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EducationNews.org - A Global Leading News Source - EducationNewsToday

EducationNewsToday

S.D. school board veterans face challengers

The race for two seats on the San Diego school board is poised to shake up established political alliances and perhaps the notion that incumbents are virtually impossible to unseat.

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Special-needs kids get help with independent living

Like most young adults, Emilia Garcia hopes to get a job and an apartment of her own. But Emilia, 21, and the other students at the Edgewood Transition Center have cognitive impairments that make independent living more difficult. ...

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Education funding: Guv, lawmakers salvage most of schools' budget

Legislative leaders and Gov. Gary Herbert have agreed on some of the last lingering budget issues, agreeing Tuesday afternoon to a trim to public education that both sides are willing to accept given the difficult economic times. ...

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School board to change comment policy

EAST PROVIDENCE — The School Committee is changing its public comment policy to allow audience members to speak at its meetings without signing up in advance. ...

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More Sacramento area schools offer online view of attendance and grades

Students, beware – if you skip second period, fail a pop quiz or blow off homework, your folks may get an e-mail letting them know. ...

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Teacher merit-pay plan passes key Florida Senate panel

A sweeping and controversial plan to overhaul how teachers are evaluated and paid got a first favorable vote in a key state Senate committee Wednesday. ...

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Gibbons clears roadblock to education grants

In a signing ceremony at Wynn Elementary School, Gov. Jim Gibbons on Wednesday approved legislation intended to remove a barrier that kept Nevada... ...

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School Board dismisses critics

Clark County School Board members under fire for awarding costly new perks to five executive staff members during an economic crisis are dismissing... ...

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Finalists Cram for Race to Top Presentations

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia prepare for next week’s high-stakes pitch for $4 billion in stimulus grants. ...

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Bing's still willing to take over -- as long as Detroiters approve

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing says he hasn't changed his position regarding Detroit Public Schools -- he's agreeable to accepting mayoral control -- but he will not force such a move...

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Mom wants state education board to void son's drug-related expulsion

The mother of an Oelwein boy who was expelled after he tried to sell marijuana to a classmate at school has appealed the punishment to the State Board of Education...

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Performance bonus upheld for Dallas ISD teachers with lower attendance rates

More than 100 Dallas teachers are expected to get long-awaited performance bonuses in the next few days, after an appeal by teachers who missed too many school days to qualify for the 2007-08 awards. ...

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California meltdown - News - Local Stories - March 11, 2010 - Chico News & Review

California meltdown - News - Local Stories - March 11, 2010 - Chico News & Review

California meltdown

A biweekly flyover of the state budget crisis

By Robert Speer
roberts@newsreview.com
More stories by this author...
Read 1 reader submitted comment

This article was published on 03.11.10.

The longer the state fails to solve its structural budget deficit, the harder the job becomes—as events of the last two weeks suggest.
Weds., Feb. 24: U.S. District Court Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong issues a preliminary injunction blocking scheduled eligibility cuts for California’s adult day health-care program, theSan Francisco Chronicle reports. The cuts were set to be implemented on March 1. They would have saved the state about $12.2 million annually.
Fri., Feb 26: The California Budget Project, a Sacramento-based think tank, issues a report stating that more than 1 million children would lose affordable health coverage under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal to cut all funding for the Healthy Families Program. The governor has promised to eliminate the program if the state does not receive the $6.9 billion in federal aid it has asked for. The cuts would save the general fund $222 million but also mean the loss of $826.3 million in federal matching funds.
Tues., March 2: Gov. Schwarzenegger asks the California Supreme Court to consolidate and review seven cases related to his furlough authority, saying lower courts have issued conflicting rulings on the matter, according to the Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Alert.
Tues., March 2: The Field Poll issues a report that 61 percent of voters want taxes to be part of a budget-deficit solution, while just 31 percent want cuts only. In January the Public Policy Institute found that two-thirds of Californians would pay higher taxes if the money went to education.
Tues., March 2: Gov. Schwarzenegger’s line-item budget vetoes last July reducing funding for

For-profit Higher Ed. Moving on Non-profits Could Reap Taxpayer Funds � Going Concern: Accounting News for Accountants & CFOs

For-profit Higher Ed. Moving on Non-profits Could Reap Taxpayer Funds � Going Concern: Accounting News for Accountants & CFOs

For-profit Higher Ed. Moving on Non-profits Could Reap Taxpayer Funds

By ADRIENNE GONZALEZ

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Prostitution in the industry is nothing new, you have to take what you can get even if that means devouring struggling non-profits or whoring yourself out for otherwise wholly un-big-business-like busywork (I’m staring directly at you, Big 4).

