Daily Headlines for November 14, 2012
Enrollment in Charter Schools Is Increasing
New York Times, NY, November 14, 2012
Although charter schools engender fierce debate — most recently over ballot measures in Georgia and Washington State — their ranks are growing rapidly, according to a new report. Between 2010-11 and 2011-12, the number of students in charter schools increased close to 13 percent, to just over two million.
FROM THE STATES
ALABAMA
Ala. Governor Won’t Try Charter Schools Again
Times-Journal, AL, November 13, 2012
Gov. Robert Bentley says he doesn’t plan to propose the legalization of charter schools again in the 2013 session of the Legislature.
ARIZONA
Charter Schools Transforming Arizona’s Education Landscape
East Valley Tribune, AZ, November 13, 2012
When the Goldwater Institute recently recruited attorney candidates from out of state, I was able to use a lure I never would have thought possible: Arizona has the best public schools in the country.
CALIFORNIA
LAUSD Rejects Voluntary Moratorium On New Charter Schools
Contra Costa Times, CA, November 13, 2012
Following a flood of protests from parents and charter supporters, the Los Angeles Unified board on Tuesday soundly rejected a resolution seeking a voluntary moratorium on new charter applications while a strategic plan is developed to better govern their explosive growth.
LAUSD Restores Full Academic Year And Full Pay
Los Angeles Times, CA, November 14, 2012
The actions were made possible by passage of Proposition 30. Members also approve a resolution to charge fees when charters claim more space on traditional campuses than they need.
Parents, Administrators Rally In Support Of Charter Schools
Los Angeles Times Blog, CA, November 13, 2012
About 1,000 parents and administrators from charter schools flooded Beaudry Avenue in front of Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters on Tuesday in opposition to a motion the school board was to consider at its meeting inside.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Henderson Announces Plan To Close 20 D.C. Schools
Washington Times, DC, November 13, 2012
D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson on Tuesday announced 20 schools that could be closed next year, among them the alma mater of four former NBA players, the District’s first junior high school and an educational center built in 1927.
D.C. Teacher Turnover Is Astronomical
Letter Washington Post, DC, November 13, 2012
The Nov. 10 editorial “Passing a test,” about a study of the effect of D.C. school reforms, neglected to point out that the New Teacher Project, author of the study, was founded by former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee and is under contract with the D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) to provide teacher recruits. It is hardly a disinterested party.
FLORIDA
For Pinellas Teachers Upset About Evaluations, Superintendent Writes Letter Of Explanation
Tampa Bay Times, FL, November 14, 2012
For the many Pinellas schoolteachers who got less-than-perfect evaluations this year, superintendent Mike Grego plans to write a letter admitting the evaluation system itself was, well, less than perfect.
Charter School Fund Drive Nears $2 Million
News Chief, FL, November 14, 2012
Just four months into a fundraising campaign, Lake Wales Charter Schools has raised nearly $2 million.
GEORGIA
Greenville Ga. Superintendent Barge Launches Branding Campaign
Jackson Progress Argus, GA, November 14, 2012
Georgians often bemoan the quality of their public schools. But state Superintendent John Barge, fresh off a defeat in a debate over expanding charter schools, wants to change public perception.
All In For Openness, Accountability
Cherokee Ledger News, GA, November 14, 2012
As we closed out the election last week, Cherokee County and state voters spoke, and Amendment 1 passed, allowing a third entity that can approve charter schools.
Voters Deliver Blow To Charter Opposition
Newton Citizen, GA, November 13, 2012
In the crossfire of vitriol igniting the charter school debate allies and foes faced off, education officials and legislators parted ideological ways, and school boards approved and published anti-charter resolutions only to have removal forced upon them by the state attorney general.
IDAHO
Teachers to Get Merit Pay by Dec. 15
Twin Falls Times-New, ID, November 14, 2012
Even though voters overturned the Students Come First laws, teachers who earned merit pay during the last school year can expect a payment by Dec. 15.
Charter School Proposed For Blaine County
Idaho Mountain Express, ID, November 13, 2012
A group of parents and supporters of the private Mountain School near Bellevue, which minimizes technology in the classroom and focuses on academic rigor and sustainable living, is seeking to establish a public charter school in Blaine County.
ILLINOIS
‘I Want To Go To School’
Chicago Tribune, IL, November 14, 2012
Tribune reporters Gary Marx, David Jackson and Alex Richards found that nearly 32,000 Chicago students in public elementary schools — roughly 1 in 8 students — missed four weeks or more of class during the 2010-11 year.
