Daily Headlines for February 14, 2013
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Pre-K Government
Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2013
President Obama and his technocrats like to claim they’re guided by “the science,” but then what to make of his State of the Union call for taxpayer-funded preschool for “every child in America”?
Obama’s Universal Preschool Proposal: Game-Changer Or Federal Overreach?
Christian Science Monitor, MA, February 13, 2013
President Obama said in his State of the Union address that he will push for universal preschool. Advocates say the plan could be transformational, but critics say it’s too ambitious.
Obama States Case For An Educated Union
Seattle Times, WA, February 13, 2013
President Obama’s blueprint for a second term in office retains a critical focus on rebuilding the economy by investing in education.
Scholars Show Little Consensus On Benefits Of Vouchers
The Tennessean, TN, February 14, 2013
Tennessee may soon join several states experimenting with vouchers as a vehicle for school reform. These include Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and the District of Columbia. Louisiana, under Gov. Bobby Jindal, has been implementing an ambitious voucher program that a state judge recently ruled unconstitutionally violates the state’s education funding formula.
FROM THE STATES
ALABAMA
Tenure Major Issue In School Flexibility Legislation
Montgomery Advertiser, AL, February 14, 2013
The battle over legislation giving city and county schools systems more flexibility in dealing with state education laws is coming down to the issue of teacher tenure.
ARIZONA
Bill Seeks To Expand Oversight Of Arizona Charters
Arizona Republic, AZ, February 14, 2013
A bill in the Arizona Legislature would force charter schools to follow state purchasing laws and require schools that use private management companies to post salary information.
CALIFORNIA
Board Opposes SM High Charter Flip
Santa Maria Times, CA, February 14, 2013
School board members spoke out against formation of a charter school at Santa Maria High School on Wednesday night.
COLORADO
D-11 Gives Displaced Students Top Priority For Choice Of New School
Colorado Gazette, CO, February 13, 2013
Colorado Springs School District 11 offered up plans Wednesday to create some order out of the enrollment musical chairs that students and parents are worried about in light of several school closures.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Rubio Pushes Ahead With School Choice Bill
Washington Times, DC, February 13, 2013
Following through on his promise to promote school choice, Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a measure Wednesday that would create tax incentives aimed at helping students cover the costs of private school, including charter schools.
D.C. Council Member David Catania Should Welcome New Charter Schools
Washington Examiner, DC, February 13, 2013
David Catania, chairman of the D.C. Council’s newly reconstituted Education Committee, was out of bounds when he suggested that the council attempt to slow down the proliferation of charter schools in the city by deliberately withholding $3,000 in per-pupil facilities funding “to help manage the process” by discouraging new applicants.
D.C. Charter Schools Adopt Common Deadlines
WAMU, DC, February 13, 2013
The majority of public charter schools in D.C. will now have common deadlines for applications, school lottery and for acceptance.
Free And Open Competition Applies To D.C. Schools, Too
Washington Post, DC, February 13, 2013
The Feb. 11 front-page article “Charters’ growth raises questions,” on how “the District is on track to become a city where a majority of children are educated not in traditional public schools but in public charters,” provided much for the District’s children and their parents to cheer about. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) struck the right note about this when he said that competition has forced both school sectors to improve.
FLORIDA
‘Parent Trigger’ Legislation Returns
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, February 14, 2013
One of the most contentious education bills of last year’s legislative session is back.
Miami-Dade School Board Wants More Flexibility In Gov. Scott’s Budget
Miami Herald, FL, February 13, 2013
Miami-Dade County Public Schools officials commended Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday on his “bold” proposal to increase education spending by $1.2 billion.
Should Pembroke Pines Charters Get Money From Broward School Kitty?
Sun Sentinel, FL, February 13, 2013
Unhappy with the funding it gets for upkeep of its city-run charter school system, Pembroke Pines wants to change state law to compel the Broward school district to share some property tax revenue.
KENTUCKY
Kentucky Education Commissioner Says State May Take Over Some JCPS Schools
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY, February 13, 2013
Several of Jefferson County’s persistently low-achieving public schools could be facing a state takeover of their overhaul efforts as early as this fall unless they show improvement soon, the state’s top education chief warned Tuesday.
