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Saturday, April 17, 2010
Education - San Jose Mercury News San Jose State to lay off 76 staff and eliminate 49 positions in budget crunch
Education - latimes.com L.A. Community College District board names new chancellor
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Keith Law: What's Palin got to do with higher ed? - More columnists - MercedSun-Star.com
Keith Law: What's Palin got to do with higher ed? - More columnists - MercedSun-Star.com
Read more: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/04/17/1389375/keith-law-whats-palin-got-to-do.html#ixzz0lMcw0pI0
Keith Law: What's Palin got to do with higher ed?
The California State University, Stanislaus Foundation has selected Sarah Palin as the keynote speaker for the campus' 50th anniversary. Those of us who champion higher education are left to puzzle over how that decision could have gone so wrong.
I applaud Vietnam War veteran and former CSUS Alumnus of the Year, Michael Leaveck, for returning his alumni award in protest. A real hero like Leaveck would be a much better choice to speak at the event.
The problem with choosing Sarah Palin goes beyond finances, transparency, and the way that the foundation choose Palin absent any real involvement from the students, faculty and alumni whose aspirations are being represented by that choice.
Of course, the above transgressions do matter. The foundation should not spend so lavishly when all else is suffering from budget cuts; and the lack of transparency about the finances is suspect. Further, the lack of participation by the campus community makes clear that the foundation is forcing its will on the rest of the campus.
The main problem with the choice of Palin, the reason why the foundation's choice should be reversed, is because Palin represents the opposite values of the university as stated in both
Read more: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/04/17/1389375/keith-law-whats-palin-got-to-do.html#ixzz0lMcw0pI0
Greenfield schools community seeks open-minded trustee - MontereyHerald.com :
Greenfield schools community seeks open-minded trustee - MontereyHerald.com :
Greenfield schools community seeks open-minded trustee
Posted: 04/17/2010 02:07:27 AM PDT
Updated: 04/17/2010 02:07:27 AM PDT
Parents and community members expressed worries this week about the Greenfield Union School District when the California State Board of Education paid them a visit. They were concerned about budget cuts, teacher layoffs and upcoming reforms.
But when it comes to appointing a state trustee, one sentiment was echoed by several people: They wanted someone willing to work with everyone in the district, from principals to parents, and someone who understands the town's diversity.
"Our trustee should be open, not set on this one way, and able to understand the community," said Carol Morris, who has grandchildren in the district. School standards are written in English, she said, but when the documents are sent home in English or Spanish, and nobody at home understands either language, "we have to help them."
The State Board of Education voted last month to appoint a trustee for Greenfield — and for Alisal Union School District — to help boost test scores. As part of finding a trustee, state board president Ted Mitchell and other state education administrators held a meeting Thursday to hear community concerns.
Greenfield's population is 88 percent Latino, and is home to a large population of Triqui and Mixteco, indigenous groups from southern Mexico whose primary languages are not Spanish.
It is not known how many indigenous Mexicans live in town, but officials estimate they account for about 3,000 of more than 17,000 residents.
The number of
indigenous children who attend Greenfield schools is not readily available, said Superintendent Elida Garza.
Nine More California Solar Schools, Coming Soon | GetSolar.com Blog
Nine More California Solar Schools, Coming Soon
UC Davis News & Information :: UC Davis to Drop Four Teams Due to Financial Crisis
UC Davis to Drop Four Teams Due to Financial Crisis
April 16, 2010
The University of California, Davis, will discontinue four of its 27 intercollegiate sports, and its athletics department will absorb another $400,000 in annual operational cuts as the campus continues to struggle through an unprecedented financial crisis.
Women's rowing, men's wrestling, men's swimming and diving, and men's indoor track and field will be discontinued as of July 1. The loss of the teams directly affects 73 female student-athletes and 80 male student-athletes and the coaching staffs.
Early Friday morning, Director of Athletics Greg Warzecka informed the coaches of the discontinued teams, and the department sent e-mails to all student-athletes on active rosters.
