a vote on the closings by the mayor's Panel for Educational Policy sent a clear signal: The tide of public sentiment has turned against Bloomberg's dictatorial school reforms.

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, those parents say, stacked their schools in recent years with huge numbers of special needs kids - especially English language learners and special education students.

Among the big schools to be shuttered are Christopher Columbus in the Bronx, Norman Thomas in Manhattan, Paul Robeson and W.H. Maxwell in Brooklyn and Jamaica High in Queens.

Klein never provided those schools with smaller class sizes and more resources, the parents say.

At a Jan. 7 hearing on Jamaica High, for instance, more than 800 people turned out. Klein aides admitted Tuesday that of 107 people who submitted official comments, not a single person backed the closing.

The chancellor simply ignores local sentiment. He prefers to spend much of his time promoting new charter schools or small public high schools, both of which enroll far fewer percentages of special needs children.

Read more:http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2010/01/27/2010-01-27_school_reform_is_failing_our_kids.html#ixzz0dpSlkKL4

H1N1 Infections Fall, But a New Wave Could Erupt - NAM

H1N1 Infections Fall, But a New Wave Could Erupt - NAM

FRESNO -- Reported cases of the virus, H1N1, also known as swine flu, have declined sharply in California over the last several weeks, causing state health officials to downgrade the status of the pandemic from “widespread” to “sporadic.”

The weekly number of hospitalized and fatal H1N1 influenza cases in California dropped to 46 as of January 16, down from 796 cases during the peak of the pandemic in early November.

However, the same officials warned there is still a possibility of the virus mutating. That could result in a third wave of infections over the next several months, coinciding with the traditional flu season.

“It’s unpredictable,” said Dr. Ben Sun, an epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health. “We don’t want to spread fear where there doesn’t need to be any, but the flu virus mutates all the time. It may cause more sickness and deaths, which is why we’re still really pushing for vaccinations.”

Sun spoke at a press briefing organized by New America Media and attended by ethnic media representatives in Fresno on January 20.

Joining Sun on the panel of speakers was Edward L. Moreno, director of the Fresno Department of Public Health, and Kevin Hamilton, director of special populations at Clinica Sierra Vista, a local health clinic.

Despite the news of a decline in statewide infections, both Moreno and Hamilton expressed concern that if another H1N1 outbreak were to occur, Fresno residents could again be disproportionately impacted.

Since the H1N1 pandemic began last April, hospitalizations due to the virus in California have occurred at a rate of 22 per 100,000 people. In 

Educational Organization Announces Events Exhibiting Innovative Learning Design

Educational Organization Announces Events Exhibiting Innovative Learning Design With seventy schools in the United States and partnering organizations supporting over forty schools abroad, Big Picture Learning has become an international leader in fighting the dropout crisis, equipping students with twenty first century skills, and reinventing education. In order to expose educators and other interested parties to their innovative learning design, Big Picture Learning is holding a series of events in various U.S. locations that will offer an in-depth and hands-on look at how their schools are run. Sacramento, CA (Vocus/PRWEB ) January 27, 2010 -- Big Picture Learning (BPL) announces a series of events that will be held in various United States locations in order to expose interest parties to the work of the organization and the way its learning design can benefit students, families, schools, and communities. These events are relevant and applicable for classroom teachers, school counselors, administrators, district personnel, policy makers, foundation representatives, community activists, and social innovators. Big Picture Learning Logo  Some problems call for unique solutions. [Big Picture is an idea that works. The first conference in this series of events will be held at the Met Sacramento in Sacramento, CA on February 25 and 26. Additional meetings will be held in Seattle, WA and New York City in March and April, respectively. Visit the Big Picture Learning website for more details. During these events, participants will experience the energy of Big Picture Learning’s school network firsthand. They will work with school staff and students directly, participating in advisory and visiting internships--mirroring the experience of a BPL student. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn from BPL leadership how BPL’s programming can be integrated into a traditional school schedule, can be beneficial for all schools and districts, and is an appropriate program for i3 and Race to the Top funding submissions.

Student Press Law Center - News Flashes Bill to include charter schools in Calif. student free expression law passes State Senate

Student Press Law Center - News Flashes

Bill to include charter schools in Calif. student free expression law passes State Senate

CALIFORNIA -- The California State Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday that extends the rights of student free expression to charter school students, confirmed Adam Keigwin, chief of staff for Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco/San Mateo.

