NEA Joins Push For $23 Billion Teacher Jobs Bill. Education Week (5/26, Klein) reported that the NEA, along with the AFT, has joined the push “to drum up support for legislation that would provide $23 billion to help school districts” avert “a looming tidal wave of layoffs.” The unions are “working on a media blitz called ‘Speak Up for Education and Kids’” that “includes an NEA commercial in which children dressed in suits and carrying briefcases ask whether Congress would be more willing to save their teachers’ jobs or keep their classes small if the children were Wall Street bankers.” In addition, the NEA has “established a hotline to help supporters of the bill reach their representatives in Congress.”

The Washington Post (5/27, Anderson) reports that the House Appropriations Committee may take up the bill “as early as Thursday.” Yesterday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan told lawmakers, “We desperately need Congress to act — to recognize the emergency for what it is. … We have to keep hundreds of thousands of teachers teaching.” Meanwhile, some lawmakers from both parties “say the government can’t afford an extension of last year’s economic stimulus that would add to the federal deficit.” According to Duncan, if the measure does not pass, “100,000 to 300,000 education jobs” would be “at risk, including support staff.” The Post also notes that the NEA’s television ads will be shown “in markets that are home to potential swing votes among House Democrats.” The Politico (5/27, Rogers) also covers the story.

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Full-Day Preschool Found To Benefit Boys, Some Minorities In Maryland District. The Washington Post (5/11, Birnbaum) reports that Montgomery County, Maryland, “boys as well as African Americans of both sexes benefit more from full-day pre-kindergarten programs, according to a study announced Monday by school officials. The findings come at a time when educators increasingly are using programs aimed at the youngest students as the surest way to close persistent gaps in performance between economic and racial groups.” According to the Post, “The study found that among African American students and boys in general, those who attended full-day pre-kindergarten classes outperformed their Head Start peers who had only half-day programs on reading benchmarks.”

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In the Classroom
The “Big Read” Aims To Revitalize Role Of Literature In Pop Culture. The Washington Post (5/11, Brown) reports, “Officials at the D.C. Humanities Council and the D.C. Public Library system are participating in the ‘Big Read,’ a program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts to ‘revitalize the role of literary reading in American popular culture,’ are hoping that everyone in the city can learn from reading the same book.” The novel “A Lesson Before Dying,” by Ernest J. Gaines is this year’s selection.

High School In Michigan Wins Obama Commencement Competition. The New York Times (5/5, Calmes) reports that Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan has “beaten more than 1,000 public high schools in a national contest” to have President Obama “as commencement speaker” in the first annual Race to the Top Commencement Challenge for high schools. According to the Times, “Officials at the White House and the Education Department chose the six finalists, whose videos and essays were posted on the White House Website” and “Obama made the final choice.” ABC News (5/4, Bruce, Blackburn) reported on its Website that after announcing Kalamazoo Central High School as the winner, President Obama added “a shout out to Kalamazoo Central’s mascot: ‘Go Giants!’”

The Christian Science Monitor (5/5, Paulson) reports, “On June 10, seniors at Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan will get a rare honor for a high school: a sitting president as their commencement speaker.” Kalamazoo Central was among three finalists, including “Clark Montessori Junior High and High School in Cincinnati, and the Denver School of Science and Technology.”

The Kalamazoo (MI) Gazette (5/5, Mack) reports that Kalamazoo Central’s “entry focused on The Kalamazoo Promise, the college scholarship program for Kalamazoo graduates, and the reform efforts The Promise has inspired.” The AP (5/5) also covers the story, as did David Jackson in a blog for USA Today (5/4) and Valerie Strauss in a blog for the Washington Post (5/4). WWMT-TV Kalamazoo, MI (5/4) and KUSA-TV Denver (5/4, Boniface) also covered the story.

California To Submit New Race To The Top Application. The San Francisco Chronicle (5/1, Tucker) reports California will “throw its hat into the ring for the chance to win $700 million in the second round of federal Race to the Top funds despite the state’s arguably long odds and dismal showing in the last round, state officials said Friday.” State Secretary of Education Bonnie Reiss said the state “would need to vault from 27th place – out of 40 applicants – in round one to a spot among serious contenders – something that will require a complete revamp of the application.” This time, “six district superintendents, representing more than 1 million students in California, will craft the application rather than Sacramento policy wonks,” and it will “shine a spotlight on what those districts are already doing to turn around struggling schools, evaluate and support teachers and principals and measure student performance.”

