LA UNIFIED TEENS COMPETE IN DISTRICT-WIDE TALENT CONTEST

Bell High School students Cynthia Rivera and Michael Velez are two of the five members of the band Worn Down. photo: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

May 21, 2010 | Adolfo Guzman-Lopez | KPCC

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Hundreds of teenagers from Los Angeles Unified schools are set to descend on the Paramount Studios lot tomorrow for a competition. The students participate in an after school program that imparts arts training along with leadership skills.

Bell High School junior Cynthia Rivera is the lead singer in the band Worn Down. On Friday morning they put the finishing touches on the song they’ll perform in competition. She and the other four members of the band prefer to rehearse after school during the Beyond the Bell program. "I think this is better because we have the support of adults. And you’re on your own when you’re in a garage band and like your parents are like, ‘you’re not good enough.’"

Guitarist Michael Velez agreed. "There’s times when you’re having trouble with something, like at home. You come to practice all mad. And they’re like, calm down, what happened. They talk to you and they just try to help you get out of that little madness they’re in, and try to understand why that happened, and how you can fix that."

Velez, Rivera and about 200 other Bell High students receive tutoring, music, and performing arts instruction through Beyond the Bell. The aim is to reduce smoking, violence, and truancy by offering teens social skills and placing them in leadership situations.

Advisor Gerardo Mungaray said his involvement has been as simple as advising the band in diplomacy when it came to one member’s behavior. "We’ll it’s not a matter of hurting his feelings. You’re personally invested in this and there’s four other people in your band now, what do you think is the best decision and how can you best approach it."

In Bell High's cavernous auditorium, Velez and Rivera practiced a pared-down version of the song they’ll compete with at the all-school district competition. It's called "With You" River said. It’s called with you and I wrote it about Michael Velez. It’s basically about the time we enjoy being together. And just being there, it’s the love of being together, I guess."

Rivera and Velez are a couple. Advisor Mungaray said the program is a reward for the effort students put in. "It’s a bargain that we have between me and them. They know that they can’t come in here two hours after school each day and just play their instruments."

Vocalist Rivera said she turned an academic corner last year after program monitors threatened to kick her out for bad grades. "My report card was almost all Fs, I’m not kidding, I tried to raise up the classes that I could, because it was in this last semester where I started really, really trying, getting all the help I could. I passed most of my classes and I’m really happy about that."

The band’s drummer, senior Joel Ramirez, said the program’s helped him overcome what he called academic laziness. "Yeah, it’s given me plenty of purpose and if I didn’t do good in school they probably wouldn’t allow me to come to the music program. It’s given me direction."

Ramirez said he wants to go to college. A couple of the other members said they want to try and take the band as far as can go after high school.

Worn Down will compete this weekend against L.A. Unified students who likely have more musical training and opportunities. That’s healthy, advisor Mungaray said. "They start noticing that these other people at other schools may be more talented than them, and if that’s the case they’ll come back the next day and try harder."

He said the prize isn’t a trophy from the competition. It’s the ability to start imagining a bigger life after high school.

CONGRESSWOMAN ANNOUNCES NEW FRAMEWORK & PRINCIPLES FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT GRANTS + Full Report

Congresswoman Chu’s Press Release

May 20, 2010 1:22 PM -- Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA32nd District – East LA, El Sereno, San Gabriel Valley) officially unveiled a plan today to improve our nation's education system using a new framework of school improvement grants, a proposal that is being supported by AFT, NEA, PTA and the National Association of School Psychologists, among other groups.

The Congresswoman's new framework constitutes a radical departure from existing guidelines on School Improvement Grants, replacing the overly punitive and restrictive model with a more flexible, holistic approach and giving schools a broader menu of research-driven options and more time to show improvement. Under the new framework, school closure would strictly be a last resort option.

"The current school improvement grant program is admirable in theory, but some of the tactics haven't been successful in practice," said Rep. Chu, noting as an example the recent mass firings, and subsequent rehiring, of staff at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island. "What we need is a system that promotes flexibility and collaboration instead of tying the hands of administrators, teachers, and parents. We must remove barriers to student success instead of ignoring them.  And finally, we must support teachers and leaders, instead of breaking them down."

That is the approach taken by Rep. Chu's proposed new framework, called Strengthening Our Schools (SOS) (see attached report). The plan would promote flexibility and collaboration between schools, parents, community leaders, businesses and other stakeholders; provide support to students facing crisis, both inside and outside of the classroom, by offering mental health services for behavioral problems, ESL resources and other wrap-around services; and giving teachers the tools they need to reconnect with disengaged students and help improve performance through personalized teacher training and specialized instructional support.

"In the upcoming ESEA Reauthorization I will be pushing for a complete revision of school improvement grants that is based on Strengthening Our Schools," said Rep. Chu, who was joined by representatives of major national education associations, teachers groups, former administration officials, parents and others as she unveiled the details of SOS at the Rayburn House Office Building. "As a Member of the Committee on Education and Labor, I plan to work with Chairman Miller on school turnaround and push for this framework to be adopted in ESEA Reauthorization."

The Congresswoman's plan was lauded by prominent members of the educational field.

The goal of SOS is nothing less than to achieve dramatic improvements in student achievement  at priority schools, said Lily Eskelsen, Vice President of the National Education Association.

"The only way for schools to succeed is if all the adults involved in public education work together collaboratively and make decisions based on our common purpose to give students what they need to succeed," Eskelsen said.

"Congresswoman Chu has developed an excellent framework for redefining the federal role in K-12 education. Her proposals recognize that the path to school improvement is through positive, not punitive, measures. She understands that teachers do their best in atmosphere of respect and encouragement, rather than incentives and sanctions," said Diane Ravitch, education historian and former Assistant Secretary of Education. "The federal role should be to support school improvement, not to mandate closings and firings. She is a breath of fresh air in a stale and nonproductive discussion."

"PTA is appreciative of the opportunity to provide input on the proposal and the framework's
inclusion of family engagement and collaboration with parents," said PTA National President Charles J. "Chuck" Saylors. "We cannot turn around struggling schools without parents at the table."

Howard Adelman and Linda Taylor, UCLA researchers who have investigated many of the successful methods included in the Congresswoman's proposal, lauded the new SOS framework and its holistic, multi-tiered approach.

"Good teaching and, indeed all efforts to enhance positive development, must be complemented with direct actions to remove or at least minimize the impact of barriers, such as hostile environments and intrinsic problems," said Adelman and Taylor in a written statement. "Without effective direct intervention to address barriers to learning and teaching, such barriers continue to get in the way for many students and interfere with teachers' efforts to close the achievement gap."

The goal of SOS is nothing less than to achieve dramatic improvements in student achievement  at priority schools, said Lily Eskelsen, Vice President of the National Education Association.

"The only way for schools to succeed is if all the adults involved in public education work together collaboratively and make decisions based on our common purpose to give students what they need to succeed," Eskelsen said.

Strengthening Our Schools Report

School Library Update: SUPERINTENDENT CONSIDERS LIBRARY STAFF “ESSENTIAL”

from the Galatzan Gazette - boardmember Galatzan's weekly e-newsletter | http://bit.ly/bHLte8

20 May 2010 - Superintendent Cortines said this week he will ask local district superintendents to conduct an inventory to determine if library aide positions are being funded for next year at individual school sites. Speaking at the Committee of the Whole [of the Board of Education] meeting, the Superintendent also asserted that libraries must be administered by“professionals” rather than volunteers, as is the case at some schools.

The Superintendent made his remarks in response to comments from library aides, several from schools in [boardmember] Tamar [Galatzan]’s district, decrying severe cuts being proposed for the library program.

He called libraries and library aides “essential” and stated unequivocally that neither high schools nor middle schools should be without a library. The Superintendent did remind the Board, however, that because of the budget crisis, there will be less money for libraries next year.

●●smf's 2¢:

• The "essential" designation of school libraries is critical+welcome

• ...as is the recognition of the professional status of library aides: elementary school librarians

• ...as is the "unequivocal" statement that "neither high schools nor middle schools should be without a library"

• ....though it equivocates on elementary school libraries.

• That there will be less money next year is unquestioned; that there will be less money for libraries is purely a school board decision.

This is good - but not nearly good enough: Students don't need an inventory, they need libraries.

Earlier board policy and school construction and modernization bond language identified and defined school libraries at all schools as "core facilities." I was instrumental in developing that policy and I can assure the superintendent and the current board that the intent wasn't un-staffed or closed libraries.

