U.S.
Department of Education; link to State
Department of Education by clicking above, right. CHARTER
SCHOOLS get boost in Connecticut? Robin Hood re-allocation formula?
New
Superintendent Dr. Colleen Palmer; Dr. John Reed as interim
replacement for both School
Superintendents Jerome Belair and Dr.
Pierson;
Bus Garage; new and old bus fleets together.
LOCAL EDUCATION LINK: Including
notes from meetings sponsored by the Weston Board of Ed that
we occasionally
attend
in person.
LIES, DAMNED LIES AND
STATISTICS DEPT.
Guess what we just found? A report that U.S. schools not as bad as thought vis a vis
international competition! Click here.
About
Town current interview is with Rep. Lavielle.
GOP legislator
collaborates for
school relief
GOP lawmaker from
Wilton saw moment to push measure
Ken Dixon, Stamford ADVOCATE
Published 11:18 pm, Sunday, May 12, 2013
HARTFORD -- It's a rare thing for minority Republicans to get
their way in the state House of Representatives, where a 99-52 majority
means Democrats can get just about anything they want.
But late Thursday night, toward the end of a 10-hour
legislative day, second-term Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-Wilton, succeeded in
persuading Democrats to adopt an amendment.
The bill was about fostering innovation in public schools,
and Lavielle saw the moment as a good time to help both
higher-performing and lower-achieving school districts. The bill passed
135-0 and now heads to the Senate.
"I was pleased at how well it went," said Lavielle, a former
corporate executive who is on the legislative Education Committee. "I
introduced something very similar last year around this time, but there
was not an appetite for it."
The amendment calls for a task force to study the possibility
of giving schools relief from expensive state mandates.
Under Lavielle's bill, high-performing schools such as Weston
High School and New Canaan High School could have more field trips and
laboratory work in lieu of mandatory class time. Group learning and
online learning could also replace classroom lessons.
In addition, Lavielle's bill would include the five,
low-income districts that show the greatest decrease in the achievement
gap from July 2010 to July 2012. As a whole, Connecticut has the
largest gap in the nation between high-performing and low-performing
schools.
Lavielle said that while some legislative task forces can
create reports that do nothing but gather dust, her proposed
eight-member group appointed by legislative leaders would have a narrow
scope and an Oct. 1 deadline.
In 2012, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy created the Red Tape Review
and Removal Task Force, which Lavielle said produced a dry report that
seems to have gone nowhere, especially on the issue of mandate relief.
An example of her mandate relief would be to allow schools to
divert from the so-called common core of classes and create other
curriculum options. Another example would be to cut down on reports
that many teachers say eat up time that would be better used for
instruction.
"I think it's just been long in coming," Lavielle said,
adding that it won't cost any money, but it has the potential to save
money and resources.
"I was very happy (by the bill's passage in the House)," she
said. "It appears to be a sincere desire for collaboration from both
sides. This can't be one of those task forces that do nothing."
Are Top State Education Officials
trying to circumvent Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Law by using
personal email accounts?
"What? Wait! Blog
Jon Pelto
Apr 22, 2013
Yet another source has confirmed that certain high-ranking officials in
the State Department of Education are using their personal computers,
personal email accounts or texting on their personal phones to conduct
state business.
Unfortunately from time to time, government officials have tried to
side-step Connecticut’s Freedom of Information laws by using their
personal computers or personal email accounts to conduct the public’s
businesses. Others have used their personal phones to text
information that deals with public issues.
In all those situations, when the necessary evidence has been provided,
the Freedom of Information Commission has been absolutely clear.
Public records are public, even if officials use their private
computers or phones.
The problem is that most Freedom of Information requests only seek
copies of emails that have been sent via state accounts. Without
evidence, it becomes difficult, if not impossible for the Freedom of
Information Commission to know when public officials are using their
private accounts to conduct public business.
If you have evidence that any government official, especially those in
the State Department of Education, are using their private email
accounts to conduct state business, please pass that information along
so that future Freedom of Information requests can take those facts
into consideration...
This blog request not necessarily the
opinion of the About Weston website, but it does explain why FOI
Commission is under the microscope and in danger of having its teeth
pulled by the Administration.
State moves to dismiss long-standing
challenge to education funding
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, CT MIRROR
April 9, 2013
Calling their demands "extreme and radical" as a trial draws nearer,
the Connecticut attorney general has asked a judge to dismiss the
lawsuit filed by parents and educators demanding more funding for
education.
In a motion to dismiss filed earlier this year, Attorney General George
C. Jepsen argues that the education problems in the complaint dating
back to 2003 have since been addressed by lawmakers through the changes
to state law made in 2012.
"It is too late to evaluate the adequacy of the education system that
existed at the time the lawsuit was filed," Jepsen wrote. By the same
token, he added, "It is too early to adjudicate Connecticut's newly
reformed education system."
In his motion to Superior Court Judge Kevin Dubay, Jepsen reports that,
"Two or three years is needed before the experts can properly assess,
and the court can properly consider, the benefits that may be realized
from Connecticut's significant reform initiatives."
But 18 parents whose children attend some of the state's
lowest-performing schools are tired of waiting for things to improve,
said Dianne Kaplan deVries, who leads the coalition suing the state.
