Friday, January 30, 2009

CTA, PTA BLAST BUDGET PROPOSAL TO ELIMINATE K-3 CLASS SIZE REDUCTION

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: KATHY FAIRBANKS

January 30, 2009

Office: 916.443.0872, Cell: 916.813.1010

California Teachers Association, California State PTA Blast Budget Proposal to Eliminate K-3 Class Size Reduction

CTA to Unveil Its New Television Ad and Voter Mobilization Campaign to Urge Voters to Call on Governor and Legislature to Drop Destructive Proposal

Sacramento, CA --- Representatives of the California State PTA, California Teachers Association, civic and community groups held a news conference on Friday to condemn a budget proposal that would eliminate California’s successful K-3 Class Size Reduction (CSR) program. The proposal is being promoted by the Governor as part of budget negotiations. The Legislature may vote on a budget package that could include the elimination of Class Size Reduction early next week.

Eliminating Class Size Reduction won’t save the state one dime. Districts will continue to get money from the state, but they’ll be able to increase class sizes and redirect these funds to other areas, potentially outside the classroom.

At the news conference, the California Teachers Association announced it was launching a television advertisement and voter mobilization campaign to begin this weekend to reach hundreds of thousands of voters. The CTA campaign will urge Californians to immediately contact their state legislators and the Governor to protect smaller class sizes.

David A. Sanchez, President of the California Teachers Association said: “Smaller classes mean students are getting more valuable one-on-one attention from teachers – leading to higher academic performance. At a time when California’s classrooms are already the most crowded in the nation, eliminating class size reduction would condemn our youngest students to even more overcrowding, result in thousands of teacher layoffs and undermine student learning. We know voters strongly support smaller class sizes so we’re mobilizing them to pressure lawmakers to protect this valuable program.”

“In his budget proposal, the Governor has called for severe cuts to schools – nearly $14 billion when you take into account what has already been cut in the current year,” said Pat Dingsdale, Volunteer Director of Legislation for the California State PTA, which represents nearly one-million volunteer members. “Programs and services, such as smaller class sizes, arts and physical education, science, counselors, nurses and librarians might face permanent cuts or elimination.

“Parents want their children in smaller classes. Teachers can teach more effectively in smaller classes.  Permanently doing away with programs like Class Size Reduction because of the state’s economic crisis is like chopping off an arm because a leg is broken.  These are false choices that make the situation worse in the long run.  There are other options.  They are difficult options – options some of our legislators do not want to face up to. But quality programs and services can be preserved if the state approves sufficient revenues to do so.”

Research proves smaller K-3 classes improve academic achievement, especially for ethnic minority and low-income students. According to a 2002 study by the Public Policy Institute of California, five of the state’s largest school districts reported significant test score gains since the state’s class size reduction program began in 1996. Third-grade test scores increased 14% in math and 9% in reading in schools with mostly low-income students. And a 2005 study by the Princeton University Department of Economics showed that California’s CSR program led to significantly better scores by students on National Assessment of Education Program (NAEP) exams.

"Studies show that smaller class sizes help narrow the achievement gap, particularly for high-needs students," said Alicia Gaddis, City Board Chair for Sacramento ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). "Allowing districts to eliminate class size reduction will disproportionately impact low-income students and students of color. It's simply unfair to those students most in need."

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EDUCATION COALITION BUDGET BRIEFING + 22 News Stories on local impact of budget fiasco

from the education coalition: The Education Coalition represents more than 1.7 million parents, teachers, school board members, school employees and administrators, represented by: ● The Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) ● The California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) ● The California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESSA) ● The California Federation of Teachers (CFT-AFL-CIO) ● The California School Boards Association (CSBA) ● The California School Employees Association (CSEA)● The California State PTA ●  The California Teachers Association (CTA) ● The Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

STATEWIDE POLL SHOWS CALIFORNIANS FAVOR PROTECTING K-12 EDUCATION FROM CUTS …AS THE GOVERNOR AND LAWMAKERS CONSIDER SLASHING BILLION$ MORE FROM CALIFORNIA STUDENTS

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ED CO MEMO January 29, 2009

Contact: Robin Swanson (916) 204-6890

PPIC Poll shows that Californians would “most like to protect K-12 public education from cuts,” while the Governor and state lawmakers consider slashing billions more from California’s students

According to results released today from the PPIC Statewide Survey: “Most Californians (60%) say that of the four major areas of state spending, they would most like to protect K-12 public education from cuts.”

This comes at a time when Governor Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers are considering some of the most drastic cuts ever proposed to public education in California, and our state ranks 47th in the nation in per-pupil spending. In addition, the Governor has proposed an unlawful manipulation of Prop. 98, the voter-approved minimum school funding guarantee, that would shortchange students by an additional $7 billion year after year.

Of the $10.8 billion in additional Prop. 98 cuts proposed by the Governor, $9.7 billion will be cut from K-12

public schools. These cuts are the equivalent of:

• Shutting down every school across the state for 34 days.

• Increasing class sizes statewide by over 50%.

• Reducing per-student spending by more than $1,600.

• Laying off 240,000 bus drivers, janitors, food service workers, maintenance workers, and other education support professionals.

• Laying off 140,000 teachers.

• Cutting more than $41,000 per classroom.

• Cutting more than $16.4 million per school district (assuming 10,000 students in the school).

• Eliminating all music, art, sports and career technical education programs statewide, with room to make further cuts to other programs.

The PPIC poll also concludes that “more Californians say they would rather pay higher taxes and have a state government that provides more services than pay lower taxes and have a state government that provides fewer services.”

It’s time that our state’s elected leaders recognize what hard-working Californians clearly already know: these devastating cuts to public education are undermining our state’s future. The Governor and lawmakers have a responsibility to raise the revenues necessary to provide all students with the quality education they deserve.

The Education Coalition represents more than 2.5 million teachers, parents, administrators, school board members, school employees and other education advocates in California. For more information, please visit our web site at www.protectourstudents.org.

 

More on the PPIC/Public Policy Institute of California Survey:

Public Mood on Budget Demands Statewide Reform
Bay Area Indymedia, CA 
by Randy Shaw via Beyond Chron Friday, January 30, 2009 : Because Governor Schwarzenegger is impotent at brokering a budget, the state will be out of money ...

AM Alert: Green fees of a different sort
Sacramento Bee,  USA

The noon discussion will feature Mark Baldassare, the PPIC president; Craig Cornett, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg's budget director; ...

Public Mood on Budget Demands Statewide Reform
Beyond Chron, CA 
Liberal bloggers were ecstatic yesterday to report that a new PPIC poll shows a majority of Californians would abolish the two-thirds requirement to pass a ...

Low rating? Why worry?
Santa Maria Times, CA 
We are not at all surprised by the overall approval rating for the California Legislature, which according to the PPIC poll has dropped to 21 percent. ...

PPIC Poll: Californians Want Change
PolitickerCA, CA - Jan 29, 2009
By Brian Leubitz, Calitics In a poll released yesterday, PPIC shows some major movement. Californians are looking for an end to the budget impasse, ...

PPIC Survey Shows For First Time Majority Favor Reduction of Two ...
California Progress Report, CA - Jan 29, 2009
While those numbers do not overwhelm one, they do mark the first time in PPIC polling that a majority favors that change. My sense though would be that one ...

AM Alert: Courtroom dramas
The Sacramento Bee's Capital Alert, CA - Jan 29, 2009
Dan Walters breaks down the approval numbers for Schwarzenegger (low) and President Barack Obama (high). Find the full results on Capitol Alert's PPIC page. ...

Poll shows voters fed up with Sacramento, want reform
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - Jan 29, 2009
And as recently as May, only 39 percent of respondents told the PPIC they supported scrapping the two-thirds rule. "That is a very significant shift in ...

Support wanes for budget supermajority
Sacramento Bee,  USA - Jan 29, 2009
The PPIC Statewide Survey taken in mid-January finds for the first time that a majority – 54 percent of Californians – believe that it is a "good idea" to ...

Californians give thumbs-up to Obama, thumbs down to state officials
Los Angeles Times, CA - Jan 28, 2009
"People feel things have gotten way out of hand," said PPIC survey director Mark Baldassare. "We are back to the same problems we had in 2003. ...