Hopefully the local district supes will interpret Cortines words as a directive to keep all school libraries open - hopefully he will frame his direction as a directive.

Hopefully.

MORE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE LEARNERS AT LAUSD, STATE TEST SHOWS

By Connie Llanos Staff Writer | LA Daily News

22 May -- The percentage of English-language learners at Los Angeles Unified who can read, write and speak English fluently decreased slightly in 2009, according to state test results released today.

This year 37 percent of all English language-learners reached proficiency at LAUSD, according to the 2009 California English Language Development Test data. That is virtually flat from last year's rate of 38 percent.

Statewide nearly 40 percent of all English-language learners – some 1.3 million students – also reached proficiency, up from 39 percent last year.

"English fluency is critical for students to succeed in school and in the work force," State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell said.

"In California, nearly a quarter of students are learning English as a second language, and by becoming fluent, they will more readily be able to fulfill their potential and compete in the demanding global economy."

Every year the results of this test are anxiously awaited by thousands of local educators and students because they are one of four criteria students have to meet to move out of remedial English courses.

Generally when a student is classified as "English proficient" they have better access to honors level courses and college readiness classes.

FURLOUGH DAYS WILL IMPACT SCHOOL YEAR

 

By BOH YOUNG LEE | The Colonial Gazette – The student newspaper of Fairfax High School

Photo illustration by Min-Ji Yi

5/21/2010 5:59:15 PM -- While some students are celebrating the curtailed school year, there is much more to the story than just fewer school days until graduation.

Although a pleasant news to students, furlough days, selected days when teachers do not come to school and are not paid, is an unfortunate result of budget cuts and insufficient funding.

LAUSD negotiators  and United Teachers Los Angeles Leadership engaged in joint discussion, and decided that furlough days would be the best available policy.

“The reason for this policy is the reduced funds and our not getting enough money from the government,” said Mr. Mike Stryer, history teacher and UTLA Representative.

In Fairfax, 50%  of staff agreed  with the decision while 70% of the overall district agreed.

Furlough days for the 2010 - 2011 school year are as follows: September 7 through 10, November 22 through 24, and June 27. To make up for the lack of days of instruction, there will not be any Pupil Free Days next year, although minimum days will still stay.

The decision to resort to furlough days was met with both positive and negative responses.

“I think the fault is in the overspending of the state government,” said JROTC Instructor Retired Lieutenant Colonel Lee Rogers.  “But I’d much rather have furlough days than pay cuts.”

Math teacher Mr. Melvin Nakano voiced a different concern. “Unfortunately, students are the ones who lose out on an extra week of school,” he said. “But on the positive side, it gives us a lot more time to deal with ourselves.”

Still, some responses were ambivalent. “I just wish the district could have looked into the budget situation deeper before making decisions like that,” said Assistant Principal Ms. Patricia Heideman.

TONIGHT SHOW BANDLEADER, LAUSD MUSIC STUDENTS IN FREE JAZZ CONCERT JUNE 6th

from short takes | Watts Times | http://bit.ly/bHrWyS

21May -- “Tonight Show” bandleader Kevin Eubanks will perform in a free concert with Los Angeles Unified School District music students June 6, 2 p.m., at the Catalina Jazz Club, 6725 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood.

<<Kevin Eubanks and Eagle Rock High School students

Student combos from seven LAUSD schools will perform jazz standards, classics and contemporary tunes they have been working on throughout the year with guidance from the institute’s jazz educators. The finale will feature Eubanks with the LAUSD All-City Jazz Ensemble, comprised of young jazz musicians across the district. Information: www.catalinajazzclub.com, (323) 466-2210.

 

Tonight Show Bandleader Kevin Eubanks Named Artistic Director of Thelonious Monk Institute's Jazz in the Classroom Program

from Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz | http://bit.ly/MRzsJ

16 April - In conjunction with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and its Beyond the Bell after-school program, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz is proud to announce the appointment of virtuoso jazz guitarist and Tonight Show bandleader Kevin Eubanks as Artistic Director of the Institute's Jazz in the Classroom program. In this new role, Eubanks will work with young up-and-coming middle and high school musicians in the Los Angeles public schools, many of which have seen arts programs dwindle with recent budget cuts.

"When you remove the arts from schools, you remove a sense of humanity as well," said Eubanks. "It’s not only the students that suffer, the entire community suffers."

Besides teaching students about jazz, widely considered America’s uniquely indigenous art form, Eubanks will discuss the important American values jazz represents: teamwork, unity with ethnic diversity, and democracy. He’ll also talk about the correlation of hard work and goal accomplishment and the importance of finding a passion early in life, being persistent, and believing in yourself.

"Young people need to be able to express themselves in ways that educate, uplift, and inspire self confidence," Eubanks remarked. "It's important that everyone in the neighborhood gets to see that."

Los Angeles residents and visitors will have the opportunity to see and hear Eubanks perform in a free concert with LAUSD music students on Sunday, June 6 at the world famous Catalina Jazz Club, 6725 West Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA, at 2:00 pm. Student combos from seven LAUSD schools will perform jazz standards, classics, and contemporary tunes they have been working on throughout the year with guidance from the Institute’s jazz educators. The finale will feature Eubanks with the LAUSD All-City Jazz Ensemble, comprised of the best young jazz musicians across the District, under the direction of Dr. JB Dyas, the Institute’s Vice President for Education and Curriculum Development, and Tony White, LAUSD Beyond the Bell Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator.

"It's been a pleasure to work with these kids each week and see them grow and learn not only from JB [Dyas] and me," said White, "but more importantly, learn from each other." In so doing, the student musicians are teaching and learning from their peers not unlike virtually all great jazz players have done throughout the music's hundred-year history.

"And when you hear how great these young kids play," added Thelonious Monk, Jr., the Institute's Chairman of the Board of Trustees and son of legendary jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk, "you know the future of our music is in good hands."

"I am truly honored to join the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz as Artistic Director for its Jazz in the Classroom program," concluded Eubanks. "Please join me in not only helping but insisting that the arts remain in our schools as a vital source of nourishment for our young men and women. By supporting them, you support so much more. Without that support when I was a kid, my life would have been a completely different story."

For more information regarding the free concert at Catalina Jazz Club on June 6, please visit www.catalinajazzclub.com or call 323-466-2210.