"Enough is enough. It's time for these kids to have their day in
court," deVries said.
Despite the rhetoric, she says the state is still not providing a
quality education for every Connecticut student -- particularly those
from poor communities.
Since the lawsuit was filed in the fall of 2005, the case has garnered
a lot of attention and support as mayors from Bridgeport, East Harford,
Hartford, New Haven and Windham joined forces with the leaders of the
state's two teachers' unions to sue the state. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy,
who was mayor of Stamford at the time, also joined the suit.
In 2010 the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding won
a key victory when the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that the state
is responsible for providing an "adequate" education, and returned it
to the lower court to determine if the state's current level of funding
is sufficient. But Jepsen argues in his attempt to get the case
thrown out that setting funding levels for education is the
legislature's responsibility -- not the court's.
"The bottom line is that plaintiffs' extreme and radical requested
relief would amount to taking the state's funding decisions for public
schools away from the citizens' elected representatives..." Jepsen
wrote.
The state is expected to spend nearly $3.8 billion this fiscal year on
education, nearly 20 percent of the state budget.
An 'educational underclass'
At the time the lawsuit was filed in the fall of 2005, schools across
the state faced a long list of problems, particularly those districts
in poorer communities. At Roosevelt School in Bridgeport, the
average class size far exceeded state averages. At East Hartford High
School, students who fell behind in math had to catch up on their own
because there were no tutors or remedial instructors.
"Once in the school [these factors] increase the chance that these
students will become part of the educational underclass," the lawsuit
alleges.
In New Britain, only half the fourth graders were reading proficiently,
but 99 percent were being socially promoted to fifth grade. At Bassick
High School in Bridgeport, almost half the students who entered as
freshman would make it to graduation. And while there is
widespread agreement that too many children in Connecticut were not
receiving a quality education, Jepsen argues that it would be unfair to
litigate constitutional violations from 2005.
In addition to linking student performance to teacher tenure and
dismissal decisions, the law passed last year largely focuses on
improving the state's lowest-performing schools. The reforms direct
most of $92 million in new funding to increasing enrollment in charter
and magnet schools, enrolling 1,000 more students in high-quality
preschool programs and paying for certain new programs in the 30
lowest-performing districts.
But deVries said the new funding pales in comparison to what is needed.
Her expert estimated in 2005 that the state was underfunding education
by at least $2 billion a year.
As for the new funding provided by the legislature last year, "It's
just a bunch of pilot programs," she said. "There will never be enough
for all the students -- that's the Connecticut way."
Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield, D-New Haven, who was the leader of the
legislature's Black and Puerto Rican Caucus during the education reform
debate last year, said workable programs get funded piecemeal because
there's limited money. Take
universal access to preschool -- which the governor supports and was in
Meriden last week promoting its impact. Offering preschool to every
low-income family's children would cost the state $43.8 million more a
year. So, instead, the legislature last year created 1,000 new spots at
a cost of $6.8 million.
The same can be said for full-day kindergarten -- something the
legislature's Achievement Gap Task Force has been recommending for
years. Implementing that program has also been sidelined until the
funding is identified. A program to help students who are behind
in learning to read -- one that Holder-Winfield says was successful in
the handful of districts where it was implemented -- has also stalled
because of funding. Instead, legislators decided last year to expand
the pilot program.
"We do pilot after pilot. Study after study. That's not nearly enough,"
the New Haven Democrat said.
Malloy's evolution from plaintiff to
defendant
As mayor of Stamford, Malloy grew so frustrated seeing his wealthy
neighbors get almost the same per-pupil education grants from the state
as his city did that he joined a class-action lawsuit over the funding
system.
During Malloy's first weeks in office as governor, he vowed to change
the "broken" way education was funded in Connecticut, and he has
steadily increased the amount the state spends on education. In his
first two-year budget, he filled the $271 million budget gap school
districts faced when emergency federal stimulus dollars ran out.
And this year he is asking the legislature to increase education
spending yet again, though municipalities would not be required to
spend some of the $101.5 million increase on education.
Malloy does not claim that this increase will get the state to an
adequate funding level, but says "it is moving us in that direction."
For the state's existing funding formula to work as intended, it needs
at least an additional $724 million each year, according to top state
officials. However, the state spends more for each student than almost
every other state after factoring in the region's higher cost of
living, according to a national report card released this year by
Education Week, a nonpartisan publication. While touring a
preschool program in Meriden that was able to offer more children
enrollment because of the 2012 law, Malloy said the reforms were not
meant as a way to get out of the state's funding obligations or to
delay the lawsuit.
"No. No. No. That's not why we are doing this," he said. "Education is
my focus -- has been, will be."
If the suit is not dismissed, the trial is set to begin in July
2014. Holder-Winfield, who is also running to become the mayor of
New Haven, said a court order may be exactly what's needed to force the
state to find the money to provide a quality education.
"I don't think that a good defense is 'We are trying.' Good intentions
don't help those young people that end up in prison or on social
services" because they aren't given an adequate education, he said.
"There needs to be some strong force that spurs the legislature into
action."
Not
a CT educational institution - nor a medical one.