The unanimous vote "speaks volumes for this issue," Keigwin said.

The bill will now go to the State Assembly where Keigwin said it will likely reach a vote by March in either the education committee of the judiciary committee.

Keigwin said a similar outcome is anticipated in the assembly, since the original student speech bill passed and this is simply a "restating" of that bill "clearing up any ambiguity."

The bill, introduced by Yee, amends California Education Code Section 48907 -- the state's student free expression code -- to read "pupils of the public schools, including charter schools, shall have the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press ..."

This will also amend California Education Code Section 48950, also known as the "Leonard Law," which protects any student action on a public or private campus that would be protected off campus by a student's first amendment rights.

Menifee USD will provide ‘alternative’ dictionary, committee decides

Menifee USD will provide ‘alternative’ dictionary, committee decides:

"Students at one Menifee elementary school will have the option of using an alternative dictionary rather than one that was temporarily removed from the classroom because of language a parent found objectionable.

Superintendent Linda Callaway announced Tuesday that a Menifee Union School District review committee met and determined that both the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Tenth Edition and another dictionary will be available for use by fourth and fifth graders.

“We are aware that there may have been misinformation and/or misunderstanding with regard to this issue and it is important to clarify that at no time did the District state that the dictionaries were banned from the classroom,” Callaway said, reading from a prepared statement.

“We are confident that the Review Committee’s decision offers a reasonable resolution to this issue and there provides closure,” Callaway said during a school board meeting Tuesday in Menifee."

Insurance News Net -Pacific Life Foundation Hosts Annual Grants Reception, Announces $3.3 Million in Grants to over 200 Nonprofit Agencies in Southern California - Insurancenewsnet.com

Insurance News Net -Pacific Life Foundation Hosts Annual Grants Reception, Announces $3.3 Million in Grants to over 200 Nonprofit Agencies in Southern California - Insurancenewsnet.com

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- At an early Monday evening reception, the Pacific Life Foundation announced over $3.3 million in grants, ranging from $2,500 to $152,000, to over 200 nonprofit agencies serving Southern California. Overall, the Pacific Life Foundation has committed to provide $5.5 million in charitable funding throughout 2010.

A highlight of the evening was a special presentation of the Walter B. Gerken Community Service Award, along with a $25,000 grant, to the Illumination Foundation. Paul Leon, Executive Director of the organization, was on hand to receive the award and grant from Pacific Life Foundation Chairman Jim Morris and President Bob Haskell. The Pacific Life Foundation has been involved with this grassroots organization since its founding and has committed $625,000 to the organization through 2011. The Illumination Foundation is dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness in Orange County. It does this by providing stable housing and comprehensive, on-site wrap-around services for the families in their program to help them build a future life of independence.

The Pacific Life Foundation provides grants to nonprofit agencies that engage in the areas of arts and culture; civic, community, and environment; education; and health and human services.

Arts and Culture

Twenty-four nonprofit organizations from Southern California received grants within the Arts and Culture category. The following organizations were awarded grants of $10,000: California Science Center Foundation, Irvine Barclay Theater, KOCE-TV Foundatio

Universal Studios Hollywood(SM) Spotlights Teachers and School Personnel With 'Salute to Educators,' Offering Free... -- UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ --

Universal Studios Hollywood(SM) Spotlights Teachers and School Personnel With 'Salute to Educators,' Offering Free... -- UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ --

Universal Studios Hollywood(SM) Spotlights Teachers and School Personnel With 'Salute to Educators,' Offering Free Admission to All California Educators Through March 31

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of the importance of education and the vital role played by educators in our communities, Universal Studios Hollywood is paying homage to teachers and school personnel with a "Salute to Educators" program, inviting all California educators to receive a free theme park admission ticket, good throughMarch 31, 2010.

All California K through 12 primary / secondary public, private and charter school teachers and school personnel with valid employee, association/union and photo identification are eligible for the free one-day theme park general admission ticket.  Eligible educators can also enjoy a 50 percent savings on the purchase of up to three additional general admission tickets for friends and family.  (Tickets are valid for day of purchase only.) More information is available atwww.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com/salute.

In making the announcement, Larry Kurzweil, President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Studios Hollywood said: "This 'Salute to Educators' is just another step in our commitment to education aimed at rewarding teachers and school employees and encouraging community partnership in the effort to provide quality education in an environment of shrinking resources."

