Valley Star - Massive Protest Against Education Cuts at the State Capital

Valley Star - Massive Protest Against Education Cuts at the State Capital

Massive Protest Against Education Cuts at the State Capital

Thousands descend on the state capital in Sacramento to protest education budget cuts.

By Jonathan Seeley | Staff Writer

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Published: Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Updated: Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Marcos Perez | Valley Star

Students go marching on

Twenty-five Valley college students flew to Sacramento to participate with thousands in the March in March protest against education budget cuts on Monday.

The Associated Student Union and Political Action Committee organized the event and their main objective was to meet with legislators and share personal stories of how the budget cuts affect them directly.

“They cut back in bad times, but you don’t get it back in good times.” said Valley College philosophy professor, Zach Knorr, who helped organize the event.

The protest began in Raley Field, nestled amongst abandoned warehouses and train yards. Chartered buses, cabs, and airport shuttles emptied students and faculty onto the staging grounds at Lot B. Thousands of students awaited the march to commence, and when it did, a sea of people crashed out and flowed onto Ballpark Drive toward Capital Mall. Strategically placed police on horseback, bikes, and motorcycles along the mall dammed the protestors to the three right lanes, and were usually successful in their aim.

The march continued for about a mile and ended at the north steps of the state capital.

Several speakers took the stage over the next couple of hours; including students and faculty member like Pres. Reid Milburn of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, who was Master of Ceremonies.

“We’re tired of our fees being raised … our courses canceled!” Milburn passionately exclaimed to a cheering crowd. “How are we going to save our future if we can’t get into our classes?”

How creative destruction is altering the economics of higher education - SmartPlanet

How creative destruction is altering the economics of higher education - SmartPlanet

How creative destruction is altering the economics of higher education

By Joe McKendrick | Mar 24, 2010 | 0 Comments

If you have college-bound children or are still in school yourself, you are only too keenly aware of the high price of education: $20,000, $40,000, $60,000 a year and up.

While tuition costs for traditional higher education seem to be soaring in multiples way above the cost of living index, market forces and technology are also converging to offer new approaches.

For example, as Kevin Carey reports, an online education provider calledStraighterLine offers online courses in subjects such as accounting, statistics, and math — for a flat rate of $99 a month, plus $39 for each course started. The company offers Web-based course materials, videos, podcasts, and collaborative online study groups. According to the report, StraighterLine courses were designed and overseen by professors with PhDs. Again, all for $99 a month, or a fraction of the cost of traditional institutions — or even online institutions.

StraighterLine was founded by Internet entrepreneur Burck Smith, who “envisions a world where [students] can seamlessly assemble credits and degrees from multiple online providers, each specializing in certain subjects and — most importantly — fiercely competing on price.” StraighterLine partners include CharterOak State College, Fort Hays State University, Lake City Community College, Potomac College, and Kaplan University.

Will traditional higher education follow the path of other industries, such as automakers, banks, and newspapers into the financial abyss? Carey makes the observation that “Colleges are caught in the same kind of debt-fueled price spiral that just blew up the real estate market. They’re also in the information business in a time when technology is driving down the cost of selling information to record, destabilizing lows.”

School overhaul process 'unjust,' Oakland superintendent says - Inside Bay Area

School overhaul process 'unjust,' Oakland superintendent says - Inside Bay Area

School overhaul process 'unjust,' Oakland superintendent says

By Katy Murphy
Oakland Tribune

Posted: 03/24/2010 12:49:42 PM PDT

Updated: 03/24/2010 09:26:33 PM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

Oakland Superintendent Tony Smith speaks during a town hall meeting on the campus of Elmhurst...

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OAKLAND — Schools Superintendent Tony Smith told a crowd of frustrated parents and teachers Wednesday morning that the state had identified "the wrong set of schools" to undergo a major overhaul, one of four federally prescribed interventions for the nation's lowest-performing schools.