Daniel Golden of Bloomberg reported yesterday that “ITT Educational Services Inc. paid $20.8 million for debt-ridden Daniel Webster College in June. In return, the company obtained an academic credential that may generate a taxpayer-funded bonanza worth as much as $1 billion.”

With education little more than a vague directive to “teach” at this point (except for the chosen few professors who put their hearts into it, of course), schools are being encouraged to “convert a school to a charter school or a similar education management organization, a for-profit or nonprofit organization that provides ‘whole school operation’ services” (via firedoglake) in California districts where schools have fallen way short of federal education “guidelines”. Hint: that’s when you know it is bad. Firedoglake implies that recent protests and riots by California state university students facing severe class cuts and hikes in tuition are directly related to the push to privatize education.

In the case of small but favored not-for-profit educational institutions, they don’t have much of a choice but to end up recycled into the ITTs and the DeVrys if they can’t make it. For-profit education is the way to go, ask DeVry. They didn’t make $369 million last year for nothing.

Said Karen Pletz in the Kansas City Star, “the not-for-profit mission, whether it be in education, health care, or other human services, is really about values and is intrinsically focused in bettering lives and community.” Not to carelessly go name-calling but what can a for-profit, publicly-traded institution possibly know about that mandate or education for that matter? Its first loyalty is to the shareholders, not the students.

Just in Time: Obama Targets HBCUs For Increased Spending The Seattle Medium - Seattle, WA

The Seattle Medium - Seattle, WA : Thu Mar 11 2010 05:16:32 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time)

Just in Time: Obama Targets HBCUs For Increased Spending
by Dr. Ronald Walters
NNPA Columnist
Originally posted 3/10/2010

(NNPA) - As the proud graduate of an Historically Black University and having worked in one for most of my academic career, I approve of President Barack Obama having broken his pledge not to govern by race or ethnicity just in time to increase spending for HBCUs. These institutions are still vitally relevant to the production of a Black middle class because, while they only constitute 3 percent of all institutions of higher education, they graduate 20 percent of all Black undergrads.

Announcing current increases in the FY 2012 Federal Budget was Dr. John S. Wilson, the new executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, who said that the President’s budget includes a $17 billion increase in Pell Grants, $400 million of which was earmarked for HBCUs. Last year, there was an uproar when it was discovered that the President took $85 million from the HBCU budget, but this year, rather than mandating it for two years as the Bush administration had done, this sum is included in the President Obama’s budget for 10 years.

There is also $98 million in new money proposed for HBCUs that would fund such things as financing for capital costs such as the repair and replacement of educational facilities and equipment, and the building of physical infrastructure. There is also proposed $65.4 million for the enhancement of graduate programs.

Wilson indicated that there is also $400 million of additional funds in the Education budget for institutions whose description was close that of HBCUs some of which he intends to attempt to acquire. One of the greatest areas of lack of growth in the federal budget however has been in the funds generated by the government which goes to research at institutions of higher education. Some of it, in such areas as energy, defense, or agriculture, requires sophisticated engineering or scientific research facilities that most of these institutions do not have, but other grants in the social, administrative, and economic areas should be achievable.

This funding increase is also welcome news in light of the current economic crisis that threatens to continue the laggard growth of the black middle class. The

Challenging the Day of Action Protests | The Cornell Daily Sun

Challenging the Day of Action Protests | The Cornell Daily Sun

Prompted by the 32 percent tuition increases in the University of California system, on March 4 students around the country protested in what organizers called a “Day of Action.” While we certainly support the cause of making public education affordable — Cornell receives, of course, significant state funding — we question certain elements of their campaign.