MEDIDA E SUBE IMPUESTO | MEASURE E TAX INCREASE

Medida E sube impuesto	Measure E tax increase
Yolanda Arenales | La Opini0n	Yolanda Arenales | La Opini0n
2010-05-21  - Con "E" de emergencia, el Distrito Escolar Unificado de Los Angeles (LAUSD) lanza a la boleta del próximo 8 de junio una propuesta de subida temporal de impuestos de propiedad. La medida E pide a los votantes que aporten cien dólares anuales extras, por los próximos cuatro años (comenzando el próximo 1 de julio). Con ello el distrito conseguiría aproximadamente 370 millones de dólares en total, o unos 92.5 anuales, para aliviar sus aflicciones presupuestarias, que incluyen no sólo los 640 millones de dólares de déficit de este año, sino también los 263 ya previstos para 2011-12. De aprobarse, los residentes con bienes raíces dentro del área del distrito, a excepción de los mayores de 65 años con bajos ingresos, tendrán que realizar la aportación adicional. "Es un costo equivalente a llevar a la familia al cine", dijo Mónica García, presidenta de la Junta de LAUSD, pidiendo a todos aquellos que puedan hacer este sacrificio económico que voten a favor. Sin embargo, algunos piensan que las cinco medidas de bonos —para proyectos de construcción por valor de 20 mil millones de dólares— que el distrito ha conseguido de los votantes en los últimos 13 años deberían ser suficientes. "Sé que hemos pedido demasiado", dijo el superintendente de LAUSD, Ramón Cortines, señalando que él preferiría no tener que pedir la ayuda de los residentes. Sólo lanzar la medida ha costado tres millones de dólares. El costo de la campaña —por debajo de los 200 mil dólares a este punto— es moderado, si se compara con otras anteriores, pero la falta de difusión de la misma podría amenazar su aprobación para la que hace falta el respaldo de dos tercios de los votantes. El superintendente se comprometió a ofrecer la máxima transparencia sobre el uso de los fondos, si la proposición se aprueba. Los fondos tendrán que ir a parar directamente a los planteles dedicándose a objetivos como elevar el desempeño de los estudiantes, reducir los despidos de maestros, o la limpieza de aulas y baños. Las cantidades se depositarán en una cuenta separada de la que no puede retirarse dinero para gastos administrativos u otros no especificados en la medida. La Asociación de Escuelas Charter de California (CCSA) argumenta que los fondos no beneficiarían a las charter —que también son escuelas públicas— a las que asisten unos 67 mil estudiantes de LAUSD. "Los padres de estos niños son contribuyentes y se verán forzados a pagar el impuesto, pero sus hijos no se beneficiarán de ello", dijo Jed Wallace, presidente y CEO de CCSA. Sin confirmar si las charter quedarán excluidas o no, García, señala que "el dinero es para todos los niños". "Esperamos que el superintendente haga recomendaciones sobre cómo distribuirlo", dijo la presidenta de la Junta de Medida E. Pide un pago adicional de 100 dólares anuales en impuestos de propiedad por los próximos cuatro años LAUSD obtendría unos 370 millones (92.5 anuales Necesita el apoyo de 2/3 de los votantes *A favor: el superintendente de LAUSD, MOMS-UNITE, Project GRAD Los Angeles, y diversas organizaciones comunitarias y educadores *En contra: Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association, residentes que consideran que ya han pagado demasiado al distrito	05/21/2010  -- With "E" of emergency, the Unified School District (LAUSD) is launching the ballot on June 8 a proposal for a temporary rise in property taxes. Measure E  asks voters to provide one hundred U.S. dollars extra per year for the next four years (beginning next July 1). This district would get about $ 370 million in total, or about 92.5 per year, to alleviate its budget woes, which include not only the $ 640 million deficit this year, but the 263 already planned for 2011-12. If approved, residents with real estate within the district area, except for those over 65 years with low incomes, will have to make additional contribution. "It's a cost equivalent to taking the family to the movies," said Monica Garcia, president of the Board of LAUSD, asking everyone who can make this financial sacrifice to vote. However, some think that the five-bond measures for construction projects worth 20 billion dollars, the district has gotten from voters in the last 13 years should be sufficient. "I know I've asked too much," said LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines, saying he'd rather not have to ask for help from residents. Just launch the measure has cost three million dollars. The cost of the campaign, down from $ 200,000 to this point, is moderate compared to previous ones, but the lack of dissemination of it could threaten its approval is needed for the support of two thirds of voters. The superintendent is committed to providing maximum transparency on the use of funds, if the proposition is approved. The funds will have to go directly to the schools to stop engaging in goals as raising student achievement, reduce teacher layoffs, or cleaning classrooms and bathrooms. The amount shall be deposited in a separate account from which money can not be removed for administrative and other expenses not specified in the measure. Charter School Association of California (CCSA) argues that the funds would not benefit the charter-which are also public schools, attended by some 67 thousand students from LAUSD. "Parents of these children are taxpayers will be forced to pay the tax, but their children will not enjoy it," said Jed Wallace, president and CEO of CCSA. Without confirming whether the charter will be excluded or not, Garcia said that "money is for all children." "We expect the superintendent to make recommendations on how to distribute it," said the chairman of the Board of Measure E. Calls an additional payment of $ 100 a year in property taxes for the next four years LAUSD would get about 370 million (92.5 per year Needs the support of two thirds of the voters * For: LAUSD superintendent, MOMS, UNITE, Project GRAD Los Angeles, and various community organizations and educators * Against: Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association, residents feel they already have paid too much to the district

EN DEFENSA DE LA EDUCACIÓN | IN DEFENSE OF EDUCATION

En defensa de la educación: Una coalición demanda a California por el tema del financiamiento de escuelas	In defense of education: A coalition sues California over the issue of school finance
Araceli Martínez Ortega / Corresponsal de La Opinión	Araceli Martínez Ortega / Correspondent of La Opinion | Spanish to English translation: Google Translate
2010-05-21  -- SACRAMENTO— Una coalición de estudiantes, distritos escolares y administradores presentó una histórica demanda contra el estado, en la que alegan que el financiamiento a las escuelas del kínder al grado 12 es "anticonstitucional, inestable e irracional", siendo los niños que están en proceso de aprender inglés los más afectados. En la actualidad, sólo la mitad de los estudiantes en California hablan bien inglés y menos de la mitad son competentes para las matemáticas, dijo Bill Abrahams, uno de los abogados demandantes. En los últimos años, a fin de balancear el presupuesto, el estado ha recortado a las escuelas $17,000 millones. "Desde que comencé mi primer año en la secundaria Alameda, las clases en el verano se suspendieron. Sé que muchos maestros han sido despedidos y programas que debían ayudarme a mí y a mis compañeros han sido cortados. Estamos peleando por mantener nuestras clases de música, arte y deportes", dijo Maya Robles Wong, una de los 60 estudiantes que demandaron al estado. "No soy un experto en educación financiera, pero el problema real es que el estado no apoya las necesidades de mi escuela para enseñarme. Y me he unido a esta demanda para pelear por mi futuro, el futuro de las generaciones de California y nuestro derecho a una buena educación", aseveró. La demanda fue interpuesta en el Tribunal Superior Estatal en el condado de Alameda y busca que las cortes ordenen al estado que pague por el verdadero costo de la educación, con un financiamiento estable y suficiente. "California actualmente no proporciona el sistema de escuelas exigido por la Constitución porque su sistema de financiamiento es completamente irracional y desconectado de los costos y las necesidades de los niños", precisó Deborah Caplan, otra de las abogadas demandantes del despacho Olson Hagel & Fishburn, LLP. De hecho, en 2007 la inversión por estudiante en California ocupaba el lugar 44 en relación con el resto del país. "La mayoría de nuestros estudiantes están aprendiendo inglés, y se necesitan recursos adicionales. Ellos necesitan hacer dos cosas al mismo tiempo: aprender una lengua y las materias", dijo Jane Russo, superintendente del Distrito Escolar de Santa Ana, que tuvo que cortar este año $30 millones de dólares de su presupuesto. "Esto significa servicios para los estudiantes y empleos. Si tuviéramos financiamiento adicional, nuestras clases podrían ser más pequeñas y traer servicios adicionales. Pero nuestra gran preocupación ahora es mantener nuestras escuelas abiertas y ver si vamos a tener los recursos para apoyar a los estudiantes?", detalló Russo. En el Distrito Escolar de Santa Ana hay 54,000 estudiantes, de los cuales 98% son latinos, mientras que 80% tienen almuerzo gratis. El año pasado tuvieron que despedir a 70 maestros. La secretaria de educación, Bonnie Reiss, dijo que el gobernador se opondrá a la demanda y considera que el estado ganará. "El financiamiento a la educación pública en California ha sido y continúa siendo la más alta prioridad de California, aun en tiempos económicos y presupuestarios malos", afirmó. Pero Chuck Weis, presidente de la Asociación de Administradores de California, explicó que la querella es el último recurso al que han recurrido para arreglar el deteriorado sistema financiero de las escuelas. "Estamos pidiendo a los tribunales que obliguen al estado a llenar las expectativas establecidas por la ley en la Constitución", expuso. Carl Barnes, con dos hijos en las escuelas de San Francisco, es uno de los padres demandantes. "La falta de recursos tiene consecuencias reales para nuestros hijos. Muchos de nuestros niños no salen bien en los exámenes del estado. Muchos abandonan la escuela y muchos no tienen las habilidades para ir a la universidad. Peor aún: la falta de recursos impacta mucho más a los niños pobres y a quienes tienen el más bajo rendimiento escolar", manifestó. Aunque el Distrito Escolar Unificado de Los Ángeles no participa directamente en la demanda, de alguna manera es parte, al ser la Junta de Distritos Escolares de California a la que pertenece uno de los querellantes, además de la Asociación de Administradores de Escuelas, la Asociación de Maestros y Estudiantes (PTA), nueve distritos escolares y más de 60 estudiantes. De acuerdo con Bob Wells, director de la Asociación de Administradores de Escuelas, los legisladores han encontrado formas de manipular la Proposición 98 que garantiza un financiamiento básico para las escuelas y que fue aprobada por los votantes hace 20 años. "Quieren que tengamos los mejores resultados con el financiamiento más bajo", enfatizó. En los últimos tres años, debido a los problemas presupuestarios del estado, 16,000 maestros han perdido sus empleos en California, así como 10,000 trabajadores de la educación. Hace un par de meses se enviaron nuevos avisos de despido a casi 22,000 maestros y otros empleados de escuelas, 5,195 de Los Ángeles. En un comunicado, Jack O’Connell, el superintendente de educación pública, dijo que la voluntad política para proteger nuestro futuro está fallando, por lo que la demanda y los tribunales pueden ser el catalizador para cumplir con la obligación para más de seis millones de estudiantes del estado.	21/05/2010 - SACRAMENTO - A coalition of students, school districts and administrators presented a historic lawsuit against the state, in which contend that funding to schools K-12 is "unconstitutional, unstable and irrational" and young children who are learning English being the most affected. Currently, only half of students in California speak English well, less than half are proficient at math, said Bill Abrams, one of the plaintiffs' lawyers. In recent years, in order to balance the budget, the state has cut the schools $ 17,000 million. "Since I started my first year at Alameda High School, classes were suspended in the summer. I know that many teachers have been fired and programs that should help me and my colleagues have been cut. We are fighting to keep our music classes art and sports, "said Maya Robles Wong, one of the 60 students who sued the state. "I'm not an expert in financial education, but the real problem is that the state does not support the needs of my school to teach. And I've joined this lawsuit to fight for my future, the future generations of California and our right a good education, "he said. The lawsuit was filed in State Superior Court in Alameda County and find that the courts ordered the state to pay for the true cost of education, with a stable and adequate funding. "California currently does not provide the school system required by the Constitution because their funding is completely irrational and disconnected from the costs and needs of children," said Deborah Caplan, another plaintiff's attorney's office Olson Hagel & Fishburn, LLP. In fact, in 2007 spending per student in California ranked 44 in relation to the rest of the country. "Most of our students are learning English, and additional resources are needed. They need to do two things at once: learning a language and subjects," said Jane Russo, superintendent of the Santa Ana School District, which had to cut this year $ 30 million dollars from its budget. "This means services for students and jobs. If we had additional funding, our classes would be smaller and bring additional services. But our major concern now is to keep our schools open and see if we have the resources to support students? "explained Russo. School District in Santa Ana is 54.000 students, 98% of whom are Latino, while 80% have free lunch. Last year they had to lay off 70 teachers. The education secretary, Bonnie Reiss, said the governor will oppose the demand and considers the state win. "The public education funding in California has been and remains the highest priority for California, even in bad economic times and budget," he said. But Chuck Weis, president of the Association of Administrators of California, said the lawsuit is a last resort to which they have used to fix the broken financial system schools. "We are asking the courts to compel the state to meet the expectations established by law in the constitution," he explained. Carl Barnes, with two children in the schools of San Francisco, is a parent applicants. "Lack of resources has real consequences for our children. Many of our children do not do well on state tests. Many drop out of school and many do not have the skills to go to college. Worse still, the lack of resources impacts much More poor children and those with the lowest educational achievement, "he said. Although the Unified School District Los Angeles does not participate directly in the application, is somehow part to be the School District Board of California to which he belongs one of the complainants, in addition to the Association of School Administrators, the Association Teacher and Student (PTA), nine school districts and more than 60 students. According to Bob Wells, director of the Association of School Administrators, legislators have found ways to manipulate the Proposition 98, which ensures core funding for schools and which was approved by voters 20 years ago. "They want us to have the best results with the lowest funding," he said. In the last three years due to budgetary problems the state, 16,000 teachers have lost their jobs in California and 10,000 workers in education. A couple of months to be sent new notices of dismissal to nearly 22,000 teachers and other school employees, 5.195 of Los Angeles. In a statement, Jack O'Connell, superintendent of public education, said the political will to protect our future is failing, so the demand and the courts can be the catalyst to meet the requirement for more than six million students statewide.