He said he found the process facing four of the city's public middle schools — new schools that have opened since 2006 — to be "unjust" and "unacceptable," and that the timeline to make the changes was far too short.

But those who were hoping the superintendent might go a step further and reject those interventions, which include school closure, charter conversion and principal and staff replacement, likely left the meeting disappointed.

"We also have to acknowledge that this is the law," Smith said. Later, he explained, "If the district does not follow through on the legal requirements, sanctions could include a return to state administration."

Districts scrambling

Districts around the Bay Area with schools on the lowest-achieving list, including Hayward, San Lorenzo, West Contra Costa and Mt. Diablo, are now scrambling to figure out how to move forward. If they apply for a federal school improvement grant, they will be required to undergo drastic changes by Aug. 30. If they forego the money, they could buy more time.

Regents apologize for racist incidents at UC San Diego - latimes.com

Regents apologize for racist incidents at UC San Diego - latimes.com

Regents apologize for racist incidents at UC San Diego

They propose changes in admissions policies that would boost enrollment of minorities across the system and promise to help create campus environments in which minority students feel more comfortable.

Reporting from San Francisco - University of California leaders Wednesday apologized to black UC San Diego students for recent racial incidents at the campus and proposed changes in admissions policies aimed at boosting enrollment of minorities across the system.

UC President Mark G. Yudof and other UC regents acknowledged that the UC San Diego episodes, including an off-campus student party that mocked Black History Month, has brought attention to the low enrollment of African American students on the campus. About 1.6% of UC San Diego undergraduates are black, among the lowest such figures for any UC campus. The UC leaders promised to help create campus environments in which minority students feel more comfortable.

Speaking during a regents meeting at UC San Francisco, Yudof said he wanted all UC campuses to adopt an admissions process known as "holistic" review, in which applicants' test scores and high school grades are considered in the context of their life experiences and personal accomplishments.

"I want a system that is less mechanical and takes a serious look at a range of talents and skills and history, and takes into account poverty," Yudof said.

Holistic review is permitted at the university, but Yudof said he would like it to be required at all nine UC undergraduate campuses. UCLA and UC Berkeley now use the approach most extensively, while others, including UC San Diego, rely on a more rigid formula that allows less consideration of personal accomplishments and, Yudof said, may unfairly reject otherwise academically eligible low-

UC leaders promise to improve campus race relations - San Jose Mercury News

UC leaders promise to improve campus race relations - San Jose Mercury News

UC leaders promise to improve campus race relations

By Matt Krupnick
Contra Costa Times

Posted: 03/24/2010 03:14:18 PM PDT

Updated: 03/24/2010 08:11:32 PM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

University of California workers chant loudly as they exit the UC Board of Regents meeting just...

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SAN FRANCISCO — Responding to racist incidents on the San Diego, Santa Cruz and Davis campuses, University of California leaders vowed Wednesday to improve race relations at the 10-campus system.

A better admissions process and other changes would help minority students feel more comfortable, UC President Mark Yudof said during a contentious Board of Regents meeting at UC San Francisco.

"We stand with you," he told students. "We will support you. There are no excuses for the behavior we've witnessed."

Several students spoke passionately about the pain caused by the flurry of incidents in January and February. The incidents included a noose found hanging at a UC San Diego library and swastikas painted on UC Davis doors.

Regents took no action on the issue Wednesday, but UC officials promised to take students' concerns seriously and to act soon. The university also appointed Christopher Edley, the UC Berkeley law dean whose background is in civil-rights law, to advise UC San Diego.

The Daily Bruin | Hate crimes spark Regents' dialogue on campus climate, diversity

The Daily Bruin | Hate crimes spark Regents' dialogue on campus climate, diversity

Hate crimes spark Regents' dialogue on campus climate, diversity

By Julienne Lauler, Kelly Zhou

March 24, 2010 at 5:35 p.m.

The recent wave of hate crimes at various University of California campuses took center stage at the UC Board of Regents meeting today, as regents, campus chancellors and students came together to discuss the campus climate and diversity of the university.