HIGHLIGHTS OF ECONOMIC STIMULUS PLAN

Education items in bold

The Associated Press

Posted: January 29th, 2009 09:48 AM GMT-05:00

Highlights of the $819 billion economic recovery plan drafted by House Democrats and President Barack Obama's economic team. Additional debt costs would add $347 billion over 10 years. Many provisions expire in two years.

SPENDING

Aid to the poor and unemployed - $43 billion to provide extended unemployment benefits through Dec. 31, increase them by $25 a week and provide job training; $20 billion to increase food stamp benefits by 13 percent; $4 billion to provide a one-time additional Supplemental Security Income payment; $2.5 billion in temporary welfare payments; $1 billion for home heating subsidies; and $1 billion for community action agencies.

Health care - $40 billion to subsidize health care insurance for the unemployed under the COBRA program or provide health care through Medicaid; $87 billion to help states with Medicaid; $20 billion to modernize health information technology systems; $4 billion for preventative care; $1.5 billion for community health centers; $420 million to combat avian flu; $335 million for programs that combat AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis.

Infrastructure - $43 billion for transportation projects, including $30 billion for highway and bridge construction and repair and $12 billion for mass transit, including $7.5 billion to buy transit equipment like buses; $31 billion to build and repair federal buildings and other public infrastructure; $19 billion in water projects; $10 billion in rail and mass transit projects.

Education - $41 billion in grants to local school districts; $79 billion in state fiscal relief to prevent cuts in state aid; $21 billion for school modernization; $16 billion to boost the maximum Pell Grant by $500 to $5,350; $2 billion for Head Start.

Energy - $32 billion to fund a so-called "smart electricity grid" to reduce waste; $6 billion to weatherize modest-income homes.

Science and technology - $10 billion for science facilities; $6 billion to bring high-speed Internet access to rural and underserved areas; $1 billion for the 2010 Census.

Housing - $13 billion to repair and make more energy-efficient public housing projects, allow communities to buy and repair foreclosed homes, and help the homeless.

Environment - $3.2 billion to clean up Superfund and waste sites, leaking underground storage tanks, nuclear sites and military bases, as well as $400 million for habitat restoration projects and $850 million to prevent forest fires.

Law enforcement - $4 billion in grants to state and local law enforcement to hire officers and purchase equipment.

TAXES

Individuals

_ $500 per-worker, $1,000 per-couple tax cut for two years, costing about $145 billion. Workers could expect to see about $20 a week less withheld from their paychecks starting in June. Millions of Americans who don't make enough money to pay federal income taxes could file returns next year and receive checks.

_ Greater access to the $1,000 per-child tax credit for the working poor in 2009 and 2010, at a cost of $18.3 billion. Under current law, workers must make at least $8,500 to receive the credit. The change eliminates the floor, meaning more workers who pay no federal income taxes could receive checks.

_ Increase the earned-income tax credit - which provides money to the working poor - for families with at least three children, at a cost of $4.7 billion.

_Provide a $2,500 tax credit for college tuition and related expenses for 2009 and 2010, at a cost of $10.3 billion. The credit is phased out for couples making more than $160,000.

_ Repeal a requirement that a $7,500 first-time homebuyer tax credit be paid back over time for homes purchased from Jan. 1 to July 1, unless the home is sold within three years, at a cost of $2.6 billion. The credit is phased out for couples making more than $150,000.

Businesses

_ Extend a provision allowing businesses buying equipment such as computers to speed up the depreciation of that equipment through 2009, at a cost of $5 billion.

_ Provide an infusion of cash into money-losing companies by allowing them to claim tax credits on past profits dating back five years instead of two, at a cost of $15 billion.

_ Repeal a Treasury provision that allowed firms that buy money-losing banks to use more of the losses as tax credits to offset the profits of the merged banks for tax purposes. The change would increase taxes on the merged banks by $7 billion over 10 years.

_ Subsidize locally issued bonds for school construction, teacher training, economic development and infrastructure improvements, at a cost of $35.5 billion.

_ Extend tax credits for renewable energy production, at a cost of $13 billion.

_ Extend and increase tax credits to homeowners who make their homes more energy efficient, at a cost of $4.3 billion. Homeowners could receive tax credits of up to $1,500 for upgrading furnaces and hot water heaters and making other improvements through 2010.

Save the Date: PTA HEALTH FAIR - Saturday Feb 21, 2009

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

CAUTELA EN EL LAUSD | CAUTION AT THE LAUSD

CAUTELA EN EL LAUSD

La Opinión Editorial

2009-01-27 - Los recortes al presupuesto estatal amenazan seriamente la integridad del sistema de enseñanza, que ya es precario por sus resultados magros. En este caso es de resaltar la posición asumida por el superintendente Ramón Cortines del Distrito Escolar Unificado de Los Ángeles (LAUSD) de no retirar maestros de la plantilla hasta cuando sea necesario.

La Junta de Educación otorgó la semana pasada a Cortines la autorización para despedir a 2,300 maestros, en su mayoría de escuelas elementales. Sin embargo, el superintendente decidió no hacer uso de la opción que se le brindaba, hasta que no se aclare el estancamiento de presupuesto en Sacramento y se conozca con claridad la cantidad de fondos que serán recortados del sector educativo.

Creemos que es sensato no apresurar decisiones que tienen un impacto tanto en los maestros como en los alumnos. Cortines está en lo correcto al no querer interrumpir el actual ciclo escolar con cambios de educadores y aumentar la cantidad de alummos por clase. Los estudiantes son prioridad, y hay que perjudicarlos lo menos posible.

El LAUSD ya recortó $400 millones de su presupuesto y debe reducir otros $400 millones para mitad de año, según lo que ocurra en Sacramento. El posible retiro adelantado de más de dos mil empleados del distrito es sin duda de gran ayuda, pero pocos creen que será suficiente.

Nos agrada la cautela de Cortines, pero el panorama es incierto y el despido de maestros es todavía una posibilidad. Estos no son momentos para actuar precipitadamente, sino para evaluar qué es lo mejor para los alumnos en las condiciones financieras de hoy.

CAUTION AT THE LAUSD

La Opinión Editorial | La Opinión Translation

27 January 2009 - State budget cuts are seriously threatening the very foundation of California’s education system, whose status is already in question because of substandard performance in terms of student achievement. Given this, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Ramón Cortines has taken the cautious approach of not laying off teachers until absolutely necessary.

Last week the LAUSD School Board authorized Cortines to lay off more than 2,300 teachers, mostly from elementary schools. But the Superintendent decided not to take that route until the budget impasse in Sacramento is cleared and the actual funding cuts in education are determined.

We believe it makes sense not to rush decisions that impact both teachers and students. Cortines is right not to want to disrupt the current school year with teacher changes and increased class sizes. Students are our priority and ways must be found to do as little harm to their learning as possible.

The LAUSD already cut $400 million from its budget and must trim another $400 million by midyear, depending on what happens in Sacramento. Certainly, the possible early retirement of more than 2,000 district employees will undoubtedly help, but few believe it will be enough.

We are pleased by Cortines’ caution, even though the outlook is uncertain and teacher reductions remain a possibility in the future. These are not times to act precipitously, but rather to evaluate what is best for students given today’s financial conditions.

LAUSD TEACHERS TO BOYCOTT STUDENT TESTS + UTLA BOYCOTT FLYER and Q&A

 

From KABC.com

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Teachers for the L.A. Unified School District will boycott what they call unnecessary and expensive students tests starting on Tuesday.

The United Teachers Los Angeles union says the tests are not mandated by the state or federal government and cost as much as $150 million to administer.

The union says that money could be better spent instead of laying off teachers, increasing class sizes and cutting school programs.

The LAUSD has not commented on the boycott.

 

THE UTLA FLYER FROM UTLA.NET (27 Jan)

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LAUSD NIXES CHARTER SCHOOL LOAN PLAN: Proposal is pulled from agenda after criticism.

By George B. Sanchez, Staff Writer | LA Newspaper Group

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 - A plan calling for the Los Angeles Unified School District to make short-term loans to charter schools was scrapped after the idea drew sharp criticism from officials who said the district is not a bank.

The proposal, which was to be discussed at today's board meeting, was pulled from the agenda late last week after board members alerted Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who said he didn't know how the plan got on the agenda.

"I want to help charters but we're not a bank," Cortines said.

While the practice of school districts loaning money to charter schools is not unheard of, school officials said it would not be practical to do so in these tough economic times.

"It doesn't make any sense right now to give loans out when you can't balance your own budget and are in the hole," said board member Julie Korenstein.

