Saturday, January 9, 2010

White Children Now A Minority In California, States Report (UPDATED) - Los Angeles News - LA Daily

White Children Now A Minority In California, States Report

(UPDATED with Valley stats after the jump). Don't tell the producers of The Hills or any of the other youth-oriented television shows that seem to portray people of color as background noise in California, but for the Golden State's under-18 population whites are now a minority.
This according to U.S. Census data from 2000 to 2009 analyzed by the New York Times, which attributes the shift, in part, to higher birth rates among immigrants. The Golden State was among the top-ten states that saw increases under-18 populations.
The emergence of a nonwhite majority among children should be no surprise to Angelenos, who live in a city that is nearly 50 percent Latino. And, as LAist reported this week, Latinos have now edged out whites as the largest ethnic group in the once Leave It To Beaver-like San Fernando Valley.

Soaring Costs For California's Failing Prison System | KPBS.org

GLORIA PENNER (Host): In his ‘State of the State’ speech, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also talked about the amount of money California is spending on its prisons. The state’s overcrowded and expensive prison system is the focus of KPBS’s Envision series. And joining me now to talk about our investigation is KPBS reporter, Joanne Faryon. So welcome back, Joanne.

JOANNE FARYON (KPBS news): Thanks, Gloria.

PENNER: And before we begin, lets hear what Governor Schwarzenegger had to say to say about what the state is spending on prisons.

GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: 30 years ago, 10% of the general fund went to higher education and only 3% went to prisons. Today, almost 11% goes to prisons and only 7.5% goes to higher education. Spending 45% more on prisons than universities is no way to proceed into the future. So I will submit to you a constitutional amendment so that never again do we spend a greater percentage of our money on prisons than on higher education. (Applause)

PENNER: How is the governor going to reverse the rising cost of operating the state prison?

FARYON: Well, in his address he talked about privatizing prisons. He didn’t give a lot of detail. But really, after researching this issue for the past several weeks, I don’t understand how privatization will necessarily fix this problem. According to the numbers that we’ve been crunching, the data that we’ve collected, the issue of rising costs really seems to be the increasing number of inmates. Especially the increasing number of old and sick inmates.

PENNER: Why are old and sick inmates adding to the cost?

Randi Weingarten: Teachers Keep the Lights of Learning Shining

Teachers Keep the Lights of Learning Shining

I recently posed a question to our members--why do you teach? This seemingly simple question prompted a flood of impassioned, inspiring responses. Teachers' responses echo the literally thousands of conversations I have had with our members about their jobs, about their dedication to the students they teach and to the larger community, and about why they commit their lives to this important work.

When teachers talk about their profession, one thing that becomes clear immediately is how much they care about their students. These educators come to the classroom with a nearly limitless supply of optimism about the transformative capacity of education and a deep commitment to preparing our children for the future.

In describing why she is in the profession, a history teacher in Chicago explained it this way: "I teach for many reasons. I want to help students to love and appreciate history as much as I do. I want to help them learn to solve problems instead of blame others for what happens in their lives. I also teach for selfish reasons. There is no better

Brad Bollinger: Choosing higher education over prisons – North San Francisco Bay Area, Sonoma, Marin, Napa counties - North Bay Business Journal - Archive

Brad Bollinger: Choosing higher education over prisons

By Brad Bollinger

David Crane, special adviser to Gov. Schwarzenegger on jobs and the economy, was particularly blunt last October when he spoke to the annual San Rafael Chamber of Commerce Forecasting the Future conference.

The highly successful financial services entrepreneur said he went to the capitol full of idealism about how to build a 21st Century California economy, only to discover it was the public sector unions that really run Sacramento, not free-market economic ideas.

He called pension and benefit promises made with unions during the high-tech boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s a historic theft – his word – committed against the taxpayer.

A few months later sitting around a table of education and business leaders, a highly respected and typically optimistic North Bay community college leader was unusually downbeat.

In the wake of draconian

Turlock Journal - University students have mixed opinions on AB 656

Turlock Journal - University students have mixed opinions on AB 656:

"When a state assemblyman proposes a bill that could mean more than $1.5 billion a year to higher education, students at cash-strapped universities sit up and listen.

