Schools in hot water over pre-checked enrollment forms

Schools in hot water over pre-checked enrollment forms:

"The San Diego Unified School District Board of Education Tuesday night ordered staff to investigate pre-checked forms that authorized the release of student records to military recruiters.

The forms were part of an enrollment package filled out by high school students and their parents.

The matter was brought to the board’s attention during public comments on an agenda item about how schools were treating students.
Speakers expressed concern that the implications of the question probably slipped past most parents.

One student told board members that a question on future plans had college pre-marked for pupils at Mission Bay High School, and military already selected for those at Lincoln High School, which is located in a less affluent part of the city."

DPS chief: It's time to focus on personnel - The Denver Post

DPS chief: It's time to focus on personnel - The Denver Post:

"Fixing what still troubles Denver Public Schools will require highly effective teachers in each of the district's 4,000 classrooms, Superintendent Tom Boasberg said Tuesday in his State of the Schools address.

But changing the system to reward the best teachers while helping usher out the worst will require reforms that may be difficult, Boasberg said.
DPS's problems are well-documented: Fewer than half its students can read at grade level, 50 percent graduate on time, and yawning achievement gaps remain between white students and their minority peers."

Public Pension Problems Mount for Local CA Governments

Public Pension Problems Mount for Local CA Governments:

"California’s public pension system is broken. A decade of fiscally irresponsible behavior by state and local policymakers has left the state with a massive unfunded public pension liability.

Unless government officials muster up the political courage to implement reforms that would make government pensions and retiree health-care benefits sustainable, the cost of government services will continue to be inflated and growing pension costs could threaten the very solvency of state and local governments.

Under the state’s “defined-benefit” pension system, workers receive a pension determined by a formula based on the number of years the employee works, a fixed multiplier, and his or her final (or highest) salary. The amount needed to pay the costs of these benefits is determined using assumptions about what the average pension fund investment return will be, how long retirees will live, how much salaries and inflation will increase, etc. These assumptions are projected out decades into the future, which creates a whole other set of problems and allows for fudging of the assumptions to determine how much must be contributed to the system. The benefits are paid for by a combination of employee contributions, employer (in this case, the government) contributions, and pension fund investment earnings."

Tough Sledding for Ed Data Project - D.C. Wire -

Tough Sledding for Ed Data Project - D.C. Wire -:

"Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and D.C. State Superintendent of Education Kerri L. Briggs didn't have a lot to say Monday about why they canned Williams, Adley & Co., hired last year to build a $12 million educational data warehouse. But in an eight-page termination letter, John P. Varghese, interim assistant director of the District's office of contracting and procurement, had plenty.

The Sept. 9 letter, hand delivered to Williams, Adley managing partner Kola Isiaq, said in essence that the firm made a hash of just about every critical element of the project, formally known as the Statewide Longitudinal Education Data Warehouse System (SLED). One section refers parenthetically to a 'Defect # 616,' never a good sign."

Education Week: A Grand Bargain

Education Week: A Grand Bargain:

"Education policymakers and practitioners have long searched for a fair system that will help teachers and administrators reach higher levels of performance, identify and reward good practice, and, most importantly, accelerate student achievement. The new Race to the Top grants being made available to states may finally provide the necessary resources to create this new and better school system. In fact, the convergence of necessity, knowledge, resources, and political will taking place now could sweep fundamental reform into American public education."

Yale Daily News - Mayor calls on cops to help reform schools

Yale Daily News - Mayor calls on cops to help reform schools:

"“I think there’s a tendency for kids in inner cities to harbor negative attitudes toward the police,” said Ward 7 Alderwoman Frances “Bitsie” Clark, who chairs the Youth Services Committee. “What the mayor is talking about is the role of the police not as enforcers but as educators and role models.”

One program, Gang Resistance Education and Training, or GREAT, a police officer mentoring program in schools that is now in its second year, will be expanded alongside DeStefano’s school reform plans. Ward 20 Alderman Charles Blango, the assistant dropout and truancy prevention coordinator for the Board of Education, said GREAT will be administered at six schools this year, up from two in 2008, and is scheduled to expand to at least two more in 2010."

Matchmaking: Enabling Mandatory Public School Choice in New York and Boston « Docuticker

Matchmaking: Enabling Mandatory Public School Choice in New York and Boston « Docuticker:

"From tuition vouchers for private schools to charter schools to voluntary transfer programs within and between public school systems, school choice has been at the center of the school reform debate for two decades. But with the voucher movement unable to sustain much momentum, charter schools still serving a small percentage of the nation’s students with mixed results, and the public school choice system in the federal No Child Left Behind Act plagued by low participation rates, New York City’s public high school selection system stands out as a model strategy for harnessing the power of the marketplace to better serve students’ diverse educational interests and needs and to stimulate improvement through competition for students."