Cortines and board members questioned why the district would be loaning money as it faces a $400 million midyear budget gap.

District Chief Financial Officer Megan Reilly said the request for the agenda item came from either her office or the district's charter division.

She said there was no pending request for a loan from a charter school.

Reilly characterized the one-year loans more as cash advances, capped at $250,000.

Market interest rates charged on the loans would cover LAUSD's administrative costs, according to a district report.

The loans would be granted from the district's general fund, it said.

Charter officials support the loans and said the LAUSD could even make money on them.

"There is a financial incentive for the district," said Gary Larson, a spokesman for the California Charter Schools Association. "They're making money off the loans."

But Reilly said the loans would not be a "profit-making venture," adding the interest would only cover the cost of staff work to process the loans.

The proposal would have given Reilly and the district's controller the ability to authorize short-term loans to charters that do not directly rely on the district for funding.

All but 11 of the district's 148 charter schools are financially independent from LAUSD, said Jose Cole-Gutierrez, executive director of LAUSD's charter schools division.

Cole-Gutierrez said he was unaware where the request for the loans came from.

The referenced agenda item:

BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES

Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District

REGULAR MEETING ORDER OF BUSINESS

333 South Beaudry Avenue, Board Room

1 p.m., Tuesday, January 27, 2009

20. Board of Education Report No. 221 – 08/09 TO BE WITHDRAWN

Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Delegation of Authority to Enter into Short Term Loan Agreements with Fiscally Independent Charter Schools) Recommends approval of a delegation to allow the Executive Director of the Charter Schools Division to grant short term loans to fiscally independent charter schools based on need from increased enrollment or revenue deferrals.

Bd. of Ed. Regular Meeting                - 5 -                        Order of Business, 1 p.m., 1-27-2009

●●smf’s 2¢: Agenda items don't just appear on board agendae …or they're not supposed to! Per Roberts' Rules of Order and/or standard operating procedure they are placed there by staff, the superintendent, at the request of a board committee or by the chair of the board.

Monday, January 26, 2009

PROPOSED CUTS FORETELL STATE’S PLIGHT: Both parties appear to be willing to reduce funding for public schools, colleges, transit programs and programs that help a wide range of people with special needs.

Members of both political parties have already agreed on $6 billion in cuts:

    $3.9 billion

    K-12 Schools
    not including preschool, adult ed, community college, CSU + UC

  • Some of the $3.9 billion in cuts to kindergarten-through-12th-grade education would be offset by declining enrollment in some districts, but there will also be many direct effects in the classroom.
  • The area of school spending that will be hit hardest is funding for textbooks, which would be cut by $417 million. The loss of that money would make some schools unable to update their textbooks, and some districts unable to supply books to every student.
  • More than $277 million would be cut from a program to fund long overdue maintenance in school buildings, including some scheduled "emergency repairs." Plans by many districts to fix leaky roofs, cracked sidewalks and broken heating systems would have to be put off another year.
  • Money for the neediest students would be cut, as would programs to further the professional development and training of teachers. Nearly $110 million set aside for districts to preserve art and music programs would also be on the chopping bock.
  • State funding to train faculty in how to best teach math and reading skills would also be reduced, as would subsidies available to districts that provide after-school child care. And a program initiated to get high-speed Internet access in every district is endangered.
Examples:

$657 million

State workforce

$614 million

Aged, blind and disabled

$312 million

Transit

"You can judge a society by how they treat their weakest members."  - Gandhi

 

 

By Jordan Rau and Evan Halper | LA Times


January 26, 2009 -- SACRAMENTO -- Although lawmakers continue to argue over how to resolve the state's fiscal crisis, they already have endorsed $6 billion in spending cuts that provide a painful preview of what is likely to be in store for Californians.

The proposed cuts would mean that money for the state's university systems would decrease. Transportation and schools would take a hit. Funds for regional centers that help treat developmental disabilities in babies and toddlers would decline. Cash to help the elderly, blind and disabled keep up with rising food costs would be slashed.

    None of these cuts has been enacted. But the fact that they were included in the fiscal plan that Democrats passed last month -- and have been separately backed by Republicans -- ensures that they will be at the top of the list when lawmakers finally decide how to bridge a budget gap projected to exceed $40 billion within a year and a half.

    "With 9.3% unemployment in our state, people are flowing into public benefit offices all over California," said Michael Herald, legislative advocate for the Western Center on Law and Poverty, a Los Angeles-based legal services nonprofit. "This is when people need these programs, and yet our state seems to be headed in a direction of reducing them now."

    The $11.2 billion that California would receive from Washington to help wipe out the deficit under a stimulus package expected to be pushed through the House this week would do little to offset these cuts. The federal funds, which would address only a quarter of the state's overall problem, are more likely to be used elsewhere.

    One of the provisions both parties have supported in the state Capitol would reduce the maximum monthly grant for low-income blind and disabled Californians. Individual grants would drop from $907 to $870, while couples would see their monthly checks drop from $1,579 to $1,524, according to the state Department of Finance. Those grants were supposed to increase this year and again next year to account for inflation.

    Ismael Maldonado, a 20-year old from Pacoima who has glaucoma and asthma, said he may have to skimp on medications if lawmakers cut his grant.

    The last time he did that, he said, "I ended up in the hospital emergency room" -- an expense the state's Medi-Cal program had to pick up.

    Both political parties have endorsed a plan to save $107 million through 3% reductions in payments to programs that help Californians live with cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy and mental retardation. These programs, delivered through 21 regional centers, assisted 230,000 people last year, said Bob Baldo, executive director of the Assn. of Regional Center Agencies.

    They provide diagnosis and early intervention for infants and toddlers with signs of development disabilities. These centers also provide rides for adults with developmental disabilities to day programs, provide them places to live and line up employment for them.

    Baldo said the cuts are likely to mean that therapists working with children in schools will face larger caseloads, potentially reducing the time they can spend with each child. He said the cuts may be enough to force some providers of these services out of business.

    A steep dip in school spending has been jointly endorsed. Some of the $3.9 billion in cuts to kindergarten-through-12th-grade education would be offset by declining enrollment in some districts, but there will also be many direct effects in the classroom.

    The area of school spending that will be hit hardest is funding for textbooks, which would be cut by $417 million. The loss of that money would make some schools unable to update their textbooks, and some districts unable to supply books to every student.

    More than $277 million would be cut from a program to fund long overdue maintenance in school buildings, including some scheduled "emergency repairs." Plans by many districts to fix leaky roofs, cracked sidewalks and broken heating systems would have to be put off another year.

    Money for the neediest students would be cut, as would programs to further the professional development and training of teachers. Nearly $110 million set aside for districts to preserve art and music programs would also be on the chopping bock.

    State funding to train faculty in how to best teach math and reading skills would also be reduced, as would subsidies available to districts that provide after-school child care. And a program initiated to get high-speed Internet access in every district is endangered. Some schools are still using dial-up technology.

    The education reductions erode "the foundation schools are built upon," said Kevin Gordon, a lobbyist for hundreds of school districts.

    Both parties have also endorsed cancellation of a 2.94% cost-of-living increase for the state's welfare program. That would mean a family of three receiving the maximum monthly grant of $723 would not receive an extra $21 a month this year.

    However, welfare recipients may ultimately get a reprieve because Congress is allotting more money to the states for this purpose, Herald said.

    Legislative leaders from both parties declined to say which reductions are still being discussed in their negotiations with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, explaining that they did not want to jeopardize a deal. Democratic leaders have said they will not enact cuts until Republicans agree to some tax increases, and that standoff has led to the state's current budget impasse.

    The state universities would be faced with tens of millions of dollars more in cuts after already scaling back operations in recent months. Earlier this month, the University of California announced it would eliminate 2,300 freshman slots for Californians in the coming budget year. The total number of freshmen admitted will be reduced from 37,600 to 35,300.

    "The lack of sufficient state funding leaves us no choice," UC President Mark G. Yudof said when the reduction was announced Jan. 14.

    The decline in funds comes at a time when applications to the UC system from Californians are soaring. The system has cut back faculty development programs. University officials say the latest round of budget cuts could lead to further reductions in student services and an increase in the ratio of students per faculty member.

    The Cal State system has also been cutting back at a time when tuition is scheduled to increase 10%. Student fees in that system have more than doubled since 2002, when they were $1,428. They are scheduled to increase to $3,354. Financial aid, meanwhile, is being scaled down.