The recent events include an off-campus party mocking Black History Month and the hanging of two nooses at UC San Diego, along with the discovery of a swastika found carved into a dorm room door at UC Davis.

UC President Mark Yudof described the events as "the worst acts of racism and intolerance that (he has) seen on college campuses in 20 years."

In the wake of those acts of hate, the regents convened at UC San Francisco to address the attitudes that resulted in these actions and presented strategies by which similar incidents could be prevented in the future.

Already the administration has taken preliminary measures to improve the climate of the

Fresno Unified School District Rolled out Second Phase of Budget Cuts - 3/24/10 - Fresno News - abc30.com

Fresno Unified School District Rolled out Second Phase of Budget Cuts - 3/24/10 - Fresno News - abc30.com

DeShaunta Bullock
More: Bio, E-mail, News Team

FRESNO, California (KFSN) -- The Fresno Unified School District rolled out the second phase of budget cuts to its board during an afternoon workshop.

                  |   Watch Video Above for Extended Coverage   |
The district wants to cut more than ten full time intensive intervention teachers for English language learners. This is part of phase two of the district's $35-million dollars in budget cuts.
The first round of cuts were approved two weeks ago, affecting nearly 250 

California meltdown - News - Local Stories - March 25, 2010 - Chico News & Review

California meltdown - News - Local Stories - March 25, 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

Congress manages to pass a massive health-insurance bill, but the State Legislature still can’t resolve its budget deficit.

Weds., March 10: Sacramento Bee political columnist Dan Walters reports, on Capitol Alert, that, according to a study by the California Postsecondary Education Commission, California’s colleges and universities will face an enrollment demand of nearly 400,000 more students by the end of the decade, up from 2.36 million to 2.75 million. They will need another $1.5 billion a year in operating revenue to handle the growth, Walters writes.

Weds., March 10: In February, for the third month in a row, state revenues came in above projections, state Controller John Chiang says in his monthly financial report, exceeding Gov. Schwarzenegger’s budget expectations by $480 million, or 8.7 percent.

Thurs., March 11: Democratic legislative leaders propose a wide-ranging overhaul of the state budgeting system. Among other things, it calls for budget passage by a simple majority vote and lawmakers to forfeit pay if they fail to pass a budget by June 25. It also would require them to identify a funding source for any bill increasing costs by $25 million or more. Although it would require a two-thirds vote to approve fees that would replace an existing tax, Republicans quickly

The Daily Bruin | Commission on the Future begins debate on maintaining quality and availability of UC education after budget cuts

The Daily Bruin | Commission on the Future begins debate on maintaining quality and availability of UC education after budget cuts

Commission on the Future begins debate on maintaining quality and availability of UC education after budget cuts

March 23, 2010 at 9:19 p.m.

The University of California Commission on the Future received their first round of recommendations on Tuesday, marking the beginning of an ongoing process aimed at ensuring access and affordability within the UC system.

The Commission on the Future, created by UC Board of Regents Chairman Russell S. Gould last July, is composed of five working groups whose aim is to address issues ranging from the size and composition of the university to strategies for increasing UC funding.

“Today’s recommendations are a rough draft that will eventually be put up for debate by the academic senate and the Board of Regents,” said UC President Mark Yudof. “They are part of a healthy process of airing various perspectives amid a difficult financial climate.”

During the meeting, held at UC San Francisco, Mission Bay, working group members presented recommendations which included creating a three-year undergraduate degree program, researching the advantages of expanding online instruction, and providing multi-year fee increase schedules to UC students and parents.

The proposals also included improving community college transfer efficiency by streamlining lower-division major requirements, as well as increasing the number and proportion of non-resident students at the undergraduate level.