The Los Angeles Times (5/1, Blume) reports the “names of the three largest districts, including L.A. Unified, had been disclosed in an article this week in The Times,” and Long Beach Unified and Fresno Unified “also were taking part.” But officials “revealed Friday that three other districts wanted to be involved as well: San Francisco Unified and two Fresno-area districts: Clovis Unified and Sanger Unified.” The state “developed a new strategy: A few districts would pursue reforms more specific and more aggressive than in the original state submission.”

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New from Ralph Fletcher!

April 20, 2010

Dear Governor Christie,

I am a teacher. As such, I have worked with all kinds of children, those who are bright and hard working and those who struggle to find success. Those who speak English and those who families speak a language different than English. I have worked with children from traditional homes and the homeless. Those children whose families fill their lives with rich experiences and activities and those whose parents are so overwhelmed with life that they have no time for anything else beyond survival. I have worked with children who are healthy and those who have severe medical issues, those children who are socially and emotionally well-adjusted and those who can’t cope with the world around them. I have taught kindergarteners and high school students how to read and write to the best of their abilities. I have dealt with the death of one of my first graders and the illnesses of my students and colleagues from sick buildings. With all of these diverse experiences I now know why it is that you hate teachers so much.

You see, there isn’t a teacher alive who hasn’t dealt with you in their career. We all know your secret. You are the 5 year old who shoves other kids around on the playground. You are the 8 year old who steals others lunch money. You are the teenager who pushes the weak kid into the locker or who flushes their coat down the toilet or the ‘cool kid’ who insults and humiliates those around you.

New York City Schools Chief Moves To Give Principals More Power Over Curriculum.
The New York Times (4/27, Medina) reports that New York City schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein “said Monday that he was reshuffling the top jobs at city’s Education Department headquarters and eliminating the division that oversees school curriculum and teacher training programs.” His aim is “to give principals more power to determine what kind of instruction they use at individual schools, rather than using only suggestions developed in central offices.” According to the Times, “The changes underscore a substantial shift that the department has made under Mr. Klein, who early in his tenure focused on centralizing control of the system and developing a uniform citywide curriculum.”

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In the Classroom
E-Curriculums Offer Schools Customized Solutions.
Education Week (4/23, Davis) reported, “With a wealth of online courses for school districts to choose from, plus an abundance of interactive activities, videos, and digital information to sift through to design such courses,” many “school leaders are” purchasing “online classes from nonprofit and for-profit providers, making their own from scratch, accessing open-source options, or combining all three approaches.” Education Week details the trends in individualized instructional programs, project-based courses, and custom-built programs created by individual schools.

Florida Virtual School, DOE To Host Virtual STEM Career Fair For Middle, High School Students.
The St.

Senator Proposes $23 Billion Fund To Save Teaching Jobs. The Washington Post (4/15, Anderson) reports, “As public schools nationwide face larger class sizes and cuts in programs, the Senate’s leading Democrat on education issues proposed a $23 billion bailout Wednesday to help avert layoffs of tens of thousands of teachers and other school personnel in the coming academic year.” Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is sponsoring a bill described by the Post as “a potential sequel to the economic stimulus law enacted last year.”

Bloomberg News (4/15, Staley) reports that at a US Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, Harkin told lawmakers that “job losses at public schools and colleges in the US may top 100,000 in the next school year. … The legislation needs to be passed now because school districts are making budget decisions this month, he said.” Medill News Service (4/14, Yadron) reported that according to Harkin, “unless Congress acts, many of the education policy changes currently being weighed by the Obama administration and Congress will be pointless,” as educators are laid off en masse.

Education Week (4/14, Klein) reported that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Wednesday “urged Congress to pass” new legislation “to preserve education jobs. He testified before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that deals with education spending on the same day the panel’s chairman,” Sen.