Teachers spending the day at Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A.(SM), can enjoy a plethora of movie and television based rides and attractions, including "The Simpsons Ride(TM)," the "Revenge of the Mummy(SM) -- The Ride" indoor roller coaster, "Jurassic Park® – The Ride," and the world-famous, behind-the-scenes "Studio Tour," which showcases an exclusive sneak peek of the world's largest working film and TV production facility.

Universal Studios Hollywood's long-standing commitment to education began over 12 years ago with the introduction of its popular and ever-evolving school curriculum program, "Youth and Education."  This interactive educational initiative spotlights four areas:  Workshop and Lessons, Assemblies, Performances and Youth Days and are designed to meet California State Standards and California Technical Education Standards.  More information is available atwww.UniversalYouthPrograms.com/

Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A., is a unit of Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of NBC Universal.  NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.  Formed in May of 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks.  NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric (NYSE:GE), with 20% controlled by Vivendi.

The State Hornet - EDITORIAL: CSU budget crisis greatest hits vol. ?

The State Hornet - EDITORIAL: CSU budget crisis greatest hits vol. ?

Another semester, another address by President Alexander Gonzalez and top campus administrators. We’ve heard it all before.

The university is in a tight spot due to the state’s budget crisis, but we’re holding on and are in a better position than most of our sister schools in the California State University system, thanks to our proactive and forward thinking administration, we were told.

We know. We’ve been listening to the same broken record for the past two years.

And we are hearing the same responses from the campus community.

The faculty and the student body complain that Sacramento State’s administration, the CSU chancellor’s office and the Board of Trustees are not listening to their grievances and concerns. They feel shut out of the process.

Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard that before too - it’s just another skip in that same old record.
And again The State Hornet feels compelled to write yet another editorial cajoling the campus community to actively join the fight in support of our university system.

Damn! Did that stupid record just skip again?

But wait, you say, isn’t Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger singing a new tune?

Hasn’t he offered to restore $305 million in funding to the CSU system in his January budget proposal?

UC System Provost talks budget with UCSC staff, students - Santa Cruz Sentinel

UC System Provost talks budget with UCSC staff, students - Santa Cruz Sentinel

SANTA CRUZ -- Quality of education, access to that education and affordability were the common threads a top University of California official heard after meeting with students and faculty at administration at UC Santa Cruz on Tuesday. In Kerr Hall, under high security after the December student occupation that damaged the building, interim UC Provost Dr. Lawrence Pitts met with various groups to discuss what budget cuts might mean for a university system with a soaring number of applicants for next year, but with fewer spots to put them in. "If the University of California loses quality in some demonstrable way, the entire university will sag. If we don't do everything in our power to preserve quality, it will change the face of the university, and it will be hard to recapture or regain in any short amount of time," he said to a group of UCSC student reporters. It was a worthwhile meeting, said Jacob Margolis, a third-year politics major and news director for campus radio KZSC. He said the Santa Cruz community calls in to the radio station about their budget concerns, namely the privatizing of public education in a reduced-funding environment and the long-term development plan of the university. "It's been the flavor of the last couple of quarters, and what we've been talking to the chancellor about as well in student media meetings," Margolis said. Systemwide, UC campuses have reduced the number of undergraduates they've enrolled because of lost funding, and students are often not getting into their first choice school. Graduate student numbers have held steady since last year, Pitts said, because there is no money to fund increased numbers. The state is obligated to pay for students, which it is not doing, he said, in response to a student journalist's question of how reduced enrollment will affect diversity. Pitts also said the state needed to start paying into retirement benefits again, which is something the Office of the President would like to see in a final state budget, which is in its early stages. Pitts said the Office of the President was gratified to see a return of one-time cut funds in the proposal. He is a faculty neurosurgeon at UCSF and became provost in February 2009. UCSC was Pitts' fourth campus visit in his tour of all 10 campuses. "It's very useful for me to get out to the campus and see what's on their minds," he said.

FUSD plans nonprofit group for charter school - Updates - Fresnobee.com

FUSD plans nonprofit group for charter school- Updates- Fresnobee.com
In what may be the first of its kind in California, Fresno Unified School District plans to launch a nonprofit organization to open a charter school in west-central Fresno.

But the plan — up for a vote next month — is already coming under fire from Fresno teachers union officials, who say the new strategy is meant to bypass union hiring rules.