About 30 California State University, Stanislaus students from majors as diverse as Biology, Nursing, Criminal Justice, and Jazz Trombone gathered on a misty Friday evening for an open forum to discuss Assembly Bill 656. Student group Socialist Organizer, which has helped to organize some of the recent CSU Stanislaus protests, sponsored the meeting."

Melina Juarez, a political science and anthropology student affiliated with Socialist Organizer, presented information about the bill, which would impose a 12.5 percent producer paid tax on all oil and gas, at the point it is extracted from the state. Oil and gas companies would be prohibited from passing the cost of the tax on to consumers. California, the third-largest oil producer in the country, is the only state in the nation without an oil severance tax.

Money raised through the tax would be used solely to fund higher education classroom instruction. As currently written, 50 percent of revenues would go to the CSU system, 25 percent would go to the University of California, and 25 percent would go to community colleges.

Funding would be used to establish the California Higher Education Endowment Corporation, which would annually allocate the moneys in the California Higher Education Fund, which would also be created by the bill. A 15-member oversight board would govern the CHEEC.

Feinstein, Boxer lash out at governor's demands

(01-09) 04:00 PST Washington - -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's demand Friday that the federal government plug a $6.9 billion hole in the state budget, two days after he charged that the federal health care bill is unfair to the state, struck a nerve with California's Washington delegation.

Schwarzenegger is demanding that the administration fix what he calls flawed federal formulas and unfunded federal mandates that short-change the state on Medicaid, foster care, special education and the incarceration of illegal immigrants.

With his demand for federal money to patch nearly one-third of the state's $20 billion budget deficit, the governor "found a soft, sensitive spot" among the state's leaders in Washington, said Joe Mathews, a senior fellow in Los Angeles for the New America Foundation, a center-left think tank.
The office of Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein said the governor's budget assumes, for example, that California would get 92 percent of all federal funds for jailing illegal immigrants and that the program will be fully funded, a highly unlikely outcome.
At the same time, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer held a conference call with reporters

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/08/MN7M1BFJA4.DTL#ixzz0c7oLr7Wg

Where were the Hispanic votes? / Too many failed to support education reform - SignOnSanDiego.com

Where were the Hispanic votes? / Too many failed to support education reform

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2010 AT 12:04 A.M.

With the resurgence of real education reform this week, California Democrats are experiencing a defining moment. And, as the saying goes, they either define the moment or the moment will define them.

That is especially true for Hispanic Democrats, who rode to power on the assumption that they represent the state’s largest minority, which also happens to be dramatically shortchanged by public schools. Low expectations are the order of the day, and so it’s no wonder that the dropout rate for Hispanic students has hovered at 50 percent for the last two decades.

Unwilling to accept that, state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, proposed legislation to bring California in line with President Barack Obama’s education reform agenda and make the state eligible for as much as $700 million in grants under the administration’s “Race to the Top” initiative. After extended wrangling, the Legislature passed the bill this week and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed it. In doing so, our leaders threw a life preserver to students drowning in underperforming schools – most of whom are Hispanic.

You would think that Hispanic lawmakers would have jumped at the chance to support this legislation. You’d be wrong. It got only a few votes from Hispanic members of the Assembly.

State's top educator, valley officials meet | mydesert.com | The Desert Sun

State's top educator, valley officials meet | mydesert.com | The Desert Sun:

"Local educators and community members had a chance to speak directly with state officials who have a hand in education reform during a roundtable discussion on Friday.

About 30 people from across the Coachella Valley, including the three school district superintendents, board of education members and representatives from College of the Desert, gathered at Palm Desert High School, 43-570 Phyllis Jackson Lane, to hear from California Superintendent of Schools Jack O'Connell and Assemblyman Brian Nestande, R-Palm Desert.

The state budget, education reform legislation recently signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the federal Race to the Top grants were a significant focus of the conversation"

Turlock Journal - California’s report card shows shortfall in college graduates

Turlock Journal - California’s report card shows shortfall in college graduates:

"Children all around the state aren’t the only ones getting a report card at the end of their classes. The Children Now organization gives the state a report card every year on how well the California takes care of their children, and their grades don’t look so good.

