Daily Headlines for June 8, 2011
CALIFORNIA
A School Bailout Worth The Money
Los Angeles Times, CA, June 8, 2011
Money woes threaten ICEF Public Schools, a charter school success story in South L.A.
Locking the Parent Trigger
City Journal, June 7, 2011
California’s teachers’ union wants a veto over parents’ power to turn around failing schools.
COLORADO
Loveland Charter School Is Still Alive, Barely
Reporter Herald, CO, June 8, 2011
Loveland’s newest charter school project is still alive, but barely, after a series of flip-flop votes by city councilors Tuesday.
GEORGIA
2 Ga. Charter Schools Ask State For Approval
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, GA, June 8, 2011
The first pair of 16 charter schools affected by a recent state Supreme Court ruling overturning part of the state’s charter school law is up for approval by the Georgia school board.
Still No Charter School Enrollment List
Cherokee Tribune, GA, June 8, 2011
The Cherokee County School District is still waiting for the list of students selected to attend Cherokee Charter Academy.
Group Calls For Reforms In Private School Scholarship Program
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, June 7, 2011
The Southern Education Foundation said Tuesday that Georgia ‘s program of giving tax credits to fund private school scholarships lacks accountability, fails in its original mission of helping needy children in failing schools, and should be overhauled or ended.
ILLINOIS
Catholic Schools Put Out Welcome Mat For Students With Vouchers
Courier Press, IL, June 7, 2011
Schools in the Catholic Diocese of Evansville have selected “All Are Welcome” as their collective theme for the 2011-12 academic year.
New Law Would Change Rules On Teacher Tenure
Herald & Review, IL, June 8, 2011
Teacher layoffs and callbacks generally follow the “last in, first out” rule. Under a proposed law that will be implemented in phases if Gov. Pat Quinn signs the bill, as anticipated, that would no longer be the case.
KANSAS
Expect Voucher Debate in 2012
Johnson County Sun, KS, June 7, 2011
The formation of school vouchers, I think, will happen in Kansas . Possibly during the 2012 legislative session as a result of a conservative-controlled House, a more conservative influenced Senate, and an ultraconservative governor eager to sign the bill into law as part of a complete overhaul of the state’s school funding formula.
LOUISIANA
Faced with Vacancies, Jefferson Parish Schools Lower Academy Admissions Test Threshold
Times Picayune, LA, June 7, 2011
A higher admissions test cutoff is ruling out so many applicants to Jefferson Parish’s advanced academies that the School Board voted on Tuesday to lower the score.
NEW JERSEY
For Newark’s District Schools and Charters, Peaceful Coexistence?
NJ Spotlight, June 8, 2011
Newark public schools reach out to a community concerned about charters and traditional schools sharing campuses.
Teaneck Likely To Help Charter School Borrow $11M
The Record, NJ, June 8, 2011
The Friends of the Teaneck Community Charter School can pursue a plan to borrow about $11 million to refinance its debt and build a new gym to be shared with the public now that it has the Township Council’s endorsement.
NEW YORK
Hundreds Show Up In Greece To Support School Choice
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, NY, June 8, 2011
Nearly 400 people packed the auditorium at Olympia High School on Tuesday to show their support for the Greece school district’s school choice policies.
NORTH CAROLINA
End Charter School Cap, Because Achievement Gap Is A Crisis
Charlotte Observer, NC, June 8, 2011
We cannot continue holding our children hostage. Thousands of students are languishing in an educational system where the achievement gap continues to create a divide between African-American students and their peers.
PENNSYLVANIA
State Appeals Board Approves Charter School in Pottsville
Republican Herald, PA, June 8, 2011
The State Charter School Appeal Board on Tuesday gave a group of educators and parents from the Pottsville area permission to form the first charter school in Schuylkill County.
Pa. Education Appeals Board Says Charter School Must Fight Twice
Pocono Record, PA, June 8, 2011
The Pocono Mountain Charter School is not allowed to combine two different outstanding issues into one in its fight to stay open.
Pa. Education Secretary: School Districts Can’t Blame Charters
York Dispatch, PA, June 8, 2011
Department of Education Secretary Ronald Tomalis had a clear, direct message on Tuesday that might send chills up the spines of York City School District officials.
Morphing into Charter District?
York Dispatch, PA, June 8, 2011
Will the last York City School District student please turn out the lights? Sound extreme? Well, it’s not so farfetched if charter schools continue to offer reasonable alternatives to the financially strapped, academically struggling district.
State Legislators Move To Outlaw Teacher Strikes
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, June 8, 2011
When the Bethel Park teachers union went on strike for six weeks last fall, Denise Dillon decided she had had enough.
RHODE ISLAND
Providence Mayor Creates School Reform Task Force
Providence Journal, RI, June 8, 2011
Mayor Angel Taveras has created a task force to help implement his vision for school reform i
n the city.
UTAH
Parent Wins Major Grants For Alpine Charter School
Daily Herald, UT, June 8, 2011
Mountainville Academy is on a roll when it comes to winning major grants, thanks to the work of a parent volunteer.
WISCONSIN
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald: School Vouchers Likely Won’t Change
Green Bay Press Gazette, WI, June 8, 2011
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says changes to the budget as passed out of the Joint Finance Committee last week are being discussed. But he doesn’t believe a provision expanding voucher schools to Green Bay will be removed.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
A Virtual Graduation
Battle Creek Enquirer, MI, June 8, 2011
Battle Creek’s first-ever all-virtual school held its first-ever commencement ceremony on Tuesday.