ILLINOIS
129 On New Chicago Schools Closing List
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 13, 2013
After trimming the number of schools that could be closed to 129, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s school administration on Wednesday entered the latest and what is likely to be the most intense phase so far in trying to determine which schools should be shut.
Some Aldermen Want Charter School Moratorium
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 13, 2013
A group of aldermen are calling for a moratorium on new charter schools starting in 2014 in Chicago, arguing it doesn’t make sense to add new charter seats at a time the city is considering closing public schools that don’t have enough students.
IOWA
House GOP: Make Education Reform Optional
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, IA, February 14, 2013
House Republicans want to make the centerpiece of Gov. Terry Branstad’s education reform package optional, instead of mandatory, for Iowa school districts.
LOUISIANA
Applications Open For State School Vouchers Even Though Questions Remain About Program
Times Picayune, LA, February 13, 2013
Applications are now available statewide for Louisiana’s controversial voucher program that lets students attend private and parochial schools at taxpayers’ expense. However, two big questions remain for families deciding whether to enroll their children.
Voucher Application Process Goes On
The Advertiser, LA, February 14, 2013
Despite a court ruling that jeopardizes funding for the statewide voucher program, Education Superintendent John White is streamlining an application process for parents to apply for their children to attend private schools at state expense.
MAINE
LePage Should Stop Bullying Public Education
Kennebec Journal, ME, February 14, 2013
I read with dismay and disgust the comments Gov. Paul LePage made while visiting children at St. John Catholic School recently.
MARYLAND
Teacher Evaluations Should Not Be Tied To MSA Tests
Maryland Gazette, MD, February 14, 2013
I welcome the conversation that’s being generated by the Maryland State Department of Education’s rejection of Frederick County’s new teacher-evaluation proposal and those of eight of the state’s 24 other school systems, including Montgomery County.
MICHIGAN
State Representatives Respond To Alleged Use Of Uncertified Teachers In Muskegon Heights Schools
Muskegon Chronicle, MI, February 13, 2013
State Reps. Marcia Hovey-Wright and Collene Lamonte are concerned about the alleged use of unlicensed teachers in the Muskegon Heights Public School Academy.
Michigan, DPS Make Gains In Graduation Rates
Detroit News, MI, February 14, 2013
Michigan and the state’s largest school district, Detroit Public Schools, recorded gains last year in the percentage of students graduating within four years, according to data released Wednesday.
MISSISSIPPI
Public Debate Over Charter Schools Continues
Mississippi Public Radio, MS, February 14, 2013
With charter school legislation currently in both the House and the Mississippi Senate, the public discussion over its merit continues. MPB’s Sandra Knispel filed this report from a debate at the University of Mississippi’s Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics.
NEW JERSEY
Florence Township Charter Withdraws Application to Expand
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 14, 2013
With only two weeks before the state was to announce its decision in the matter, a Florence Township charter school has decided to pull its expansion bid due to rising local opposition.
Battle Over Hebrew Charter School In East Brunswick Ends Up In Court
Star-Ledger, NJ, February 13, 2013
The township council’s rejection of plans for the Hatikvah International Academy Charter School to relocate to a local warehouse will now move to a courtroom in New Brunswick.
NEW YORK
‘School Closure’ Kids Get Escape Hatch
New York Post, NY, February 14, 2013
The city is planning to allow students who attend closing schools to easily transfer to a better school — a policy that couldn’t come soon enough for kids at MS 203 in The Bronx.
Courts Should Empower Parents With School Choice
Buffalo News, NY, February 14, 2013
The failure of Buffalo and other large urban school districts to significantly improve academic outcomes, coupled with the willingness of the state’s highest court to re-examine New York’s constitutional guarantee of a “sound, basic education,” provides a prime opportunity for a lawsuit seeking court-ordered school choice scholarships.
Reputation on the Line
Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2013
On education, the Bloomberg administration was among the nation’s forerunners in changing the culture of public schools and testing new ideas to raise test scores and student achievement in the mayor’s first two terms with then-Chancellor Joel Klein.
OHIO
Kasich Budget Could Require Low-Performing Schools to Outsource Teaching
StateImpact, OH, February 13, 2013
Ohio school districts that don’t improve how they teach low-income students and students with disabilities could have to turn part of their state funding over to organizations that might do a better job under a provision in Gov. John Kasich’s budget bill.