LAWSUIT AIMS TO OVERHAUL SCHOOL FUNDING SYSTEM, PROVIDE SCHOOLS WITH MORE DOLLARS

by Howard Blume | LA Times

May 21, 2010 -- Education funding must be increased by billions of dollars to meet legal requirements under the California Constitution, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.

The litigation, filed by the California School Boards Assn., nine school districts and students and parents,  arrives as school districts are struggling from successive years of steep budget cuts brought on by a sputtering economy and lawmakers’ reluctance to raise taxes.

But the legal action filed in Alameda County Superior Court isn’t merely about restoring dollars. Instead it seeks a rethinking on the funding levels needed to equitably and successfully educate the state’s children.

“This lawsuit is not about adequacy but about getting the courts to declare the current school finance system unconstitutional,” said Scott Plotkin, executive director of the California School Boards group. “There is no rational connection between the system we have and the support that it’s given.”

But there is a direct link between school funding and the state budget. Dollars for schools are currently protected through voter-approved minimum guarantees. But even that system allows funding to shrink during hard times.

And some officials, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, insist it’s necessary and fair for education to absorb its share of cutbacks.The governor’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit Thursday morning, saying it had not yet been reviewed.

[Updated at 1 p.m.:Schwarzenegger's education secretary Bonnie Reiss issued the following statement in response: "The governor will oppose this lawsuit and believes the state will prevail. The funding of public education in California has long been and continues to be a top priority of California, even in bad economic and budget times. We will continue to fight to keep education a budget priority as well as fight for the other reforms essential to ensuring a great education for all our students regardless of where they live or their race or economic background."

Separately, the California Teachers Assn., the state's largest teachers union, hailed the fling of the lawsuit.]

The suit was filed against the governor and the state of California. Other parties involved are 49 students, parents, the Assn. of California School Administrators and school districts including San Francisco, Riverside and Santa Ana.

Similar suits brought in other states have yielded new revenues for schools. But there’s on ongoing debate about how directly more money translates to improved schools.

Conservatives and libertarians frequently point to the disappointing results of a court-ordered infusion of dollars poured into the schools of Kansas City, Mo.

Plotkin is unswayed by that cautionary tale.

“Just once before I die I would like for us to improve our schools by pouring enough money into our system to bring us back to where we used to be with smaller class sizes, counselors, school nurses and school librarians,” he said. “Just once let’s try it with more money instead of by laying off 40,000 teachers.”

The lawsuit tabulates $17 billion in cuts in recent years to a system that it asserts was already grossly underfunded.

The complaint doesn’t specify exactly how much money would be needed. Nor does it argue for mandatory tax increases, but it does assert that, under the Constitution, schools get a primary claim on dollars that are there, Plotkin said.

He acknowledged that higher taxes could be part of the outcome were state officials to fully fund schools while properly maintaining other services.

Some of California’s most respected researchers released a collection of reports in 2007 that called for a massive increase in funding concurrent with sweeping reforms.

The Quality Education Investment Act, part of an earlier lawsuit settlement, was supposed to supply evidence once and for all that money to create smaller classes and provide more counselors and other services at selected schools would make a difference in California. But the ongoing budget crisis has undermined that experiment by diluting the effect of the extra dollars.

As it stands, the results have been mixed. Some advocates point to success stories, but other schools still struggle. L.A. schools Supt. Ramon C. Cortines last year ordered the complete restructuring of Fremont High, which has received the added dollars.

LAWSUIT CHALLENGES CALIFORNIA ED FUNDING: Various news stories

5/20/2010: Suit Would Overhaul California School Finance System: CA PTA

5/20/2010: Suing for Money for California Schools: NY Times

5/20/2010: Litigation alert on the Educated Guess blog: Educated Guess

5/20/2010: Students, districts sue over school funding: ABC News

5/20/2010: Alameda school district sues state over education funding: Contra Costa Times

5/20/2010: California State PTA joins historic lawsuit over school finance system: CA PTA

5/20/2010: Lawsuit seeks overhaul of state school financing : SF Chronicle

5/20/2010: Schools, PTA sue California over education funding: SJ Mercury New

5/20/2010: Alameda school district joins lawsuit against state : SF Chronicle

5/20/2010: Finally - A school funding lawsuit is filed: SF Chronicle

5/20/2010: California sued over education funding crisis: Washington Post

5/20/2010: Folsom Cordova school district joins lawsuit against state: Modesto Bee

5/20/2010: Lawsuit seeks to overhaul school finance system: KPCC

5/20/2010: Stanford law clinic fights to fix school funding: Stanford News

5/20/2010: Lawsuit challenges state school finance system: Examiner/San Mateo

5/20/2010: Education groups sue state : Ventura County Star

SCHOOL TURNAROUND MODELS DRAW BIPARTISAN CONCERNS

By Alyson Klein | EdWeek  - Vol. 29, Issue 33

21 May 2010 - The Obama administration’s prescription for turning around low-performing schools—particularly the models districts must follow in making those improvements—is raising eyebrows on Capitol Hill, as Congress gears up for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say the four models for intervening in perennially foundering schools spelled out in the U.S. Department of Education’s regulations for the $3.5 billion School Improvement Grant program are inflexible, particularly for schools in isolated, rural areas, and don’t put enough emphasis on factors such as the need for community and parental involvement.