Free Times: USC and Higher Education - With Skyrocketing Tuition, Is Degree Worth the Debt?

Free Times: USC and Higher Education - With Skyrocketing Tuition, Is Degree Worth the Debt?:

"It’s no secret that students, not state or federal government, are the ones paying the price for tough economic times, as across South Carolina and the rest of the country rising tuition rates are forcing more students to think twice about taking on a debt load that might take half their lives to repay.

In fact, a Zogby poll released Sept. 7 shows that one in four of the college graduates surveyed believed their degree wasn’t worth the price they paid for it.

All this comes following a decade in which tuition rates in South Carolina have far outpaced the rest of the nation, adding thousands of dollars more in debt for the state’s students to have to service following graduation."

Tax Report: A Failure To Provide A Fair, Long-Term Solution To California’s Revenue And Tax Problems. - California Progress Report

Tax Report: A Failure To Provide A Fair, Long-Term Solution To California’s Revenue And Tax Problems. - California Progress Report:

"*It relies entirely for its reforms on a completely unknown and untried tax, the business net receipts tax (BNRT). There are huge legal and economic problems with this tax, including: burdening companies disproportionately which have higher labor costs; burdening companies, including start-ups, with tax which otherwise would have losses; taxing rental housing, childcare, food and other necessities of low income people; assuming the ability to tax interstate commerce which is highly questionable; possibly disadvantaging California-based companies; encouraging the contracting out of labor services, rather than hiring employees."

EURweb.com - PRISONS VS. EDUCATION: What's wrong with this picture

EURweb.com - PRISONS VS. EDUCATION: What's wrong with this picture:

"*According to the 'Philadelphia Inquirer' newspaper, Pennsylvania intends to build four new prisons for 800 million dollars.

Did you know that it also takes $50,000 a year to house a prisoner? Reading this was upsetting because it was so easy to build four new prisons.

Governor Rendell had spent 3 months trying to get the state budget passed because he refused to put education on the chopping block.

The State of Pennsylvania could educate 5 children rather than put one man or woman in prison.

It seems like our country's priorities are all twisted. Other countries are investing in education and they are experiencing expansion while America is in a state of decline.

Pennsylvania was not the only state to assess its commitment to education. Students in California and other states are experiencing overcrowded classes and bus services have been cut."

The misdirected UC “walkout” - California Progress Report

The misdirected UC “walkout” - California Progress Report:

"Many of those who shouted “Chop from the Top,” and called UC President Mark Yudof a fascist last week can’t be expected to know that history. In the mid-1990s, UC leaders, trying to protect its affirmative action program from its critics, concealed the extent to which they were maintaining blatant race preferences in its admissions policies.

More recently, fearful of the political consequences of paying competitive wages to prized executives, UC dealt lavish side benefits under the table – housing and travel allowances, cushy pensions, jobs for significant others, even a dog run for a chancellor’s pets. In at least one case, trying to avert a suit for alleged racial discrimination, it promoted an executive to a job she wasn’t remotely qualified for."

Follow Lee County schools on Twitter, but not during school | news-press.com | The News-Press

Follow Lee County schools on Twitter, but not during school news-press.com The News-Press:

"Lee County is among a growing number of school systems that have said no to social networking. Lee argues they can be a source for sexual predators, fraud and viruses, and the district doesn’t want students or staff communicating with unknown third parties during the school day.

“We have to weigh the beneficial uses of such resources against the negative, inappropriate use of such resources,” said Joe Donzelli, Lee’s director of communications. “Right now, the pros do not outweigh the cons.”

Federal law requires Lee schools to block offensive content, such as pornography and adult dating sites. Lee contracts with California-based M86 to filter Web sites by general categories, not by specific Web sites."

Baltimore City Schools First in the U.S. to Adopt Meatless Monday | SYS-CON CANADA

Baltimore City Schools First in the U.S. to Adopt Meatless Monday SYS-CON CANADA:

"BALTIMORE, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Baltimore City Public Schools system was recognized yesterday by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) as the first Meatless Monday school system in the U.S. The 80,000 young people it serves will begin each week with a Meatless Monday menu.

Dr. Robert Lawrence, Director of the CLF and Dr. Michael Klag, Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, presented the Center's 2009 Award for Visionary Leadership in Local Food Procurement and Food Education to Neil Duke, Chairman of Baltimore City Board of Schools and Tony Geraci, Director of Baltimore City Schools Department of Food and Nutrition"

Literacy for Life: Schools plan to standardize reading skills | NevadaAppeal.com

Literacy for Life: Schools plan to standardize reading skills NevadaAppeal.com:

"Teachers are beginning a three-year process to align the reading curriculum throughout the district.

