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Until June

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

I’m now beginning the last semester for my Master’s degree. It’s been a long haul to take classes, work on a thesis based on a need of my current students, and teach fourth grade full time.

public elementary school in the bay area

public elementary school in the bay area

Last week I watched the State of the Union message and was caught by the section that school districts should be helping students so they don’t drop out and instead graduate from high school. I had a hard time, thinking about my school district that was not in the least concerned when I didn’t finish high school as long as I had already completed the basic courses I needed. The district just took me off their records. I wasn’t counted as a “dropout.” I took Adult Ed classes to finish. It was only my family that forced them to let me be part of the graduation exercises.

My students this year are strong and willing to pursue their education. Let’s see what happens when they get to high school. Are they like me who went on to community college, then a four year college, and am now finishing a Master’s degree- in spite of the fact that I hated high school? Or are the high schools changing? Right now, I’m doing my best to make what is on the state standards relevant and interesting to fourth graders.

Then I saw an article in Tuesday’s New York Times that told about exaggerating SAT scores at one well-regarded private college to improve its ratings in the US News annual College Bound manual. Am I supposed to resolve this latest revelation?

Stop worrying about me, the teacher.

Start worrying about the money needed to run the institution of public education. Worry about those kids who aren’t upper or middle class and whose parents are just glad they are going to school much less their SAT score since the parents did not have any education. It’s going to take a long time to change their status.

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Look Ahead

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

The education world is looking for fiscal help. If you listened to the State of the Union speech last night, Tuesday, January 24, 2012, you have heard that the way to make your state strong is to invest in education. You even saw some people who actually have done better by going back to school to improve vocational and academic skills. A 2010 report titled College Bound: Strategies for Access and Success for Low-Income Students published by the University of Southern California is the latest to cross this blog’s desk. Everyone is thinking.

high school in the Los Angeles area

high school in the Los Angeles area

Not only is California at the cliff’s edge, all states are looking into the abyss. Few states are not “at risk” and even those lucky states must address reinvestment in young and old adults. Find ways to stick it out in school or renew skills.

This blog has talked about dropping out and graduation from high school, another issue of the day for all states. In California, the main issue revolves around the money available to the state government. Tax initiatives are being put forward for the November 2012 ballot.

Do any of the following bring to mind the fiscal issue in your state? It is said that California leads the nation in legislation that takes effect.

A worry, according to Rachel Norton of the San Francisco School Board, California “voters’ clear desire for a solution” will dissolve when asked to choose among the many initiatives gaining prominence.

As has been noted in this blog, California’s Governor Jerry Brown has gained enough signatures for his initiative to be on the ballot. As is being fought in the federal government, it will increase temporarily taxes for the wealthy by 2%, increase temporarily sales tax by ½ cent, and guarantee that $7 billion is spent on education. Today, January 25, 2012, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) has noted in its latest poll taken in January 2012 that 68% of likely voters of all stripes will vote “yes” to the governor’s proposal.

Another tax initiative by the Think Long Committee, detailed in this blog as the Think Long Blueprint, is set to improve the state’s finances, not just the schools. Read the details of the committee on the internet.

Another event associated with Next California and California Forward under James Fishkin from Stanford University has shown the lack of knowledge in California. After a turn in Torrance, California, the nearly 500 participants came to the following conclusions which leads this blog to the following questions. How can voters defeat tax proposals in one poll and 68% approve in another? How can outrage with the initiative process be turned around and accepted as is in a poll? How can participants still think that a good part of government is wasteful when schools, which all voters love, are about to lose $4.8 billion if the favored tax bill doesn’t pass?

Another proposition not explained on this blog has not yet been approved. It is the state Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and the civil rights group called The Advancement Project initiative “Our children, Our Future” that asks for $10 billion in new revenue, all of which is for Pre-K to 12. Remember Prop 98? Similar. What is included to make this tax more viable is the phrase for re-approval after twelve years.

Other initiatives not yet approved call for a tax on oil and gas extraction and a “split roll” tax. A split roll affects Prop 13 and makes corporations pay a different property tax rate than home properties.

Will you read your ballot pamphlet? Will you use your money on schools (public, private, charter) or will you turn away?

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Equal Funds

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was still an influence, the schools in California were analyzed for equalization of funding. That is to say, how can students in large public school districts in impoverished areas compete with a small district in a rich community where the property taxes benefitted wholesome, wealthy public schools?

The answer by the mid 1970’s was to equalize the funds that a school district gets. At that time, the state was not only thinking of poor black students like on the east coast, but of the rising demographic of poor Hispanic students and a multitude of other children who spoke many languages, but not standard American California English.

Sounds good but led to Proposition 13 which, in this blogger’s opinion, has done no good for schools even thirty-five years later. Much to the regular guy’s surprise, the state took over the schools. There had been plenty of warnings: while property taxes were a problem, only 35 years later are the actual details of the proposition being looked at and the rules coming to light.

Now in spite of the proposition’s faults, which will take forever to be ironed out in our legislature, the governor must, to balance the budget, either have the great state of California raise taxes or defund the schools next year (2012-2013) by 6 percent. And school districts, much less the regular guy, won’t know until votes are counted in November 2012.

