Daily Headlines for March 21, 2013
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More States Consider ‘Parent Trigger’ Laws
Education Week, March 21, 2013
The push for the “parent trigger” option for turning around struggling schools continues, with new laws under consideration in 12 states’ legislative sessions, even as such laws already on the books remain unused in all but one of the seven states that have them.
FROM THE STATES
ALABAMA
Superintendent On School Choice/Tax Credits Bill
Times-Journal, AL, March 20, 2013
Gov. Robert Bentley may have signed the Alabama Accountability Act into law March 14, but local school officials continue to speak out against it.
ALASKA
Lawmakers Should Be Wary Of School Vouchers
Anchorage Daily News, AK, March 20, 2013
As state lawmakers face the reality of declining oil revenues and calls from Alaska’s leading economist to spend billions less, one issue under consideration that should be given extensive public vetting is the proposal to fund private and religious schools.
ARKANSAS
Arkansas Lawmakers Debate School Transfer Changes
Little River News, AR, March 20, 2013
Removing race as the main factor in deciding whether a student can transfer to another school district in Arkansas would give parents more control on educational choices for their children, one lawmaker said last Wednesday, but opponents warned the idea could lead to segregation.
CALIFORNIA
Oakland To Close 3 Charter Schools
San Francisco Chronicle, CA, March 20, 2013
Three of the state’s highest-performing schools must shut down at the end of this school year after administrators failed to acknowledge and address illegal activity and serious lapses in financial and administrative oversight, the Oakland school board decided Wednesday night.
Incubator School in L.A. Sparks Discord Over Location, Teachers
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 20, 2013
The pilot middle school, which is slated to open next year but lacks a site, will teach students how to launch a business in addition to academics.
COLORADO
A Better Way To Fund Student Success.
Denver Post, CO, March 21, 2013
Over the last few years, Colorado has established itself as a national leader for education reform based on the transformational policies that have been adopted and implemented.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
A Bitter Lesson From ‘The Best And The Brightest’
Washington Times, DC, March 20, 2013
The Boston School Committee announced last week that it will finally end almost 40 years of forced busing — long after the policy effectively wrecked local schools.
FLORIDA
Athenian Academy Charter School Sparring Over Number Of Seats In Lottery
Tampa Bay Times, FL, March 20, 2013
The Athenian Academy charter school has a 108-student problem as it prepares for its open enrollment lottery this evening.
Struggling Milestones Charter School In Leesburg Works To Improve Grade
Orlando Sentinel, FL, March 21, 2013
Milestones Community Charter School has replaced teachers, lengthened the school day and trying to clean up recordkeeping woes
Parent Trigger Bill: A Trojan Horse of Corporate Charter Schools
Flagler Live, FL, March 20, 2013
First it was called the parent trigger bill but when that became a negative connotation, it was rebranded the ”parent empowerment act.” Whew, that’s much better.
Bucking Scott’s Plan, Senate Proposes Merit-Based Raises For Teachers
Bradenton Herald, FL, March 21, 2013
Less than three weeks into the legislative session, Gov. Rick Scott’s signature proposal to give across-the-board pay raises to teachers appears to be in serious trouble.
IDAHO
Senate Amends Charter School Bill
Idaho State Journal, ID, March 21, 2013
Nonprofit corporations would no longer be able to start charter schools, according to changes senators made to a bill that’s part of a package of reforms working its way through the Legislature.
House Passes Private School Tuition Tax Credit Legislation
Idaho Reporter, ID, March 20, 2013
The Idaho House Wednesday narrowly passed legislation that would extend tax credits to Idahoans who make donations to state-sanctioned “scholarship granting organizations.” The scholarships would in turn be granted to eligible children to enable them to attend private schools within the state, and the donors would receive a dollar-for-dollar credit against their annual state income tax bill.
ILLINOIS
CPS To Announce School Closings; Foes Say They Will Target Minorities
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 21, 2013
After months of hearings and debate, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration is ready to announce plans to close about 50 elementary schools, sources said, a number that quickly drew fire from aldermen and community leaders in the mostly African-American neighborhoods that will be hardest hit.
INDIANA
State Shouldn’t Blindly Accept Common Core
Courier & Press, IN, March 21, 2013
When right and left wing activists find themselves in agreement , it’s worth probing why. Such is the case with the Common Core academic standards being implemented in Indiana and 45 other states. Conservatives and progressives alike see problems with them.
Indianapolis Soon To See New Charter Schools
Indianapolis Star, IN, March 21, 2013
The Mind Trust’s charter school incubator will announce today that it has selected two new national groups to receive $1 million in aid to open new charter schools in Indianapolis.
Legislators Hear Hours Of Testimony On Expanding Indiana’s School Voucher Program
Courier & Press, IN, March 20, 2013
The state Senate Education Committee heard hours of testimony Wednesday on a bill to expand Indiana’s school voucher program.