“These four choices are interesting, but they’ve got to be fleshed out here,” said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee at a hearing on the topic May 19. “There’s a portfolio of things you need to bring to this problem.”

“You can choose to say you’re going to turn around a school, you can reconstitute a school, you can close a school,” said Rep. Miller, one of the lawmakers the administration is trying to court in its push to reauthorize the ESEA. “It won’t matter if you don’t have [certain] ingredients in place … [including] collaboration, buy-in from the community, the empowering and the professional development of teachers. If you don’t do these things, and you have to more or less do them together, you’re not going to turn around much of anything.”

Last year, the Education Department unveiled the list of four options states must employ to turn around schools that are perennially struggling to meet the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act, the 2002 version of the ESEA.

Under the regulations, officials can close a school and send students to higher-achieving schools; turn it around by replacing the principal and most of the staff; or “restart” the school by turning it over to a charter- or education-management organization. Under the fourth option, a school could implement a mandatory basket of strategies labeled “transformation,” including extending learning time and revamping instructional programs.

But Rep. Miller cautioned that closing a school and removing its staff should be done as a last resort.

“A fresh start doesn’t mean firing all the teachers and only hiring back an arbitrary number,” he said. “You can find some of the best teachers in the worst-performing schools, but they are stuck in a system that isn’t supporting them.”

And he said “wraparound” services, which typically include health care, prekindergarten, and counseling, need to be part of the mix.

Key Player

Rep. Miller’s critique of the administration’s turnaround strategy is especially significant because it is difficult for critics to accuse him of pandering to the teachers’ unions, who also have concerns about the models, particularly the emphasis on removing staff. The education committee chairman has bucked the unions on a range of issues, including merit pay and the need to link student data with teacher effectiveness.

And he was a champion of many of the education overhaul provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal economic-stimulus program. They include a major boost for pay-for-performance programs and a new fund to scale up promising practices at the district level, which eventually became the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund. He’s also one of the key lawmakers the administration has been counting on to help shepherd its reform agenda through Congress.

The discontent with the models appears to be bipartisan.

“There are a number of concerns, shared by members in both political parties, with the administration’s approach, which represents a more intrusive federal role in education policy that is better left to parents and state and local leaders,” said Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa. during the May 19 hearing. “Of equal concern, these changes to the existing School Improvement Grant program have been imposed on state and school leaders outside of the reauthorization process and without proper congressional oversight.”

In a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee earlier this spring, Sen. Michael B. Enzi of Wyoming, the top Republican on the panel, questioned whether the models would work for rural schools—and asked whether there was sufficient research to back them up.

“I am very concerned that requiring school districts to use one of the four school turnaround models for schools identified for school improvement will adversely impact rural and frontier schools,” Sen. Enzi said. “Some flexibility needs to be given to rural and frontier schools that simply cannot meet these strict federal requirements.”

He said schools in isolated areas have a tough time recruiting principals and teachers, much less finding turnaround partners or charter operators to help with school improvement efforts.

And Sen. Enzi said the “scientific evidence or research for the four interventions proposed for school improvement grants is, at best, sketchy. …. If we are going to mandate interventions from the federal level we need to be clear about why we are mandating such reforms and what evidence we have for our actions. Otherwise I worry that we are not learning from NCLB and are just repeating our mistakes.”

New ‘Framework’ Offered

On the other side of the Capitol, some rank-and-file Democrats echoed such critiques.

Rep. Yvette Clark, D-N.Y. said during the May 19 hearing that her support for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is “wavering,” in part because the models don’t put enough emphasis on parental engagement.

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., went even further.

Flanked by leaders from both national teachers’ unions on May 20, she introduced a “framework” that would largely scrap the models and replace them with what she termed a more flexible and holistic range of options.

Rep. Chu wants to use the reauthorization of ESEA to prod schools to promote flexibility and collaboration (such as beefing up mentoring and induction programs), remove barriers to student success (such as increasing community involvement and support), and “foster” teachers and school leaders (such as increasing the use of support staff like speech therapists and school psychologists).

Lily Eskelsen, the vice president of the 3.2 million National Education Association, held up Ms. Chu’s framework, saying, “I love this paper!”

Randi Weingarten, the president of the 1.4 million American Federation of Teachers, brushed off the notion that Ms. Chu’s approach would offer too much latitude to schools, saying the approaches outlined in the framework have worked in schools throughout the country.

PTA JOINS IN HISTORIC LAWSUIT: California's broken school finance system is unconstitutional

California State PTA informational alert to members

Thursday, 20 May 2010 -- This morning, a historic lawsuit was filed against the state of California declaring that the current education finance system is broken and unconstitutional. As a result, students are being denied the opportunity to master the educational programs the state requires.

Maya Robles-Wong v. the State of California was filed in Alameda by the California State PTA, the California School Boards Association and the Association of California School Administrators. Plaintiffs include nine school districts, as well as individual students and their families. Plaintiff Maya Robles-Wong is a 16-year-old 11th-grader at Alameda High School.

"We must have a school finance system that allows schools to deliver a high-quality education for all children - in good times and in tough times," said Jo A.S. Loss, president of California State PTA.

About the lawsuit

California's constitution requires a school system that prepares students to become informed citizens and productive members of society. The state has set clear requirements for what schools must teach and what students must learn. The state has an obligation to provide the resources necessary to meet the required standards, but the state has failed to do so.

This lawsuit seeks to remedy the broken school finance system by (1) declaring that it is unconstitutional and (2) requiring state lawmakers to uphold their constitutional duty to design and implement a school finance system that provides all students equal access to the required educational program.

The lawsuit declares that the "unsound, unstable and insufficient school finance system is neither aligned with required educational programs nor with student needs."

Filing this lawsuit was a last resort for California State PTA and the other plaintiffs. The Governor and lawmakers have known for some time that the current school finance system is harming students, and they have done nothing to remedy the crisis.

For more information on the lawsuit and to read the complete complaint, please visit www.fixschoolfinance.org.

We recognize the need to keep our membership informed as the case progresses.

Important note

The Board of Directors and Board of Managers weighed this decision to participate in the lawsuit very carefully. The unprecedented step of initiating legal action is necessary given the serious deficiencies of the current school funding system, and the utter lack of meaningful action taken by the Legislature and Governor to address it.

All of the legal representation for California State PTA's involvement in this case will be provided at no cost to our association. A number of prominent law firms and legal experts are involved in the case, some volunteering their time. Absolutely no member dues or any other of our revenues will be spent on legal costs for this case.

Steve Lopez on Measure E: THIS SCHOOLS TAX IS A BARGAIN — For just $8.33 per household a month, voters could save hundreds of L.A. Unified teachers' jobs and help preserve arts education in elementary schools.

by Steve Lopez – Los Angeles Times columnist

May 19, 2010 | Good morning. May I have your attention?

Go ahead, enjoy your caramel macchiato while we chat, or is it an iced cinnamon dolce latte?

I'm not going to kid you, folks. As my colleagues on the editorial board pointed out last week, there are lots of good reasons to vote against Measure E on the June ballot, the temporary $100 annual parcel tax that would raise $92.5 million a year during each of the four years it would be in effect for Los Angeles Unified schools.

For starters, times are tough, and people don't want to dig into their pockets right now, especially since there's no citizen oversight written into the measure. On top of that, the teachers union has stubbornly resisted needed reforms, the district bureaucracy can be awful and the school board is no great shakes, either. So do we really want to send these people more money?

I say yes, and maybe it's because I have something no member of our editorial board has:

A child who attends an L.A. Unified school.

It changes your whole perspective. You know the entrenched problems and challenges in greater detail, but you also know more about the good work done by so many unheralded teachers and administrators. More important, you appreciate that as adults in ivory towers debate the merits of an $8.33 monthly fee per household to help schools devastated by budget cuts, hundreds of thousands of children are waiting on an answer.

At our daughter's school, my wife and others are involved in the constant scramble to raise money so we can save teachers served with layoff notices, or the librarian, or computer science, etc. And as things go in LAUSD, we're among the lucky ones, with our middle-class parental involvement, political clout and financial ability to help fill in some of the gaps.