Because of the exploratory nature of these recommendations, which will require more discussion and research over the coming months, they elicited a significant amount of

The California Majority Report // The Education Coalition Memo Re: New Field Poll Results Show 8 in 10 Voters Oppose Cuts to Public Schools to Help Reduce the State Budget Deficit

The California Majority Report // The Education Coalition Memo Re: New Field Poll Results Show 8 in 10 Voters Oppose Cuts to Public Schools to Help Reduce the State Budget Deficit

The Education Coalition Memo Re: New Field Poll Results Show 8 in 10 Voters Oppose Cuts to Public Schools to Help Reduce the State Budget Deficit

March 24, 2010 @ 1:02 PM

Today, California's Field Poll released more results showing that state lawmakers are out of sync with the majority of California voters, with 8 in 10 voters saying they are opposed to making further cuts to public schools to help reduce the state budget deficit.

Despite the voters' desire to protect our students, state lawmakers have already subjected public schools to 60 percent of the statewide budget cuts, even though education funding only makes up 40 percent of the state budget.

It's crystal clear that voters want to prioritize investing in California's schools, particularly after more than $17 billion has been cut from education over the last two years. Voters also want our state's leaders to keep their promises to our students - but currently, the Governor and lawmakers are considering reneging on the promise they made in July to restore $11.2 billion of the cuts, as required by law under Proposition 98.

In addition, yesterday's Field Poll showed that an overwhelming majority of California voters (60 percent) rate education as a top issue as they are considering whom they will support in this year's Governor's race. Another recent poll from the PPIC showed that 82 percent of Californians oppose reductions in K-12 schools to fix the budget deficit.

Yet, the devastating cuts to our students have left California's schools at the very bottom of all 50 states in staff-to-student ratios, and nearly last in the nation in per-pupil spending. School libraries have been virtually wiped out, while arts, music, sports, advanced placement and other essential programs have been eliminated from the curriculum. In addition, more than 23,000 teachers have received pink slips, along with nearly 10,000 school employees and 1,000 administrators.

California business leaders say the best way to improve our economy is to make sure we have a well-educated workforce and that

State shares rock bottom in U.S. reading scores

State shares rock bottom in U.S. reading scores

State shares rock bottom in U.S. reading scores

California remained at the bottom of the barrel in national test scores for reading, sharing last place with Louisiana, Arizona, New Mexico and Washington, D.C., according to the Nation's Report Card released Wednesday.

The state's reading scores have remained flat since the last assessment in 2007.
Few states showed improvement over the last two years on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, standardized tests given to a sample of fourth- and eighth-grade students nationwide. A couple of states fell back.
In California, 54 percent of fourth-grade students and 64 percent of eighth-grade students tested in early 2009 scored at or above the basic reading level, a measure indicating a partial mastery of grade-level content. Nationally, 66 percent of fourth-graders and 74 percent of eighth-graders scored at basic or above levels.
Given California's size and diverse student population along with the relatively low amount of money spent per child on education, the state's scores aren't as bad as they appear, said David Gordon, Sacramento County schools superintendent and member of the National Assessment Governing Board.
"It's not really helpful to compare California to most of these other states," he said. "The level of investment we're making in our school system is really shameful."
California spends about $8,000 per student. New Jersey and New York spend about twice as much and score among the top states.
"I think given its circumstances, I would say California is holding its own," Gordon said. "It's hard to expect a lot more."
On average, California students perform at a basic level, but score lower than their
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/24/MNCH1CKMAA.DTL#ixzz0jBjHAXFO

California Chronicle | Torrico urges community college students to fight for higher education funding at Capitol rally

California Chronicle | Torrico urges community college students to fight for higher education funding at Capitol rally

Torrico urges community college students to fight for higher education funding at Capitol rally

California Political Desk

March 25, 2010

SACRAMENTO – Speaking in front of over a thousand community college and university students from around the state, Assemblymember Alberto Torrico (D-Fremont) urged them to register their support for his Fair Share for Fair Tuition bill that would raise about $2 billion for higher education, including $500 million for California´s struggling community colleges.

