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.
Charter Colony
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, March 21, 2013
While excellent in many areas, the public schools in the U.S. are not nearly as good as they should be. What’s more, the massive increases in spending on public schools have not produced any measurable improvement in performance.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
Parents: We Want Charter School – Now
Morgan Hill Times, CA, March 21, 2013
Hundreds of frustrated parents are fed up with Morgan Hill’s public education system, which they say is in a state of crisis and allows underperforming students to fall through the cracks.
COLORADO
Five Charter Schools Eye Douglas County
Our Colorado News, CO, March 21, 2013
The Douglas County School District received five letters of intent this month from would-be charter school developers. The letters came in response to DCSD’s March 15 deadline.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Names New Deputy Mayor For Education
Washington Examiner, DC, March 21, 2013
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray appointed education consultant Abigail Smith as the District’s new deputy mayor for education, the mayor announced Thursday.
FLORIDA
Pay Raise Wisdom
Orlando Sentinel, FL, March 22, 2013
Florida ranks sixth nationally for overall educational quality in the Education Week’s annual “Quality Counts” report. Florida paced other states in the National Council on Teacher Quality rankings. And Sunshine State fourth-graders rank second internationally for reading scores.
GEORGIA
Lindsey Pulls Parent Trigger Legislation Amid Concerns
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, March 21, 2013
House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey, R-Atlanta, withdrew his parent-trigger charter school legislation Thursday as members in his own party expressed concerns about it.
IDAHO
Legislators Debate Stale Ideas That Don’t Improve Learning
Idaho Statesman, ID, March 22, 2013
Teachers are a resilient lot; it’s a hallmark of our profession and a key to long-term success in the classroom. This quality has come in handy the past few years, which have been turbulent with respect to education policy.
ILLINOIS
Chicago Moves to Close 11% of Elementary Schools in Fall
Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2013
School officials here said Thursday they plan to close 53 elementary schools and one high school, one of the largest mass school closings in the nation’s history, as Mayor Rahm Emanuel seeks to fill a gaping budget hole.
Chicago’s Proposed School Closings Called Unfair To City’s Poorest Students
Christian Science Monitor, MA, March 21, 2013
Citing a budget deficit and declining enrollment, Chicago proposed Thursday that 61 public schools be closed. Teachers and parents warn that the poorest students will be affected the most
CPS Schools Close, Charters Open
Chicago Sun Times, IL, March 21, 2013
Am I alone in finding it difficult to locate the shell that contains the school in which the children are hidden? The Chicago Public Schools board says there are 100,000 more seats than children and, for this reason, 54 schools must be closed. But under a different shell the board is opening new charter schools, funded by those same precious dollars.
Difficult Day, New Opportunity
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 22, 2013
Hearts pounded, tears streamed and frustration simmered Thursday as Chicago Public Schools waited all day and into the evening before unveiling the list of elementary schools it will close this fall.
INDIANA
Judge Orders Gary To Lease Vacant Elementary For $1 To Charter School
Post-Tribune, IN, March 21, 2013
Lake County Superior Court Judge John Sedia ordered the Gary Community School Corp. to immediately lease Ernie Pyle Elementary School building for $1 to LEAD College Preparatory Charter.
Let’s Make Sure Change Brings Us What Is Promised
News Sentinel, IN, March 22, 2013
Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, has the right idea for the state’s ambitious school voucher system: Before expanding it, let’s “give it a rest for some time, say five years, and study it” to determine what effect it is having.
KANSAS
Truce Declared In Kansas ‘War’ On Teacher Bargaining
Kansas City Star, KS, March 21, 2013
Kansas legislators have dropped their pursuit of a proposal to narrow contract negotiations between teachers and school districts to give education groups a chance to work out a compromise.
LOUISIANA
Education Bills Challenge Teacher Evaluation Program
Times-Picayune, LA, March 21, 2013
Two bills filed this week in Baton Rouge are challenging Louisiana’s new statewide teacher evaluation program, called Compass. Implementation of the method, which rates teacher effectiveness based on classroom observations and student performance, would be delayed under one of the bills.
MARYLAND
Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker’s School Reform Bill Moves From Maryland House To Senate
Washington Examiner, DC, March 21, 2013
A bill allowing Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker to take over the county school system moved from the Maryland House to the Senate on Thursday, bringing the controversial proposal one step closer to a final decision as the legislative session winds down.
MICHIGAN
House Passes Bill To Grow School Recovery District
Detroit News, MI, March 22, 2013
The Michigan House narrowly passed legislation Thursday night expanding the reach of the Education Achievement Authority beyond the 15 Detroit schools the statewide school reform district operates.
Charter School Debate Rages On As Jackson-Area Education Officials Discuss The Issue
Jackson Citizen Patriot, MI, March 21, 2013
Three Jackson-area public schools officials sat on a panel that debated the issues concerning charter schools and the positive and negative aspects potential charter schools pose to traditional public schools.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Charter School Bill Halted In House On Party-Line Vote
Union Leader, NH, March 22, 2013
Charter school advocates hit a roadblock in their efforts to open new schools in Nashua, Plymouth and the Seacoast this fall, after a party-line vote by the House Finance Committee on Tuesday to table a bill that would have ended a moratorium on new charters.