More Diagnoses of
Hyperactivity in New
C.D.C. Data
By ALAN SCHWARZ and SARAH COHEN, NYTIMES
March 31, 2013
Nearly one in five high school age boys in the United States and 11
percent of school-age children over all have received a medical
diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to new
data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These rates reflect a marked rise over the last decade and could fuel
growing concern among many doctors that the A.D.H.D. diagnosis and its
medication are overused in American children.
The figures showed that an estimated 6.4 million children ages 4
through 17 had received an A.D.H.D. diagnosis at some point in their
lives, a 16 percent increase since 2007 and a 53 percent rise in the
past decade. About two-thirds of those with a current diagnosis receive
prescriptions for stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall, which can
drastically improve the lives of those with A.D.H.D. but can also lead
to addiction, anxiety and occasionally psychosis.
“Those are astronomical numbers. I’m floored,” said Dr. William Graf, a
pediatric neurologist in New Haven and a professor at the Yale School
of Medicine. He added, “Mild symptoms are being diagnosed so readily,
which goes well beyond the disorder and beyond the zone of ambiguity to
pure enhancement of children who are otherwise healthy.”
And even more teenagers are likely to be prescribed medication in the
near future because the American Psychiatric Association plans to
change the definition of A.D.H.D. to allow more people to receive the
diagnosis and treatment. A.D.H.D. is described by most experts as
resulting from abnormal chemical levels in the brain that impair a
person’s impulse control and attention skills.
While some doctors and patient advocates have welcomed rising diagnosis
rates as evidence that the disorder is being better recognized and
accepted, others said the new rates suggest that millions of children
may be taking medication merely to calm behavior or to do better in
school. Pills that are shared with or sold to classmates — diversion
long tolerated in college settings and gaining traction in
high-achieving high schools — are particularly dangerous, doctors say,
because of their health risks when abused.
The findings were part of a broader C.D.C. study of children’s health
issues, taken from February 2011 to June 2012. The agency interviewed
more than 76,000 parents nationwide by both cellphone and landline and
is currently compiling its reports. The New York Times obtained the raw
data from the agency and compiled the results.
A.D.H.D. has historically been estimated to affect 3 to 7 percent of
children. The disorder has no definitive test and is determined only by
speaking extensively with patients, parents and teachers, and ruling
out other possible causes — a subjective process that is often skipped
under time constraints and pressure from parents. It is considered a
chronic condition that is often carried into adulthood.
The C.D.C. director, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, likened the rising rates of
stimulant prescriptions among children to the overuse of pain
medications and antibiotics in adults.
“We need to ensure balance,” Dr. Frieden said. “The right medications
for A.D.H.D., given to the right people, can make a huge difference.
Unfortunately, misuse appears to be growing at an alarming rate.”
Experts cited several factors in the rising rates. Some doctors are
hastily viewing any complaints of inattention as full-blown A.D.H.D.,
they said, while pharmaceutical advertising emphasizes how medication
can substantially improve a child’s life. Moreover, they said, some
parents are pressuring doctors to help with their children’s
troublesome behavior and slipping grades.
“There’s a tremendous push where if the kid’s behavior is thought to be
quote-unquote abnormal — if they’re not sitting quietly at their desk —
that’s pathological, instead of just childhood,” said Dr. Jerome
Groopman, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the
author of “How Doctors Think.”
Fifteen percent of school-age boys have received an A.D.H.D. diagnosis,
the data showed; the rate for girls was 7 percent. Diagnoses among
those of high-school age — 14 to 17 — were particularly high, 10
percent for girls and 19 percent for boys. About one in 10 high-school
boys currently takes A.D.H.D. medication, the data showed.
Rates by state are less precise but vary widely. Southern states, like
Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina and Tennessee, showed
about 23 percent of school-age boys receiving an A.D.H.D. diagnosis.
The rates in Colorado and Nevada were less than 10 percent.
The medications — primarily Adderall, Ritalin,
Concerta and Vyvanse — often afford those with severe A.D.H.D. the
concentration and impulse control to lead relatively normal lives.
Because the pills can vastly improve focus and drive among those with
perhaps only traces of the disorder, an A.D.H.D. diagnosis has become a
popular shortcut to better grades, some experts said, with many
students unaware of or disregarding the medication’s health risks.
“There’s no way that one in five high-school boys has A.D.H.D.,” said
James Swanson, a professor of psychiatry at Florida International
University and one of the primary A.D.H.D. researchers in the last 20
years. “If we start treating children who do not have the disorder with
stimulants, a certain percentage are going to have problems that are
predictable — some of them are going to end up with abuse and
dependence. And with all those pills around, how much of that actually
goes to friends? Some studies have said it’s about 30 percent.”
An A.D.H.D. diagnosis often results in a family’s paying for a child’s
repeated visits to doctors for assessments or prescription renewals.
Taxpayers assume this cost for children covered by Medicaid, who,
according to the C.D.C. data, have among the highest rates of A.D.H.D.
diagnoses: 14 percent for school-age children, about one-third higher
than the rest of the population.
Several doctors mentioned that advertising from the pharmaceutical
industry that played off parents’ fears — showing children struggling
in school or left without friends — encouraged parents and doctors to
call even minor symptoms A.D.H.D. and try stimulant treatment. For
example, a pamphlet for Vyvanse from its manufacturer, Shire, shows a
parent looking at her son and saying, “I want to do all I can to help
him succeed.”