Troubled Charter School Scholarts Finally Closed
Columbus Dispatch, OH, February 14, 2013
So much was going wrong, but the charter school stayed open.
PENNSYLVANIA
Yorkcounts: Convert City School District To Charter Schools
York Daily News, PA, February 14, 2013
A YorkCounts education work group has suggested that turning the York City School District into a 100 percent community charter school system could be one of the “sweeping institutional changes” needed to transform the district.
Duquesne Woman Challenges Conclusion That Charter Would Not Be ‘Financially Viable’
McKeesport Daily News, PA, February 14, 2013
The proponent of a charter school in Duquesne is disputing claims by Duquesne City School District’s state-appointed chief recovery officer Paul B. Long that her plan is not financially viable.
Duquesne District Seeks Help From 11 Neighbors
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 14, 2013
Superintendents in 11 area school districts have been asked to consider taking students in grades K-6 from the Duquesne City School District, starting in the 2013-14 school year, as part of a plan devised by chief recovery officer Paul B. Long.
Op-Ed: Teacher Strikes Hold Students Hostage
Patriot News, PA, February 14, 2013
The PSEA’s suggestion that “using public school students as a political bargaining chip is a bad idea” is the public policy equivalent of a Jedi mind trick. For the cinematically-challenged that means to claim something is other than what is actually standing in front of you. The fact is the PSEA has shown a remarkable willingness to use as a bargaining chip whoever and whatever is necessary to achieve its union power goals.
VIRGINIA
Va. Teacher Evaluation Bill Clears Final Hurdle
WTOP, VA, February 13, 2013
bill to revamp teacher evaluation and grievance procedures has won final passage after an unsuccessful last-ditch attempt to amend it.
WASHINGTON
Report: Longview Schools Closing ‘Achievement Gap’
The Daily News, WA, February 14, 2013
Ethnic minorities have tightened the “achievement gap” between themselves and other students at three of Longview’s five secondary schools, according to a state report presented this week.
Republican ‘Reforms’ Distract From Meaningful Education Changes
News Tribune, WA, February 14, 2013
Perhaps it is not clear in Olympia today, but there is a fundamental difference between actually improving a thing and avoiding your responsibility to do that thing with endless plans to “reform” it.
WEST VIRGINIA
Education Reform Dominates State of the State
Charleston Gazette, WV, February 14, 2013
Public education reform dominated Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s third State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature Wednesday, with a variety of proposals intended to improve the state’s 49th ranking in student achievement.
WISCONSIN
School Vouchers Foolishly Privatize Public Education
Badger Herald, WI, February 13, 2013
In recent weeks, Gov. Scott Walker has been pushing for renewed efforts to expand Wisconsin’s school voucher program, without exactly specifying what this program would entail.
Report: Choice Schools Lack Specialty Teachers
Journal Sentinel, WI, February 13, 2013
Milwaukee’s private-school voucher program has swelled to nearly 25,000 students in 113 schools that largely mirror local public schools in terms of race and poverty, and rapid enrollment growth is raising new questions about how much taxpayer money the private schools should receive to adequately serve students.
ONLINE LEARNING
Morrisville Schools Discuss Cyber School Option
Courier Times, PA, February 14, 2013
A group of parents this week got a glimpse into the possibility of Morrisville High School becoming a cyber school.
Ask Why More Families Are Turning To Cybers
The Evening Sun, PA, February 14, 2013
Seems like school superintendents spend an awful lot of time complaining about cybers. They should be asking why more and more families are turning to cybers.
Who Will Make Sure Virtual Schools Are Scrutinized More Closely?
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 14, 2013
A for-profit company selected to run Tennessee’s largest virtual school system is accused of doctoring students’ grades, but two state representatives, including one from Memphis, cut off any discussion Tuesday about the alleged cheating.
Legislators Seek To Stop Online Charter Schools
Albuquerque Business First, NM, February 13, 2013
Private organizations and corporations running virtual charter schools in New Mexico are preparing a Trojan horse-type assault on the state to divert public education funds, according to lawmakers and others who are trying to stop them, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.