MICHIGAN
Strengthen Reform Program For Schools
Detroit News, MI, November 14, 2012
A year and a half ago, Gov. Rick Snyder announced the creation of the Education Achievement Authority. He envisioned it as a new school district that would bring the worst-performing schools in the state into its fold. The authority began as an inter-local agreement between Eastern Michigan University and Detroit Public Schools , but now it’s time to place the reform district into law.
Detroit Public Schools Board Votes To Cut Ties To Educational Authority
Detroit News, MI, November 14, 2012
A week after voters overturned Public Act 4, the Detroit Board of Education voted Tuesday night to break the district’s contract with Eastern Michigan University and withdraw from the Education Achievement Authority.
Michigan Attorney General’s Office Seeks To Remove 7 DPS Board Members
Detroit News, MI, November 14, 2012
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office is seeking the removal of seven members of the Detroit Board of Education, accusing the members of illegally holding office because they were elected by district.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Exeter Charter School’s Goal Is To Make Everyone A Grad
Union Leader, NH, November 13, 2012
Seven years ago, the Great Bay Charter School was founded to address the growing need to provide alternatives for students who were not succeeding in a traditional high school setting.
NEW JERSEY
Department of Education Cheating Investigation Implicates Two More Schools
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, November 14, 2012
Report claims that improvements in test scores at Robert Treat Academy, a high-profile charter, defy all odds
NEW MEXICO
Funding Suggestions Try To Address Students’ Achievement Gap
Albuquerque Journal, NM, November 14, 2012
A task force looking to improve the way New Mexico distributes education funding is recommending more money for low-income students, changes to charter school funding, and district funding that is linked to the three-tier teacher licensure system.
NEW YORK
Few Parents Attend Meeting On Charter School Plan
Buffalo News, NY, November 14, 2012
A few parents from Waterfront Elementary School were among the dozen or so people who attended an informational session Tuesday evening about a proposal to turn Waterfront and East High into charter schools.
NORTH CAROLINA
New Wake Assignment Plan Draws Board Praise
News & Observer, NC, November 14, 2012
After years of bitter debate over where children will go to school in Wake County, school board members welcomed a new plan Tuesday that will move fewer than 1,500 students to different schools next year.
OHIO
Good Adviser
Columbus Dispatch, OH, November 14, 2012
The search for a new superintendent for Columbus City Schools should benefit substantially from the steady hand and sincere concern of Mayor Michael B. Coleman, who is joining the effort as part of his recent outreach to the school district.
Volunteer Group’s Support Of Parents At Warner Girls Leadership Academy Is Model For School
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, November 13, 2012
Three years ago, every Cleveland school had a paid staffer who worked to build parent and community involvement. But those positions were among the first to be axed when the school district slashed its budget during the early recession years.
PENNSYLVANIA
School Revamp Plan Is Detailed
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, November 14, 2012
After years of decline, Chester Upland would close buildings and shed staff under Pa. proposal.
West Easton Fine-Tunes Zoning For Charter School
The Morning Call, PA, November 13, 2012
West Easton Borough Council fine-tuned a new zoning law Monday when it approved several additional conditions to the measure that will allow a charter school to open in what will be a renovated warehouse.
Tough Fiscal Choices Ahead For Pittsburgh Public Schools
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, November 14, 2012
About 10 years ago, Pittsburgh Public Schools had a fund balance approaching $100 million.
Now — despite closing more than 30 schools, eliminating hundreds of jobs and increasing class sizes — officials have forecast the district will be broke in 2015 unless it finds a way to further cut costs or increase revenues.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Legacy Charter Leading The Way In Changing Role Of Physical Education In Schools
Greenville News, SC, November 14, 2012
There are no vending machines at Legacy Charter School. The cafeteria doesn’t serve fried foods, and the new fitness center has a collegiate feel with its rows of bikes, treadmills and weight machines. There’s even a room for Zumba off to the side, where parents and faculty can sign up for free classes.
TENNESSEE
School Vouchers Task Force Unspecific on Cost, Scope
Nashville Public Radio, TN, November 13, 2012
The governor’s task force on school vouchers says they should focus on students from poor families. But a draft report from the group stops short of pinning down some tough details. Next year lawmakers will likely take up vouchers, which would divert money out of public schools, so parents could instead pay private school tuition.
Smithson-Craighead Middle School Will Close; Great Hearts Charter Gets Another Look
The Tennessean, TN, November 14, 2012
The Metro Nashville school board on Tuesday decided to close one charter school and offered an olive branch to another, Great Hearts Academies, which was denied a charter in West Nashville three times earlier this year.