Susan Keema, associate superintendent for educational services, said it's important because reading is the fundamental skill that serves as the backbone to education.

“It's the No. 1 thing,” she said. “You can't pass a math or science test unless you can read. If a person can't read, they can't even take a driver's test.”"

Commission on the 21st Century Economy Issues Recommendations to Modernize, Stabilize & Simplify California’s Outdated Tax System

Commission on the 21st Century Economy Issues Recommendations to Modernize, Stabilize & Simplify California’s Outdated Tax System:

"Commission on the 21st Century Economy Issues Recommendations to Modernize, Stabilize & Simplify California’s Outdated Tax System
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today the Commission on the 21st Century Economy released its final report and recommendations on ways to update and improve California’s out-dated revenue system and make it more reflective of our state’s economy. The report reflects nine months of work by the 14-member bi-partisan commission that was jointly appointed in December by the Governor and Legislative leaders. The Commission’s charge was to suggest ways to modernize California's out-of-date revenue laws in order to improve the state's economic competitiveness and to reduce the revenue volatility that has led to the state's feast-or-famine state budget cycles.

“The boom-and-bust economic cycles the current tax system depends on has turned our state budgeting system into an unpredictable roller coaster ride that brings windfalls one year and painful deficits the next,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “I asked the commissioners to think outside the box and they certainly did. I applaud the hard work of the bipartisan commission and encourage everyone to give the recommendations a thorough review.”

http://www.cotce.ca.gov/"

Michael Boskin and John Cogan: Tax Cuts Can Help California Grow Again - WSJ.com

Michael Boskin and John Cogan: Tax Cuts Can Help California Grow Again - WSJ.com:

"The commission's majority report recommendations were made public yesterday. They include a sweeping overhaul of the personal income tax code that reduces tax brackets to two from six; eliminates all deductions and credits other than for charity, mortgage interest and property taxes; and cuts the top statutory income tax rate to 6.5% from 9.3%. Most taxpayers would receive a 25%-30% tax cut and all would pay less. The commission also recommends abolition of the state's corporate income tax and the elimination of most of the state sales tax that finances the state's general revenue fund (as opposed to special funds for transportation, etc.). Finally, to replace the lost revenue, the commission recommends a broad-based, low-rate state value-added tax (VAT), collected on business net receipts (revenues less purchases from other businesses, including immediate expensing of capital), that is capped at 4%."



Read full report: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/12340338/Commission-on-the-21st-Century-Economy-Issues-Recommendations-to-Modernize-Stabilize-and-Simplify-California’s-Outdated-Tax-System


http://www.cotce.ca.gov/

Commission proposes dramatic state tax overhaul

Commission proposes dramatic state tax overhaul:

"Besides doing away with the traditional sales and corporate taxes, the 415-page report by the bipartisan Commission on the 21st Century Economy suggests across-the-board reductions in personal income tax rates. However, the wealthy, whose income taxes make up the lion's share of the state's tax base, would see larger tax cuts under the proposed changes."

Court: Teacher refusing training can be fired

Court: Teacher refusing training can be fired:

"Veteran schoolteachers who refuse training that qualifies them to instruct students who speak only limited English can be fired, a state appeals court ruled Tuesday."

A San Joaquin County school district that ordered all its teachers to take language training was within its authority to begin dismissal proceedings against a tenured high school music teacher who defied the requirement, said the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento.

The teacher, Theresa Messick of Ripon High School, is considering an appeal to the state Supreme Court, her lawyer said.

The ruling is the first to address districts' authority under a recent state law that requires teachers to get special training to work in classes that include students not fluent in English - about one-fifth of California's total enrollment. The law also requires schools to make all their programs available to those students. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/29/BAI519UG02.DTL#ixzz0SamLErUF

Sacramento Press / Mayor Kevin Johnson: New arena is a "front-burner" issue

Sacramento Press / Mayor Kevin Johnson: New arena is a "front-burner" issue:

"Johnson, however, seems willing to change turn the conversation away from Cal Expo, still not ruling out downtown as a location for a possible arena.

'Before I was the mayor, I would have always liked to see an arena downtown; and now that I am mayor, I would still like to see an arena downtown,' he said."

Swine flu school closings could cost billions - Wire Health & Science - sacbee.com

Swine flu school closings could cost billions - Wire Health & Science - sacbee.com:

"But in the month since classes began, many schools have closed. As of Monday, there had been at least 187 school dismissals across the country affecting at least 79,678 students, the Education Department said."