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
Parents ‘Trigger’ School Revolts
Boston Herald, MA, March 6, 2013
The latest innovation to come out of the Golden State that has legs to go national is “parent trigger,” a means by which parents can force reform of their local public school if they’re dissatisfied with it.
Time For An Education System Makeover
Forbes, March 5, 2013
Education budgets at the national, state, and local levels have all taken huge hits over the past few years. And while we all want our schools to have sufficient funding to educate our children, more money is not the magic bullet solution for what our educational system needs.
FROM THE STATES
ALABAMA
Judge Blocks Gov. Bentley From Signing School Choice Bill
WHNT News19, AL, March 5, 2013
A Montgomery Circuit Judge has issued an order blocking Governor Robert Bentley from signing a controversial school choice bill.
Public Education System In State Requires Reform, Not More Pathways Out
The University of Alabama Crimson White, AL, March 6, 2013
Recent events in the Alabama Legislature force me to address the lack of authentic reform in Alabama’s education system. As a part of a series, I intend to deconstruct certain myths surrounding school reform, beginning with vouchers and charter schools.
Officials From Schools, Legislature React To ‘School Choice’ Bill
St, Clair Times, AL, March 6, 2013
St. Clair County’s legislative delegation applauded a “school flexibility” bill that passed both houses late Thursday, while school officials said they were apprehensive about what the future would hold.
CALIFORNIA
In L.A. School Board Race, 2 Backers Of Deasy Take Early Leads
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 6, 2013
Monica Garcia and Antonio Sanchez are ahead of rivals in their districts. Both back the superintendent’s overhaul efforts, which have drawn national attention.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Nine Groups Apply For D.C. Charter Schools
Washington Post, DC, March 5, 2013
Nine aspiring charter school operators have submitted applications to open in the District as early as fall 2014, according to proposals posted on the Web site of the D.C. Public Charter School Board.
GEORGIA
Emotions Run Spectrum At Charter Lottery
Gwinnett Daily Post, GA, March 5, 2013
What got Keyauna McGee through the final hours leading up to Tuesday night? “Lots of crossing fingers and lots of prayer,” said the mother of five-year-old Kingston, whose number was the first called during the New Life Academy of Excellence charter lottery for students entering kindergarten.
House Passes ‘Parent Trigger’ Charter Schools Bill
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, March 5, 2013
The school-choice train chugged forward Tuesday with House passage of a bill to require local school boards to consider some petitions to convert traditional public schools into charter schools.
HAWAII
Senate Charter School, School Bus Bills Head to House
Honolulu Civil Beat, HI, March 5, 2013
Hawaii senators today passed Senate Bill 244, which would essentially revamp the state’s charter school system and make charter schools more accountable for their finances.
IDAHO
House Approves Additional Funding Mechanism For Charter Schools
Idaho Reporter, ID, March 5, 2013
“I’m asking each of you here to stand up with me and support the real future of education, and to vote no on this bill,” said Rep. Sue Chew, D-Boise, in opposition to House Bill 206. The legislation nonetheless passed the House, 42-27, on Monday.
School Boards Agree To Sunsets On 4 Teacher Bills
Idaho Press Tribune, ID, March 5, 2013
After a bold start the 2013 Legislature, the Idaho School Board Association, the group spearheading legislation to give districts more leverage in teacher contract talks, is now opting for a softer approach with its highly prized legislative priorities.
INDIANA
For Kids, A School’s Quality Matters More Than The Label
Indianapolis Star, IN, March 6, 2013
For Indianapolis to reach its potential as a city, we need to provide access to high-quality schools for every child. Improved educational outcomes will result in a better trained workforce, help recruit and retain residents, and strengthen our neighborhoods.
KENTUCKY
Kentucky Senate Approves Charter School Option
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY, March 5, 2013
The Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would give low-achieving schools the option of becoming a charter school — a move that supporters say will help boost student success.
LOUISIANA
La. Schools Chief Promises Voucher Program Will Go On
The Daily Advertiser, LA, March 6, 2013
Louisiana Education Superintendent John White vowed that state officials will find a way to fund a voucher program next year, regardless of how the state Supreme Court rules on the matter later this month.