With five “C”s, six “D”s and one “B,” the state’s report card released Monday shows that California isn’t holding their children at a high priority, according to the Children Now.
“California’s failure to prioritize children is jeopardizing the state’s chances for a sustainable long-term economic recovery,” stated Children Now in their analysis of the report card."

Karen Bass: The California Legislature Did Our Job on Race to the Top --Will Governor Schwarzenegger Cross the Finish Line?

Karen Bass: The California Legislature Did Our Job on Race to the Top --Will Governor Schwarzenegger Cross the Finish Line?:

"The California Legislature Did Our Job on Race to the Top --Will Governor Schwarzenegger Cross the Finish Line?

By Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles)

In a relay race, timing and coordination are everything. If you don't have a baton that you can successfully pass to the next runner it doesn't matter how fast you go--the race is lost.
The Assembly had that in mind as we worked carefully these past few weeks to finalize legislation to improve our schools and keep California competitive for a share of $4.3 billion in federal 'Race to the Top' education grants."

The Assembly passed a comprehensive bill that advances significant education reforms and helps the state meet the application deadline for Race to the Top. The legislation followed statewide hearings and meetings with stakeholders, which took time, but which Race to the Top rules require.

We also took time to conduct in-depth negotiations with the Senate and the Schwarzenegger Administration--and our end result includes higher standards for math and language, real tools for teachers at low-performing schools, increased intervention for consistently troubled schools, stronger parental involvement and greater ability for students in the lowest perfoming schools to transfer to higher performing schools.

We also make it easier to to use student performance to evaluate teachers and replace up to 50% of the staff in the lowest performing schools. The Assembly strongly supports teachers and the job they do in the classroom. We also felt strongly that these provisions should be part of the final package.

Schwarzenegger proposes budget for 'tough times' - BusinessWeek

Schwarzenegger proposes budget for 'tough times' - BusinessWeek:

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has warned Californians that they face more economic pain in the year ahead, and on Friday he delivered on that promise by proposing an austere budget that takes the state back to its spending level of six years ago.

To make up for a drastic drop in tax revenue and plug a $20 billion deficit, Schwarzenegger proposed making cuts to health and human services, welfare, prisons, transportation and environmental programs.

He also seeks to raise money by rolling back recent corporate tax breaks, expanding oil drilling off the Santa Barbara coast to provide $140 million for state parks and demanding more money from the federal government."

Monterey County schools split on Race To The Top as Friday deadline passes | thecalifornian.com | The Salinas Californian

Monterey County schools split on Race To The Top as Friday deadline passes | thecalifornian.com | The Salinas Californian:

"Nearly half of Monterey County's school districts agreed to sign a preliminary binding contract to help the state compete for millions of dollars in federal school funds.

That's well over the statewide percentage. But they don't include two county districts in the bottom 5 percent of the persistently lowest-achieving schools statewide.

The Memorandums of Understanding needed to participate in President Obama's Race To The Top educational reform were due Friday. Of the state's 1,700 educational agencies — which include school districts, charter schools and county Office of Education — only 346 had signed the MOU as of Friday evening, according to the California Department of Education."

Friday, January 8, 2010

Swearing in California's first-ever Latina... by Gov. Schwarzenegger (@Schwarzenegger) on Vidly

Swearing in California's first-ever Latina... by Gov. Schwarzenegger (@Schwarzenegger) on Vidly:

"Swearing in California's first-ever Latina Director of Finance. Ana, I know you'll be fantastic.
by Gov. Schwarzenegger 4 hours ago from API"

First Latina Finance Director - Santa Barbara Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

First Latina Finance Director

By SBHCC Admin Dec 14, 2009 in news

For Immediate Release: Monday, December 14, 2009	Contact: Aaron McLear Kira Heinrichs 916-445-4571 916-445-4571 916-445-4571 916-445-4571
Gov. Schwarzenegger Announces Appointment of Ana Matosantos as First Latina Finance Director Thanks Michael Genest for Dedicated Service

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today extended his deep felt gratitude to Michael Genest for his service to the people of California. Following Genest announcing his resignation, the Governor announced that he will appoint Ana Matosantos as director of the Department of Finance.