    Schools in the system report canceling dozens of classes. And a hiring freeze for nonessential staff has been put in place systemwide.

    "We are risking our long-term economic competitiveness as well as denying students the ability to attend college," said Jean Ross, director of the California Budget Project, a nonprofit Sacramento research group that aims to help low- and middle-income people.

    A college education, she said, "is the best guarantee of a job that brings with it sufficient income to support a family."

    AN INVITATION FROM BOARDMEMBER MARLENE CANTER & THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS

    As many of you know, I have made the decision to not run for re-election for LAUSD School Board District 4.  The election to choose my successor is March 3. There are only two candidates remaining: Steve Zimmer, a teacher at Marshall HS and Mike Stryer, a teacher at Fairfax HS. 

    I would like to formally invite you to two events that I am hosting in coordination with the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles.  These events will give you an opportunity to hear from both of the candidates so you can be prepared to enter the voting booth on March 3. 

    I have attached a flyer for the event and have pasted information below.  Please distribute to anyone who think would be interested. 

    I look forward to seeing you there,

    Marlene Canter

    LAUSD School Board Member, District 4


    On March 3, you will have the opportunity to elect a new board member to represent your child's school.  Please come and hear the candidates speak about their priorities and their ideas for improving your child's school.


    School Board Member Marlene Canter
    and The League of Women Voters of Los Angeles
    present 
    Two Candidate F0rums
    with LAUSD District 4 School Board Candidates:


    Mike Stryer
    Teacher, Fairfax High School
    and
    Steve Zimmer
    Teacher, Marshall High School

    MONDAY
    FEB
    9


    Woodland Hills Academy
    20800 Burbank Blvd
    Woodland Hills, CA 91367
    7:00 – 8:30 pm
    [map]

    WEDNESDAY
    FEB
    11


    University High School
    11800 Texas Ave
    Los Angeles, CA 90025
    7:00 – 8:30 pm
    [map]

    [map of board district 4]

    Sunday, January 25, 2009

    The news that didn't fit from Jan 25

    LA Times: LAUSD CHIEF SCRAPS TEACHER LAYOFF PLANS + Daily News: URGENT – NO MIDYEAR CUTS, SAYS LAUSD

    "Due to the lack of clear information from Sacramento, the need for stability at schools in the second semester, and the high level of interest in a retirement incentive program, there will be no mid-year teacher layoffs."- Superintendent Ramon Cortines


    WeHo News: FAIRFAX BAND TO MARCH IN D.C.’s MEMORIAL DAY PARADE

    Thursday, January 22, 2009 - West Hollywood, California – The Fairfax Marching Lions, a generation ago the very flower of Los Angeles area bands and only recently resurrected into a local powerhouse by Raymundo Vizcarra, WeHo Mayor Jeffrey Prang’s husband, has been invited to represent the State of California in the nation’s 2010 Memorial Day Parade in Washington D.C.


    NY Times: CREATION v. EVOLUTION: In Texas, a Line in the Curriculum Revives the Debate

    January 22, 2009 — AUSTIN, Tex. — The latest round in a long-running battle over how evolution should be taught in Texas schools began in earnest Wednesday as the State Board of Education heard impassioned testimony from scientists and social conservatives on revising the science curriculum.

    The debate here has far-reaching consequences; Texas is one of the nation’s biggest buyers of textbooks, and publishers are reluctant to produce different versions of the same material.


    LA Weekly: CHICAGO SCHOOLS vs. LAUSD: Their supe is Obama's new education man. Our supe is nice, but ...

    Jan 21, 2009 - It’s been a rocky start for Ramon Cortines.

    The genial 76-year-old bureaucrat — who was never on anyone’s list of tough-minded academic reformers — was thrust into the top job at the woefully problem-plagued Los Angeles Unified School District because he seemed the steadiest hand after Superintendent David L. Brewer was booted out the door.

    Almost immediately, critics questioned whether Cortines has the chops to helm wholesale changes in the city’s failing middle and high schools. He was seen as a good-intentioned man who paled in comparison to change agents like Chicago Schools Superintendent Arne Duncan, chosen to be Barack Obama’s secretary of education, and Washington, D.C.’s Michelle Rhee, a young freethinker lauded by Time for her “battle against bad teachers” in the abysmal schools of the nation’s capital.


    Imperial Valley News: GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER APPOINTS DR. GLEN THOMAS SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

    Wednesday, 21 January 2009 - Sacramento, California - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Dr. Glen Thomas as Secretary of Education.

    “With over 30 years of experience as a teacher and leader at the local, county and state level, Glen is the right person to make sure California continues to uphold high academic standards during this challenging fiscal time,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “He shares my dedication to quality education for every student, and I am confident that he will work collaboratively with the educational community to improve student achievement and expand educational opportunities in our state while also working towards stronger accountability and greater transparency in our educational system.”


    Daily Breeze: LAUSD HOPEFUL CLAIMS MAYOR’S FAVOR

    1/21/09 - Los Angeles Unified board hopeful Steve Zimmer has received Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's endorsement, the candidate said.

    Friday, January 23, 2009

    LA Times: LAUSD CHIEF SCRAPS TEACHER LAYOFF PLANS + Daily News: URGENT – NO MIDYEAR CUTS, SAYS LAUSD

    "Due to the lack of clear information from Sacramento, the need for stability at schools in the second semester, and the high level of interest in a retirement incentive program, there will be no mid-year teacher layoffs."- Superintendent Ramon Cortines

    LAUSD CHIEF SCRAPS TEACHER LAYOFF PLANS

    by Howard Blume and Jason Song | LA Times OnLine 

    10:26 AM, Friday January 23, 2009

    The Los Angeles Unified School District has scrapped contingency plans to lay off as many as 2,300 teachers, a move that puts the district into greater financial jeopardy but would spare thousands of children from classroom disruptions. The decision was made by Supt. Ramon C. Cortines after lengthy consultations and announced moments ago.

    Last week, the school board voted to give Cortines the authority to send pink slips to newly hired teachers, who can be dismissed on 14 days' notice. If Cortines had followed through, many students would have lost familiar teachers in mid-semester. Some classes could have swelled in size; others would likely be taught by replacement teachers who had been bumped out of non-teaching positions.

    Cortines decided the resulting impact on instruction in the district would have been unacceptable.

    "We will still need to make extremely difficult cuts, but at least we can ensure that the critical connection between our teachers and students will not be disrupted this school year," Cortines said in a memo to board members.

    Cortines' decision was buttressed by a strong response to the possibility of an early retirement incentive. If teachers follow through at the end of the year, the district could save millions of dollars. And it would then need the less-expensive, less-experienced teachers now at risk of being laid off.

    Cortines' action did not apparently require the school board's approval because it essentially continued the status quo. Other austerity measures, such as a freeze on many consultant contracts, remain in force, and additional cost-saving moves remain on the table. And the picture for next year -- when new cuts must be made -- could prove even bleaker if the district slides into a deficit.


    URGENT: No midyear cuts, says LAUSD

    By Melissa Pamer, Staff Writer | LA Newspaper Group

    Posted: 01/23/2009 10:40:24 AM PST

    Los Angeles Unified School District announced this morning that it will not cut teaching positions midyear, a drastic and unpopular move that had been discussed earlier this month in response to state budget cuts.

    "Due to the lack of clear information from Sacramento, the need for stability at schools in the second semester, and the high level of interest in a retirement incentive program, there will be no mid-year teacher layoffs," Superintendent Ramon Cortines said in a statement.

    The Board of Education voted last week to approve laying off almost 2,300 teachers, most of them in elementary schools.

    At the time, Cortines said he was seeking alternatives to the cuts, which would have been based on seniority.

    The district has already cut more than $400 million from its budget this year, and is looking to cut another $400 million now, depending on what happens with budget negotiations in Sacramento.

    United Teachers Los Angeles had vowed to fight the layoffs, and the union has planned a march in downtown Los Angeles next week to protest state and local budget cuts.

    More than 2,000 certificated employees are interested in early retirement, which would help the district financially, Cortines said in the statement.

