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.
Nation’s Largest Cities Have Hundreds Of Empty Schools, Report Says
Fox News, February 11, 2013
Hundreds of schools in the nation’s largest cities are sitting empty as education officials struggle to sell these potentially valuable properties that are a drain on school district finances, according to a study released Monday.
FROM THE STATES
ALABAMA
School Board Flexibility Bills
CBS42, AL, February 11, 2013
One of the two bills would give local school boards the option of entering flexibility contracts with the state and getting out of certain requirements. Opponents say that bill is too vague and could discourage new teachers from joining the work force.
Give Schools Flexibility
Gadsden Times, AL, February 11, 2013
That’s why we’re intrigued with a bill in the Legislature to give local school systems more flexibility in setting rules and regulations.
CALIFORNIA
Tale Of Two School Boards
Tehachapi News, CA, February 12, 2013
This is the story of two school boards; actually, it’s an incomplete story, as we do not know how things are going to turn out, but I think it’s worth telling.
San Jose Unified Teacher Evaluation, Pay Plan A Landmark For California
Mercury News, CA, February 11, 2013
The conventional wisdom in California holds that teachers’ unions are preventing education reform by putting their own interests ahead of what’s best for students. In some cases, it’s true. But not in all.
CONNECTICUT
Tight Budget Threatens Key School Reforms
Hartford Courant, CT, February 11, 2013
Last year, with the General Assembly’s overwhelming support, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was able to enact the most meaningful education reform law our state has ever seen.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Study Shows Significant Midyear Turnover Among D.C. Students
Washington Post, DC, February 12, 2013
Thousands of students move in and out of the District’s traditional and charter schools during the middle of the academic year, according to a new report scheduled for release Tuesday, a significant level of student transfer that raises broad questions about how the city’s public education is delivered and funded.
FLORIDA
Broward Scrutinizes Bus Service To Charter Schools
Miami Herald, FL, February 11, 2013
Some question whether Broward’s school bus department is losing money by serving charter school students. The district insists that’s not the case.
Group Claims Closed Public Schools Will Open Doors For More Charter Schools
Brevard Times, FL, February 11, 2013
A political committee is warning of a potential takeover of closed school buildings by charter schools if the Brevard Public Schools board follows through with recommendations to close four schools at Tuesday night’s meeting.
GEORGIA
BOE Considers MCLB Charter School
Albany Herald, GA, February 11, 2013
Dougherty County School Board member Robert Youngblood proposed on Monday that the district enter into discussions with Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany to explore the possibility of creating a K-thru-8 charter for the children of Marines and base employees.
IDAHO
Education Committees Hear Differing Views On What Is Best For Students
Idaho Reporter, ID, February 11, 2013
Leaders from both conventional public school districts and charter schools squared off Monday in a joint hearing of the education committees from the Idaho Senate and House of Representatives.
ILLINOIS
CPS To Lead New Round Of Hearings On School Closings
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 12, 2013
Another round of community meetings on public school closings in Chicago will begin Wednesday after the district releases a preliminary list of schools that could be shut down.
LOUISIANA
John White Proposes Overhaul In How Special Needs Students Are Funded
Times Picayune, LA, February 11, 2013
State Superintendent John White is proposing a major funding overhaul for special needs students in an effort to improve the graduation rates and better align state spending with the severity of each child’s need.
MAINE
Legislators Nearer To Closing $153M Budget Gap
Morning Sentinel, ME, February 11, 2013
Charter schools, General Assistance cap, cut to General Purpose Aid have yet to be addressed.
MICHIGAN
Report: DPS Authorized Charter Schools Among Lowest Performing Statewide
Detroit Free Press, MI, February 12, 2013
Charter schools authorized by Grand Valley State University have the best academic track record; while schools authorized by Detroit Public Schools have the worst, according to a report being discussed by the State Board of Education today.
MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi House Votes To Give Every Teacher A Raise, But There’s No Money To Fund It
Mississippi Press, MS, February 11, 2013
The Mississippi House voted Monday to give every teacher a $5,000 pay raise starting July 1, but educators shouldn’t plan on that extra cash because the proposal has zero chance of surviving.
MONTANA
House Republicans Continue To Advance ‘School Choice’ Bills Through Legislature
Montana Standard, MT, February 12, 2013
House Republicans Monday endorsed a trio of “school-choice” bills, including ones that authorize charter schools in Montana and create state income-tax credits for families sending their kids to private schools.
NEW YORK
School for ‘Gifted’ Is Aiming Higher
Wall Street Journal, February 12, 2013
Speyer Legacy has a lofty mission: It bills itself as New York City’s only private school exclusively for gifted children. But despite the built-in appeal for striving parents and their high-achieving children, the four-year-old school has yet to and establish itself as a top choice for the city’s most elite students.
NYC Outlines Teacher Training, Evaluation Goals
Wall Street Journal, February 12, 2013
The city Department of Education has sent a letter to the state Education Department outlining its teacher training and evaluation goals and the steps it has taken to implement them.
Many Levels, Types, of Power
Wall Street Journal, February 11, 2013
Mayoral control has had profound effects on city schools, which educate 1.1 million students in 1,750 city district and charter schools.
City DOE Tries To Salvage State School Aid With Potential Plan For Teacher Evaluations
NY1, NY, February 11, 2013
The city says it plans to spend millions to train educators on a new teacher evaluation system, but there is no teacher evaluation system in the city yet.
NORTH CAROLINA
School Choice Group Releases Report On Private School Costs In NC
Greensboro News & Record, NC, February 11, 2013
Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, a school choice group, believes private school tuition is not as far out of reach for working class parents as some people claim.
OHIO
Cleveland School District Lacks Attendance Records, Ohio Auditor Calls For Further Investigation
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 11, 2013
Cleveland is one of nine school districts across the state that improperly “scrubbed” their student attendance data in the 2010-11 school year, according to a long-awaited report released Monday by Ohio Auditor Dave Yost.
PENNSYLVANIA
How To Reuse Closed School Buildings? Often, Charters
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 12, 2013
If plans move forward to shut one in six Philadelphia schools, what happens to the discarded buildings?
Legal Status Of Two Philly Charter Schools Still Unresolved
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 12, 2013
More than six months after a federal grand jury charged charter-school founder Dorothy June Brown and four administrators with defrauding the schools of more than $6.5 million, the legal status of two of the schools remains unresolved.
TENNESSEE
KCEA Opposes Proposal To Link Teacher Pay With Test Scores
WATE, TN, February 11, 2013
Tennessee education officials are looking at linking teachers’ salaries to how well their students perform on state tests.
VIRGINIA
Teacher Probation Bill Heads To Governor
Washington Post, DC, February 11, 2013
A key provision of Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s school reform package is heading to the governor for his signature, as the Senate passed a bill Monday that will make it easier to dismiss under-performing teachers.
ONLINE LEARNING
Virtual Learning Needs Support In Tennessee
The Tennessean, TN, February 11, 2013
Recently, there have been proposals to revoke the Tennessee Virtual Schools Act passed two years ago.
Online Public Academy Receives Criticism From Lawmakers, Praise From Parents
Knoxville News Sentinel, TX, February 11, 2013
Every Monday morning, Daniel Hunter, 7, turns on the computer in his Knoxville home and logs into the Tennessee Virtual Academy’s website to see what he’s doing in second grade that week. Daniel sees his teacher via video conference several times each week. His math lessons look like video games, and a recent science lesson taught the digestive system with elaborate computer graphics.
State’s Kids Deserve More Than ‘Virtual’ Education
Daily News Journal, TN, February 11, 2013
Tennessee’s publicly funded Virtual Academy has failed its students, and we’re not sure the governor’s proposal to cap enrollment at 5,000 is a tough enough response.