Daily Headlines for March 29, 2013
NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.
NATIONAL COVERAGE
States Look to Raise Standards for New Teachers
Stateline, March 28, 2013
David Rock wanted to be a teacher when he graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1987 with a math degree. But poor starting salaries for educators and the dim view of the profession held by his friends and parents convinced him to take a job in defense contracting instead.
FROM THE STATES
ARIZONA
Lawmaker: Eliminate Inequity In JTED Funding For Charter Students
Cronkite News, AZ, March 28, 2013
Arizona’s mechanism for funding students who attend vocational programs offered by Joint Technical Education Districts unintentionally discriminates against those from charter schools, a state lawmaker contends.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Vincent Gray Proposes $442 Million For School Construction
Washington Examiner, DC, March 29, 2013
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray on Thursday proposed spending $442 million on school construction in the coming fiscal year, as well as $79 million more on schools’ daily operations and $7.4 million for charter school facilities.
FLORIDA
Florida Charter-School Advocates Ask For Recurring Facilities Dollars
Bradenton Herald, FL, March 28, 2013
The House Choice and Innovation in Education Subcommittee held a workshop on Wednesday to take up the controversial issue of charter-school funding.
GEORGIA
Legislature Votes To Expand School Tax Credit Program
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, March 28, 2013
The General Assembly voted to expand the state’s private school tax credit program Thursday night after protracted back-and-forth between supporters and opponents of the program.
Charter Schools Oversight Needs Reboot
Georgia Public Radio, GA, March 28, 2013
A new report from the Thomas Fordham Institute says charter schools’ governing structure needs a reboot now that they’ve been around for 20 years. The Institute gives Georgia high marks for its growth of charter schools.
IDAHO
Amended Charter School Funding Plan Passes Through Idaho Senate
Idaho Weekly, ID, March 28, 2013
An amended version of House Bill 206 – which would earmark a percentage of public schools facility levy funds for public charter schools – passed through the Idaho Senate today on a 20-15 vote.
ILLINOIS
Chicago School Closings Ignite Furor And Fears
USA Today, March 29, 2013
The announcement last week that Chicago Public Schools will close 54 schools before classes begin next fall is creating a furor and igniting fears.
INDIANA
Public Schools Lose Again
Journal and Courier, IN, March 29, 2013
Now that the Indiana Supreme Court has ended the debate over the state constitutionality of school vouchers, the legislature can go ahead and proceed with its debate over how large to make the program.
After Project School’s Closure, Parents Make New School Choice: Start Over
State Impact, IN, March 28, 2013
The ink was barely dry on a legal decision that sealed fate of The Project School — Mayor Greg Ballard had ordered the Indianapolis charter school to close — when some of the school’s staff declared they would still hold classes this year, charter or not.
IOWA
Legislators Optimistic About Education Reform
Des Moines Register, IA, March 28, 2013
An education reform package allowing school districts to offer teachers new career leadership options remains the Iowa Legislature’s best hope for meaningful action this year, leaders from both parties said Thursday.
KENTUCKY
Louisville Tea Party Supports Charter Schools, Less Transportation, More Fiscal Accountability
WFPL, KY, March 28, 2013
The Louisville Tea Party has developed new education initiatives the group plans to support through fund raising.
MAINE
LePage: Portland Mayor ‘Stunningly Cynical And Shortsighted’ In Charter School Challenge
Bangor Daily News, ME, March 28, 2013
Gov. Paul LePage took aim at what he called Mayor Michael Brennan’s “campaign” against a proposed charter school in Maine’s largest city, saying in a letter to the Portland mayor that he is “appalled by your constant attacks upon students who simply want to better learn technology and science.”
Inflating Schools’ Woes Eases Path To Privatization
Morning Sentinel, ME, March 29, 2013
Gov. Paul LePage’s education reform conference in Augusta last week made one thing clear: The governor is less interested in improving public schools than in replacing them.
MICHIGAN
Albion Public Schools Officials Talk Charter Schools As Way To Fix $1 Million Budget Deficit In 2013-14
Jackson Citizen Patriot, MI, March 28, 2013
Staring down a$1 million budget deficit in the coming fiscal year, Albion Public Schools Board of Education members Tuesday discussed ways the district could share some of its operations with a charter school.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Democrats Are Playing Politics With Charter Schools
Concord Monitor, NH, March 28, 2013
The Democrats on the New Hampshire House Finance Committee are playing the worst kind of political games because this involves our children’s education.
Voucher Supporters Covet Government Money
Portsmouth Herald, NH, March 29, 2013
The two organizations that have been lobbying for education tax credits — The Network for Educational Opportunity and The Alliance for the Separation of School and State — declare on their Web sites: “I proclaim publicly that I favor ending government involvement in education.”
The More We Learn, The Worse Vouchers Seem
Portsmouth Herald, NH, March 29, 2013
I would like to respond to the spirited defense of Sen. Stiles mounted in a Saturday, March 19, letter from the prime sponsor of the voucher bill, former Sen. Jim Forsythe.