Fresno Unified wants to open the Morris E. Dailey International Studies Program in August at the former Dailey Elementary School near Shields and Palm avenues. The school would be a K-5 charter that would prepare students for the academically rigorous International Baccalaureate programs at Wawona Middle and Fresno High schools.

The district plans to create a nonprofit called Fresno Innovative Charter Schools Inc. to oversee the school, which is expected to house 380 students by the 2012-13 school year. The nonprofit’s five-member board would include Fresno Unified Superintendent Michael Hanson or his appointee, two members from the district’s board of trustees and two parents.

The district hopes to raise the bar for local charter schools — several have struggled or closed recently — and having an independent agency oversee the new school will help ensure its success, Hanson said.

Obama's first State of the Union: What he will say vs. what he should say Los Angeles Times

Obama's first State of the Union: What he will say vs. what he should say

So tonight Barack Obama gives his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress before millions at home muttering back at their TV's and a predictably partisan audience of House and Senate members following or ignoring the signals of the woman up front, this time likely wearing power red, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.

We're predicting the administration's dresser goes with a blue tie tonight for VP Joe Biden, leaving the bolder red to his boss.

Pelosi will be sitting behind the president's left shoulder and, according to her past practice, will be jumping up and sitting down like a set of pistons at 5,000 RPM's applauding enthusiastically, with Biden following suit but more slowly because he's seen so many of these shows since 1972 when Obama was only 11.

State of the Union speeches are democratic rituals and grand political theater that end up meaning very little. A Gallup study shows the 50 minutes or so of presidential palaver (yes, we'll be....

...live-blogging it here and will have the full transcript as always, plus the ensuing Republican response by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell) rarely have any detectable or lasting effect on public opinion.

Only Bill Clinton among modern chief executives enjoyed a poll bounce of a modest 3% average and short duration, despite all the contemporary attention focused on the remarks and the frequent interruptions for (Applause).

Daily 49er - Oil tax to support CSU currently off the table

Daily 49er - Oil tax to support CSU currently off the table

The Assembly Appropriations Committee took action against Assembly Bill 656 on Thursday, halting the bill for this legislative cycle.

Introduced last February, Assembly Bill 656 was created by Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, D-Fremont, to fuel California’s education system by placing a 12.5 percent severance tax on oil and gas produced within California and creating a California higher education fund.

The committee removed the tax portion of the bill allocated for the University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges systems. It was replaced with an amendment requiring that the state board of equalization report annually to the Legislature the amount of revenue that would have been generated if the oil and gas tax had been implemented.

According to the California Faculty Association, which represents CSU faculty, the bill’s potential costs to the state general fund, as well as the inability to collect a two-thirds vote required for Assembly passage — only possible with the support of Assembly Republicans — directly led to the amendment.

Opinion: Race to the Top -- President Obama's Quiet Education Revolution - AOL News

Opinion: Race to the Top -- President Obama's Quiet Education Revolution - AOL News:

"(Jan. 26) – A week ago, President Obama announced that he is planning to spend $4.4 billion on his Race to the Top education program. If you missed the news, don't kick yourself. Obama's entire education reform plan had been largely overshadowed by the yearlong health care debate, the economy, Afghanistan and other big-ticket news items.

It's unfortunate, since this may be the most impressive reform his administration has accomplished in the past year.

Obama announced Race to the Top in July. The program awards grant money to states on a competitive basis, based on their implementing education reforms that include assessment standards, turning around worst-performing schools, and recruiting and rewarding quality teachers.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan has met with education leaders throughout the country, working tirelessly to get state education leaders and providers, legislators, reform groups, unions and others to support reforms that will bring true accountability and competition to our nation's public school systems."

Report Calls Governor's Proposed Amendment 'Ill-Conceived' - The Daily Californian

Report Calls Governor's Proposed Amendment 'Ill-Conceived' - The Daily Californian

A proposed constitutional amendment hailed as a first step toward a renewed state commitment to higher education is out of step with California's fiscal realities, according to a Legislative Analyst's Office report.

The report urges the California Legislature to reject a proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing 10 percent of the state's budget for higher education, calling it an "unnecessary, ill-conceived measure that would do serious harm to the budget process."

The office, which provides nonpartisan fiscal and policy advice for the Legislature, questions the necessity of a constitutional amendment. According to the report, the state already has ample authority to increase funding for higher education and a constitutional guarantee would only tie the Legislature's hands.