Torrico made his remarks during a boisterous rally on the north steps of the state Capitol Monday morning. Students arrived in Sacramento by the busloads to express their frustration with budget cuts and rising fees that are jeopardizing the future of California higher education.

"Access to an affordable higher education that has long been the foundation for California´s economic success is being stripped away by the status quo of nonstop budget cuts and higher student fees," Torrico said. "Students are paying more to get less. Dropped courses and reduced access to classes make it increasingly difficult for students out of high school to pursue a higher education. It also prevents those who are unemployed and looking to learn a new trade or to sharpen their career skills, from getting into the classrooms."

To put an end to the funding shortages the community colleges, California State University and University of California systems are suffering, Torrico is carrying Assembly Bill 656, the Fair Share for Fair Tuition bill. It would place an oil and

Opinion: Oil tax should help fund higher education in California - San Jose Mercury News

Opinion: Oil tax should help fund higher education in California - San Jose Mercury News

Opinion: Oil tax should help fund higher education in California

By Alberto Torrico

Special to the Mercury News

Tens of thousands of Californians — students, parents, teachers and concerned residents — converged on college campuses and city streets earlier this month with one common message: Save public education.

The "Statewide Day of Action" on March 4 signified the transition from idea to action, effort to movement. Taking part were 3,000 students and faculty members at Cal State Long Beach, 2,500 at Cal State Northridge and thousands of marchers in downtown Los Angeles. They joined more than 10,000 people in the Bay Area, who in turn were supported by nearly 5,000 in Sacramento.

We all rallied in opposition to the nearly $600 million in cuts to the University of California, California State University and community college systems. These cuts, along with forced furlough days, abandoned academic programs, declining enrollment and a 32 percent increase in tuition fees, have become more than people are willing to stand or able to stomach.

To fully fund education, we need to stop wasteful spending. And we need to start asking some of our richest corporations to start paying their fair share.

My bill, AB 656, will generate nearly $2 billion a year for higher education in California by levying a 12.5 percent

Barrera calls for community-based model for SDUSD

Barrera calls for community-based model for SDUSD

By James R. Riffel, City News Service
Wednesday, March 24, 2010

San Diego Unified School District Board of Education President Richard Barrera Wednesday night called on district officials to detach themselves from federal and state control and embrace a new community-based reform model.

Barrera, in a 45-minute “State of the District” address at Cherokee Point Elementary School, rejected inconsistent state funding, the “big idea” of the No Child Left Behind Act and other “top-down” programs imposed on local schools.

He described the so-called “corporate model” a failure. “The reason for this is clear, and goes beyond ideology or politics,” Barrera said. “The community model works, and continues to produce the consistent gains in student achievement that has eluded the corporate model after more than a decade of practice.”

Barrera, a former community organizer and union official, cited recent improvements in test scores at a number of district schools, including some in low-income neighborhoods, as an example of community model success.

Barrera said his vision has been implemented by making food stamps accessible in schools, creating joint-use parks with the city of San Diego, re- investing in neighborhoods through a Project Labor Agreement that governs Proposition S construction, and increased parental involvement.

“The community model might not be flashy, and it might mean that nobody gets to be hailed as a savior, but if we

Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-03-24/education/barrera-calls-for-community-based-model-for-sdusd#ixzz0jBh1w7cL

Northwest Asian Weekly | Sacramento charters school focusing on Hmong�|�

Northwest Asian Weekly | Sacramento charters school focusing on Hmong�|�

Sacramento charters school focusing on Hmong

Posted on 24 March 2010
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — School board trustees have approved a Sacramento charter campus focusing on Hmong children.

The Sacramento City Unified School District trustees voted unanimously Thursday night to approve the Yav Pem Suab Academy charter school.

The school will recruit all students, which is required by law, but instead of the typically offered foreign languages of Spanish and French, it will focus on Hmong culture and language.

The Sacramento district’s Hmong students have had the lowest English language test scores of all the district’s ethnic groups. ♦