Daily Headlines for March 15, 2012
Bentley, Legislative Leaders Back Charter Schools
Montgomery Advertiser, AL, March 15, 2012
Gov. Robert Bentley and Republican legislative leaders carried through with a political promise Wednesday by offering a bill to legalize charter schools and give existing public schools the option to get waivers from state regulations.
Charter School Could Open At Former Alta Vista School Site
Auburn Journal, CA, March 15, 2012
The Auburn Union School District held a public hearing on a charter school that would be housed at the district’s current Alta Vista site. “It’s a K through 5. The name of it is Canyon Vista Community Charter School ,” said Michele Schuetz, superintendent of the Auburn Union School District . “The premise of it is somewhat similar Montessori.”
School’s Fate Hotly Debated
Press Democrat, CA, March 14, 2012
The Santa Rosa school board was meeting Wednesday night to consider closing Doyle Park Elementary School, a predominantly Latino campus on Sonoma Avenue, and replace it with a French-American charter school.
Malloy’s Education Bill Runs Into Static In Windham
Norwich Bulletin, CT, March 15, 2012
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy encountered a mixed reception in Windham on Wednesday when he came to discuss his proposed education reform legislation.
Charter Schools are Moving the Ball
Bradenton Times, FL, March 15, 2012
While charter school advocates failed to pass their most ambitious legislative proposals in the 2012 session, they were able to get a surprising amount of support in elevating them into the dialogue – support that would have seemed far-fetched just a couple of years ago. For better or worse, it appears certain that Florida will be carrying out the educational reform debate sooner rather than later.
Clock Ticking For Students, Teachers At Failing Flagler Charter School
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL, March 15, 2012
School officials are determining the next steps for Heritage Academy, a Bunnell charter school slated to be closed this spring.
Lawmakers Draw New Dekalb School Board Map, Keep Same Number of Seats
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, March 14, 2012
Lawmakers from DeKalb County have adopted a map that reapportions local school board districts without reducing the number of seats as required by law.
Georgia Officials Order Fixes At Oglethorpe Charter School, Where Everything Seemed To Be Working
Savannah Morning News, GA, March 15, 2012
Look at the test scores, the academic honors and the hundreds of students on the waiting list and it would seem Oglethorpe Charter School can do no wrong.
Response to Yarbrough’s Charter School Column
Macon Telegraph, GA, March 15, 2012
For years I have enjoyed Dick Yarbrough’s writing, but his latest column “Why isn’t anyone talking about for-profit charter schools?” deserves a response.
To answer his question in brief, no one is talking about for-profit charter schools because there is no such thing in Georgia .
Board Vice Chair Morgan Denies Hiding Charter School Bid From Fellow Members
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, March 14, 2012
The school board spent about 30 minutes of Wednesday’s six-hour work session talking about the district’s partnerships and Race to the Top grant applications with STEM Inventors Academy and Teach For America. Most of that time specifically was spent on the charter school, why it was not formally presented to board members earlier and Morgan’s association was with the school.
More Evidence That A School Reform Plan Is Imperative
Macon Telegraph, GA, March 15, 2012
While the community takes sides over the Macon Miracle plan proposed by Superintendent Romain Dallemand for the Bibb County schools, there is more evidence from the state Department of Education that points to the need for some sort of plan to address school woes.
Idaho Charter Schools Could Get the State’s Help Securing Facilities Under Bill
Magic Valley Times, ID, March 15, 2012
After five years of renting their school building, Xavier Charter School officials want to own it.
But it won’t be an easy process. Unlike school districts, the Twin Falls public charter school can’t pursue a voter-supported levy for facility needs.
Reformer To Oversee Charter Schools As City’s Deputy Mayor of Education
Indianapolis Star, IN, March 15, 2012
An education reform leader who helped bring Teach for America to Indianapolis is the city’s new deputy mayor for education.
House Passes School Bill After Long Debate
Des Moines Register, IA, March 14, 2012
With the House’s passage Wednesday of a vast education reform bill, the action now shifts to the state Senate on an issue Democrats, Republicans and Gov. Terry Branstad agree is one of the most pressing of the legislative session.
Hire the Best Teachers in Jefferson Parish, Period
The Times Picayune, LA, March 14, 2012
The Jefferson Federation of Teachers is criticizing the School Board’s decision to hire 15 science and math teachers through the New Teacher Project, a national training program similar to Teach for America. Union President Meladie Munch said the board should instead hire teachers who were laid off last year because of budget cuts or new graduates of Louisiana colleges with teaching degrees.
Louisiana House Panel Clears School Charter, Voucher Bill As Teachers Pack Capitol
Times-Picayune, LA, March 14, 2012
After a marathon hearing amid a circuslike atmosphere at the Louisiana Capitol, Gov. Bobby Jindal’s allies on the House Education Committee gave their blessing Wednesday to a sweeping proposal that would expand charter schools and launch a statewide program that directs taxpayer money for schools to private school tuition vouchers.
House Panel Approves Teacher Tenure, Pay Changes To End 16-Hour Hearing
Times-Picayune, LA, March 15, 2012
After being in session for almost 16 hours, a House panel early this morning gave its approval to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposal to remake how public school teachers are hired, fired, evaluated and paid. The crux of the measure limits job protection only for the teachers who score at the top of new evaluation metrics that still are not final, while allowing teacher salaries to flow from the same assessments rather than the current seniority and credential-driven structure.
Educators Feeling Shut Out
Monroe News Star, LA, March 15, 2012
Many from northeastern Louisiana who traveled to Baton Rouge to make their opinions known on Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposed education reform plan found themselves on the outside looking in Wednesday.