For the vast majority of students, there's no such voice, and no such luxury.

"It's really about kids and families who many times have no other choice" but the neighborhood public school, said Elise Buik, president of United Way of Los Angeles, which has spent three years organizing parents and demanding more accountability and reform in local schools.

United Way's board, dominated by business leaders, has endorsed Measure E despite some reservations. Given funding cuts, Buik said, and the possibility that class sizes will balloon, the board sees Measure E not as a panacea but as a temporary necessity.

It might help, I told LAUSD Supt. Ray Cortines on Tuesday, if someone — him, perhaps? — stepped up and explained what that $100 a year would pay for. Cortines said he's keeping a low profile and hoping that if the turnout is low, only the most passionate voters will take to the polls and support the schools.

With all due respect, that's preposterous.

Measure E is a long shot as it is, with two-thirds approval required thanks to Proposition 13. So it has to have a passionate, high-profile champion who can celebrate student gains, flog lazy parents who don't take responsibility for their children and shame well-off citizens who carp about a $2-a-week tax that would give legions of impoverished youngsters a boost.

Maybe Cortines figures this thing is a loser, I don't know. There's no question the campaign for E is as strapped as the schools themselves, with only about $100,000 in support so far. Consultant Parke Skelton told me to expect mailers soon in which parents and teachers make the case for Measure E, but that'll be the extent of it.

So what's at stake, exactly?

Cortines told me that if Measure E passes, it will save the jobs of 350 teachers, along with 400 custodians and campus aides. Seventy-five nurses, counselors and psychologists will be spared. High school class sizes, already in the 40s, won't swell any further. And arts programs in the elementary grades could be preserved.

So where's A.J. Duffy of United Teachers Los Angeles, which dragged its feet before finally endorsing Measure E, and why isn't he leading the cheers?

Where's Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has tried to peddle himself as the education mayor?

The most passionate voices I've heard so far are those of the roving LAUSD art teachers who work at a different school each week. Dozens of them have gotten precautionary pink slips and they bristle at the suggestion that music, theater and other art classes are superfluous or expendable, especially in a district where it's the only access many students will ever have to professional arts instruction.

Elaine Burn-Machorro, who teaches theater at seven schools, called me Tuesday from Russell Elementary in the South Los Angeles area, where she was preparing second-graders for a performance of "Charlotte's Web."

"The arts are core curriculum," she said, whether students are exercising their brains to learn music or empathizing with characters as they develop the confidence to recite lines in front of an audience. "We do integration with math, science and social studies. We're not second-class citizens."

Burn-Machorro said she personally lobbied UTLA to support Measure E rather than play politics and point fingers at district leaders.

"My analogy is that you might not like the captain, but do you really want to sink the ship?"

She has a toddler who will one day attend an LAUSD school, Burn-Machorro said, so she's voting yes on E.

"Yes, times are tight, and my husband and I are homeowners. But it's $100 a year. We're talking $8.33 a month, or two lattes, to pay for theater, dance, music, visual arts, nurses, psychologists, counselors, librarians and custodians. Where are you going to find that for $8.33?"

Measure E: THIS TAX GETS A SOLID ‘F’

Long Beach Press-Telegram Editorial | LA Newspaper Group

18 May 2010 -- The voters inside the boundaries of the Los Angeles Unified School District have been generous to schools.

Very generous - billions-of-dollars generous.

In the last 13 years, property owners have taken on $20 billion worth of debt in the form of five bond measures to build schools. The debt comes due twice a year in property tax bills and will continue well into the next two decades.

But that generosity has a limit, and LAUSD may have reached it with the four-year, $100-a-lot parcel tax on the June8 ballot.

School officials make the case that education has taken a huge hit in the economic crisis. No doubt it has, and it will continue to do so before the economy improves. In Los Angeles, which is facing a $640 million shortfall for its $7 billion operating budget next year, summer school has been canceled, the school year shortened and teachers let go. Those were hard but necessary choices that the district made to weather the bad times. But it's no different from the choices that every other other governmental agency, every business and every family has had to make in the last two years during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

Measure E proponents are counting on the past generosity of voters and the inherent sympathy we have for public schools to get the two-thirds of the voters needed. But this parcel tax measure differs in significant ways from the five bond measures that were enthusiastically endorsed by voters.

First, it's a flat fee for every parcel, from a tiny house to an enormous commercial building. The bonds, in contrast, are paid back by homeowners based on the assessed value of their homes.

Second, the building bonds only pay for capital improvements and the building of new or the rebuilding of old, crumbling schools - something that was self-evidently necessary from every corner of the district. The bonds created a one-time funding source for one-time costs.

By comparison, this parcel tax revenue - estimated at $92.5 million per year - will go right into the general fund to support regular school operations.

Besides the fact that we pay taxes - high taxes at that - specifically for the purpose of running schools, funding ongoing costs with temporary revenue is extremely bad policy. One of the reasons that governments in California have been so hard hit by this recession is the failure to plan for inevitable financial downturns. Until recent years, tax revenue went up every year - and long-term spending commitments went up right along with them, despite the built-in volatility of tax revenue.

In a meeting with the editorial board of the Daily News, a sister newspaper of the Press-Telegram, Monica Garcia, president of the LAUSD Board of Education, said the money from the parcel tax would act as a "bridge" to allow the school board and district officials to secure a more stable funding source and avoid drastic cuts. She said they have a plan to wean the district off the parcel tax revenue in four years.

However, the plan outlined by Garcia and other district officials offers little reassurance that the district would be any better off in 2014. The three-point plan relies on 1) fixing structural federal funding problems, 2) fixing structural state funding problems, and 3) unspecified internal savings.

Relying on fiscal sanity or fairness in Washington, D.C., or Sacramento sounds more like fantasy than an actual plan. Worse, relying on this money takes away the urgency that might result in lasting and meaningful financial reforms that could keep the district on an even keel even during future recessions.

We recognize the financial hardships faced by LAUSD. They are reflected in every corner of the city and the state. But district officials make a weak argument to justify another tax.

Vote no on Measure E.

LAUSD OFFICIAL HOPES TO BLOCK MORE LAYOFFS

By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer | LA Daily News

18 May 2010 -- A Los Angeles Unified School district official hopes to block further layoffs at local schools based only on seniority and is expected to introduce plans today that would launch negotiations with labor organization to end the state-mandated and union contract required practice.

The move follows an injunction issued last week that blocked further layoffs at three South Los Angeles middle schools during the 2010-11 school year, this after civil rights groups filed a class-action lawsuit in February against the district and the state of California over job cuts at these campuses. The groups said that the high numbers of less experienced teachers working at these inner-city schools would result in high turn-over that would deprive students at the campuses to their right to an equal education.

LAUSD board member Yolie Flores is expected to introduce a motion at today's school board meeting that would require district officials to launch negotiations with the local teacher's and administrators union to change firing policies in their contracts so that other measures besides seniority can be used to determine which workers must be laid off during budget cuts.

Flores also asks district officials to support legislation proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that seeks to change the state's education laws that mandate end the use of seniority when laying off teachers and administrators and urges LAUSD staff to explore other avenues around the seniority rules that could prevent further disruptions at schools.

While district officials have maintained that they have no control over how they fire teachers, because of union contract rules and state laws, Flores said she feels the time to "change the rules" has come.

"This is not beyond our control, we have to take control," she said.

The school board is not expected to vote or discuss the motion until a board meeting later this month.

MICHELLE KING NAMED LAUSD CHIEF OF STAFF + FREMONT UNIFIED SCHOOL BOARD NAMES DR. JAMES MORRIS NEW SUPERINTENDENT

Michelle King named LAUSD chief of staff

by Wave Staff from LA Independent.com | http://bit.ly/az69NK

 

May 17, 2010 - Michelle King, superintendent of Local District 3 in the Los Angeles Unified School District, has been appointed chief of staff in the district by Superintendent Ramon Cortines.

King will begin her new job July 1.

“A brilliant, innovative and versatile leader, Michelle King never loses sight of our primary mission: Educating children,” Cortines said. “She is a veteran educator who has excelled in every assignment. I look forward to her bringing continuity to the position.”

King began her LAUSD career as a science and health teacher at Porter Middle School in Granada Hills. After serving as the magnet coordinator at Orville Wright Math, Science and Aerospace Magnet Middle School in Westchester, she became principal of Hamilton High School in West L.A.