"Mike has a long and distinguished career of service to the people of California and he has been a tremendous asset to my Administration," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "As director of the Department of Finance for the past four years, he served a critical role navigating the state through the worst fiscal situation we have seen in decades and I am deeply grateful for his service, dedication and commitment to our state."

"I know Ana is the right person to take on this important role at such a crucial time for California. In the coming year, our state will have to make incredibly challenging and tough budget decisions, and Ana has the knowledge and expertise necessary to guide my Administration through that decision-making process," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "With an extensive history in state finances, she has been an incredible asset as a member of my staff and to the people of this great state and I look forward to continue working with her, as California's first Latina director of the Department of Finance, to move California forward."

Matosantos has served the Department of Finance as chief deputy director since 2008. Prior to that, she served as deputy legislative secretary for health and human services and veterans affairs in the Office of the Governor from 2007 to 2008. From 2006 to 2007, Matosantos served as associate secretary for legislative affairs for the Health and Human Services Agency (HHS) and, from 2004 to 2006, was assistant secretary for program and fiscal affairs at HHS. Prior to that, she was also a consultant to the Senate Committee's on Health and Human Services and Budget and Fiscal Review from 1999 to 2004.

"I am honored the Governor has given me this opportunity to continue serving the people of California," said Ana Matosantos. "I look forward to using my experience working with state government finance to work with the Governor and his Administration to put California on the right track."

Matosantos, 34, of Sacramento, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Stanford University. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $175,000. Matosantos is a Democrat.

Jamaica and Columbus High School supporters pack hearings | GothamSchools

Jamaica and Columbus High School supporters pack hearings | GothamSchools:

Jamaica and Columbus High School supporters pack hearings

"From Queens to Brooklyn, hundreds of teachers, students, and alumni poured into auditoriums last night to defend their high schools from closure.

In Queens, supporters of Jamaica High School turned out in droves for the public hearing, a meeting also attended by Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott and some of the Department of Education’s top brass.

The arguments against phasing out Jamaica and replacing it with several small schools in the same building were similar to those voiced at a question-and-answer session with DOE officials held at the school last month, which also drew an angry crowd.

When one speaker pointed out Walcott’s presence in the back of the auditorium, audience members rose from their seats, turned around to face him, and chanted, “Save Jamaica High School.”

The Queens representative on the Panel for Educational Policy, Dmytro Fedkowski, asked the DOE to postpone the board’s vote on the proposals until the department releases more information about how the closure decisions were made.

“These proposals seem to be moving forward at an alarming rate,” he said.

Sacramento Press / Community Partnership Meetings - January 2010

The City of Sacramento, Neighborhood Services Department is hosting bi-monthly Community Partnership Meetings beginning in January 2010. The Community Partnership Meetings are an opportunity for City staff, neighbors, business owners, and other agencies to exchange information and have open dialogue discussing issues, policies, and priorities for Sacramento's diverse neighborhoods.

Important Information . . . Neighborhood Networking . . . Civic Engagement

Got questions? We have the answers . . . Neighborhood Services Department

Meeting dates and locations:

Monday, January 11, 2010, 7:00 - 8:30 P.M., Robertson Community Center, 3525 Norwood Avenue

Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 7:00 - 8:30 P.M., Sanuel Pannell-Meadowview Community Center, 2450 Meadowview Road

Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 7:00 - 8:30 P.M., Coloma Community Center, 4623 T Street

HOT MEETING TOPIC:

*Electronic Message Boards*

If you have additional questions or would like to learn more about the Neighbohrood Services Department, go to www.cityofsacramento.org/ns or call 916-808-6789.

"The Neighborhood Services Department bridges and engages Sacramento's diverse residents with resources to maintain, revitalize, and promote healthy communities."

Schwarzenegger declares budget emergency, proposes deep cuts - Latest News - sacbee.com

Schwarzenegger declares budget emergency, proposes deep cuts - Latest News - sacbee.com: "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled an $82.9 billion state spending plan today that calls for no tax hikes but envisions pay cuts for state workers, reductions in services to California's neediest residents - and on the benevolence of the federal government.