    FAIRFAX BAND TO MARCH IN D.C.’s MEMORIAL DAY PARADE

    By Ryan Gierach, WeHo News

    Thursday, January 22, 2009 - West Hollywood, California – The Fairfax Marching Lions, a generation ago the very flower of Los Angeles area bands and only recently resurrected into a local powerhouse by Raymundo Vizcarra, WeHo Mayor Jeffrey Prang’s husband, has been invited to represent the State of California in the nation’s 2010 Memorial Day Parade in Washington D.C.


    The smart, oft honored Fairfax Band on parade. – WeHo News

    Its very history bespeaks a tradition of excellence at the school’s music program.

    Fairfax High School sat dead center in the Jewish and artistic communities of Los Angeles, with West Hollywood across the street and the Fairfax District on the other side.

    The dual emphasis on artistic appreciation and education charted the school’s music program’s course, one of excellence and renown that included a full orchestra, concert/marching band and large chorale, all of them State Champions in multiple years.

    The bands alumni list read like a veritable who’s who in Hollywood with Mickey Rooney, Ricardo Montalbán and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers heading it, but had fallen prey to budget cuts and changed priorities in the mid-1980s, disbanding in 1986.

    The Memorial Day occasion caps the return of that once-storied championship band to national stature, as it parades with other high school, college and military bands, floats and troupes of current and former troops.

    Since the band’s resurrection in 2006, it has won numerous awards in both parade and field competitions in its category, including a State Title.


    The Fairfax Band in its halcyon days as a championship band. WeHo News

    Beaming like a proud papa, WeHo Mayor Prang said, “It has been a pleasure to watch and support the Fairfax Marching Lions as they've grown into a premiere instrumental music program over the last two years.”

    The American Veterans Committee, which organizes the yearly commemoration, extending the invitation to the band to march the parade route along with other veteran groups, school and military bands.

    The invitation cites “The chance to be a part of the National Memorial Day Parade[, which will bring] unparalleled educational opportunities and memories that will last a lifetime”

    The attending musicians will also be treated to a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra concert at The Capitol.


    The parade takes place on May 31, 2010 along Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Street.


    The Fairfax Band’s champion Color Guard in action. WeHo News

    Organizers project that “several hundred thousand people” will line the route to commemorate the sacrifices made by the country’s armed forces.

    The young musicians will receive, as part of the roughly $1,200 three night/four day trip, hotel accommodations, air fair, two meals, educational excursions, that concert at the Capitol, a commemorative T-shirt and video.

    The cost of the trip lays squarely on the band’s shoulders; LAUSD cannot budget funding for the expense.

    To make a contribution to the youths’ once in a lifetime trip, contact Raymundo Vizcarra at LAUSD’s Fairfax High School Band Room by E mail or by mail at

    Fairfax High School:

    Attention Raymundo Vizcarra

    7850 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046

    CREATION v. EVOLUTION: In Texas, a Line in the Curriculum Revives the Debate

    image 

    By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. – New York Times

    January 22, 2009 — AUSTIN, Tex. — The latest round in a long-running battle over how evolution should be taught in Texas schools began in earnest Wednesday as the State Board of Education heard impassioned testimony from scientists and social conservatives on revising the science curriculum.

    The debate here has far-reaching consequences; Texas is one of the nation’s biggest buyers of textbooks, and publishers are reluctant to produce different versions of the same material.

    Many biologists and teachers said they feared that the board would force textbook publishers to include what skeptics see as weaknesses in Darwin’s theory to sow doubt about science and support the Biblical version of creation.

    “These weaknesses that they bring forward are decades old, and they have been refuted many, many times over,” Kevin Fisher, a past president of the Science Teachers Association of Texas, said after testifying. “It’s an attempt to bring false weaknesses into the classroom in an attempt to get students to reject evolution.”

    In the past, the conservatives on the education board have lacked the votes to change textbooks. This year, both sides say, the final vote, in March, is likely to be close.

    Even as federal courts have banned the teaching of creationism and intelligent design in biology courses, social conservatives have gained 7 of 15 seats on the Texas board in recent years, and they enjoy the strong support of Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican.

    The chairman of the board, Dr. Don McLeroy, a dentist, pushed in 2003 for a more skeptical version of evolution to be presented in the state’s textbooks, but could not get a majority to vote with him. Dr. McLeroy has said he does not believe in Darwin’s theory and thinks that Earth’s appearance is a recent geologic event, thousands of years old, not 4.5 billion as scientists contend.

    On the surface, the debate centers on a passage in the state’s curriculum that requires students to critique all scientific theories, exploring “the strengths and weaknesses” of each. Texas has stuck to that same standard for 20 years, having originally passed it to please religious conservatives. In practice, teachers rarely pay attention to it.

    This year, however, a panel of teachers assigned to revise the curriculum proposed dropping those words, urging students instead to “analyze and evaluate scientific explanations using empirical evidence.”

    Scientists and advocates for religious freedom say the battle over the curriculum is the tip of a spear. Social conservatives, the critics argue, have tried to use the “strengths and weaknesses” standard to justify exposing students to religious objections in the guise of scientific discourse.

    “The phrase ‘strengths and weaknesses’ has been spread nationally as a slogan to bring creationism in through the back door,” said Eugenie C. Scott of the National Center for Science in Education, a California group that opposes watering down evolution in biology classes.

    Already, legislators in six states — Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri and South Carolina — have considered legislation requiring classrooms to be open to “views about the scientific strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian theory,” according to a petition from the Discovery Institute, the Seattle-based strategic center of the intelligent-design movement.

    Stephen C. Meyer, an expert on the history of science and a director at the Discovery Institute, denied that the group advocated a Biblical version of creation. Rather, Mr. Meyer said, it is fighting for academic freedom and against what it sees as a fanatical loyalty to Darwin among biologists, akin to a secular religion.

    Testifying before the board, he asserted, for instance, that evolution had trouble explaining the Cambrian Explosion, a period of rapid diversification that evidence suggests began about 550 million years ago and gave rise to most groups of complex organisms and animal forms.

    Of the Texas curriculum standards, Mr. Meyer said, “This kind of language is really important for protecting teachers who want to address this subject with integrity in the sense of allowing students to hear about dissenting opinions.”

    But several biologists who appeared in the hearing room said the objections raised by Mr. Meyer and some board members were baseless. The majority of evidence collected over the last 150 years supports Darwin, and few dissenting opinions have survived a review by scientists.

    “Every single thing they are representing as a weakness is a misrepresentation of science,” said David M. Hillis, a professor of biology at the University of Texas. “These are science skeptics. These are people with religious and political agendas.”

    Many of the dozens of people who crowded into the hearing room, however, seemed unimpressed with the body of scientific evidence supporting evolution.

    “Textbooks today treat it as more than a theory, even though its evidence has been found to be stained with half-truths, deception and hoaxes,” said Paul Berry Lively, 42, a mechanical engineer from Houston who brought along his teenage son. “Darwinian evolution is not a proven fact.”

    Other conservative parents told board members that their children had been intimidated and ridiculed by biology teachers when they questioned evolution. Some asserted that they knew biology teachers who were afraid to bring up theories about holes in Darwin’s theory.

    Business leaders, meanwhile, said Texas would have trouble attracting highly educated workers and their families if the state’s science programs were seen as a laughingstock among biologists.

    “The political games we are playing right now are going to burn us all,” said Eric Hennenhoefer, who owns Obsidian Software.

    ●●2¢ more: a longtime 4LAKids reader, who submitted the above, opines:

    this is a national issue - and its been going on for many years - some of you, I have written to already about this subject. (I apologize for repeating myself)others not- please read the following links-

    we need a nationalized standards based education -that is not based on testing, but on teaching.

    the undermining of our US educational system has been going on for 40 years, see below-interestingly enough-these links were from BJU Press - apparently a Christian textbook publisher who also publishes for "conventional" schools and who questions the educational "superiority" that the Gablers' and their organization have promoted for decades

    http://www.christianvssecular.com/higher_standards/censorship-complexities.htm

    http://www.christianvssecular.com/authors/no_author.htm

    then I googled the organization "Educational Research Analysts"

    http://www.textbookreviews.org/

    here is Ms Gabler's obituary

    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/01/education/01gabler.html

    I think its too bad that Obama closed the door on Bill Ayers because I think he is rather brilliant, and his lessons are of huge benefit to our teachers:

    http://billayers.wordpress.com/

    and the thoughts of a british columnist-who couldn't help but notice the conditions we are in:

    http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2008/10/28/the-triumph-of-ignorance/

    best wishes to all of you-and I am so thankful to our fellow americans for electing our new president, so we could enjoy the beautiful inauguration day!