NEW JERSEY
Give Camden School ‘Intervention’ A Chance
Vineland Daily Journal, NJ, March 28, 2013
A major problem with education in New Jersey is the people in charge keep trying the same things over and over, expecting a different result.
How Union City Saved Its Schools
New York Daily News, NY, March 29, 2013
Union City, N.J., is an unlikely poster child for education reform. But today, this poor enclave has a strong reputation for bringing Latino immigrant youngsters into the education mainstream. New York City’s current mayoral candidates would be smart to absorb its lessons.
NEW YORK
Teachers’ Union Fighting Tests, Evaluations Pairing
Times Herald Record, NY, March 29, 2013
The New York State United Teachers union has launched a $250,000 statewide campaign that blasts the State Education Department for promoting what’s known as “high-stakes testing.”
Attempted Charter Cuts Leave Some Bad Feelings
Albany Times Union, NY, March 28, 2013
Local legislators inserted a poison pill into the state budget on behalf of the Albany school district that would have stripped millions of dollars in charter school funding. The proposal is now dead, but it has left some hard feelings in its wake.
NORTH CAROLINA
Mooneyham: Teachers Not Warm To GOP
Greenville Daily Reflector, NC, March 29, 2013
State Senate leader Phil Berger may be making no friends among school teachers. For a second straight year, the Rockingham County Republican is proposing that tenure for North Carolina public school teachers be eliminated.
Scary Reading In Charter School Bill
Washington Post Blog, DC, March 28, 2013
A bill in the North Carolina Senate is highly revealing about how much concern its Republican sponsors really have for accountability in education.
OHIO
‘Still Frontier Kids’
Marietta Times, OH, March 29, 2013
Becoming a charter school would not sever Lawrence Elementary’s ties with the Frontier Local school district.
PENNSYLVANIA
School Reform Commission Passes $2.7B Preliminary 2013-14 Budget
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 29, 2013
Already in dire financial straits, the Philadelphia School District must now find ways to plug a hole of as much as $304 million next year.
York Schools Debate All-Charter Option
York Dispatch, PA, March 28, 2013
Red Lion Area Senior High School teacher Cari Ayala is convinced her daughter is getting a quality education in the York City School District.
TCCS CEO: Bright Future For Charters
Times Observer, PA, March 29, 2013
Public school districts try to provide new opportunities through varied curricular choices and enhanced programs. But a different model exists charter schools.
TENNESSEE
TN Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman Rejects Invitation From Metro School Board
The Tennessean, TN, March 29, 2013
Despite an invitation to discuss the Metro school board’s top legislative concern, the state’s top education official won’t be stopping by.
TEXAS
More Access To Private Education Makes Sense
Houston Chronicle, TX, March 28, 2013
Private schools have been serving Texas families very well for decades. But now that state lawmakers are discussing ways to increase access to those schools for low- and middle-income families, myths about private education are being raised.
Texas ‘Parent-Trigger’ Schools Measure Advances
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, TX, March 29, 2013
A measure making it easier for parents to urge their school boards to close failing schools or convert them into charters was sent Thursday to the full Texas Senate for consideration, but with modifications adding an extra year to the process and seeking to ensure such efforts aren’t led by outside groups.
People Can Seek School Fixes Sooner Under Legislative Bill
Reporter News, TX, March 29, 2013
A measure making it easier for parents to urge their school boards to close failing schools or convert them into charters was sent Thursday to the full Texas Senate for consideration, but with modifications adding an extra year to the process and seeking to ensure such efforts aren’t led by outside groups.
Parents Speak About Choosing Magnolia Charter School
KSLA, TX, March 29, 2013
Caddo Parish’s newest public school, Magnolia School, is already filled to capacity for next year, and parents are speaking to KSLA News 12 about why they are choosing to place their kids in this charter school.
WASHINGTON
Tacoma School Board Moves Ahead In Process To Become Charter Authorizer
Bellingham Herald, WA, March 28, 2013
By a 4-1 vote Thursday, the Tacoma School Board approved sending a letter to the Washington State Board of Education that signals the district’s intent to apply to become an authorizer of the independently run, publicly funded schools.
NK School Board Backs Away From Taking Role In Charter School Formation
Kitsap News, WA, March 28, 2013
The North Kitsap School Board on Thursday shied away from having a hand in formation of a charter school within the district.
WISCONSIN
Republicans Against Vouchers
Wall Street Journal, March 29, 2013
School vouchers are usually opposed by teachers unions and their Democratic allies, but a dirty little secret is that some suburban Republicans oppose them too. The latter is the case in Wisconsin, where GOP Governor Scott Walker’s plan to get more kids out of failing schools is facing opposition from short-sighted members of his own party.
ONLINE LEARNING
Funding Cut For Virtual School?
Gainesville Sun, FL, March 28, 2013
A change to the way funding for the Florida Virtual School is calculated passed a pair of House committees Wednesday, despite criticisms that the changes would deeply reduce funding for the online institution.