"Locking up a tenth of the state budget on UC and CSU, in combination with similar funding guarantees already in place, would constrain spending choices for over half of the budget," the report reads. "This could make it more difficult for the legislature to shift funding to cover new cost demands in other areas that may be a legislative priority, such as social services, health care, the judiciary or infrastructure."

Primary-grade classes of 20-to-1 on the chopping block - San Jose Mercury News

Primary-grade classes of 20-to-1 on the chopping block - San Jose Mercury News

When San Jose Unified took the unpopular step of increasing K-3 class sizes to 30 for this school year, it had little company in abandoning one of California's most cherished education reforms.

Now, faced with cutting budgets yet again, districts throughout Santa Clara County are targeting once fiercely protected student-teacher ratios of 20:1 in kindergarten to third grade. The Oak Grove School District in San Jose plans to go to 23 students next year, Campbell has targeted 24, Alum Rock and Mountain View are considering 25.

And in the Cupertino Union School District, classes may balloon to 30 students in the fall, outraging parents in a community proud of its schools and high test scores.

The mass move toward bigger classes illustrates the depth of the state's school funding crisis.

Cal State aims to boost graduation rates - latimes.com

Cal State aims to boost graduation rates - latimes.com:

"Despite budget cuts, the system intends to get more students degrees, and faster. One way would be to reduce general education requirements, which not everyone thinks is a good idea"

California State University is embarking on an ambitious initiative to raise its graduation rates and help more low-income and minority students earn degrees, even as it faces perhaps the grimmest budget outlook in its history.

The university is setting a goal of boosting its six-year graduation rate by 8% by 2016, bringing it to 54%, in line with the top national averages at similar institutions. University leaders say they hope to raise graduation rates for underrepresented minority students by 10%, cutting in half what has been a thorny achievement gap in degree completion compared with white students.

The university is scheduled to unveil the initiative today at a meeting of its Board of Trustees in Long Beach. The plan is part of a nationwide project by a consortium of public university leaders, the National Assn. of System Heads and the Education Trust, a nonprofit advocacy group.

Cal State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed, who is also president of the system heads group, previewed the initiative for U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan last week.

Cal State is the nation's largest university system, with 450,000 students and about 90,000 graduates each year. The goal of the new project is to increase the number of graduates by 7,000 or 8,000 students annually.

Schwarzenegger launches second phase of free digital textbook initiative

Schwarzenegger launches second phase of free digital textbook initiative:

"LOS ANGELES, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- To promote education and provide as many resources as possible to teachers in the classroom, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday launched the second phase of his first-in-the-nation free digital textbook initiative.

'Resources like digital textbooks play a critical role in our 21st century educational landscape, and expanding my first-in-the-nation initiative will provide local school districts additional high-quality free resources to help prepare California's students to compete in the global marketplace,' Schwarzenegger said.

The second phase, he added, calls on content developers to submit high school history/social science and higher-level math course textbooks for review against California's academic content standards."

Governor's constitutional amendment idea hit

Governor's constitutional amendment idea hit: 

"A proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to require the state to spend more on higher education than on prisons 'is an unnecessary, ill-conceived measure that would do serious harm to the budget process,' says a new study by the state's independent legislative analyst."



The amendment to the state Constitution would prohibit spending more than 7 percent of the general fund on prisons beginning in 2014, while requiring at least 10 percent go to the University of California and the California State University.
Current spending has that in reverse. Nearly 10 percent, or about $8 billion, of the general fund goes to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
By contrast, nearly 6 percent, about $5 billion, goes to UC and CSU, according to the study released Tuesday.
Schwarzenegger denounced that trend earlier this month in his State of the State speech, to the applause of UC and CSU leadership.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/26/BASC1BNR8J.DTL#ixzz0dolSR0bq

Schwarzenegger’s Novel Spending Cut: Send Inmates South - Washington Wire - WSJ

Schwarzenegger’s Novel Spending Cut: Send Inmates South - Washington Wire - WSJ

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he has a novel way of cutting California’s budget: Ship all the state’s inmates who are illegal immigrants to prisons in Mexico.

But is he really serious? A spokesman says that wasn’t a formal proposal, just an idea of “a creative solution” Schwarzenegger thinks is needed to help curb state spending.

