Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Former CSU authority writes about the ‘people’s university’�|�Daily Titan

Don Gwerth, Ph.D. Photo courtesy of Don Gerth

“I have been calling the Cal State University the ‘people’s university’ of California since the 1960s,” said Don Gerth, former president of Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State Sacramento.

Gerth recently published “The People’s University: A History of the California State University,” a book tracing the history of Cal State University after friends and family urged him to do so.

Retiring in 2003, Gerth ended his 45-year career but not his love for CSU.

The book covers the long history of the CSU, which dates as far back as 1857 when the CSU began teaching elementary school teachers in San Francisco.

The school then moved to San Jose, where the comprehensive CSU program was created and formally established in the 1960s – making San Jose State University is the oldest university in California.

The book consists of anecdotes from the system’s early faculty, staff and students.

The text is focused on the “Master Plan,” a plan created in 1960 that under-lied the roles of the University of California (UC), CSU and the California Community Colleges (CCC).

“The CSU system focuses on the needs of California and its citizens for an educated populace and universities, which address the civic and economic development of the state,” Gerth said.

Gerth said the CSU system set the standard for higher education nationally and around the world, and is well-respected and often copied. Gerth said that he, with the help of his wife, researched, interviewed and worked with small focus groups for the purpose of his book.

The “Master Plan” is embraced because it provides students the opportunity to choose what educational path is right for them. Gerth said that in the 1930s, California’s public policy recognized the need for a broader access to higher education. “The system as we know it now was created by the Legislature in the 1960s,” Gerth said. The Master Plan was composed of what were then 10 institutions that were united by the creation of the Board of Trustees.

Open Letter to Officials Concerning ASUC - Daily Nexus

To Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, UC President Mark Yudof, California Legislators and Regents of the University of California,

This is a call to regulate closed sessions by legislative bodies of the Associated Students of the University of California.

Various California laws express the clear opinion that open meetings are a vital part of democratic government. The Brown Act ensures local governments conduct their business publicly and has included community colleges by an Attorney General opinion in 1992. The Bagley-Keene Act lays out procedures all state agencies — including the UC Regents — must follow in closing a meeting. The Gloria Romero Open Meetings Act applies to the governing councils of all Cal State schools. The only public higher education legislative council in this state unregulated by an open meeting act is ASUC. While existing laws could have been applicable to ASUC, a 1983 Attorney General opinion exempted bodies with powers delegated by the Regents. As a result of this decision, the letter of the law permits our student representatives to conduct business as secretly as they like.

With representatives elected by the students and multi-million dollar budgets of student fees to spend at their discretion, ASUC cannot be described as anything less than a legitimate government. This alone necessitates transparency, but the need for oversight has been compounded by recent incidents. ASUCSB’s Legislative Council has abused the power to eject the public, holding closed meetings for the second consecutive week without offering sufficient rationale for their closure. Regardless of the subject matter of these closed sessions, it is disturbing that the group entrusted with student money and governance has no legal obligation to conduct business openly.

Further allegations have plagued ASUCSB, including the alleged trashing of a rented villa while on a student fee-funded retreat. While the transparency promised on the campaign trail should compel the responsible individuals to admit their mistakes, the public has instead been kept entirely in the dark as ASUCSB members close ranks in an attempt to protect them behind legal procedure and stonewalling. Student demands for accountability can be heard loud and clear — a Facebook group entitled “Hold Associated Students accountable for their actions” garnered almost 1,400 members one day after its creation. In this current budget crisis, students bristle at the idea of ASUC spending

State bills reintroduced, aim to make CSU and UC records open to public�|�Daily Titan

State bills reintroduced, aim to make CSU and UC records open to public|Daily Titan:

"State Sen. Leland Yee, (D-San Francisco), reintroduced two bills Jan. 5 that will bring greater transparency to the state of California’s public higher-education institutions, require foundation records to be open to public inspection and will also seek to protect whistleblowers in the Cal State University/University of California systems.
According to a press release on the senator’s Web site, the first bill, SB 330, is a reintroduction of SB 218, and if approved, will require campus auxiliary organizations like Associated Students Inc. to be subject to the California Public Records Act, subsequently allowing for more accountability at UC, CSU and community college campuses.
The second bill, SB 650, is a reintroduction of SB 219, and will provide UC and CSU employees who report waste, fraud and abuse, with the same legal protections as other state employees.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed both bills SB 218 and SB 219 in October 2009."