At a news conference later, Fred Wood, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, said the cuts have a human toll. "What's happening here today," Wood said, "is a very real, very significant and very personal impact of the budget crisis in California and the resulting financial position of UC Davis.
"Our Aggie coaches and student-athletes are proud, talented and dedicated," he added. "Today, they are in mourning for teams and what those losses mean to them as individuals."
Budget crisis
Chancellor Linda Katehi said that dropping athletics teams and losing opportunities for student-athletes is regrettable but necessary. "The UC Davis community is confronting enormous financial challenges," she said.
"During my brief tenure as chancellor, I have come to appreciate the rich and unique athletic traditions at UC Davis," Katehi wrote in accepting the recommendations of Wood and Warzecka to adopt the plan that drops the four sports. "I believe this budget model provides
Arizona's crackdown on illegal migrants feels familiar - Los Angeles Times
Arizona's crackdown on illegal migrants feels familiar
A generation ago, the mood in California was similar. But the outcome has been different for a number of reasons.
As a Latino activist in California for decades, Salvador Reza witnessed a rise in illegal immigration in the 1980s and protested a plethora of harsh measures to control it in the '90s.
Now, as a transplanted Arizonan, he is experiencing a deep sense of deja vu.
Passage this week of a stringent Arizona bill that would require people to carry proof of legal status and mandate that police check for it is a replay of California's own turbulent history with illegal immigration. Gov. Jan Brewer must still sign the bill before it becomes law and is widely expected to do so.
As in California a generation ago, the number of illegal immigrants in Arizona in the last decade has soared. The twin forces of immigration surges and economic distress have prompted Arizonans to push several strict measures to crack down on illegal migrants.
"In some ways, Arizona is a generation behind California," said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials in Los Angeles.
As Latinos mobilized in California, gaining allies across ethnic groups, the movement against illegal immigrants lost much of its steam here.
But that is unlikely to happen in Arizona any time soon, several analysts say. An overwhelmingly white and conservative electorate will continue to dominate immigration politics over Latinos, who constitute just 11.7% of registered voters and are themselves divided over how to treat illegal migrants. In addition, immigrant advocates so far have lacked the funding and major organizational muscle to mobilize widely.
Arizona State Sen. Russell Pearce, the Republican legislator who wrote this week's bill and a host of other hard-line measures targeting illegal immigrants recently, said the state will continue to crack down and predicted
SCHEV executive director takes job in California | Richmond Times-Dispatch
SCHEV executive director takes job in California | Richmond Times-Dispatch
SCHEV executive director takes job in California
By STAFF REPORTS
Published: April 17, 2010
» 0 Comments | Post a Comment
Daniel J. LaVista, who has led SCHEV for six years, will become chancellor of the 250,000-student Los Angeles Community College District, the nation's largest community college district.The executive director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia has a new job.
SCHEV coordinates higher education in Virginia, providing policy guidance and budget recommendations to the governor and General Assembly.
LaVista, 66, played a key role in revamping Virginia's system of public colleges and universities after passage of the 2005 Higher Education Restructuring Act, which gave schools increased autonomy as they met specific performance goals.
He came to Virginia from Illinois, where he served in a similar role overseeing that state's higher education system.
Lawsuit Targets CSU Stanislaus Over Palin Records - Politics News Story - KCRA Sacramento
Lawsuit Targets CSU Stanislaus Over Palin Records
Group Claims School Violated Law
POSTED: 8:49 am PDT April 16, 2010
UPDATED: 7:07 pm PDT April 16, 2010
UPDATED: 7:07 pm PDT April 16, 2010
TURLOCK, Calif. --
A group promoting open government has filed a lawsuit against California State University, Stanislaus seeking records related to a planned campus appearance by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
The lawsuit, filed by Californians Aware, also seeks a judicial declaration that the university violated the California Public Records Act.
Palin, a former Republican candidate for vice president who is now active with the tea party movement, is set to speak on campus in June.