    Thursday, January 22, 2009

    DOLORES STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL REASSIGNED

    By Melissa Pamer, Staff Writer | LA Newspaper Group

    1/22/09 -- An embattled Carson elementary school principal who last year was the subject of emotional teacher and staff protests was removed from her post this week.

    District officials said they temporarily reassigned Anna Barraza from Dolores Street Elementary School to a Los Angeles Unified administrative office as of Wednesday.

    Local District 8 Superintendent Linda Del Cueto provided few details on what she called a "personnel matter."

    "I'm working with due process, but I'm also going to do what's best for the school," she said.

    Asked if Barraza would return to campus - where teachers on Wednesday said they were "rejoicing" - Del Cueto would not comment.

    Barraza, who was in her second year at the campus, had been the center of an attention-generating firestorm that drew in unions for both administrators and teachers, as well as district officials up to Superintendent Ramon Cortines.

    At two previous schools, Barraza was removed from her post after instructors protested, claiming she was domineering, cold and not collaborative.

    Those complaints were echoed in weekly protests by Dolores Street teachers that began in May - culminating in a sleepover protest that attracted television news crews in July. The attention prompted debate on the aggressive tactics of United Teachers Los Angeles and on the so-called "dance of the lemons," in which unpopular principals are moved from campus to campus.

    On Wednesday, Barraza and the president of her union, Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, stressed that the reassignment is temporary.

    "We are confident she'll be returned to duty," said Mike O'Sullivan, the president of AALA.

    The administrators union has fiercely defended Barraza against what O'Sullivan called "grandstanding" by UTLA.

    "This was massive overreaction," O'Sullivan said of the district's action this week.

    Barraza said she was told her reassignment was part of a district investigation into an incident on campus Friday in which teachers spontaneously moved their classes onto the playground.

    The principal's supervisor, Director Valerie Moses, arrived at the school after receiving calls from parents who saw children amassed on the asphalt, Barraza said.

    "It wasn't out of control," Barraza said. "I'm not really sure what there is left to investigate."

    Barraza said she had not been informed by teachers about any plans for outdoor instruction, but she allowed the activities to continue when she observed adequate supervision and teaching.

    "I found out later it was a protest" against her, Barraza said. "I thought it was very irresponsible for teachers to put students in the middle of the whole thing."

    Teachers on Wednesday denied that the incident was a protest, saying outdoor teaching was related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day and was for some instructors a lesson about civil disobedience.

    Earlier last week, teachers had found out that the school's well-liked office manager would be transferred away from campus. They reacted with fury, and Moses met with them Jan. 15.

    "Most teachers were crying. The fact that we were losing this person was the last straw," said fourth-grade teacher Keri Porter. "Everyone was pouring out their hearts, saying they were on anxiety medication."

    Del Cueto said she couldn't comment on the office manager's status, again because it is a "personnel matter."

    Teachers didn't hear anything else from the district until they were notified of Barraza's reassignment in a memo that was distributed late Tuesday after most instructors had left campus. On Wednesday, the district gave a memo to students to take home to parents.

    An interim principal, veteran LAUSD administrator Rita Davis, has been assigned to the campus.

    "It felt like a breath of fresh air without Anna Barraza on campus," said teacher Gloria Cook.

    Several teachers expressed relief but said they planned to downplay their reactions until it was certain that Barraza would not return.

    "No one knows why they made this decision," Porter said.

    CHICAGO SCHOOLS vs. LAUSD: Their supe is Obama's new education man. Our supe is nice, but ...

    By David Ferrell | LA Weekly

     

    Jan 21, 2009 - It’s been a rocky start for Ramon Cortines.

    The genial 76-year-old bureaucrat — who was never on anyone’s list of tough-minded academic reformers — was thrust into the top job at the woefully problem-plagued Los Angeles Unified School District because he seemed the steadiest hand after Superintendent David L. Brewer was booted out the door.

    Almost immediately, critics questioned whether Cortines has the chops to helm wholesale changes in the city’s failing middle and high schools. He was seen as a good-intentioned man who paled in comparison to change agents like Chicago Schools Superintendent Arne Duncan, chosen to be Barack Obama’s secretary of education, and Washington, D.C.’s Michelle Rhee, a young freethinker lauded by Time for her “battle against bad teachers” in the abysmal schools of the nation’s capital.

    While nobody’s ready to put Cortines in the dunce corner, many see him merely as a competent stand-in until a true savior arrives. To counteract the inevitable whisper campaign against him, Cortines unleashed two salvos last week: an eight-page mission statement detailing goals for his first 100 days, and districtwide school “report cards” mailed to homes to provide parents with data about how each campus is doing.

     clip_image001

    Illustration by Ken Garduno

    “While nobody’s ready to put Cortines in the dunce corner…..”

    - OK, apparently the LA Weekly editor and/or illustrator Garduno are!

     

    The School Report Card site
    More than you ever wanted to know about the school report card: REPORT CARD FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR PRINCIPALS
    The First 100 Days Plan:  THE OVERVIEW  (1/7 | 2 pages) |    THE WORK PLAN (1/12 | 8 pages)
    No Cost @ What Cost? - The 4LAKids article referenced

     

    Both salvos were, by many accounts, duds. The mission statement was vague while breaking no new ground. It cited the usual ideals, like “growth” and “progress” — part of any academic program for time immemorial. In the words of one high school–level educator on the city’s Eastside, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, “It’s mumbo jumbo.”

    Sounding pugnacious, Cortines defends himself to L.A. Weekly by saying, “People will be critical — and I will accept that criticism — but you can either do something or not do anything at all. And I choose to do something. It’s a step in the right direction.”

    His 100-day plan may appear vague to some, he concedes, but he disagrees with that view, saying, “I don’t think it’s vague. I think it makes it very clear what we intend to do and when we intend to do it. Nothing like this has ever been done before. It’s not an intellectual document. It’s not a strategic plan — this district doesn’t have a strategic plan. What I’m trying to do is model what we’re trying to do and let the people know if you’ve met those benchmarks.”

    But in fact, his 100-day plan states some pretty obvious, well-worn points as goal No. 1: “Guide, train and equip teachers, administrators, staff and those providing support services to achieve consistently high-quality levels of instruction and learning through a coherent three-tiered instructional framework that aligns evidence-based pedagogy, behavioral supports and differentiated interventions to ensure every student by name receives equitable access to instruction and supports that result in high levels of proficiency.”

    And that prompts the doubting Eastside educator to respond, “Is that perhaps the worst grammar-syntax education piece you’ve read in your life?”

    Cortines’ second salvo, his school report cards, were grandly unveiled at a press conference that featured Cortines and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. While the 100-day goals struck many as uninspiring, the report cards were even worse, perhaps — an act of political grandstanding to many. The report cards include percentage scores in a multitude of academic subjects that provide little context, if any, for comparing similar schools against each other, and provide no way for parents to determine if their child has an effective teacher, or a teacher whose students are known to chronically fall behind.

    Savvy cynics suggest that the report cards could be useful later on, once Cortines has been in charge for long enough to issue a new round of equally vague, but more glowing, scores.

    While acknowledging that the report cards do not yet show all the information he hopes they will, Cortines says parents with whom he’s talked appreciate receiving the feedback. Sending out the reports “is not for the purpose of comparing schools one with another,” he says. “It’s to give you facts about your school. Yes, all of the data is not there, but it will be forthcoming each year when we get that kind of data.”

    Yet activist Scott Folsom, vice-chairman of LAUSD’s Bond Oversight Committee, expressed his frustration on his blog, 4lakids.blogspot.com, saying, “I don’t believe most parents have an understanding of what they’ve been handed. The district was in a hurry to roll this puppy out — in a hurry, I think, because of the change in regimes.”

    Folsom is bothered by the persistent impression that nearly all of what happens at LAUSD headquarters, and on its highly politicized elected school board, is a product of clashing adult political agendas, with a continual failure to focus on ways to improve teaching and classroom achievement. “I don’t see a lot of evidence that children are being placed first,” he says.

    Though not a rah-rah leader, Cortines has solid credentials, having worked in education — and having dealt with the political squabbles — in New York City, San Francisco, Pasadena and San Jose in addition to Los Angeles. Folsom, who knows Cortines, says he is seen by many as a straight shooter who may have what it takes to rescue the city’s many bad high schools and middle schools.