Oakland teachers authorize strike | SocialistWorker.org

Oakland teachers authorize strike | SocialistWorker.org:

"MEMBERS OF the Oakland Education Association (OEA) voted by a 94 percent margin to authorize a one-day strike, and by an 89 percent margin to support the March 4 Day of Action against education budget cuts.

The union is in the stage of bargaining called fact-finding, which comes after the two sides reach an impasse. The move to authorize a strike comes after a year and a half of fruitless negotiations with the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). In addition to authorizing a strike, members voted unanimously to oppose the district's 'last, best and final offer.'"

The district's offer is based on the logic that there is no money, and only cuts are on the table. However, a document authored by the OEA's bargaining team proves that there is enough money to settle the contract. The problem is that the district's priorities are testing, corporate consultants and administrators, rather than teacher retention and quality education for students.

Here are a couple examples of spending where the money would be better used to reduce class sizes and pay teachers a competitive salary:

-- The OUSD spends $10 million a year for "benchmark testing" and test prep materials.

-- More than $5 million is paid out to consultants to outsource jobs like professional development and curriculum coaching.

-- The district makes annual payments of $6 million toward its debt to the state of California.

-- Perhaps most outrageous, OUSD pays million-dollar fines to the state for exceeding the 8-to-100 administrator-to-teacher ratio mandated by law.

The district's offer has a pay freeze for the 2009-2010 school year, but re-openers in the

Obama proposal to change NCLB gets thumbs-up from San Gabriel Valley, Whittier educators - Whittier Daily News

Obama proposal to change NCLB gets thumbs-up from San Gabriel Valley, Whittier educators - Whittier Daily News:

"President Barack Obama's proposal to overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act this year is being roundly praised by San Gabriel Valley and Whittier-area educators, who say they'd welcome a new federal accountability system to measure schools that is based on annual progress.

As it stands now, NCLB sets specific testing targets for math and language arts that rise each year, with the overall goal of having 100 percent of students proficient in those two areas by the 2013-14 school year.

But in his budget plan, Obama proposed judging schools differently, by looking instead at student growth and schools' progress from one year to the next."

Michael Rebell: Educational Budget Cuts: Unconscionable -- and Unconstitutional

Michael Rebell: Educational Budget Cuts: Unconscionable -- and Unconstitutional:

"This past fall California laid off 20,000 teachers, resulting in average class sizes in Los Angeles high schools of 42.5. Teachers in Hawaii were 'furloughed' and classes canceled for 17 straight Fridays, In Illinois, 30,000 children lost preschool services, bilingual education was cut 25 percent and teacher recruitment in hard-to-staff schools was substantially reduced.

And there's worse to come. Even after plugging budget holes with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds -- intended to stimulate innovation and create opportunities for low-income students -- 39 states now report midyear shortfalls and project additional large gaps for FY2011. New York Governor David Paterson has proposed cutting the base budget by $1.4 billion next year."

Proposed oil tax divides education leaders - San Jose Mercury News

Proposed oil tax divides education leaders - San Jose Mercury News:

"An East Bay lawmaker wants to tax oil pumped from the California ground and give the proceeds to colleges and universities, but the proposal has run afoul of the very people it was supposed to help.

Assembly Bill 656 initially would have taxed companies 12.5 percent for oil and gas extracted from the state. The money would have been divided among the three public systems: community colleges, California State University and the University of California.

But the bill's other requirements — including an inequitable division of the money and a mandate that it be spent only on classroom instruction — riled some education officials. The lawmaker advocating the tax, Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, D-Newark, has since gutted the bill, but said he plans to bring back the original proposal soon.

'We didn't have the votes in the Assembly,' Torrico said. 'But we've always treated this bill as part of a larger campaign to raise awareness.'
College and university leaders agree that Tor"

RealClearPolitics - Education & the Fallacy of "Fairness"

RealClearPolitics - Education & the Fallacy of "Fairness":

"A recent flap in a Berkeley high school reveals what a farce 'fairness' can be. Because this is ultra-liberal Berkeley, perhaps we should not be surprised that a proposal has been made to eliminate four jobs as science teachers and use the money saved for programs to help low achievers.

In Berkeley, as in many other communities across the country, black and Latino students are not performing as well as Asian and white students. In fact, the racial gap in academic achievement at Berkeley High School is the highest in California-- no doubt a special source of embarrassment in politically correct Berkeley."

11,000 people respond to Sac City schools online surveys - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

11,000 people respond to Sac City schools online surveys - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:

"Keeping class sizes small and closing the achievement gap among students seem to be the biggest concerns of parents, students, teachers and community members filling out a pair of surveys about the Sacramento City Unified School District, Superintendent Jonathan Raymond said Monday.

