Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Today in Sacramento: SCHOOL DAYS

Sacramento Bee Capitol Alert – AM Alert

25 August - The Assembly's still wrestling with the prisons package, but the issue du jour is education.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called a special session last week and asked legislators to make sweeping changes to the school system, including repealing a controversial state law that prohibits tying teacher evaluations to student test scores without agreement from local teacher unions.

The governor visits Fresno today to meet with schoolchildren and promote his proposals, which are aimed at ensuring California can compete for federal "Race to the Top" funds and future education funding that could be tied to educational reform requirements set by the Obama administration.

Back at the Capitol, there will be an 11 a.m. press conference by a group of Oxnard educators who just finished a seven-day hunger strike to protest funding cuts to education over the last two years. Representatives from the California Teacher's Association and the PTA will be in attendance, as well as Assemblyman Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara, Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, and Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles. (Romero and Torlakson are both running for superintendent of public instruction).

Another schools chief candidate, Larry Aceves, will talk to the Victorville Rotary about the need to update California curriculum to produce students who can compete in the 21st century economy.

And current Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell and Education Secretary Glen Thomas join California State PTA President Jo Loss at Bannon Creek Elementary School to launch a new campaign to get parents involved in their children's education.

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