Portland’s Mayor Brennan Right To Question Charter Schools
Portland Press Herald, ME, March 15, 2012
Public money and public schools should be used to benefit all students, not just the few.
Lepage’s Teacher Evaluation Bill Hits Legislature To Mixed Reviews
Bangor Daily News, ME, March 14, 2012
A new teacher evaluation and termination process proposed by the LePage administration sparked debate in Augusta on Wednesday that pitted proponents of due process in employment against those who say it’s too hard for a public school in Maine to fire a poor-performing teacher or principal.
Plan Offers Hope For Detroit Students
Detroit News, MI, March 15, 2012
Fifteen schools under new state authority will provide more instruction time, attention to academics
Ann Arbor School District Outlines Plan To Eliminate Achievement Gap
Ann Arbor, MI, March 15, 2012
Closing the achievement gap — or performance disparity white students and their black and Hispanic peers — has been a priority of the Ann Arbor Public Schools’ for nearly 31 years, school administrators said Wednesday during the Board of Education’s meeting at Mitchell Elementary School. The district also wants to improve the performance of impoverished and special education students.
Nevada’s New Superintendent
Las Vegas Journal-Review, NV, March 15, 2012
A new law gives the governor the authority to appoint the state superintendent of schools. Previously, the position was filled by the State Board of Education.
City School Choices: Expansion, Not Limitation
Union Leader, NH, March 15, 2012
Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), students in a public school labeled “in need of improvement” are allowed to switch to another school. That is a problem in Manchester , where every elementary school is “in need of improvement.” A school board committee voted on Tuesday to stop letting kids switch elementary schools. The Coordination Committee says the $67,000 the district spends busing the kids from one underperforming school to another would be better spent on tutors.
Merrimack Charter School In No Danger Of Closing, Trustees Chairman Says
Nashua Telegraph, NH, March 15, 2012
With the Academy for Science and Design close to finalizing a search for a new home, the chairman of the charter school’s board of trustees publicly squashed any rumors the school is in danger of closing.
N.J. School Choice Program Expects Over 3K Students Next Year
New Jersey Newsroom, NJ, March 14, 2012
The state Department of Education is projecting that under the school choice program, 3,356 students will be enrolled in 73 school district outside the one where they reside in the 2012-13 school year, a number that has tripled over the past three years.
Charter School Applicant To Part From Traditional Learning
Utica Observer-Dispatch, NY, March 14, 2012
It’s a favorite of Maher’s, one of two lead applicants for the Mohawk Valley Community Charter School, a kindergarten through sixth-grade school that she hopes to open in September 2013.
NY Lawmakers Reach Deal on Teacher Evaluation Law
New York Times, NY, March 14, 2012
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and leaders of the state legislature reached a deal on Wednesday to put a new evaluation system into law that seeks to make teachers more accountable and assure federal funding for schools continues to flow.
Teachers at a Harlem Charter Can Unionize
New York Times Schoolbook, NY, March 14, 2012
Teachers at the New York French American Charter School in Harlem will be allowed to unionize, a state agency decided on Wednesday, overriding objections from the school’s administration.
School Group Asks For State Funding
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, March 15, 2012
School boards locally and across the state are soon expected to consider a proposed resolution drafted by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association that calls for the state Legislature to reinstate some funding for K-12 education in the wake of last year’s $860 million cut and the proposed reduction this year of $100 million in Accountability Block Grant funding.
Charter School Subcommittee May Explore Charging Charters For Athletics
Valley Breeze, RI, March 14, 2012
The School Committee’s Charter School Subcommittee has questioned whether charter school tuition prices could be reduced, or schools charged, if a charter school student participates in a traditional public school’s sports program.
It’s Time To Embrace Change On Teacher Evaluations
The Tennessean, TN, March 15, 2012
Tennessee’s most powerful asset in shaping the future of our state stands at a crossroad. Educators statewide have divided views on the new evaluation system, bringing national attention to the debate around school improvement efforts.
DISD, Charters Should Collaborate
Dallas Morning News, TX, March 14, 2012
The Austin school district received really good news in late February when the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced it will invest $100,000 in a joint project entered by the district and charter school operators last fall.
Henderson Charter School An Education Alternative
Longview News-Journal, TX, March 15, 2012
Henderson residents should have a new educational option beginning in August 2013, Mayor Buzz Fullen said Wednesday. The council received an update at its Tuesday night meeting from Gloria Bryant and Sandy Honsley, who plan to open the Henderson Development Center, a charter school, at the old Henderson kindergarten campus. The center will serve children from infancy through eighth grade.
New Teacher Evaluation Law Heads In Right Direction
Yakima Herald-Republic, WA, March 15, 2012
An important operational change for Washington’s K-12 public schools was almost lost amid the legislative budget drama in the regular session’s closing days. It’s worth highlighting the measure, approved by the Legislature and signed into law last week by Gov. Chris Gregoire, as it strengthens the evaluation process for both teachers and principals.
Fully Air Any Future School Voucher Discussions
Green Bay Press Gazette, WI, March 14, 2012
Now that the door has closed — at least for now — on the possibility of expanding the school voucher program to Green Bay, we hope any reopened discussion about it will happen with more public dialogue.
VIRTUAL LEARNING
AIU Academy To Mix Online Learning With Work
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, March 15, 2012
Next fall, students who are interested in attending a cyber charter school will have a new option — one that combines online learning with workplace experiences.
Virtual High School: More Options For Students
Times-Georgian, GA, March 15, 2012
Through the Internet, students at Carroll County high schools for the past several years have been able to reach beyond the boundaries of their classrooms and access information on a global scale.