She also has served as the head of Student Health and Human Services, and served as interim chief instructional officer for secondary education. In her current position, she oversees 114 schools with an enrollment of 85,000 students in a geographic region that stretches from West Los Angeles to the Mid-City area.

“During my third year of college, while a biology major at UCLA, I decided to become a teacher,” King said. “In the classroom, I loved seeing the inquisitiveness in the eyes of my students, their energy and their excitement to learn new things.

“My very favorite subject to teach was marine science. The students loved it. We had an opportunity to explore all the wonders of the ocean, to discover tidal pools, to go whale-watching and to learn about marine animals.”

King is a product of the LAUSD. She attended Windsor Hills Elementary School, Palms Junior High School and Palisades High School.

“I had great teachers who provided great learning experiences,” she said. “I got a great education in [the district]. I was well prepared for college and did well at one of the top universities in the nation,” she said. “I have sent my three children to schools in this district. I believe we do a good job in LAUSD, a great job.”

King said she misses teaching, her first passion.
“I miss children. I love children of all ages,” she said. “When I am not in a classroom or in schools in general, I miss the energy of students and being connected to them. When you are connected to students, your purpose is ever present in front of you at all times.”

In her new capacity, King will serve as a top advisor to Cortines and help implement district initiatives and policy. She will succeed James Morris, who is leaving the district.

 

Fremont Unified School Board names Dr. James Morris new superintendent

Fremont USD Press Release

Fremont, CA - May 7, 2010 - Meeting in a special public session this afternoon, the Fremont Unified Board of Education officially appointed Dr. James Morris to be its new superintendent as of July 1, 2010. Dr. Morris, 51, will succeed Dr. Milt Werner, who announced his June 30, 2010 retirement last Fall.

“The Board is delighted that Jim Morris has accepted our offer to lead our already high-performing school district to even higher levels of academic achievement and equity of educational opportunity for each of our students,” declared Lara York, President of the Board of Trustees.

The vote was unanimous to appoint Dr. Morris and approve his contract as superintendent.

In an open process, the School Board decided last November to search nationally for the best candidates to lead the school district and hired a national consultant to assist in this endeavor. In January, more than 200 individuals participated in the development of the Fremont Unified Leadership Characteristic Profile. The Board used this leadership profile as the yardstick to evaluate its candidates at each step of the selection process.

“We had an excellent pool of candidates from throughout the state of California, the United States and Canada. The Board is confident that Dr. Morris, with his combination of experience, intellect and vision is the right fit for our community. Dr. Morris will work with us to take our district to even higher levels of success with his expertise in not only the classroom, but also in all operations of a large school district,” Lara York stated.

“I am honored by the opportunity to work with the Board of Education and an exceptional group of parents and educators who share my passion for excellence in education,” said Dr. Morris. “I look forward to building upon the successes established by my predecessor, Dr. Werner and working with students, parents, teachers, classified employees, and administrators as we continue to strive for high levels of achievement for all students.” Trustees Ivy Wu and Lara York met with parents, teachers and staff in Los Angeles Unified School District who have worked with Dr. Morris between two and a half and thirty years. The great respect for Dr. Morris’ work, commitment to excellence and personal ethics was clear in every conversation. Some of the many words heard to describe Dr. Morris over and over are: “icon,” “great listener,” “goes beyond the call of duty,” “smart,” “works incredibly well with people,” “integrity,” “dedicated,” “#1 concern is for students,” “approachable,” “fair”, “role model”, “truthful”, “patient.”

Dr. James Morris currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) where he has worked for almost thirty years. His duties as Chief Operating Officer include managing the offices of the Information Technology, Crisis Counseling and Intervention Services, School Police, Human Resources, Environmental Health and Safety, the Transportation Branch, Food Services, the Procurement Services Group, Risk Management and Insurance Services, and all school operations. In this role, he supervises approximately 15,000 employees of the District ranging from part-time workers to executive-level positions.

His prior assignments include serving as Chief of Staff for three Superintendents over five years and serving as Local District Superintendent for District 2 in LAUSD supervising 100 schools and over 100,000 students and families in the east and northeast San Fernando Valley. James Morris began his career in LAUSD in 1981 and has worked as a teacher, an assistant principal, and a principal in south and East Los Angeles as well as the San Fernando Valley.

He also worked for several years as the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and was instrumental in implementing some of the Districts successful instructional reform initiatives. His undergraduate work was completed at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He earned a Master’s degree in Educational Administration at California State University Los Angeles and a Doctor of Education degree at University of California Los Angeles.

Dr. Morris and his family look forward to moving to Fremont and becoming an integral part of the Fremont community.

Fremont Unified School District is comprised of 42 schools including 29 elementary, 5 junior high, 6 high schools, an adult school, and the Mission Valley ROP. We serve over 31,000 students, over 8,000 adult students and have 3,000 classified and certificated staff. Our mission is to provide equitable opportunities that educate, challenge, and inspire students of all ages, talents, and ability levels while preparing each with the skills required to adapt and succeed in an ever-changing world. For more information visit us on the web at www.fremont.k12.ca.us.

Update: HIGH SCHOOL #9 ACCREDITATION

• Re: LAUSD school in jeopardy of not being accredited by Connie Llanos, Staff Writer, Daily News
• Naush Boghossian: VALUABLE LESSON FROM THE TALE OF TWO PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOLS + smf’s response
• ...and endless reverberations in the blogosphere like this.

4LAKids reports

You read it in the Daily News, echoed by paid spokespeople from the charter community: High School #9 - The High School for the Fine and Performing Arts was in danger of not being accredited!

This was never exactly true - or even close enough for horseshoes. But the Daily News and the charter community didn't let the facts get in their way and they reported what they reported.

OMG! the bloggers shouted: High School #9 is a madrassa of the Axis of Evil!

4LAKids reports here that the The Accrediting Commission for Schools of The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), the regional association that accredits all public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the Western United States has visited the school and awarded full accreditation to High School #9 - "with flying colors."

It is reported that the WASC accreditation committee expressed delight at how together the schools application and program were …and expressed dismay that they had been called back to revisit. The school was never in any danger of having accreditation withdrawn or not awarded.

4LAKids suspects that there was more than a little of the Old School Politics in play here at the New School for the Arts - both internal and external - and looks forward to the Daily News and charter communities breathless reporting of this good news. We are, however, not holding our breath,

Congratulations to Principal Suzanne Blake and her staff and most of all: the HS#9 Student Body.

¡Good job+Onward/Hasta adelante!

Letters: THE SEARCH FOR GIFTED STUDENTS IN L.A + EDUCATION IS A CALLING

Letters to the LA Times

May 15, 2010:  Too good to ignore

Re "L.A. schools seek — and find — gifted students," May 9

How many times must we learn that if the bar is set high, students will strive to reach it?

The late Jaime Escalante showed this country that students from East L.A. could pass the AP math exam. Yet we still let minority students in the poor areas of L.A. go unchallenged.

When students are bored, they will find something to do, and it usually involves trouble of some kind. Challenge them, and students will exceed our expectations.

Thank goodness for Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, which is beginning to seek out gifted students in a group of historically low-performing schools. We need to challenge all students to achieve their potential.

Suzanne Brugman

Whittier

As a former gifted-program coordinator at my elementary school, I disagree with the underlying notion of the article: that LAUSD has not sought out more gifted students in poor schools because of racism and classism.

There are other influences that maintain the status quo. First, the process that LAUSD goes by to "flag out" gifted students is antiquated and inefficient. The time required to maintain this process lowers it as a priority at any school.

Another reason that lower socioeconomic-area schools do not participate in the process is that they receive federal Title I money, which surpasses any amount the district appropriates for gifted programs. These schools are far less motivated to find alternative avenues of funding.

As a teacher, I believe that all children have the potential to succeed. Attention to "enhanced" learning opportunities should begin and continue at home. Libraries, museums, nature walks and plain old serious discussion are freely available to all. The major difference in the higher socioeconomic-area schools is parent advocacy. Let's remember: The best things in life are free.

Margaret Cruz

Van Nuys

Gifted students are special-needs students, yet the state sends schools just $25 apiece for gifted programs?

I am a teacher at a middle school in the Fontana Unified District that has a gifted and talented magnet program. These students flourish in classes with their peers, and they need teachers with special certification to teach them.

The occasional "field trip" or a few pull-out activities do not meet the needs of these students. Education of special-needs students, including gifted students, needs to be more equitable.