We must first remember why these cuts are occurring. Last year, amidst a serious budget crisis, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cut $600 million from the University of California budget, prompting the deans of the various UC schools to raise tuition. As UC President Mark Yudof stated, there was no other reasonable way to close the budget gap. We must therefore question the protesters’ assertion that “a nationwide resistance movement is needed.” The decisions to cut budgets and raise tuitions — though undeniably causing much pain — are, given certain circumstances, justifiable.

In these difficult economic times, states such as California that face dire budget straits are forced to make difficult cuts to vital programs. But considering the other areas budget cuts could have affected, raising the price of higher education is reasonable. It is important to keep in mind that while these increases place a greater burden on students, they may be a necessary compromise to maintain the strength of the UC system. Making college more expensive hurts — we sympathize with the frustration of those students who are hit the hardest, and understand the protesters’ argument that “education cuts are attacks against all of us, particularly in

Our Future, Our Nation; We Need Our Education | City on a Hill Press

Our Future, Our Nation; We Need Our Education | City on a Hill Press

Our Future, Our Nation; We Need Our Education

By City on a Hill Press

City on a Hill Press

Illustration by Kenny Srivijittakar.

Dear UCSC students, staff, faculty, administrators and the wider UC community:
It has come to our attention that serious misconceptions regarding the conduct and intentions of protesters across the state have manifested (in many cases) into ill-will or callousness toward this noble and ambitious cause. It is not appropriate to pass judgement on the efforts of an entire enterprise based on rumors of misdeeds of a select few. Administrators’ allegations — that UCSC protesters wielded clubs and knives, denied people the right to exit campus or acted in any way that was disruptive, intimidating or destructive — were untrue, and caused unnecessary panic and concern.
It would be ignorant as well as erroneous to say that the administration was caught unawares by the March 4 actions. Organizers of the campus shut-down informed Student Services and other campus departments well in advance of the event. There is no denying that every faculty member on campus was aware of the imminent shut-down, and most planned the week’s courses accordingly.
Administrative responses that disrespect student actions, to the point of circulating misinformation and evoking irrational concerns, are reprehensible and do nothing for the already precarious student-administration relationship.
That being said, responsibility does not lie solely with the administration, legislators, etc. Organizers must conduct themselves appropriately and in accordance with First Amendment limitations if they want to gain the respect of authorities.
An example of protesters legitimately crossing the line happened last week at UC Davis, where students attempted to block traffic on Interstate 80. This action not only put students and commuters in danger, but was executed in conjunction with several other disruptive activities on campus as well. Fire alarms were falsely

Poll: Americans say textbooks are too PC

BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS

Poll: Americans say textbooks are too PC

Nearly half of parents believe U.S. history books aren't accurate enough

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Posted: March 10, 2010
9:46 pm Eastern

By Chelsea Schilling
© 2010 WorldNetDaily

A new poll shows 60 percent of Americans with children in elementary or secondary school say most school textbooks are more focused on being politically correct than ensuring accuracy.

Rasmussen Reports reveals a full 49 percent of the parents say most U.S. history textbooks are not accurate while 28 percent say most school history textbooks portray it accurately. Another 23 percent said they are not sure.

The survey comes on the heels of reports that the Texas Board of Education began a three-day meeting today and is taking public comment on proposed changes to textbook and curriculum standards. The 15-member board plans to finish debate on its social studies, history and economics curricula before it takes a preliminary vote.

As WND reported, Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, warned Americans to speak up before only eight people, with a majority vote, have a chance to literally rewrite American history.

Staver said the state board will vote on whether to revise U.S. textbooks to omit references to Daniel Boone, Gen. George Patton, Nathan Hale and Columbus Day. He said the Texas board will also vote on a proposal to substitute the term "American" with "global

Raucous protesters fill SF Civic Center�|�The Guardsman

Raucous protesters fill SF Civic Center�|�The Guardsman

Raucous protesters fill SF Civic Center

Posted on 10 March 2010 by Guardsman Staff

By William Chamberlin, Alex Emslie and Greg Zeman
The Guardsman

More than 5,000 students, labor representatives and citizens concerned with California public education arrived at San Francisco Civic Center Plaza at 5 p.m. on March 5.