NEW JERSEY
Podcast: Newark Gets Loud at School-Reform Forum
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, March 22, 2013
Newark was host to a lively — some would say raucous — forum Wednesday night about the city’s school reforms, ranging from efforts in the district schools themselves, to the big influx of charter schools, to the $100 million Facebook gift.
Camden Schools Budget Clears Final Hurdle With More For Charters
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 22, 2013
The influx of charter schools into Camden is continuing to drain more money each year from the city’s burdened Board of Education.
NEW YORK
Cuomo Seeks New Evaluation Deal
Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2013
A Change in State Law Could Allay Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Concerns About a Teacher-Performance System Expiring
NORTH CAROLINA
Teacher Tenure Not As Simple As ABC
News & Record, NC, March 22, 2013
It’s no secret that many local teachers oppose renewed efforts by some state lawmakers to get rid of job-protecting tenure in the state.
PENNSYLVANIA
‘We’re Not Giving Up,’ Foes Of Phila. School Closings Say
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 22, 2013
Yes, the School Reform Commission has already voted to shut 23 Philadelphia public schools. But the pressure to halt those actions will continue, activists said Thursday.
TENNESSEE
The Coming Fiscal Cliff For Tennessee’s Public Schools
The Tennessean, TN, March 22, 2013
In Nashville, for every student enrolled, charter schools will receive about $9,100 next year. Approximately two-thirds of that is from Davidson County taxpayers and one-third is state tax funding.
Four New Charter Schools Coming To Memphis
Memphis Business Journal, TN, March 21, 2013
The Walton Family Foundation is investing $1 million to create four charter schools in Memphis through its Education Entrepreneurs Fellowship.
Tennessee Lawmakers Working To Expand Vouchers
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, March 21, 2013
The legislative battle over a school-voucher program in Tennessee is headed for a showdown next week.
Charter Schools Find Support With Public School Parents
The Tennessean, TN, March 21, 2013
I am a Metro Nashville Public Schools parent, and I stand with the Tennessee Charter Schools Association, Speaker of the House Beth Harwell, Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) and Sen. Delores Gresham (R-Somerville) in support of the legislation to strengthen the state’s charter schools program.
School Vouchers Boost Achievement
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, March 21, 2013
Indisputably, decisions about education in Tennessee should be made by Tennesseans. Does that mean that Tennesseans should wall themselves off from all points of view offered from out of state, as Indya Kincannon implies in her guest column (“School vouchers do not improve student outcomes,” March 17.)?
TEXAS
Choosing Public School Abandonment
San Antonio Express, TX, March 21, 2013
Here is the operative feature of Sen. Dan Patrick’s voucher-by-any-other-name proposal.
Money that would otherwise go to the state treasury — and be used, oh, say, for public education or some other deserving use — is used instead for school vouchers for private schools.
Charter Limits Remain In Senate Bill
Austin American-Statesman, TX, March 21, 2013
The Senate’s Education Committee chief Thursday backed off his push for no limits on new charter schools in Texas, and argued with tearful indignation that politics is getting in the way of doing right by students.
WASHINGTON
Should We Take First Step To Become A Charter Authorizer?
News Tribune, WA, March 22, 2013
Some members of the Tacoma School Board are tiptoeing carefully around the idea of charter schools – and whether they want to signal their intent to become an authorizer of the independently run, publicly funded schools.
WEST VIRGINIA
House Denies Changes To Education Reform Bill
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, March 21, 2013
Following the 2012 general election, Republicans were optimistic their significant gains in the House of Delegates would give them more influence in reforming the state’s education system.
WISCONSIN
Evers Calls For More Public Education Money
Journal Times, WI, March 21, 2013
State Superintendent Tony Evers called on the Legislature’s budget committee on Thursday to take money that Gov. Scott Walker wants to spend on roads, an income tax cut and an expansion of Wisconsin’s private school voucher program and to give it to public schools instead.
ONLINE LEARNING
Greenfield School Committee Supports Virtual Academy
WGGB, MA, March 21, 2013
The Greenfield School Committee voted Thursday night to create a proposal for a new virtual academy.
LH Board Takes Aim At Cyber Charter Funding
Herald Standard, PA, March 22, 2013
Laurel Highlands School Board, on Thursday, adopted a resolution which takes aim at the Pennsylvania cyber charter school funding formula.
Educators Adjusting To 21st Century Learning Methods
WACH, SC, March 21, 2013
As education leaders and state legislators are considering approaches to fixing South Carolina’s education system, several people are already hard at work shaping the future of education.
School Board Discusses Charter School Concerns
Elburn Herald, IL, March 21, 2013
The Kaneland School Board on Monday held a public hearing on the charter school proposal submitted to the district by Virtual Learning Solutions (VLS). The board was also given a proposal presentation by a representative from K12, a management company that is seeking partnership with VLS.