Californians Aware alleges the university ignored repeated requests to clarify whether it has Palin-related records in its possession, instead referring the request to the CSU Stanislaus Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises money for the campus's scholarships, research and other projects.
"The university was given every opportunity to disclose the records before this suit was filed," said Kelly Aviles, an attorney for Californians Aware, in a statement. "Unfortunately, university administrators chose to deny the existence of those records. Now, instead of using public funds for education,
The lawsuit, filed by Californians Aware, also seeks a judicial declaration that the university violated the California Public Records Act.
Palin, a former Republican candidate for vice president who is now active with the tea party movement, is set to speak on campus in June.
Californians Aware alleges the university ignored repeated requests to clarify whether it has Palin-related records in its possession, instead referring the request to the CSU Stanislaus Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises money for the campus's scholarships, research and other projects.
"The university was given every opportunity to disclose the records before this suit was filed," said Kelly Aviles, an attorney for Californians Aware, in a statement. "Unfortunately, university administrators chose to deny the existence of those records. Now, instead of using public funds for education,
California Budget Crisis Diaries: Poor Californians pay more taxes | San Diego Gay & Lesbian News
California Budget Crisis Diaries: Poor Californians pay more taxes
Hoa Quach - SDNN | Fri, 04/16/2010 - 9:50am | Login to bookmark or commentIt’s a study-heavy California Budget Crisis Diaries entry. First there are studies from the California Budget Project, then there’s a study by The Associated Press — both are sure to make you ponder the $20 billion-plus budget hole further.
Let’s start with the study on taxes for your April 15th round-up.
Poor pay more in taxes: Are Californians who are earning the least amount of income paying more in taxes? Apparently.
According to an article by San Bernardino’s The Sun, a California Budget Project report shows California’s poorest pay more than California’s richest.
“The state’s decision to increase tax liability has especially hit hardest at the poorest 20 percent of California families.
According to the report, the dependent tax credit — the tax credit claimed by families with children or other dependents — was cut last year from $309 to $98, which in turn lowered the income level at which families with children begin to pay income taxes.
‘In 2009, for example, a family of four with two children began to pay income taxes when their income reached $36,325. In 2008, that threshold was $51,335,’ according to the report.”
Need more examples? The Sun reporter goes on:
“The CPB report said the state’s poorest non-elderly families, with an average income of $13,200, spent 11.1 percent of
Let’s start with the study on taxes for your April 15th round-up.
Poor pay more in taxes: Are Californians who are earning the least amount of income paying more in taxes? Apparently.
According to an article by San Bernardino’s The Sun, a California Budget Project report shows California’s poorest pay more than California’s richest.
“The state’s decision to increase tax liability has especially hit hardest at the poorest 20 percent of California families.
According to the report, the dependent tax credit — the tax credit claimed by families with children or other dependents — was cut last year from $309 to $98, which in turn lowered the income level at which families with children begin to pay income taxes.
‘In 2009, for example, a family of four with two children began to pay income taxes when their income reached $36,325. In 2008, that threshold was $51,335,’ according to the report.”
Need more examples? The Sun reporter goes on:
“The CPB report said the state’s poorest non-elderly families, with an average income of $13,200, spent 11.1 percent of
Gates, police chief during 1992 riots, dies | ColumbiaTribune.com
Gates, police chief during 1992 riots, dies | ColumbiaTribune.com
Gates, police chief during 1992 riots, dies
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Daryl F. Gates, the blunt former Los Angeles police chief who waged war on violent gangs and skirmished with city leaders until his handling of the Rodney King police beating and ensuing riots forced him to retire, died yesterday of cancer. He was 83.
Gates died at his Newport Beach home with his family at his side, according to a police statement. His brother said recently that the former chief had bladder cancer that had spread.
One of the most polarizing figures in modern law enforcement, Gates served as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department for 14 years beginning in 1978, an era of tumultuous change as the nation’s second-largest city faced a surge in well-armed gangs, a burgeoning illegal drug trade and growing racial conflict.