More than 11,000 people had taken the surveys as of last week, including more than 4,200 students. Today is the last day the district will collect answers to the online surveys (available at www.scusd.edu)."

Take Survey Now

Take Survey Now

Go to Sacramento City Unified School District Web Site

Monday, February 8, 2010

Sacramento Press / Access Sacramento and Sacramento Music Alliance Help Haiti - Concert & Telethon

Sacramento Press / Access Sacramento and Sacramento Music Alliance Help Haiti - Concert & Telethon:

"Access Sacramento is hosting a 3 hour telethon on Friday February 26 in our TV Studio. We will be putting together crews to tape record three, one-hour programs that will then playback from 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM that same night.

Produced in partnership with the 'Buck-up or Shut Up!' event organized by the Sacramento Music Alliance, our combined efforts will ask local viewers to remember Haiti and ocntinue to donate. The devastating earthquake that killed so many and left so many more families homeless, will take many years to rebuild. Let's not forget them - Haitians of all ages still need our help.
Sacramento musicians are joining together with Access Sacramento to bring this appeal to local viewers. There are three ways to help. Attend - Volunteer - Donate"

Sacramento Press / Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce Installation & Awards Dinner

The Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce’s 17thAnnual Installation Dinner was held Feb. 4th at the Sheraton in downtown Sacramento. Over 600 guests enjoyed passionate speeches by guest George Takei and 2010 SACC Honoree, West Sacramento Mayor, Christopher Cabaldon who focused on the power of strong leadership.

The SACC was honored to present the 2010 awardees: Kaiser Permanente (Corporate Steward Award); Fast Signs of Elk Grove (Small Business Award); Asian Resources (Vu Nguyen Heroism Award) and Megan Franks, Rancho Cordova Marriott (Ambassador of the Year).

The SACC Installation Dinner is held each February and includes the installation of new Board Members of the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce.”

Hearts for Haiti | The Education Report

Hearts for Haiti

By Katy Murphy
Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 1:03 pm in high schools, middle schools, students,teens, the arts.

Kids at Oakland’s Bret Harte Middle School are showing their love this month by raising money for victims of the earthquake in Haiti. So far, they have raised more than $700 for Oxfam, according to teachers at the school. Each heart represents a student’s contribution.

At Oakland School for the Arts, Graciela Olguin and her classmates organized an online art sale to raise money for the American Red Cross’s Haiti relief efforts. They set up this Web site, and generated more than $300 as of late last week.

If your school has undertaken a similar project, tell us about it.

Schwarzenegger, Coe to run Vancouver torch relay - Latest News - sacbee.com

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Arnold Schwarzenegger will hand the Olympic torch off to Sebastian Coe on Friday morning, the day of the opening ceremony at the Vancouver Games.

The California governor and the two-time Olympic gold medalist runner were revealed Monday as torch relay participants along with several famous Canadians, including the father of hockey great Wayne Gretzky.

"Clearly we want to have a big finish," said John Furlong, the CEO of the Vancouver organizing committee.

Besides Walter Gretzky, other notable relay runners include astronaut Julie Payette, singerJann Arden and former hockey player Richard Brodeur.

Education Week: Dueling Objectives Mark Stimulus at Halfway Point

A year ago, the federal floodgates opened for aid to education, releasing a one-time surge of up to $100 billion in economic-stimulus money aimed at both stabilizing and transforming the nation’s public education system.

The results so far have been mixed, as weighed against the Obama administration’s twin goals for its unprecedented infusion of education funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

From the outset, the stimulus program’s education piece—among the largest elements of the $787 billion package intended to jump-start a recession-battered economy—was to serve both an economic and a school improvement purpose.

By pouring money into the coffers of states and districts already suffering from cuts to K-12 schooling, the ARRA aimed to stanch the fiscal bleeding and let them concentrate on the business of educating students. A year later, it’s clear that the stimulus package averted tens of thousands of teacher layoffs nationwide, and mitigated deep cuts to school programs.