Diane Bettge

Alta Loma

Education is a calling

Re "A better way to build a teacher," Opinion, May 10

The title of Jonathan Zimmerman's Op-Ed uses the right phrase — "build a teacher" — but one has to build onsite, not at the lumberyard, and even a craftsman needs high-quality supplies.

After retiring from 25 years as a high school teacher and 21 years as a U.S. Air Force officer, I wonder whether skilled "teaching" (not test preparing), like effective "leadership" (not management), is learned or innate.

It certainly is not simply another academic course. The key elements are: a love of children and a calling to teach them; a love of learning and a passion to share it; real character and a commitment to follow it.

Beyond that, all that's required is an environment that encourages rather than stifles. A master's degree in "education" is irrelevant.

Gary Tompkins

Lake Arrowhead

If we are to improve the quality of K-12 education across this country, our focus needs to be on effective teaching, not on alternative teacher certification, as Zimmerman suggests.

We are fighting to ensure that effective teacher preparation programs are part of a national commitment to school improvement. Unfortunately, while we talk about quality, the U.S. Department of Education is cutting funding for its Teacher Quality Partnership grants, a program that does exactly what Zimmerman calls for.

If our goal is to provide "high-quality pathways for aspiring teachers," as Education Secretary Arne Duncan says, we cannot turn our backs on our teachers colleges. We don't institute lasting school improvement by tinkering around the edges. Our nearly 800 members are committed to long-term progress.

Sharon Robinson

Washington

The writer is president of the American Assn. of Colleges for Teacher Education.

Senate Bill 1381: KINDERGARTEN ELIGIBILITY DATE IS KEY TO BRIGHTER ACADEMIC PICTURE

SB 1381 would phase in a Sept. 1 cutoff date. It would improve student performance and save more than $9 billion over 15 years, some of which would fund preschool for low-income students.

LA Times Editorial

SB 1381: The actual bill

●●smf: I will write at length and at nauseum on this subject - but here are some things to think about while you wait. The intent of this legislation is not a "brighter academic picture", it is to "save money". This is disinvesting in the future of our children and calling it "savings". Kindergarten in California is not a mandatory program, it is optional. I am not advocating eliminating it, I am saying K should be mandatory. The subject is K-12 Education! Further: Quality public preschool on the HeadStart or First5 model should be universally offered - available to everyone who wants it.. To fund such programs with ½ of the savings from cutting Kindergarten programs is the zenith (or nadir) of cynicism. (The Gov's May Revise Budget hammers state preschool!) All kids are not magically ready for K on their fifth birthday - or on the Dec 2 or Sept 1 immediately thereafter. Most parents are the best judges of their kids' readiness. The sugar pill offering to allow parents to appeal for early entry leaves the choice with the school district – school districts (like the legislature) are inclined to act in their own - not the student's- best interest.

May 17, 2010 -- For better or worse, kindergarten has replaced the cookies, milk and naptime of old with reading lessons and numbers worksheets. It's hard enough for a 5-year-old to negotiate; teachers complain that those younger than 5 are especially likely to fall behind. That's why most states have changed their laws, requiring children to have turned 5 close to the start of the school year in order to enter kindergarten. California is one of a dozen that haven't; here, the cutoff date is Dec. 2.

A bill by state Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) would do more than remedy the situation. By phasing in a Sept. 1 cutoff date, it would save California more than $9 billion over 15 years — an average of nearly $700 million annually during the years when it would be fully implemented. And it would put half the savings into preschool for low-income students who are too young for kindergarten, which would make them all the more prepared for a successful public school career starting with that first year in the big K.

Simitian's bill goes about this shift cannily. If the state suddenly changed the cutoff date to Sept. 1, kindergarten enrollment would plummet that one year by a fourth, or about 100,000 students. Although that would save money for the state, school districts would be pushed into immediate financial crisis by the sudden loss of the state attendance money for each student, and the state preschool system would be unable to gear up for the increased enrollment. Instead, Senate Bill 1381 would phase in the new cutoff dates, one month at a time over three years, lowering enrollment for each year's entering class by about 33,000. The savings would end in 15 years, once those smaller classes graduated.

Some 4-year-olds are ready for the new academic rigors of kindergarten, and Simitian's bill would permit parents to appeal to their local districts to enroll them. It also uses state resources more efficiently because state preschool is about half as expensive per student as kindergarten.

Who could possibly object to a bill that improves student performance, expands needed preschool programs and saves the state hundreds of millions a year for more than a decade? The powerful California Teachers Assn. opposes SB 1381, saying that the state would be making budget cuts "on the backs of children." That's not true. Students would be better off; it's the teachers union that would be worse off, because having fewer students enrolled over the 15 years would mean that fewer teachers would be needed. Although this is a legitimate concern for unions, it's a weak reason to keep a fiscally and educationally sound bill from becoming law.

Lawmakers could plow some of that money back into the schools, they could increase funding for public colleges and universities, or they could use it to plug a few holes in the deficit. But they should be given the flexibility to use that extra money as needed over the years. SB 1381 is a smart and thoughtfully designed bill that deserves swift passage.

Reversal: UNION, RI SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT FIRED ALL TEACHERS REACHES DEAL TO RETURN STAFFERS TO JOBS

Eric Tucker Associated Press Writer from latimes.com

5:32 AM PDT, May 17, 2010 CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (AP) — A school district that gained the support of President Barack Obama for promoting accountability after it fired all its teachers from a struggling school announced on Sunday it had reached an agreement with the union to return the current staffers to their jobs.

The two sides said a transformation plan for Central Falls High School for the coming school year would allow the roughly 87 teachers, guidance counselors, librarians and other staffers who were to lose their jobs at the end of this year to return without having to reapply. More than 700 people had already applied for the positions.

The agreement calls for a longer school day, more after-school tutoring and other changes.

"What this means is that they have come to an agreement about a reform effort and that will change the quality" of the education program at Central Falls, said Rhode Island Education Commissioner Deborah Gist, who applauded both sides for working together.

The board of trustees overseeing the school system in Central Falls, one of the poorest communities in the state, voted in February to fire the staff of one of the state's worst-performing schools. The school was under a mandate from the state to make improvements, and it opted for the mass firings after a breakdown in talks with teachers about other reforms that would have required more work, some without extra pay.

Obama, during a national address on education in March, said the firings were an example of the need for accountability over student performance.

"So if a school is struggling, we have to work with the principal and the teachers to find a solution," Obama said. "We've got to give them a chance to make meaningful improvements. But if a school continues to fail its students year after year after year, if it doesn't show any sign of improvement, then there's got to be a sense of accountability."

He continued: "And that's what happened in Rhode Island last week at a chronically troubled school, when just 7 percent of 11th-graders passed state math tests — 7 percent."

Details of the agreement were to be released following a ratification vote by Central Falls teachers at a meeting Monday. The union and district had been working with a mediator since March.

"Both the school district and the union agree that while this has been a difficult process for everyone involved, the negotiations resulted in a newfound appreciation for shared responsibility, and a solid commitment to bring lasting solutions that will improve teaching and learning at Central Falls High School," said a joint statement from the union and the district.

Under the deal, teachers will need to recommit to their jobs and interview with the new principal. Other changes aimed at increasing student achievement include: a new evaluation system designed to inform teaching and learning, and targeted and embedded professional development.

Central Falls Superintendent Fran Gallo said she was pleased to be welcoming the staff back. She said that among the changes would be the reassignment of the high school principal and assistant principal to the middle school.

Central Falls Teachers Union President Jane Sessums said there had always been agreement that the sides wanted what was best for the students and that significant changes were needed.

"Working together, we and the district have arrived at a solid, forward-looking agreement that provides supports for our students and the tools our teachers need to help them succeed," Sessums said.

Senior Valerie Florez, who is set to graduate next month, said rehiring the teachers was a good idea.

"It's not the teachers' fault that students don't want to learn," she said.

Florez said she used to be one of those students who didn't want to learn, skipping class and failing to do assignments, but her teachers helped her turn around.

Jonathan Beltran, a 19-year-old freshman at Roger Williams University who graduated Central Falls High School last year, had helped organize rallies and protests in support of the teachers. Beltran, who hopes one day to return to Central Falls as a math teacher, said he was happy about the agreement.

"I love the teachers at Central Falls," he said. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. I want to work side by side with them."

Antony Restrepo, who has two stepdaughters at the school, said he wanted to see improvements if all the teachers are to be rehired. But he said he wasn't sure that the problems were entirely the staff's fault.

"They just want to be in the streets," he said of some students.

- Associated Press writer Stephen Singer in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.