School Vouchers Raise Big Issues, Need Close Study; Harwell Says
Marshall County Tribune, TN, November 14, 2012
School vouchers raise tough constitutional questions, Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell says, acknowledging America ‘s standard of equal treatment under the law.
TEXAS
Simpson Tells Longview ISD Trustees That He Doesn’t Support School Vouchers
Longview News-Journal, TX, November 14, 2012
Longview’s state lawmaker said Tuesday that he is not in favor of a voucher system for public schools.
VIRGINIA
Virginia’s Race-Based Education
Washington Times, DC, November 13, 2012
Nearly five decades after the end of the Jim Crow era, school boards just can’t let go of the race issue. Last month, the Virginia State Board of Education unanimously adopted what it called “annual measurable objectives” that assumed the graduation rate for Asian children would be 14-37 percent higher than whites, Hispanics and blacks. The bureaucracy’s obsession with skin color distracts teachers from doing their job.
VERMONT
A Tough Choice In North Bennington
Bennington Banner, VT, November 14, 2012
The closeness of the recent vote in favor of closing North Bennington Graded School and creating an independent school, and now a pending third vote forced by submission of a citizen petition — along with other factors surrounding this divisive issue — have darkly clouded what seemed a sure thing just a few short months ago.
WASHINGTON
Ill-Fated Teacher Bonuses Patchy
Spokesman Review, WA, November 14, 2012
Idaho on Tuesday revealed which schools made the cut under a pay-for-performance system rejected by voters a week earlier.
Charter Schools Coming To State, Probably Not To Cowlitz County
Longview Daily News, WA, November 13, 2012
Initiative 1240 sustained its narrow lead Tuesday afternoon, making Washington the 42nd state to approve charter schools — although it’s unlikely any will come to Cowlitz County .
The Charter-School Poison Pill
Seattle Weekly, WA, November 13, 2012
If the charter-school initiative, I-1240, passes—which is all but a sure thing now, though opponents hadn’t conceded by press time—schools activist and blogger Melissa Westbrook worries about what she calls the measure’s “poison pill.” That’s the clause that allows for an existing public school to convert to a charter.
State Schools Chief May File Suit Against Creation Of Charter Schools
Q13 Fox News, WA, November 13, 2012
A day after the charter schools initiative was declared a winner by a small margin, Washington’s superintendent of public instruction went on the offensive.
Onward With Charter Schools
The Columbian, WA, November 13, 2012
The most closely contested of Washington’s four ballot measures has been decided. Fortunately for students, parents, teachers and taxpayers, the state will join 41 other states that offer public charter schools. Initiative 1240 was passed with 50.8 percent approval on Monday afternoon.
WYOMING
Wyoming Education Reform May Take Longer
Laramie Boomerang, WY, November 14, 2012
Wyoming’s effort to make its public school students better prepared for college and careers may take up to two years longer to fully implement, members of the Wyoming Board of Education said.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
CYBER-CHARTERS: How Districts Are Luring Cyber Students Back
Lancaster News Era, PA, November 13, 2012
Trouble with other students led Jonathan Kennedy to leave middle school and enroll in a cyber-charter program.
CYBER-CHARTERS: Legislature Fails To Bring Cyber-Charters Into Line
Lancaster News Era, PA, November 14, 2012
Two students from Lancaster County school districts attend the same cyber-charter school. The teachers, textbooks, curriculum and computers are the same. Only the tuition is different: One student’s bill is more than $2,000 higher.
Georgia Cyber Academy Assailed For Missing Special Ed Requirements
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, November 13, 2012
State Board of Education members blasted Georgia Cyber Academy officials Tuesday, saying the online school is failing to meet the needs of its special education students.
Georgia Connections Academy 1st Virtual School To Participate In Georgia’s Apply To College Day
WJBF, GA, November 13, 2012
On November 15th, Georgia Connections Academy , a k-12 public virtual charter school, will become the state’s first online school to participate in Georgia ’s Apply to College Day.
St. Martin Virtual School
KLFY, LA, November 13, 2012
More and more students are enrolled in Saint Martin Parish’s Virtual Learning program. The program was launched this summer with just 15 students enrolled. But now, it has over 140 students.
Online Students Lag State Averages
Education News Colorado, CO, November 13, 2012
Two new studies point to a contradiction about full-time online schools – student academic performance is lower than that of students statewide but parents and students are positive about the online experience.
Charter School Credit To Be Limited
Albuquerque Journal, NM, November 14, 2012
Albuquerque Public Schools students seeking to take online classes from a charter school or other organization will soon find it harder to do so.