Sales of stimulants to treat A.D.H.D. have more than doubled to $9
billion in 2012 from $4 billion in 2007, according to the health care
information company IMS Health.
Criteria for the proper diagnosis of A.D.H.D., to be released next
month in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders, have been changed specifically to allow more
adolescents and adults to qualify for a diagnosis, according to several
people involved in the discussions.
The final wording has not been released, but most proposed changes
would lead to higher rates of diagnosis: the requirement that symptoms
appeared before age 12 rather than 7; illustrations, like repeatedly
losing one’s cellphone or losing focus during paperwork, that emphasize
that A.D.H.D. is not just a young child’s disorder; and the requirement
that symptoms merely “impact” daily activities, rather than cause
“impairment.”
An analysis of the proposed changes published in January by the Journal
of Learning Disabilities concluded: “These wording changes newly
diagnose individuals who display symptoms of A.D.H.D. but continue to
function acceptably in their daily lives."Given that severe A.D.H.D.
that goes untreated has been shown to increase a child’s risk for
academic failure and substance abuse, doctors have historically focused
on raising awareness of the disorder and reducing fears surrounding
stimulant medication.
A leading voice has been Dr. Ned Hallowell, a child psychiatrist and
author of best-selling books on the disorder. But in a recent
interview, Dr. Hallowell said that the new C.D.C. data, combined with
recent news reports of young people abusing stimulants, left him
assessing his role.
Whereas Dr. Hallowell for years would reassure skeptical parents by
telling them that Adderall and other stimulants were “safer than
aspirin,” he said last week, “I regret the analogy” and he “won’t be
saying that again.” And while he still thinks that many children with
A.D.H.D. continue to go unrecognized and untreated, he said the high
rates demonstrate how the diagnosis is being handed out too freely.
“I think now’s the time to call attention to the dangers that can be
associated with making the diagnosis in a slipshod fashion,” he said.
“That we have kids out there getting these drugs to use them as mental
steroids — that’s dangerous, and I hate to think I have a hand in
creating that problem.”
Allison Kopicki contributed reporting.
National publication provides a
rundown of Connecticut's college scandal
Political Mirror
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas
January 14, 2013
Did you miss the trio of scandals that hit the state's college system
in the last few months? Don't worry, Inside Higher Ed, a national
publication, has a complete rundown of all the trials and tribulations
the 100,000-student system faced after being reorganized by state
lawmakers.
Here is a link to the article.
The article outlines the lack of clarity in the law, which possibly
doomed the newly merged college system from the start. And coupling
that with an aggressive governor wasn't helpful, either.
As Aims McGuinness, with the National Center for Higher Education
Management Systems, told the national publication, "the trick... is
finding a way for the governor to back off gracefully."
Study: State debt and worker benefits
ate into education and social services over two decades
Keith M. Phaneuf, CT MIRROR
October 25, 2012
A new study released today says that health care and debt service have
consumed more and more state resources in the past 20 years -- the
shift in funding hurting education and social services the most.
Connecticut Voices for Children, a New Haven-based, progressive public
policy center, attributes the shift to an aging population and
workforce, rapidly rising health care costs, three recessions and the
"ripple effects" of several other policy choices.
"The state budget is an expression of our values and priorities," said
Wade Gibson, co-author of the report and senior policy fellow at the
Fiscal Policy Center. "In the face of these trends and continued budget
deficits, we need to make sure that we make forward-looking budget
decisions that maintain investments in the future while fulfilling our
obligations to our most vulnerable populations -- young and old alike."
Education has experienced the largest decline, according to the report.
It represented 29.2 percent of the state budget in the 1991-92 fiscal
year, falling to 23.1 percent in 2011-12.
"This reduction has been borne most heavily by state colleges and
universities. As a result, costs have shifted to students and
families," the report states, adding that "in-state tuition and fees
have increased by nearly 90 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars over
this period."
At the same time, state funding also shifted away from one of the
largest sections of the budget, human services. This share of overall
state spending dropped from 33.4 percent to 30.9 percent. This was
driven by declining payments to welfare recipients and to hospitals
that serve a disproportionate share of poor patients, and declining
staff numbers in the Department of Social Services, the report noted.
Over the same two decades that these programs received a smaller
portion of state spending, the state has relied increasingly on
borrowing. State debt has more than doubled in real dollars, increasing
by 142 percent over the past two decades, the report notes.
And the "non-functional" section of the state budget, which includes
funding to cover debt service and health care for current and retired
state employees rose over the last two decades from 16 percent to 22.4
percent of the state budget.
"These trends mean that Connecticut will likely face similar budget
pressures into the future," said Matthew Santacroce, co-author of the
report and policy fellow at the Fiscal Policy Center. "Policymakers
will need to confront the long-term factors producing these budget
trends if we hope to maintain the schools, health care, transportation
and other public services we need for a healthy economy."
Connecticut Voices also made several recommendations to reverse this
cost shift, including:
Reforming Connecticut's "obsolete" system for
financing K-12 education, reducing the reliance on municipal property
taxes and increasing state funding.