United Educators of San Francisco helped organize the San Francisco portion of a 40-California-county and 34-state cry against educational and labor budget cuts.

“Right now we are all suffering,” UESF President David Kelly said. “We don’t want to suffer anymore. We are here to change the priorities of California’s government.”
At the rally’s high point, the crowd swelled to approximately 10,000 and filled the plaza to Larkin Street.

“Look around you!,” Ocean campus Associated Students President Ryan Vanderpol shouted from the stage attached to a teamster semi. “If you are with me, you are outraged too!”

There were over 30 different community organizations on foot handing out flyers and signs.
There were dancers in assorted places through the crowd and even a girl walking by on stilts.

“I’m hoping that we can double or triple this for the March in March,” City College trustee Chris Jackson said. “We need that type of a movement to get these politicians to recognize that prisons are one thing and education is a whole separate other thing, and to prioritize prisons over education is an abomination.”

Numerous speakers at the rally encouraged students to sign petitions and vote to change California tax and budget policies they blamed for the current crisis in public sector funding.

Hal Hundsman, president of the City College Academic Senate, said the large turnout was indicative of the dire situation faced by state-funded sch

'Invest in Kids' report calls for more funding of after-school programs - San Jose Mercury News

'Invest in Kids' report calls for more funding of after-school programs - San Jose Mercury News

'Invest in Kids' report calls for more funding of after-school programs

By Diana Samuels

Daily News Staff Writer

Posted: 03/10/2010 09:40:36 PM PST

Updated: 03/11/2010 12:21:02 AM PST

Educators often say California doesn't spend enough money on students, but when it comes to after-school programs it has the rest of the nation beat. California spends three times more on after-school programs than the other 49 states combined.

In a new report released Wednesday, the anti-crime nonprofit "Fight Crime: Invest in Kids" urges state lawmakers to expand funding for the successful after-school programs. Local law enforcement officials and after-school program leaders on the Peninsula echoed the organization's findings, saying they see firsthand how keeping children off the streets after school helps prevent crime.

Travis Martin, executive director of Mountain View's Police Activities League, remembered two students who had been "involved in the gang life" and were arrested by the police officer who coaches the PAL boxing program. PAL aims to bring together police officers and at-risk youths through activities such as soccer camps and tennis lessons.

The two students became involved in the boxing program, and have stayed in it since.

"They both have grown over the past couple years, dropped all of their gang connections and drastically increased their grades," Martin said. "And one of them I think actually wants to become a police officer."

State and federal funds provide money for more than 4,200 K-12 after-school programs throughout the state, serving more than 400,000 students, according to the new report by Invest in

California's College Dreamers - WSJ.com

California's College Dreamers - WSJ.com
"Memo to marching students: The governor can't save you. You guys need a new legislature. This one is selling you out. Organize an opposition and vote them out in November. Plan B is quit school and become a state billboard inspector."

Hundreds of University of California students rallied against a 32% tuition hike last week. Let's hope their future employers get a better work product. With just a little research, the students could have discovered that compensation packages won from the state by unions were a big reason for the hike.

Last year, the state cut funding to the 10-campus system to $2.6 billion from $3.25 billion. To make up for the reduction in state funding, the UC Board of Regents increased tuition to $10,300, about triple 1999's cost.

Understandably, students have gone wild. The UC system is supposed to offer low- and middle-income students a cheaper alternative to a private college education. Now a year at a UC school can cost students as much as at many private schools.

Who's to blame? UC President Mark Yudof rightly notes he had no other means of closing the university's budget gap. The university used $300 million in reserves last year and cut staff salaries by furloughing them between 11 and 26 days this year. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says "we've done everything we could, but the bottom line is it's not enough. We need to put pressure on the legislature not only this year in a year of crisis, but in the future."

The California legislature? Good luck with that. In 1999, the Democratic legislature ran a reckless gamble that makes Wall Street's bankers look cautious. At the top of a bull market, they assumed their investment returns would grow at a 8.25% rate in perpetuity—equivalent to assuming that the Dow would reach 25,000 by 2009—and enacted a huge pension boon for public-safety and industrial unions.