Neville Sends Letter For Charter to BESE
Monroe News Star, LA, March 6, 2013
The Neville Charter School has filed an appeal with the Louisiana Department of Education and is among schools filing letters of intent to apply for charters through the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
MARYLAND
Carroll County Parents Campaign For Charter School
Baltimore Sun, MD, March 5, 2013
Hoping to open Carroll County’s first Montessori public charter school by the fall of 2014, a group of parents is now working on an application to submit to the county by April 1.
MICHIGAN
Group Plans Charter School Serving Elite Athletes
Sentinel-Standard, MI, March 5, 2013
A group is seeking state support for its proposal to open a charter school in western Michigan aiming to meet the academic needs of elite athletes.
Bill To Allow EAA To Run Other Failing Michigan Schools Resurrected
Detroit News, MI, March 6, 2013
Republican lawmakers have resurrected legislation to let the Education Achievement Authority run chronically failing schools beyond the boundaries of Detroit.
MISSISSIPPI
A Glance At Bills In The Mississippi Legislature
WJTV, MS, March 5, 2013
Here’s a glance at the status of selected bills in the Mississippi Legislature. Tuesday was the deadline for House and Senate committees to act on general bills that have already passed the opposite chamber.
House Committee Strips Senate Charter School Bill
Clarion Ledger, MS, March 5, 2013
The House Education Committee today stripped the Senate charter bill and added the House version.
MISSOURI
Supreme Court Needs To Put Children First In School Transfer Case
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, March 6, 2013
It turns on a simple premise: Do children have the right to transfer to an adjoining school district if the one they live in has failed to provide them an adequate education?
NEW JERSEY
Teachers Union Looks Askance at New Regulations for Tenure Evaluations
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, March 6, 2013
Even before the new code is introduced, the state’s largest teachers union is pushing back against proposed regulations for implementing the state’s new teacher-tenure law and rekindling some of the old debates that led up to the new law.
NEW MEXICO
House Oks Changes In Ways Teachers Earn Advancement
Albuquerque Journal, NM, March 6, 2013
Democrats and Republicans in the House wrangled on Tuesday about how teachers should be measured for purposes of licensure advancement, with the GOP trying to tie teacher promotions to student performance.
NEW YORK
Ruling Delays City Cuts
Wall Street Journal, March 6, 2013
A Manhattan judge ordered the city Tuesday to not make $260 million in schools cuts until he rules on whether Albany lawmakers had the right to withhold the money in the first place.
News Corp. Has a Tablet for Schools
New York Times, NY, March 6, 2013
For nearly two years, Joel I. Klein helped Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation weather a phone-hacking scandal at the company’s British tabloids with the promise that he would eventually be able to return to the role the company hired him for: to spearhead News Corporation’s new venture into the public school market. That day has finally come.
NY Schools: Money’s Not The Problem
New York Post, NY, March 6, 2013
The Alliance for Quality Education is at it again, rallying today in Albany for huge hikes in state education spending. But its claims don’t add up; indeed, the only grade an unbiased teacher would give AQE’s latest so-called report, “Confronting the Opportunity Gap,” is an F.
It’s About ‘Time’! Would-Be Charters Plan Longer Days, Year
New York Post, NY, March 6, 2013
Some schools might not be out for the summer. A group of charter school applicants are seeking to stretch their academic clocks by keeping students in school longer — including by scrapping the blissful two-month summer break.
Proposed Charter School In Greece Goes To Next Step
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, NY, March 5, 2013
Gauging from the sentiment at a public hearing held Tuesday about a planned move by a charter school from Irondequoit to Greece, the Discovery Charter School is in store for a warm reception.
OHIO
Charter School Earns Auditor’s Award
Middletown Journal, OH, March 6, 2013
Life Skills Center of Middletown is one of 15 entities to earn the Auditor of State Award for a “clean” audit for fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.
PENNSYLVANIA
Charter School Proposal Draws Friends And Foes To SDL School Board Meeting
Intelligencer Journal, PA, March 5, 2013
Allegations of intimidation and misrepresentation surfaced Tuesday at the final hearing on a charter school proposed for Lancaster city.
Private Schools Sign Up For Opportunity Scholarship Program
York Daily Record, PA, March 5, 2013
Private schools in York County have again signed up to receive students from public schools deemed low-achieving by the state through the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program.