    “I want to give Ramon Cortines every chance in the world to succeed at what he’s doing now,” Folsom says. “But the school district is a huge bureaucracy. We churn through superintendents. . . . We have a history of starting on the road to reform and not following through.”

    Cortines may be hamstrung at the outset due to the district’s $400 million deficit. However, one of his staunchest supporters is LAUSD’s former Chief of Instruction Ronni Ephraim, whose departure during Brewer’s bungled reign was seen as a big blow to LAUSD’s one success story: the steady, sizable gains in reading, math and other subjects among poor and minority Los Angeles grade-school kids — achieved in large part through improvement of classroom teaching.

    Ephraim led those instruction reforms under former Superintendent Roy Romer, moving steadily ahead despite intense opposition from longtime political factions which, even now, hope to dumb down what is being taught in grade schools so that more students will seem to be succeeding.

    Ephraim, who is training future teachers at USC these days, believes that Cortines is capable of hacking the flab out of the budget while improving student and teacher performance. She adds that Cortines’ 100-day mission statement may have been deliberately nebulous to give him the flexibility to tackle what many see as an all-but-impossible task.

    “The man is totally focused on improving instruction for students,” she says. “If he says he’s going to do something, he does it. He has integrity. He has a work ethic beyond most human beings. ... He will hold people accountable for doing their jobs.”

    Both his 100-day game plan and the school-report-card gambit were dreamed up in part by a hired gun — Boston Consulting Group, a global idea factory with offices in Moscow, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Dubai and other cities, including L.A. Using grants from the Gates Foundation, Dell Foundation and other sources, Boston Consulting has gone just a bit overboard, according to critics, in putting a glossy sheen on what the district is doing, at the expense of transparency.

    Cortines says he played a direct role in developing the report cards along with Boston Consulting, and that the content and format were vetted by 700 people before the cards were mailed to parents. He downplays the firm’s role in shaping the 100-day plan, saying much of the work was also done by the district’s own personnel.

    Nobody from the firm responded to L.A. Weekly’s requests for an interview. The company’s Web site explains, “The Los Angeles office has developed numerous innovative concepts, including a blueprint for how media companies can thrive in a world of consumer control, groundbreaking work on offshoring biopharma research and development, and a new way of capturing value through IT outsourcing.”

    No mention of any expertise in public education. “The word ‘children’ doesn’t appear there” either, says Folsom, the academic blogger. “They’re about profit, about producing widgets. They’re bean counters with stopwatches who are trying to do time and motion studies. Education is a completely different creature.”

    More disturbing is the idea that such political razzmatazz may mask what Cortines is really about — one of the problems that plagued the departed David Brewer and led to his demise. Or maybe, as longtime LAUSD observer Joe Hicks says, the masking is necessary because Cortines is not a take-charge reformer like Chicago’s Washington-bound Duncan or Washington’s charismatic and controversial Rhee.

    The schools in Los Angeles are not nearly as bad, by test-score measures or any other yardstick, as the infamously inept schools in Washington, D.C., which spend $13,000 per student — to no effect. Washington is now undergoing “Rhee-form,” and several other cities, including Chicago and New York, have made bold moves to focus on why and how some teachers continually fail while other teachers, given the same set of circumstances and the same mix of student backgrounds and student income levels, continually succeed.

    So far, in his short time as superintendent, Cortines has not addressed that fundamental reform issue in public statements, nor in his report cards or his 100-day goals.

    “We need someone like that who’s willing to come in and clear the decks,” says Hicks, vice-president of Community Advocates Inc., a local think tank. “Someone who says, ‘We’re going to fire teachers, fire principals. We’re going to arm-wrestle with the [teachers] union.’

    “I know Ramon Cortines. He’s a very nice man. He certainly will be more efficient and effective than David Brewer was. Brewer was just an abysmal failure. But Cortines is just not the kind of kick-butt [superintendent] the district requires. Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic is not what this city needs.”

    GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER APPOINTS DR. GLEN THOMAS SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

     

    Written by Education Nest | from The Imperial Valley News

    Wednesday, 21 January 2009  - Sacramento, California - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Dr. Glen Thomas as Secretary of Education.

    “With over 30 years of experience as a teacher and leader at the local, county and state level, Glen is the right person to make sure California continues to uphold high academic standards during this challenging fiscal time,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “He shares my dedication to quality education for every student, and I am confident that he will work collaboratively with the educational community to improve student achievement and expand educational opportunities in our state while also working towards stronger accountability and greater transparency in our educational system.”

    Since 2007, he has served as a consultant to several philanthropic foundations and educational organizations including the the Khosla Foundation and the Hewlett Foundation, as well as the California State Parent Teachers Association and the Association of California School Administrators. From 1998 to 2006, Thomas served as the executive director for the California County Superintendents Education Services Association, the statewide network of California’s 58 county superintendents of schools. A strong promoter of early education learning opportunities, he served as director for Preschool for All Planning Support in 2006 and assistant superintendent and director of the elementary teaching and learning division for the California Department of Education from 1995 to 1996. He was also director for the Reinvigorating Arts Education in California Project from 2005 to 2006 and the Statewide Administrator Training Program from 2003 to 2006. From 1999 to 2005, Thomas served as co-director for the U.S. Department of Education Grant Preparing Tomorrow’s Teacher to Use Technology and, from 1997 to 1998, he was director for education technology Office for the California Department of Education and was the executive director for the Council on Technology in Learning. Prior to that, he was the deputy executive director for the Commission of the Establishment of Academic Content and Performance Standards from 1996 to 1997 and executive secretary for the California State Curriculum Commission from 1988 to 1996. From 1984 to 1995, Thomas was the director for the curriculum frameworks and instructional resources office for the California Department of Education.

    Glen started his teaching career in Modesto in 1970 in working with the children of farm laborers in migrant education. He later worked for the Modesto City School District as a teacher from 1971 to 1974 and was an instructor for the Association of California School Administrators from 1987 to 2004. Glen served as an adjunct professor for National University from 1996 to 1999, the California State University, Sacramento Graduate School from 1997 to 2005 and Pepperdine University Doctoral Program from 1999 to 2001. Furthering his commitment to education, he has worked at the University of Southern California, Sacramento Center where he has served as an adjunct professor since 2005 and previously served as a clinical professor from 1999 to 2003.

    Thomas is a member of the University of California, Davis Graduate School of Education Board of Advisors. He was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to the Academic Standards Commission and served on the High School Exit Exam Committee.

    “I am honored Governor Schwarzenegger has selected me to work with him in this new capacity.  I am excited to build on existing policies that will strengthen our schools, promote student achievement for every student, create conditions for innovation, promote civic engagement and work through the fiscal challenges we are all facing,” said Glenn Thomas. “I look forward to working with the Governor, the legislature and the educational community to ensure the best possible education for our young people. They are the future of this state.”

    Thomas, 62, of Sacramento, earned a Doctorate degree in educational leadership with an emphasis in instructional policy and school administration from the University of Southern California, a Master of Arts degree in child and family studies from Washington State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Biola University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $175,000. Thomas is a Republican.

    Thomas’ wife, Connie, teaches first grade for the San Juan School District in Sacramento. They have two daughters, both graduates of California public schools system.  Jori is a civil engineer having graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Jody works in a genetics and chemistry lab having graduated from UC Davis in genetics.

    The Office of the Secretary of Education is the primary education advisor to the Governor and is committed to creating, promoting and supporting the Governor’s policies that ensure access to quality education for all Californians.

    Wednesday, January 21, 2009

    LAUSD HOPEFUL CLAIMS MAYOR’S FAVOR

    By Melissa Pamer, Staff Writer | Daily Breeze

    1/21/09 - Los Angeles Unified board hopeful Steve Zimmer has received Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's endorsement, the candidate said.

    The mayor confirmed his backing to Zimmer last week, but was holding off on an announcement until after the presidential inauguration, the candidate said.

    Both Zimmer and fellow LAUSD high school teacher Mike Stryer said last month that they were seeking the mayor's endorsement in their race to replace Marlene Canter representing District 4, which includes Westchester.

    The race changed significantly in December when top contender Ben Austin, a former deputy mayor who was expected to get Villaraigosa's nod, failed to get enough voter signatures to qualify for the March 3 election.