The bill refigured the compensation formula for pension benefits of all public-safety employees who retired on or after January 1, 2000. It let firefighters retire at age 50 and receive 3% of their final year's compensation times the number of years they worked. If a firefighter started working

San Fernando Valley Sun - Students Face Civil Penalties After Education Protest

San Fernando Valley Sun - Students Face Civil Penalties After Education Protest

Students Face Civil Penalties After Education Protest

Written by Alex Garcia, Sun Contributing Writer

Wednesday, 10 March 2010

Anthony Garcia shows the citation he received for not dispersing after a confrontation between CSUN students and police last week during a protest over education cuts. On March 24, Anthony Garcia will show up for a hearing at the San Fernando Courthouse to respond to an arrest and citation for not disbanding at the end of a protest over education cuts held at California State University Northridge [CSUN]. The demonstration, called a "Day of Action", was held up and down the state. "This is not an issue just of education funding. We're representing everyone who is affected by the economic crisis across the state. We look to officials to protect us and help us, but what is happening right now is the opposite," said the student who majors in literature. Garcia is not the only one facing disorderly charges after a confrontation with police and students who were participating in a march last week. Nearly 3,000 students and faculty members demonstrated at the school as part of protests held throughout the state in opposition to cuts in public education. At colleges, the cuts would mean fewer classes, professor layoffs and less funding for financial aid. On Thursday evening, some 25 demonstrators broke off from the larger group and sat in the middle of Reseda Blvd., near Prairie Street and refused to move. In total, seven people, including 73-year-old Native American studies professor Karren Baird-Olson, whose arm was broken in the altercation, were arrested and face charges.

Santa Cruz schools board call on state to fund education - Santa Cruz Sentinel

Santa Cruz schools board call on state to fund education - Santa Cruz Sentinel

Santa Cruz schools board call on state to fund education

By Megha Satyanarayana

Posted: 03/11/2010 01:30:52 AM PST

SANTA CRUZ -- As talk continues among advocates to sue the state government for not properly funding public education, Santa Cruz school officials passed a resolution Wednesday night demanding state officials live up to their constitutional mandate to fund schools by raising revenue.

The district has sent preliminary pink slips to at least 50 employees, and agreed to administrative furloughs to rectify a $5.4 million budget shortfall for its roughly $60 million budget for 2010-2011. Early estimates provided by district officials Wednesday showed the cuts will continue into 2011-2012 to the tune of $4.5 million.

"It's time for the legislature to stop doing creative accounting," said Trustee Ken Wagman, referring to Proposition 98, which mandates a basic level of state funding for education.

Education analysts have said some changes to the formulas to calculate the basic level lowers that limit by $2 billion for K-12 education.

The talk of new taxes is ongoing through AB 656, among others, which would tax oil extraction. California is the only major oil-producing state that doesn't tax its removal from the earth.

The resolution lists the shortfalls in the state budget, the role of education in boosting California's economy and emergence from the current recession and the assertion that Santa Cruz schools can find no more cuts

15 groups spent $1 billion to sway policy

15 groups spent $1 billion to sway policy:

"The California Teachers Association spent $211.8 million - more than any other special interest group - over the past decade to influence state voters and politicians, according to a state report released Wednesday."

Three Indian tribes dumped another $200 million into the political process and big business shelled out more than $500 million, the California Fair Political Practices Commission said in its report, "Big Money Talks."
"The reality in politics is that money talks. Sometimes money shouts," the report says. "If it didn't, special interests simply would not spend so much money trying to influence public policy and elections. ... This report leaves little doubt where the vortex of power lies in this state."
In all, 15 groups - two labor unions, six corporations, three Indian tribes and four business associations - spent more than $1 billion over the past 10 years to sway the outcomes of elections and government decisions, the report said.
These labor unions, Indian tribes and drug, utility, oil, telecommunication and tobacco companies "have a disproportionate amount of influence on California elections and public policy," the FPPC concludes.
The report warns that there is "no end in sight to the spending binge," noting that more than half of the money - nearly $660 million- was spent on state and local ballot measures. Often, the report says, the top-spending 15 special interest groups "win by spending money to defeat ballot measures" to maintain the status quo.
For example, the California Teachers Association, which represents 330,000 public school teachers in the state, spent $26 million to defeat a school voucher system in 2000 and another $50 million to kill three other ballot measures. The Pharmaceutical

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/10/BAMB1CDSQG.DTL#ixzz0hsAiA3s6

The Orion - University leaders help initiate change

The Orion - University leaders help initiate change

University leaders help initiate change

By Christine De Jesus

Tegan Silva

|

Published: Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Updated: Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Chico State students rallied Wednesday to voice disapproval over elected official’s failure to prioritize higher education.