He initially ran a police force that was enjoying a reputation as the embodiment of the professional, just-the-facts “Dragnet” mythology. Yet he left office with city blocks in ashes amid accusations he allowed a pattern of abuse of minorities to flourish among the rank-and-file.
“He was a man of deep convictions,” said former police chief William Bratton, who left the department last year. “He was very happy to stand up for them, whether you liked them or not. And he enjoyed being in the middle of the bull’s-eye. He thrived on it.”
Gates’ critics and admirers remain as far apart as ever.
“I don’t remember much that was good about him,” said Ramona Ripston, the longtime executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. “I think in many ways he gave policing a bad name. He certainly didn’t believe in civil liberties.”
Others saw a cop’s cop who sought to protect his department from political interference and corruption, even though his “shoot-from-the-lip” style repeatedly stirred anger and kept him at odds with the city’s first black mayor, former police lieutenant Tom Bradley.
Gates was credited with developing the policing plan, including a terrorism task force, that brought off the
LA schools finds 300 improper contractor hirings - Sacramento Business, Housing Market News | Sacramento Bee
LA schools finds 300 improper contractor hirings - Sacramento Business, Housing Market News | Sacramento Bee
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/04/16/2684314/la-schools-finds-300-improper.html#ixzz0lMYDoJMw
LA schools finds 300 improper contractor hirings
Published: Friday, Apr. 16, 2010 - 12:17 pm
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Unified School District has found possible conflict of interest violations in the hiring of some 300 construction contractors over the past eight years and has transferred two employees in charge of hiring.
Schools Superintendent Ramon Cortines said he has ordered further investigation of the possible violations and will turn over any evidence of conflict of interest to the district's general counsel and the city comptroller, who is performing an independent audit of the Facilities Services Division. He said they'll turn over information to the district attorney's office if warranted.
The review of some 2,000 contract hirings came after the district's regional director of new construction, Bassam Raslan, was indicted earlier this month on nine counts of conflict of interest
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/04/16/2684314/la-schools-finds-300-improper.html#ixzz0lMYDoJMw
Sizing up administration
Sizing up administration
Sizing up administration
News-Sentinel takes an in-depth look at LUSD staffing levels
Is Lodi Unified School District's central office staffing excessive?
A News-Sentinel review tends to indicate the staffing level may be slightly higher than others in the area. But it also shows there is no easy formula for comparing central administrative staffing from district to district.
That's in part because of widely varying job titles and budgeting practices that can blur the lines among administrative, support and teaching jobs. Further complicating the task of discerning administrative costs are the layers of local, state and federal funding that swirl throughout the budget of a large district such as Lodi.
The issue has come front and center as Lodi Unified faces a $30 million budget deficit. Critics have called for the district to cut the number of employees at the James Areida Education Support Center office on East Vine Street. In a recent interview, Superintendent Cathy Nichols-Washer said she would, in fact, like to see further cuts from the main office. However, she said the school board majority has a different view, and she serves at their pleasure.
Currently, there is about one district office position for every 122 students. The ratio was calculated using
Friday, April 16, 2010
Justice Dept. Accuses John Jay of Discrimination - NYTimes.com
John Jay College Accused of Bias Against Noncitizens
By NINA BERNSTEIN
Published: April 16, 2010
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Friday against John Jay College of Criminal Justice, alleging that the school engaged in a pattern of job discrimination against noncitizens who were authorized to work.
The lawsuit, considered the department’s first in years to crack down on immigration-related discrimination against noncitizens, says the college violated provisions of immigration law by demanding extra work authorization from at least 103 individuals since 2007, rather than accepting the work-eligibility documents required of citizens, like a Social Security card and a driver’s license.
The suit seeks civil penalties of $1,100 for each individual and unspecified measures to overcome the effects of discrimination. It also seeks compensation for each person affected, including the woman who set off the investigation when she complained in 2008 to the Justice Department’s Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices. She called the special counsel after she was fired from her job as a part-time computer lab assistant at the college, which is part of the City University of New York.
Christine Godek, a spokeswoman for the college, said John Jay had agreed “in principle”
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