Expand recent efforts to improve state employee
wellness and otherwise contain state health care costs.
And, avoid borrowing to cover state operating
expenses.
Fallout lingers over Conn. higher ed pay raises
DAY
By DAVE COLLINS, Associated Press
Oct 15, 7:21 PM EDT
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- The two top executives of Connecticut's new
university and community college system are gone, but the fallout from
secret pay raises continues for Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who
hand-picked both officials to lead a high-profile effort to streamline
higher education.
Republican lawmakers are calling for legislative hearings and
questioning what administration officials knew about the raises and
when. Staffers with the Board of Regents for Higher Education are
trying to minimize any disruptions to the schools and reform efforts
while limiting damage to the system's reputation.
"We hope not to lose a beat in all this because what we're after is so
important," said Lewis Robinson, chairman of the Board of Regents. "Our
aim is to regain our momentum as quickly as possible."
In what has become one of the most high-profile controversies of
Malloy's 21-month-old administration, the Board of Regents revealed
last week that President Robert A. Kennedy had awarded $250,000 in pay
raises to 21 board staff members over the past year without the board's
knowledge or its required approval. Kennedy and Executive Vice
President Michael Meotti resigned on Friday.
"It's probably the biggest problem that has cropped up in state
government since Gov. Malloy took office," said Roy Occhiogrosso,
senior adviser to the governor. "The governor accepts the fact that
mistakes happen and that problems crop up in state government. His job
is to make sure ... they are dealt with swiftly, and that's exactly
what he did."
Malloy denounced the raises last week and urged the Board of Regents to
address the issue immediately. Before he resigned, Kennedy suspended
the raises pending a review by a new panel on whether the increases
were warranted. Kennedy said the staff members deserved the raises
because they had taken on more responsibilities in the consolidation of
different higher education systems.
The board tapped former University of Connecticut President Philip
Austin to temporarily oversee the college system while officials search
for a permanent successor to Kennedy.
Beginning operation in July of last year, the Board of Regents was
originally proposed by Malloy as a way to streamline the way
Connecticut runs its colleges and universities. The group governs four
state universities, 12 community colleges and a public, online school,
excluding the University of Connecticut.
Board officials say they have identified $5.5 million in savings in the
consolidation, which paved the way for hiring 47 new faculty and
student support positions. They launched three manufacturing centers to
help better prepare students for the workforce. And they said they've
made it easier for students to transfer to other schools in the system.
House Republican Leader Lawrence Cafero of Norwalk and Senate
Republican Leader John McKinney of Fairfield have been calling for the
legislature's higher education committee to hold hearings on the
raises. Occhiogrosso said Malloy found out about the raises just over a
week ago and acted swiftly.
"How in a time of fiscal crisis ... do you miss a quarter of a million
dollars in raises being given out?" Cafero said. "How do you not know
that?"
Occhiogrosso accused Cafero and McKinney of trying to score political
points shortly before the November election. He said Malloy doesn't
regret recommending Kennedy for the job and believes Kennedy is a
"smart, thoughtful" guy who made a mistake.
Majority Democrats who lead the higher education committee said Monday
that they don't believe hearings are needed at this point because the
Board of Regents already is taking action.
Gary Rose, a political science professor at Sacred Heart University in
Fairfield, said the pay raise controversy has had a big impact on
Malloy's higher education efforts and become campaign fodder for
Republicans.
"I think it has a devastating effect on any kind of reform effort,"
Rose said. "He doesn't have his lieutenants in place to execute his
plan. So I think that's problematic for him."
Cafero pledged to continue looking into the raises.
"I hope no one believes that just because Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Meotti
resigned and Mr. Austin was appointed that this is over," Cafero said.
Austin Named As Interim President
CTNEWSJUNKIE
by CTNewsjunkie Staff | Oct 12, 2012 4:11pm
Former University of Connecticut President Philip Austin
was named Friday as the interim president of the Board of Regents that
oversees the state’s four universities and community colleges. He
agreed to step into the role vacated by Robert Kennedy, who resigned
under fire after approving more than $260,000 in raises for the higher
education agency’s top executives.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who recruited Kennedy, praised the Board of
Regents for choosing Austin as the interim.
“His reputation is beyond reproach, and he will bring much needed
stability to the Board of Regents central office the first day he walks
in the door,“ Malloy said. “He’s also the right person to make sure the
reforms that have started to be implemented continue.”
Austin, who served for more than 11 years as president of the
University of Connecticut, also served as the interim president during
the transition between Michael Hogan and its current president, Susan
Herbst.
Lewis Robinson, chairman of the Board of Regents, announced the pick
after the board spent more than a half hour in executive session
discussing its options.
“Dr. Austin is an outstanding educator and leader of educational
institutions,” Robinson told reporters after the meeting adjourned. “He
served as the 13th president of the University of Connecticut with
distinction and he was asked to come back as interim president in their
search for their president, Dr. Herbst, and did a fine job.”
Robinson said Austin’s experience made him a good choice as the Board
of Regents moved quickly to find a permanent replacement for Kennedy.
Robinson said he had a conversation with the governor’s office Thursday
and Austin’s name “came up.”