Several important figures at Chico State came together to express their frustration because of the government’s failure to prioritize higher education.

The Action Rally Coalition was made to mobilize and empower the student body, said Luis Munoz, director of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan and Action Rally coordinator. The coalition is composed of students and numerous representatives from various groups on campus.

The rally has taken months of planning and meetings with Chico State President Paul Zingg, the Senate, department chairs, professors and the California State Student Association, Munoz said.

“The rally is student initiated, student organized and a student implemented program,” Munoz said. “It’s a student voice.”

The rally’s aim is to empower students through action and awareness, Munoz said.

“A lot of our students are still ill-informed about how the budget is affecting our system of higher education,” Munoz said.

Severe impacts have happened through the budget cuts that have affected the entire student body, said Amro Jayousi, director of legislative affairs.

Thousands rally at Chico State, call for lawmakers to invest in education - Oroville Mercury Register

Thousands rally at Chico State, call for lawmakers to invest in education - Oroville Mercury Register

Thousands rally at Chico State, call for lawmakers to invest in education

By RYAN OLSON - Staff Writer

Posted: 03/10/2010 10:21:34 PM PST

Click photo to enlarge

Chico State University students protested cuts to education during a rally on campus...

CHICO -- Chico State University students Wednesday added their voices to a chorus to keep higher education a priority.
Chico police estimated 2,000 people participated in a rally that started on campus and continued to the Chico City Plaza.
Protesters heeded organizers' calls to speak out but refrain from violence. Last week, a handful of similar demonstrations across California and the country ended in violence or jeopardized safety.
The local protesters were vocal but orderly as they marched on sidewalks to City Plaza, chanting slogans and waving signs. Law enforcement was present, but appeared to remain at a distance.

• PHOTO GALLERY of the event

Juan Mota, a freshman from Riverside studying molecular biology, watched the crowd gather in front of the plaza's band shell. He said the protest itself may not lead to major improvements, but it showed people are getting involved.
"It's starting something," Mota said.
Mota was concerned about cutbacks in state funding. He said less financial aid would jeopardize his ability to go to school and faculty furloughs cut back valuable instruction time.

Education demonstration - News - Local Stories - March 11, 2010 - Sacramento News & Review

Education demonstration - News - Local Stories - March 11, 2010 - Sacramento News & Review

Education demonstration

Students, professors and university employees protest budget cuts at the Capitol

By Kari Westerman
More stories by this author...

This article was published on 03.11.10.

At the Capitol last week, students of all ages gathered to protest massive cuts in the state’s education budget. PHOTO BY WES DAVIS

Related photo gallery: Education demonstration photos

Students, faculty and staff from many of California’s higher-education institutions demonstrated March 4 at the state Capitol as part of larger statewide demonstrations challenging continuing education budget cuts. The protest drew 2,000 people, twice as many as expected, according to organizers.
For student demonstrators, fee hikes and class cuts were only part of a larger heap of woes. The rising cost of college often means students being forced to work two or three jobs, simply to cover living and escalating school costs.
Alma Lopez, 23, a biology major at Sacramento State, was among those who traveled in a group from the Sac State campus to the demonstration. This semester Lopez is working two jobs while attending CSUS, an improvement from the three she worked last semester.
“I have to repeat some courses next semester because I was working too much to do well, and I couldn’t get into those courses this semester,” Lopez said.
Lopez’s story is similar to many other CSU students who have suffered a fee hike of 182 percent since 2000. James Damiani, 22, sociology and communications major at CSUS, said that since fees increased, his existing budget can no longer cover his expenses.