Schools Receive Grants For Anti-Violence Initiatives.
The Baltimore Sun (3/19, Bowie) reported, “The Reginald F. Lewis High School in Baltimore has received a $3.4 million federal grant to support programs aimed at reducing violence at the school. The federal money is being given nationally by the U.S. Labor Department to six high schools that were named ‘persistently dangerous’ under” NCLB. According to the Sun, “In the past two years, 2.5 percent of the high school’s students have been removed or suspended for a serious offense, including having weapons or being violent, according to Principal Sylvia Hall.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer (3/19, Woodall) reported, “The School District of Philadelphia was celebrating a windfall in federal funding this week,” as the Department of Labor “announced Wednesday that it had awarded the district $25 million to reduce violence and improve educational outcomes at four neighborhood high schools on the state’s list of ‘persistently dangerous’ schools, based on the number of violent incidents and assaults reported over several years.” Also, “U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey announced that the Treasury Department and [ED] had awarded the district $145.4 million in construction bonds that will help it obtain low-cost financing to upgrade and repair facilities.”

Give your primary writers a vision of independence and the desire and confidence to achieve it. No More “I’m Done!” guides teachers in setting up the classroom environment and establishing routines that allow students to move through the writing process at their own pace. Includes a whole year’s worth of mini-lessons. Preview the entire book online!

Last night at the Local President’s meeting a member asked that we send a list to all local presidents of legislators who have been helpful by speaking up in caucus to raise concerns about the pension and benefits bills. The list is below.

Pleas contact thse legislators immediately.

Thank you.

• Assemblywoman Linda Stender – thanks! (lone vote against pension bills in the committee): AswStendernjlegorg  (AswStendernjlegorg)  
• Assemblyman Nelson Albano: AsmAlbanonjlegorg  (AsmAlbanonjlegorg)  
• Assemblyman Herb Conaway: AsmConawaynjlegorg  (AsmConawaynjlegorg)  
• Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein: AswGreensteinnjlegorg  (AswGreensteinnjlegorg)  
• Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo: AswGreensteinnjlegorg  (AswGreensteinnjlegorg)  
• Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman: AswWatsonColemannjlegorg  (AswWatsonColemannjlegorg)  
• Assemblyman Pat Diegnan: AsmDiegnannjlegorg  (AsmDiegnannjlegorg)  
• Assemblyman Joe Cryan: AsmCryannjlegorg  (AsmCryannjlegorg)  
• Assemblyman John McKeon: AsmMcKeonnjlegorg  (AsmMcKeonnjlegorg)  
• Assemblyman Al Coutinho: AsmCoutinhonjlegorg  (AsmCoutinhonjlegorg)  
• Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone: AsmChiapponenjlegorg  (AsmChiapponenjlegorg)  
• Assemblyman Vincent Prieto: AsmPrietonjlegorg  (AsmPrietonjlegorg)  
• Assemblyman Tom Giblin: AsmGiblinnjlegorg  (AsmGiblinnjlegorg)  
• Assemblywoman Elease Evans: AswEvansnjlegorg  (AswEvansnjlegorg)  
• Assemblyman Gary Schaer: AsmSchaernjlegorg  (AsmSchaernjlegorg)  
• Assemblywoman Joan Voss: AswVossnjlegorg  (AswVossnjlegorg)  
• Assemblywoman Connie Wagner: AswWagnernjlegorg  (AswWagnernjlegorg)  

Pen Ben Bills in Committee March 18
Call Assembly Appropriations Committee Today!
On Thursday, March 18, the four-bill Pensions and Benefits package (A-2459, A-2460, A-2461 & ACR-115) will be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

When these bills were discussed in the Senate State Government Committee a few short weeks ago, the members of the committee did not ask a single question during the entire two and a half hours of testimony. The bills were quickly voted out of committee and sent to the Senate floor for a 36-0 vote of approval.

Questions about these bills MUST be answered!

There are many questions about these bills that so far have gone unanswered. Choose one from the list below, and call members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and make sure they know what questions to ask on March 18.

1) A-2461 repeals the “non-forfeitable right” for employees who have reached five years of service. This means that the State can reduce benefits for new employees at any time. Don’t public employees deserve to know how their pension benefits will be calculated? How can they plan for retirement without a formula to rely on?

2) A-2461 allows for workers with fewer than 10 years of service to opt-out of the current defined benefit plan. If the state and local government are not planning on making a full payment for 8 more years, should we really be reducing cash flow into the system? Do you know that once an employee opts-out, this decision is irrevocable? Did you know that if an employee opts-out, they are ineligible for post-retirement medical benefits?