Austin’s pay has yet to be worked out, he said. Malloy will have to
appoint him before he starts his job.
Robinson said the board may take five or six months to choose a new
permanent president.
“In order to get the top quality leader that’s going to propel us into
the 21st century so we have graduates equipped to compete in a global
economy, we need a first-rate person,” he said.
The 15-member board voted unanimously to accept Kennedy’s resignation
before it nearly unanimously voted to recommend Austin.
One member, Alex Tettey, Jr., chairman of the board’s Student Advisory
Committee, abstained from the vote. Tettey said he had respect for
every member of the board, but had only heard Austin’s name mentioned
for the first time about an hour before the vote. Without being able to
research the candidate for himself, Tettey said he didn’t want to cast
a vote one way or another.
“I didn’t feel it was enough time,” he said, adding that he may have to
explain his vote to other students. “A lot of students around the state
— their confidence is a little shaky in the board.”
Some of that discontent was evident while the board was in executive
session. Chris D’Amore, a Manchester Community College student, spoke
with reporters about his frustration with the raises and the staff who
received them.
He said most state employees are under a pay freeze and that it was
wrong for Board of Regents’ staff to accept raises that weren’t even
approved by the board. D’Amore said everyone who received a raise
should pay back whatever extra money they received and ideally resign.
Robinson said Executive Vice President Michael Meotti has agreed to pay
back his raise and the others have had theirs frozen. Those raises will
be studied, he said, noting that some raises were approved by the board.
One of the actions taken by the Board of Regents on Friday was to
establish an administrative committee to look into the raises and other
personnel issues. Robinson said he still had confidence in the board’s
staff unless or until the that committee came back with evidence to the
contrary.
“We’re not going to operate at the board on innuendo with regard to
other people who are not involved with what’s transpired this morning,”
Robinson said.
Aside
From Meotti, 21 Other Officials
Get Raises
CTNEWSJUNKIE
by Christine Stuart | Oct 9, 2012 5:05pm
Michael Meotti, executive vice president of the Board of Regents,
wasn’t the only education administrator to get a raise this summer.
Twenty-one other executives also received significant pay increases
from Board of Regents President Robert Kennedy.
The raises ranged from as low as $5,000 to as much as $48,000 for
people such as Eastern Connecticut State University President Elsa
Nunez and Norwalk Community College President David Levinson. The
$48,000 pay hikes are on top of Nunez’s and Levinson’s salaries of
$320,480 and $204,188 respectively. They received the raises when they
were named vice presidents of the regents overseeing the former
Connecticut State University System and the Community College System.*
The raises reflected increased and consolidated responsibilities that
go along with their new job titles.
For instance, Colleen Flanagan Johnson was the director of public
affairs and marketing for the Board of Regents, but she accepted
additional duties as chief of staff along with the $20,000 increase in
salary. Her salary went from $130,000 to $150,000, which means she’s
now making as much as her former boss, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
Earlier in the day Tuesday, Board of Regents Chair Lewis Robinson and
Kennedy putting out a statement saying Meotti, who was expected to
receive a $47,820 pay increase, “has chosen to forgo his raise in
salary.“ None of the other 21 who received pay increases and increased
responsibilities have offered to give up their raises, which will now
be reviewed by the 15-member board.
The unfolding story of the salary increases at a time when the state
budget deficit is growing has lawmakers contemplating their next move.
If House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero has his way, the legislature’s
Higher Education Committee would have a public hearing on the matter.
“What, exactly, is going on here?” Cafero said in this letter to Sen.
Beth Bye. “I do not believe the legislature envisioned these
developments when it approved higher education ‘reforms’ more than a
year ago. The apparent breakdown in oversight of higher education, and
the lack of transparency in running these systems, are perhaps most
disturbing.”
Bye, who was concerned about the “ill-timed” raises, said she’s in the
process of gathering the facts along with her co-chair Rep. Roberta
Willis, and the ranking Republican members of the Higher Education
Committee. Once she has the information the committee leadership will
decide whether to hold a public hearing, or what other action they
should take.
Most of the raises were approved by Kennedy over the summer. All have
gone into effect, but the Board of Regents will now review them and
could decide to eliminate them, reduce them, or keep them in place.
Bye said Kennedy never had the authority to order the raises under the
legislation, and has admitted his mistake.
The Board of Regents oversees the state’s four regional colleges, 12
community colleges, and Charter Oak State College. The creation of the
board stemmed from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s desire to consolidate the
state’s colleges and eliminate $5.5 million in administrative costs in
the process.
-----------------------
*
The reason why Presidents were asked for their
resignations...a
new system under centralized operation is our read of what's going down!
http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/upload/BOR_Salary_Adjustments.pdf
Second
community college president:
'We're on the chopping block'
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, CT MIRROR
October 5, 2012
Updated, Oct. 6, 9:30 a.m.
A second Connecticut community college president has come forward to
confirm that the 12 presidents "have been offered a buyout," and it was
"made clear we're on the chopping block if we don't accept."
Barbara Douglass, the president of Northwestern Community College in
Winsted, said Friday that her understanding of what the presidents were
told by the higher education administration coincides with the account
given by Gena Glickman, president of Manchester Community College.