Two adjustments are certain.

First, if the tax initiatives don’t pass-and there are several-and if 6 percent of funds must be cut, that will mean teachers will be gone. In anticipation, pink slips galore will appear March 15, 2012. It’s anyone’s guess if one of the many tax measures passes in November 2012, but school districts will have to rehire teachers and reallocate students to classrooms three months after the new school year has begun.

Second, transitional kindergarten, a program for all the children who are not five years old by September 1, 2012, will not begin. This model has been organized for three years to start this year after the legislature changed the school age law.

These two education changes, which do not lead to any happy outcome, are the tip of the school district’s  iceberg. Let’s hope the state Department of Education can do its part to urge the legislature to balance the state budget without failing students.

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Cutting budgets

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

School districts in Colorado are again cutting budgets.  Jefferson County Schools, the largest district, will cut somewhere between $35 million this new part of the school year and $15 million for 2012-13.  The District has already cut about $70 million over the previous two years.  The operating budget that ran at $650 million in 2008-2009 is now down to about $580 million and dropping.

The District has engaged in a proactive process in its budget work.  The County Financial Officer (CFO) consistently uses conservative numbers to calculate budgetary possibilities.  That tack helped the District build a large surplus in the mid 2000’s that has buffered some cuts.  Even so, the drop in tax dollars has been relentless, and reserves are tapped.

The District developed a “Budget Academy,” a six week program that covered all aspects of its budget.  Over 100 people participated, patiently listening to reports from district personnel on facilities, transportation, athletics, instruction, technology, compensation, health benefits, and pensions.

These people then became involved in Budget Work Groups that focused on sections of the budget, scouring departments and school budgets for any excess flesh.  District personnel took the first whacks, reviewed the whacks with citizens, and tried to mitigate cuts for classrooms.

Citizens and employees completed an online survey asking where cuts should occur.  The cry went out, “Get rid of administrators.”  One person suggested getting rid of buildings as well, saying a tent, children, teacher, and blackboard are enough.  Suggestions included expanding transportation walking distances another half mile (up hill both ways), increasing fees for athletics and other after school activities, trimming librarians and school counselors, and getting rid of music and arts in elementary school.  Long ago the district eliminated after school athletics for middle school.

What the District hasn’t done yet is decide where it needs to hold the line.  It hasn’t made triage decisions.  So, if the District decides it must get all third graders reading at grade level, how can it fund that decision?  Or if the district needs to put money into middle school to keep those kids on track, how can it fund that need?

The District hasn’t explored whether it’s possible to reduce costs and increase teacher income by asking some teachers to take on more students, pay for the extra work, but save money by reducing the staffing.

The harsh recession continues to take its toll.  We may not know the full impact for 12 years when today’s kindergartners are seniors.  If drop out levels are high in 2024, and lots of graduates need remediation in college, we can look back to their early years and know that the recession of 2008-2012 wreaked havoc on our ability to deliver the excellence kids deserve no matter what year they’re born.

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Money Rolls In

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

In spite of comments about the Obama administration from the right and the left, one of the big coups that has just landed in California comes from a United States Department of Education’s Race to the Top grant. Anyone in the education world is happy to grab money for young kids to provide readiness before they start kindergarten. Finally, the state has written a grant that has been approved. Would anyone raise his or her hand to vote to give the funds back? The GOP has tried time after time to snuff out funds for early childhood education.

So, the Obama administration hasn’t shown leadership-when?

Here is a list from Elaine who commented on David Brooks and Gail Collins post on the Opinionator, December 14, 2011.

President Obama’s successes:
-End the Iraq War.

-Health care reform-this will change the way Americans can access health insurance . It will make health insurance affordable for everyone. Who in their right mind can argue the benefits?

-Brought down Osama bin Laden. This is a big deal.

-A great deal of financial intervention, aside from stimulus, during a time when the economy was poised to go over a cliff.

-Recognized the problem with unemployment and the reasons behind the problem-meaning recognizing the real reasons unemployment stays high. Corporations are holding back, not hiring, and also taking this opportunity to practice age and other discrimination.

Also one might add, help to orchestrate the demise of Muammar el-Qaddifi.

Stimulus funds, though not enough and fought over since they were voted for, helped California fix Interstate 5 after trucks had destroyed the right lane. Have you seen the ARRA signs around?

The repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

The resuscitation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (NCLB) that was about to go another year without revision. The administration finally suggested “waivers” and offered them to states.

The California Early Learning Challenge grant of $52.6 million squeezed out of Race to the Top monies given to eight other east coast states is for a specific program that will primarily fund local Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) being developed by Regional Leadership Consortia - voluntary groups of local First 5 commissions, county offices of education, and county governments. These Consortia will work with licensed child care programs, school districts, and child care partners.

Although the current Congress has a perverted way of counting every penny, one of the ways that the administration has led the nation is by looking out for young children. All those, including teachers, who need to criticize, must keep their students in mind.

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