Schwarzenegger was asked by a reporter at a Sacramento Press Club appearance Monday for some examples of reckless state spending he would like to curtail. The Governator’s snap response: send the 20,000 illegal immigrants currently behind bars in state prisons south of the border, for a savings of an estimated $1 billion.

“Think about it,” Schwarzenegger said. “California give Mexico the money… We pay them to build a prison down in Mexico and then we have those undocumented immigrants be down there in a prison and with their prison guards and all this. It will halve the costs to build the prisons and halve the costs to run the prisons. That is money — again, a billion dollars right there — that can go into higher education.”

Quick Takes: California Budget Idea -- Praised by Higher Ed -- Criticized - Inside Higher Ed

Quick Takes: California Budget Idea -- Praised by Higher Ed -- Criticized - Inside Higher Ed:

"California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pleased higher education leaders this month by proposing that the state's Constitution be amended to ensure that the state's two major public university systems receive no less than 10 percent of the state's operating funds each year, with the additional funds coming from cuts in spending on prisons. Now the plan is getting tough criticism from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office. A new report from the office says that the plan 'would unwisely constrain the state’s ability to allocate funding where it is most needed each year.' The office doesn't come out against the idea of more higher education spending but notes that 'the state already has the ability to shift funding among programs without this constitutional amendment.' The University of California issued a statement denouncing the legislative analysis as 'a business-as-usual approach,' adding that 'the road to economic recovery and a brighter future for California runs straight through its great public universities, and Californians can't stand by and let them wither for lack of adequate support from the state they serve.'"

Parent Power | Bill Boyarsky | Jewish Journal

Parent Power | Bill Boyarsky | Jewish Journal



“Raw power, an unabashed transfer of political power to parents.”
That’s how Ben Austin describes Parent Revolution, the organization he founded and heads up, which aims to shake up Los Angeles’ public schools. It aims to remove the administration and faculty from low performing schools, and, if the parents desire, convert them to charter schools, which are independently operated, without strong unions, and financed by LAUSD.


Austin is a parent whose daughter will enter the Los Angeles public school system after she graduates from Temple Israel of Hollywood’s preschool. He has served as a political aide in the Clinton White House and in Richard Riordan’s City Hall. Public education reform is one of Riordan’s big interests, and after Austin left city hall in 2001, he continued to work on his old boss’ issue, independently and with Riordan and others interested in education. In fact, Austin planned to run for the school board in the Westside district in 2008, but had to drop out after a campaign assistant fouled up gathering the signatures needed to get him on the ballot.


A few months later, with backing from the private nonprofit foundations of arts and education philanthropist Eli Broad and Casey Wasserman (a philanthropist and the grandson of entertainment scion Lew Wasserman) and others, Austin and a few other parents created Parent Revolution, for which he serves as executive director. He also is a part-time prosecutor in the city attorney’s office. Parent Revolution, which now has an annual budget of about $500,000, began by organizing parents of students at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles and Mark Twain Middle School in the Mar Vista-Venice area. It plans to move on to other schools.


“We represented half of the parents in the enrollment boundaries,” he said. “After that, more parents came to us.” Then they sought help from L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa and allies on the school board. Last spring, members of the group met downtown and went to the school district headquarters. The result of this activity was a plan, presented by the mayor in 2009, which called for 250 school campuses, including some new ones, to be turned into charter organizations or other nonprofit groups. The teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), opposes the idea. But in a surprising defeat for the usually powerful union, the school board adopted the plan. Last month the teachers union filed suit to block its implementation.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger "Folsom Prison Blues"

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger "Folsom Prison Blues"

Brouhaha in Brooklyn: Live-blogging the PEP’s school closure vote | GothamSchools

Brouhaha in Brooklyn: Live-blogging the PEP’s school closure vote | GothamSchools

Brouhaha in Brooklyn: Live-blogging the PEP’s school closure vote

by Philissa Cramer

Tonight’s school closure vote is underway in Brooklyn. Anna and Maura are on the scene and will be providing dispatches until the meeting’s bitter end.

12:45 a.m. I’m just going to go ahead and say it: Don’t expect Remainders tonight.

12:40 a.m. Just a reminder that there are a number of items on the PEP’s agenda that don’t involve school closures. One of those is the space plan for PS 15 and PAVE Academy in Red Hook. Julie Cavanagh, the PS 15 teacher who tried to win the right to picket outside Mayor Bloomberg’s house last week, explained why she’s still out on a school night: “I am going to make them look me in the eye when they vote.”