RHODE ISLAND
Gates Foundation Gives $10 Million Loan To Central Falls To Increase Seats At High Performing Schools
Providence Journal, RI, March 5, 2013
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given the city $10 million in low and no-interest loans that will allow public and charter schools that serve Central Falls children to make repairs and expand facilities so they can serve more students.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Feds Approve S.C. Teacher Evaluation Plan
The State, SC, March 5, 2013
A state plan to evaluate teachers based in part on how students improve on tests received approval from the U.S. Department of Education, according to a news release from the S.C. Department of Education.
TENNESSEE
Bill That Would Create State Authorizer For Charter Schools Advances
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, March 6, 2013
A House committee voted Tuesday to create a new nine-member board and give it authority to override local school boards statewide in deciding where charter schools can be established.
Tennessee House Committee Oks New Charter School Path
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, March 6, 2013
The House Education committee approved changes to a charter school bill that would give applicants turned down by a local school board 10 days to apply to a new state panel.
School Vouchers Bill Passes House Education Subcommittee
Clarksville Now, TN, March 5, 2013
The House Education Subcommittee heard testimony from concerned citizens and Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman on legislation that would create a private school voucher program in Tennessee.
TEXAS
Senate Panel Considers Voucher Plan For Students With Disabilities
Dallas Morning News, TX, March 5, 2013
Texas would join a handful of states that allow students with disabilities to attend private schools at state expense under legislation that was considered by a Senate committee on Tuesday.
A Voucher is a Voucher is a Voucher
Texas Weekly, TX, March 5, 2013
A rose by any other name is still a rose. And so too is a voucher. Having failed so many times in past legislative sessions to get a public school voucher bill out of the Texas Legislature and on to the governor who is willing to sign it, supporters have regrouped and developed a new strategy.
WASHINGTON
MAP Boycott Is About Keeping Test Scores Out Of Teacher Evaluations
Seattle Times, WA, March 5, 2013
Teacher unions across the country are fighting against using test scores as a factor in teachers’ performance evaluations, writes guest columnist Michelle Rhee.
State Lawmakers Should Support Education-Reform Bills
Seattle Times, WA, March 5, 2013
STATE senators should pass a mix of education reforms that focus attention and resources on the two biggest needs for Washington schools: helping struggling students and raising high-school graduation rates.
WEST VIRGINIA
Reforms Won’t Help, Teacher Unions Say
Charleston Gazette, WV, March 5, 2013
West Virginia teachers unions resumed their attack on Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s sprawling education reform bill Tuesday, alleging it wouldn’t improve student achievement.
WISCONSIN
Revisiting School Voucher Debate
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, March 5, 2013
Last week, I wrote about school vouchers, the policy by which the government pays parents the cost of sending their kids to private schools. Gov. Scott Walker’s budget would expand the program, which now is in effect in Milwaukee and Racine, to nine other cities with low-rated schools, including Green Bay, Sheboygan and a number of others — none in central Wisconsin.
ONLINE LEARNING
Penn Manor Extends Cyber School Contract
Lancaster Newspapers, PA, March 5, 2013
Penn Manor school board agreed to extend the district’s contract with Lancaster-Lebanon Virtual Solutions for three years, even though Superintendent Michael Leichliter on Monday said, “We don’t save money by sending a student to a virtual school.”
New Rules Needed For Online Schools
Reading Eagle, PA, March 6, 2013
Congratulations to state Sen. Judy Schwank for finally moving forward with an attempt to change the ridiculous policy that requires public school districts to pay the surprisingly excessive costs of students who opt to get their education through so-called cybercharter schools.
Online Instruction Can Complement Traditional Education
Charlotte Observer, NC, March 5, 2013
Whatever our worries about online education, our state should be braced for changes. Gov. Pat McCrory’s challenging remarks about the role of universities, new proposals for education vouchers, and a host of other possible “improvements” let everyone know that change, big change, is coming.
Pasco Backtracks On Rejection Of Charter School
The Tampa Tribune, FL, March 6, 2013
The Pasco County School Board plans to begin somewhat reluctant contract negotiations with a charter school the board previously rejected.
Hillsboro Online Academy Has Potential To Serve Students, Bring Revenue To Hillsboro School District
Hillsboro Argus, OR, March 5, 2013
Many of us have been excited to hear about the opening of the Hillsboro Online Academy, a new alternative school in Hillsboro.
Online Classes And Other Options For Students Good, But They Still Have To Work
Bellingham Herald, WA, March 6, 2013
“You need an education. We have choices.” Maybe that should be the new slogan for Mid-Columbia school districts.