Schools and the Stimulus:
A Midterm Report

Dueling Objectives Mark Stimulus at Halfway Point
Overview
The Impact So Far
Multiple Stimulus Aid Streams Flow to Ed Tech
Private Sector Competes for Share of Stimulus Pie
Spec. Ed., Title I Aid Casts Long Stimulus Shadow
Stimulus Reflects Push for Teacher Effectiveness
Schools Stuck at Bottom Target of $3 Billion Push
Aid Lets Hard-Hit State Keep Programs Aloft
Fiscal Stability Allows for Long View on Stimulus
The Road Ahead
As Education's Funding Cliff Nears, Anxieties Rise
Race to Top Sets Stage for ESEA Reauthorization
Web Extras
Live Webinar: Is the Stimulus Metting Its K-12 Goals?
Live Chat: Schools and the Stimulus: A Midterm Report
Interactive Map: Follow the Stimulus Money
Videos on the Stimulus

After parents’ visit, Sen. Perkins calls for charter school hearings | GothamSchools

After parents’ visit, Sen. Perkins calls for charter school hearings

by Anna Phillips

Charter school advocates’ day of political action in Albany last week appears to have had an unintended consequence: State Senator Bill Perkins now wants to hold hearings to expose an alleged lack of oversight and parent voice in the schools.

In a half-hour interview on WWRL’s Working New York radio show this Saturday, Perkins said that a group of charter school parents who have become disenchanted with their childrens’ schools came to see him and left a lasting impression. Those parents belong to the New York Charter Parents Association, a recently-started group that’s supportive of charter schools, but quite critical of their management.

“There’s a parent movement that’s not being paid attention to within the charter schools,” said Perkins, who recently supported a bill backed by the teachers union that would have lifted the charter cap while placing tight restrictions on how and where the schools open.
“A part of their concern is how the money is being spent, and whether as parent leaders they are allowed to have certain types of access to information. They have been threatened with being put out of the schools if they insist on those types of opportunities that normally any parent would get access to,” he said.

The hearings — which aren’t scheduled, but will be “soon” he said — will focus on the city and state’s oversight of charter schools, the rates at which students are expelled or counseled to leave, and the

John Carroll University GLBT Protest

In light of the recent decision by the John Carroll University administration to not specifically include the protection of Lesbians, Gays, Bi-Sexuals, Transgendered, and Questioning students in its Anti-Discrimination Statement, we, the students, faculty, and alumni of John Carroll University choose to voice our support for those the university leaves without protection.

John Carroll's mission is to create people for others. That means support, protection, love, and understanding for all people without regard to color, creed, sexual preference, gender, age, or other personal factors. That's the goal of a Jesuit institution.

By not explicitly voicing its support of LGBTQ students, faculty, and alumni, John Carroll's administration is breaking those unspoken bonds of trust that make JCU a community.

It's time for those who have called Carroll home in some capacity to speak up and demand of the President, Board of Directors, and Administration the words that promise safety and security to those whose rights are so tenuous and often unprotected.

In short, we expect better of John Carroll University. We demand better. We are a gentle, angry people and we are singing, singing for our lives!!!

http://www.jcu.edu/

Gay Students Stage Basketball Sit-In at John Carroll U.
Gay students and supporters at John Carroll University staged a sit-in on the basketball court prior to the start of a game last week to protest the university's refusal to add sexual orientation to the official anti-bias policy at the institution. The protest, filmed and then placed on YouTube, ended when students were escorted -- without arrests -- from the court. University officials noted that draft "community standards" being prepared by the university explicitly protect gay and lesbian students and would bar discrimination against them. Officials said that the employment policy that does not include sexual orientation is based on state and federal statutes, which do not cover sexual orientation. "Rather than rely on the limitations provided under current federal and state law, the university strives to achieve a much higher standard based upon its Jesuit and Catholic mission and teachings," said a statement from the university.
http://www.insidehighered.com/

Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Endorse Patrick Kennedy for City Council

Patrick Kennedy

Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Endorse Patrick Kennedy for City Council

I am proud to announce that the Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522 has endorsed my candidacy for Sacramento City Council.

We all owe a tremendous debt to the men and women of Sacramento's fire fighting ranks. Every day they protect over 144 square miles with a population of over 450,000. They are responsible for far more than just protecting life and property from the ravages of fire. They are often the front line first responders providing emergency medical services, hazardous materials regulation and response, special and technical rescue, fire prevention code enforcement, public education, and disaster preparedness.

In District 5, Section 6 in Oak Park has been one of the busiest stations in the nation. Section 12, in Hollywood Park, has even answered the call when my own daughter suffered from a diabetes related medical emergency, and I credit them with saving her life.

Carrying the support of these brave men and women means a lot to our campaign. But, more importantly, it means a great deal to me personally.

If you have any questions about my candidacy or want to talk about issues facing our city, I welcome you to call me at 446-4434, or visit my website at www.Patrick-Kennedy.com, where I hope you will sign up as a supporter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,