"President Glickman's account of the meeting was accurate," said
Douglass. "The other presidents are not coming forward because of fear
and intimidation. I am coming forward because I feel one of my
colleagues is being held out to dry."
Although no one from the higher education system was available during
the day Friday, a statement from "Connecticut State Colleges and
Universities" was released Friday night that called their recent
actions "consistent with practice in both of the former university and
community college systems." (See below for statement.)
Douglass said the controversy surrounding the presidents' tenure is not
related to the implementation of a new law governing remedial education
at the college level, as some administrators have claimed.
Earlier this week, Michael Meotti, the state college system's executive
vice president, told the Board of Regents for Higher Education that
Glickman's account was not accurate.
In an email to her faculty Tuesday, Glickman said the 12 college
presidents had been given until Oct. 31 to decide whether to take a
buyout or put their positions at risk.
Meotti described the proposal to the presidents as a way to hasten
their dismissal if they thought "they could not carry out the
directions of the [remedial education] law and the board." In his email
Tuesday to the regents, Meotti said the proposal was put forward
because several presidents are resisting implementation of the new
state law limiting when students can be forced to take noncredit
remedial courses. It is known as SB-40.
But Douglass said at no time during the meeting did Steven Weinberger,
the director of human resources for the regents, bring up the remedial
education law.
"I have never said or indicated I would not carry out the law," said
Douglass, who has run her community college for nine years. "I know we
all have concerns. That doesn't mean we aren't going to follow the
law," she said.
"During the meeting," she said, "all that was mentioned was the need
for change in leadership, nothing to do with SB-40... It was not
discussed as related to it."
Douglass said her legal counsel has advised her not to share the
details of the "buyout offered."
Response
Meotti, Robert Kennedy, the Board of Regents president, and Lewis
Robinson Jr., the board chairman, were not immediately available Friday
afternoon to comment.
However, Friday night, a statement from the "Connecticut State Colleges
and Universities" was released: "This approach is consistent with
practice in both of the former university and community college
systems. The discussions start with central office leadership and the
presidents."
"Balancing these sometimes conflicting goals is what led to recent
conversations with our community college presidents. This conversation
started with a meeting of community college presidents where an
explanation was provided of how these goals would be addressed in the
regular presidential evaluation process that should precede a Board of
Regents decision on reappointment," the statement reads. "System
leadership will complete discussions with any interested presidents by
the end of the month. Sometime after that, the presidential evaluation
process will start for those who have not entered into a mutually
agreed upon separation agreement."
Not
a 'buyout' for college presidents,
an 'expedited' separation process
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, CT MIRROR
October 4, 2012
In reaction to what one official says is internal dissent over a new
law governing remedial education, members of the state's community
college governing board were notified this week that their staff has
offered 12 college presidents an expedited exit from their contracts.
The 15-member Board of Regents for Higher Education was also informed
for the first time that the presidents' performance is being evaluated
earlier than usual as part of the expedited separation process.
In an email to the board Tuesday, Michael Meotti, executive vice
president of the college system, addressed an issue first broached
publicly by Manchester Community College President Gena Glickman. She
told her faculty and staff that she and the 11 other college presidents
were offered a buyout that they must decide to accept by Oct. 31 or
risk dismissal.
This is not the first time the manner of dismissing college presidents
has been an issue in Connecticut. Two years ago, the state's attorney
general ruled in another college president's ouster that dismissal
authority rests with the higher education board, not its executive
staff.
Meotti has denied the accuracy of Glickman's account, but told the
board in his memo that the college system's vice president for human
resources, "met with the community college presidents to reinforce the
significance of our change agenda across a range of educational issues.
Steve explained that there would be a process for review of
presidential performance..."
"The urgency of our work required us to expedite the process this
year," Meotti wrote.
The urgency stems from the system's need to implement a new state law
that limits when students can be forced to take remedial courses. Some
college presidents have balked at the change, Meotti wrote; yet their
contracts require they be given a 12-month notice before they are
dismissed.
So Meotti's office proposed offering "an earlier trigger to the
12-month notice period if mutually agreed upon. [Staff] would follow up
individually with presidents," he told the board. The move was an
effort to "create a path to an amicable resolution with anyone who
might feel they could not carry out the directions of the law and the
board," Meotti told the board.
"The board hasn't met so they have not been briefed," he said Thursday.
Meotti said he will not disclose what areas of his administration's
"change agenda" the presidents are resisting, saying that's a personnel
issue.
Board of Regents members Richard Balducci and Lawrence DeNardis have
said that Meotti's memo and a Connecticut Mirror story earlier this
week were the first they have heard about problems with the college
presidents and implementing the new remediation law known as SB-40.
"The board has never met [about] or discussed this," Balducci said.
"That would be well within our jurisdiction." said DeNardis. "The board
has not been involved up to this point. I expect the board to be."
Two years ago, the Connecticut Mirror reported about the controversial
dismissal of Southern Connecticut State University's president, Cheryl
Norton.
Then-Attorney General Richard Blumenthal issued a legal opinion saying
the higher education board at the time improperly allowed
then-Chancellor David Carter to unilaterally remove Norton.
The board eventually changed its policy, and promised to be "more
transparent" in dismissals of college presidents in the future.