The governor also declared yet another fiscal emergency, and called for yet another special session of the Legislature, designed to keep a projected $19.9 billion budget deficit from growing by another $2.4 billion.

'We must begin our work immediately,' Schwarzenegger said in his message to legislators. 'If we fail to take action in the special session that I have called, our problem will only grow, and the decisions that will be required to make up for lost savings will grow even more difficult than those now before us.'"

Bee Live - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Dan Smith, sacbee:

Here are some of the biggest cuts the governor is proposing...

Welfare: Eliminate CalWORKS welfare to work program. – $1 billion

In-home care: Eliminate In-Home Supportive services program. – $495 million

Mental health: Use Proposition 63 funds to finance mental health. – $847 million

Health care: Eliminate Healthy Families program for children’s health care. – $126 million

Medi-Cal: Elimiante all optional benefits; reduce eligibility to federal minimum. – $532 million

State employees: Eliminate furloughs, reduce pay by 5 percent. – $508 million

Prisons: Eliminate most rehabilitation programs, increase parole agents’ caseloads, expand crimes for which time can be served in county jails – $280 million

Schools: Reduce funding for school district administration – $1.2 billion

Higher education: Eliminate funding for enrollment growth at CSU and UC – $111.9 million

SAC City DAC Education News & Comment

SAC City DAC Education News & Comment:

"The next DAC meeting is Tuesday, January 12, 2010

at the Genesis High School, Multi-purpose Room, adjacent to the Serna Center

from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm."

SCUSD January 2010 Message from DAC Chair Wanda Yanez -

MET Project :: Welcome

MET Project :: Welcome:

How can effective teaching be

identified and developed?

The Measures of Effective Teaching

project aims to find out.

Watch a video to learn about the Measures of Effective Teaching project.

Our Goals

The goal of the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project is to help educators and policymakers identify and support good teaching by improving the quality of information available about teacher practice. With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, independent education researchers, in partnership with school districts, principals, teachers, and unions, will work to develop a fair and reliable measure of effective teaching.

Current measures of teaching rarely take into account the full range of what teachers do, or the context in which they teach. The MET project is different. It's informed by the real work of real teachers in real classrooms. It goes beyond the exclusive use of student assessments as a proxy for effectiveness and, instead, is geared to developing a set of measures that together serve as an accurate indicator of a teacher's impact on student achievement.

We hope you'll join us in our efforts to improve education in our public schools by identifying, measuring, and supporting great teaching.

AFT - Publications and Reports

AFT Publications and Reports

Links to our periodicals, as well as our latest reports,
appear below.

	American Teacher, our monthly newspaper for AFT Teachers.		Our quarterly magazine, American Educator.

	AFT On Campus, a publication of AFT Higher Education.		Healthwire, the bi-monthly newspaper of the AFT Healthcare division.

	PSRP Reporter, a publication of the Paraprofessional and School-Related Personnel division.		Public Employee Advocate, the bi-monthly newspaper of the AFT Public Employee division.

	AFT Human Rights News, a publication of the Human Rights and Community Relations Department.		American Academic, the policy journal from the AFT Higher Education division.

	The AFT Retirees Electronic Newsletter, produced by the AFT Program on Retirement and Retirees.		See a complete list of AFT e-mail newsletters, each with a link for subscribing.

State Revenue Systems: Options for the Current Fiscal Crisis
This publication provides an explanation of current revenue structures state-by-state and suggests alternatives to improve revenue stability and progressivity.

Importing Educators: Causes and Consequences of International
Teacher Recruitment
The growing number of overseas-educated teachers in U.S. schools has put many talented educators in classrooms, but the trend also has led to a host of concerns about exploitation, questionable hiring practices and harmful effects in the countries that are losing their most qualified teachers. (June 2009)
Read AFT news. | Share your story.

2008 Public Employees Compensation Survey

AFT Public Employees 2008 Compensation Survey
Salaries for state government professionals registered a modest 2.4 percent increase from 2007 to 2008, according to the ninth annual AFT Public Employees Compensation Survey.

Latest News and Comment from Education