    Monday, January 19, 2009

    The news that didn’t fit from Jan 19

    KLSC ANNOUNCES TWO SPECIAL BROADCASTS ON THE BUDGET CRISES: The first primarily on the LAUSD Budget Crisis, the second 0n the State Budget Crisis

    …both affect you, your children, your school.

    BOUND FOR WASHINGTON: Jacquelín Mendoza earned an invitation to Obama’s inauguration

    January 15, 2009 -- There is very little time left before Barack Obama becomes the first African American president of the United States. And Jacquelín Mendoza is keeping perfect track of the time.

    “I’m very nervous because it’s a great event, and I only think that the moment will be historic and I will be there to see it,” she says.

    This eighth-grade student at Nightingale Middle School in Cypress Park will attend Obama’s inauguration in Washington, D.C., next Tuesday, January 20.

    CORTINES PROPOSAL APPROVED: It includes cutting 2,290 teacher positions in LAUSD; the union announces protests

    January 14, 2009 -- The Board of Education of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has approved a proposal by Superintendent Ramón Cortines that cuts 2,290 positions of teachers who have been teaching for two years or less, within 14 days of their being notified.

    The proposal, which Cortines maintained is “tentative,” would eliminate 1,690 elementary school teachers, 300 math teachers and 300 English teachers in middle and high schools. These cuts would save LAUSD 50 million dollars.

    “This is strictly a precautionary measure. I’m trying to put pressure on Sacramento. I’m still trying to find options,” maintained Cortines.

    Jan 29, 2008: STATE BUDGET CUTS PROTEST, MARCH & RALLY

    Published on United Teachers Los Angeles (http://www.utla.net)

    3:30- 4:00 p.m
    Demo at LAUSD Beaudry Bldg
    333 So. Beaudry Avenue,
    Los Angeles 90017

    A Call to Action: PTA LEGISLATIVE ALERT

    California State Budget:

    Our responsibility to children cannot be cut in bad economic times

    · We must find a balanced approach to the budget crisis that includes sufficient new revenues to protect children and the future of California.

    · Support continued funding for programs and services that help ensure that all children can succeed, such as smaller class sizes, arts and physical education, science, counselors, nurses, librarians, and health and social services for children.

    We cannot build a world class public education system by going backwards in funding for education and other children's services.

    A PARENT SOUNDS OFF OVER LAUSD BUDGET CUTS

    Here's one parent's response, in an open letter to the superintendent:

    The return of Don Mullinax: POTENTIAL FOR BAILOUT MONEY FRAUD PROMPTS EXPANSION OF FORENSIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

    A prominent forensic accounting firm has opened a new office in Los Angeles and added one of the nation's leading forensic investigators to its team of experts in anticipation of an expected increase in fraud, waste and abuse as billions in Federal bailout money are about to be injected into the economy.

    VALLEY ART EDUCATORS EXHIBIT THEIR OWN WORK

    Valley Art Educators Exhibit Their Own Work | Art displayed at the Armory Center for the Arts now through Feb. 22

    LAUSD art teachers from throughout the San Fernando Valley are currently on exhibit at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena.

    "An Art Educated Collection" is an exhibit, which showcases the collective work of the many talented artists who teach in San Fernando Valley public schools," said Spike Dolemite, founder of the Arts in Education Aid Council.

    BUDDY SYSTEM BLOSSOMS

    Local schools use innovation, collaboration and other approaches to boost student learning

    Experiments often produce unintended results, and that is exactly what happened between Angeles Mesa Elementary School and its big brother down the street—Crenshaw High School.

    “Last year (2007) Crenshaw students came and read books t our kids, and we called it a Family Fun Day. Mr. Griffin last year loaned us his A.P. (Advanced Placement) English students one or two times a month for one hour, and they read stories to the kids,” explained Elaine Wrice, categorical programs advisor at Angeles Mesa.

    NEW SCHOOL TAX EYED FOR 2010 BALLOT

    Just two months after winning approval of a $7 billion bond measure, Los Angeles Unified School District officials are considering another proposal to fund local schools.

    For now, there are no details on how much a proposed parcel tax would cost homeowners or generate for the district.

    But with LAUSD facing a $400 million shortfall this year and expecting chronic underfunding for years, district officials said they need more revenue to keep the quality of education from getting worse.

    "It's becoming more and more apparent, based on the economic situation the district is in, that we need to look at a tax," said Superintendent Ramon Cortines.

    THE FULL TEXT OF THE GOVERNOR’S STATE-OF-THE-STATE SPEECH

    “It doesn't make any sense to talk about education, infrastructure, water, health care reform and all these things when we have this huge budget deficit.

    “I think you would agree that in recent years California's legislature has been engaged in civil war. Meanwhile, the needs of the people became secondary.

    “No one wants to take money from our gang-fighting programs or from Medi-Cal or from education.

    “No one wants to pay more in taxes or fees.

    “But each of us has to give up something because our country is in an economic crisis and our state simply doesn't have the money.”

    More than you ever wanted to know about the school report card: REPORT CARD FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR PRINCIPALS

    LAUSD BOARD VOTES TO POSSIBLY LAY OFF 2,300 TEACHERS

    The 4-2 vote authorizes the job actions if no other options are found to decrease a potential $250-million budget shortfall this year caused by the state's financial problems.

    Because of the state's budget uncertainty, the Los Angeles school board agreed Tuesday to potentially lay off up to 2,300 teachers if no other options become available this year.
    The Los Angeles Unified School District faces up to a $250-million shortfall, and the move could shave about $50 million from that figure. But Supt. Ramon C. Cortines, in his first board meeting as head of the district, said he hoped not to send the notices.

    "This is strictly a place-holder," he said. "I am still trying to find alternatives."

    QUALITY COUNTS 2009 | The other Report Card + charts+graphs: The ED WEEK QUALITY COUNTS SURVEY OF CALIFORNIA

    50-State Report Card: Amid national political turnover and financial worries, states remain on the front line in the push for school improvement.

    STATE BUDGET WOES COULD LEAD TO SHORTER SCHOOL YEAR

    Facing a massive budget deficit, California is considering shortening the school year by five days, a move that would save the state $1.1 billion. But the proposal is causing uproar among families and educators, who say the consequences would be disastrous, the Los Angeles Times reports. State schools Superintendent Jack O'Connell told the paper the move would hurt low-income and minority children because affluent school districts will most likely have the funds to remain open all 180 days of the school year. If the California legislature agrees to cut the school calendar, the state will join North Dakota, Kentucky, and a few other states that require the least number of school days.

    CA SUPREME COURT TO TAKE ON DISCOUNTED TUITION FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

    Should illegal immigrants pay discounted tuition rates at state colleges? The California Supreme Court is expected to take up that question later this year when it hears arguments on the constitutionality of California's law granting in-state tuition to undocumented students. Expect educators and lawmakers across the country to pay close attention to the case. The outcome will likely influence other states' college tuition policies for immigrant students who are not legal U.S. residents. At least nine states offer tuition breaks to illegal immigrants who meet certain conditions, including Illinois, Kansas, and New York.

    EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS

    letters to the Editor | LA TIMES 12 Jan

    Re “High court to consider tuition law,” Jan. 5

    While your coverage regarding California state law AB 540 has highlighted some important issues, I'd like to underscore that the law -- and good policy -- dictate that we not discriminate against undocumented students who reside in California when offering in-state tuition to California high school graduates.

    LAUSD TEACHERS: STRIKE, BOYCOTT POSSIBLE

    LAUSD teachers say they may boycott or strike if their contract needs aren't met.

    Massive state budget shortfalls are leading to cuts in education.

    Union leaders say the district has other options than to lay off teachers and cut their health care.

    SCHOOL GAINS ARE PUT AT RISK

    Mockler: “The budget bell is ringing for California's schools to take a recessionary recess from reform.”

    It's inevitable that California public schools soon will be whacked with hefty program cuts. And that's a shame because students recently have been making significant gains.
    A decade of academic advancement due to class-size reduction, tougher curriculum, higher standards, testing, accountability and other reforms could be stalled -- even reversed -- by the necessity to cut spending.

    LAUSD SENDS OUT REPORT CARDS EVALUATING SCHOOLS

    Supt. Ramon C. Cortines pushed for the mailings to give parents a clearer view of students' graduation and dropout rates, math and English proficiency, college preparation and more.

    Parents in Los Angeles this week will receive a one-page report card that will provide a less varnished and more accessible picture of how well their child's school is doing.