KANSAS
Funding Questions Postpone Charter School Vote
Topeka Capital-Journal, KS, March 20, 2013
A vote on the charter schools bill was postponed another day Wednesday by opponents who continued their barrage of questions about how the measure would work.
LOUISIANA
Schools To Lose $422,000 To Charter School Funding
The Daily News, LA, March 20, 2013
The Bogalusa School Board learned Monday the district’s state funding will be decreased by nearly a half million dollars, with that money going to the Northshore Charter School.
MICHIGAN
New Charter Schools Find Niches
Detroit News, MI, March 21, 2013
At a school in Farmington Hills, kindergarteners spend the first half of their day learning core curriculum disciplines: Math, social studies, science. But each afternoon, they split up into two groups — those learning Mandarin Chinese and those learning Spanish. They then spend three hours immersed in either language.
Lansing Schools Comes Through For Charter
Lansing State Journal, MI, March 21, 2013
Competition between charter schools and traditional public schools isn’t as cutthroat as, say, Toyota vs. General Motors.
MINNESOTA
Lessons Of Teacher Bonus Program A Chance To Learn
Pioneer Press, MN, March 20, 2013
Did Minnesota get the results it wanted from the “Quality Compensation,” or Q-Comp, pay-for- performance system for teachers?
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Derry Charter High School Will Focus On Flexibility
Union Leader, NH, March 21, 2013
When the Next Charter High School opens in September, the school’s co-directors are counting on the key to its success being its flexibility; both flexibility of space and flexibility in what it can offer its students.
NEW JERSEY
Choice-School Transfer Rule A Winner
Daily Record, NJ, March 21, 2013
Sometimes the political process works efficiently — even in New Jersey. The state’s Choice School Program Act, which went into effect in 2010, allows students to transfer to a state-approved school within 20 miles of their home district, at no cost to parents.
NORTH CAROLINA
Berger’s Plan Is Unfairly Tough On Teachers
News & Observer, NC, March 20, 2013
One wonders whether a teacher once put state Sen. Phil Berger in the corner in first grade, causing him to say to himself: “One day I’ll be president pro-tem of the state Senate and I’ll pay ’em all back.”
Education Advocate: N.C. On The Wrong Path
News & Observer, NC, March 20, 2013
North Carolina is heading down a destructive path for its public schools, according to education author, researcher and advocate Diane Ravitch.
OHIO
Superintendent Hathorn Wants To Meet With Charter School Parents
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, March 21, 2013
City schools Superintendent Connie Hathorn wants to meet with parents of students attending charter schools to tout what the city district has to offer.
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma State Schools Superintendent Janet Barresi Asks For More Time For Teacher Evaluation
The Oklahoman, OK, March 21, 2013
The state schools superintendent is asking lawmakers for extra time to implement a new teacher evaluation system.
PENNSYLVANIA
Ambler Parents Assail School District Over Redrawing Elementary School Boundaries
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 21, 2013
Ambler parents are again facing off against the Wissahickon School District, accusing officials of racism and classism in redrawing elementary school boundaries.
A Charter Denied
Intelligencer Journal, PA, March 21, 2013
In recent weeks, the debate surrounding the Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship Charter School’s application for a charter occasionally delved into the politics surrounding the school’s rumored links to Turkish-operated charter schools in this country — a link that has been repeatedly denied by Sait Onal, the president of the proposed academy’s founding board.
With Parent Demand Surging, 20 Charters Seeking To Expand In Philadelphia
Philadelphia Schools Notebook, PA, March 20, 2013
Chrissy Poper has been trying to get her 8-year old daughter into the popular MaST Community Charter School in Northeast Philadelphia for the last three years.
Pottsville Area Seeks State Reimbursement For Charter School Costs
Republican Herald, PA, March 21, 2013
Once upon a time, when the Pottsville Area School District used state subsidy to send a child to charter or cyber charter school, the state gave the district a bit of reimbursement, Superintendent Jeffrey S. Zwiebel said Wednesday.
TENNESSEE
Competing Voucher Bill Withdrawn
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, March 21, 2013
The sponsor of legislation that was competing with Gov. Bill Haslam’s to create a school voucher program withdrew her bill on Wednesday after proponents of a broader program decided they want to focus on the governor’s plan.
WEST VIRGINIA
House GOP Seeks Charter Schools In W.Va. Ed Bill
WTRF, WV, March 21, 2013
Republicans in West Virginia’s House of Delegates want to add charter schools to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s education proposal.
WISCONSIN
Big Money Plays Part In Voucher Pitch
Fox 11, WI, March 20, 2013
A plan to expand school vouchers in the legislature has politicians taking sides and money being spent in the hopes of winning over their votes.
ONLINE LEARNING
Parents, Teachers Urge District 202 To Reject Online Charter School
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 20, 2013
Plainfield parents and teachers urged School District 202 board members to reject a proposal for an online charter school during a recent marathon public hearing.