Since then, the college system has been reorganized into a new system
that merged the boards of the dozen community colleges and four
four-year state colleges.
Nothing in the new board's bylaws delegates the authority to make
decisions about a president's tenure to the central office staff or the
executive committee. State law requires that "the board shall establish
terms and conditions of employment of its staff, prescribe their
duties..."
Both DeNardis and Balducci said no discussion has taken place on the
future of the presidents during a full board meeting.
College presidents were informed about their potential expedited exit
from their posts during a private meeting Sept. 24. The full board met
the following day, but the move was not discussed in public.
The lingering uncertainty on the MCC campus created by Glickman's email
to her faculty and the ensuing media coverage has fueled a demand for
answers from some faculty members.
"Given that we only know what we know from [Glickman's] communication
and we don't have any information from the Board of Regents or the
Governor's office to confirm or deny the allegations, I am asking all
of you to contact your legislative representatives and raise ...
questions," wrote Carl Stafford, an MCC culinary instructor in an email
circulated to the faculty this week.
"We have not really been told what the plan is or if there really is a
transitional plan," Stafford wrote. "Our legislators need to know that
we hold them accountable for the votes they make... I'm concerned about
recent events and feel that by removing the president, we as a campus
community lose significant representation and voice."
The new law will limit remedial enrollment beginning in the fall of
2014 to one semester and requires more than a standardized entrance
exam to determine who must take these non-credit courses. Figures from
the Board of Regents show that 70 percent of the students who enroll in
community colleges have been determined to have not been adequately
prepared in high school, and will be required to first take remedial
courses.
When the bill was debated in the General Assembly, several legislators
referred to these remedial courses as the colleges' Bermuda Triangle:
Just 13.6 percent of the full-time students who take them actually earn
an associate's degree in four years -- twice the time it should take,
reports the Board of Regents.
Enrollment
Drops Again in Graduate Programs
By CATHERINE RAMPELL, NYTIMES
September
28, 2012
Enrollment in college is still
climbing, but students are increasingly saying no to graduate school in
the United States.
New enrollment in graduate schools
fell last year for the second consecutive year, according to a report
from the Council of Graduate Schools.
The declines followed surges in
enrollment in 2008 and 2009 as many unemployed workers sought a haven
during the recession. Financial considerations probably played a role
in the shift. Students may be dissuaded from continuing their education
in part because of the increasing debt burden from their undergraduate
years.
Additionally, state budget cuts are
forcing public institutions to reduce aid for graduate students, who in
some disciplines have traditionally been paid to attend postgraduate
programs.
The number of students enrolled in
master’s and doctoral programs (excluding law and certain other first
professional degrees like M.D.’s) declined by 1.7 percent from the fall
of 2010 to fall 2011.
Among American citizens and
permanent residents, matriculation fell by 2.3 percent. In contrast,
temporary residents increased their enrollment by 7.8 percent.
Temporary residents made up 16.9
percent of all students in American graduate schools, and that figure
has been growing as foreign governments pay for more of their citizens
to obtain education in the United States, particularly in technical
areas. Temporary residents represented 45.5 percent of all students
enrolled in engineering graduate programs in the United States, and
42.4 percent of those in American mathematics and computer science
graduate programs.
The changes in 2011 varied by
discipline, with education having the biggest drop-off in new graduate
enrollment at 8.8 percent.
“The states are in financial
stress,” said Debra Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate
Schools. “The school systems especially are in financial stress.
Teachers are no longer being provided time off to get graduate degrees,
and schools are no longer funding principals to go back and get
principal certificates.”
The next sharpest decline was in
programs for arts and humanities, where new graduate enrollment fell by
5.4 percent, perhaps reflecting that career prospects for such
graduates are becoming more limited as colleges lay off even tenured
faculty members in these areas.
Health sciences, on the other hand,
experienced a big increase in enrollment. The health care industry has
been hiring consistently and robustly during the recession and the weak
recovery.
The number of new graduate students
studying health care rose by 6.4 percent, which was slightly slower
growth than the average in the last decade. The average annual change
in new graduate enrollment in health sciences from 2001 to 2011 was 9.8
percent.
Enrollment showed more tepid growth
in business, which was up by 2.6 percent, and in mathematics and
computer sciences, up by 1.6 percent.
While overall enrollment for
graduate school declined, the number of applications rose by 4.3
percent. It was the sixth consecutive increase in application volume.
The Council of Graduate Schools did
not have data on how many schools the typical applicant applies to, so
it was unclear if there were more people applying in 2011 than in the
previous year. But there was an increase in the number of people taking
the Graduate Record Examinations (G.R.E.), a test that many graduate
schools require as part of student applications.
As the number of grad school
applications has risen, the share of those applications leading to
offers of admission has been falling. In 2007, the acceptance rate
across all master’s and doctoral programs was 44.6 percent, whereas in
2011 it was 40.8 percent.
Women continued to outnumber men in
the nation’s postgraduate programs, 58 percent to 42 percent, in the
2011 report.
The Council of Graduate Schools, a
membership organization for institutions of higher education in the
United States and Canada, based its findings on an annual survey of
American graduate schools. The latest report reflected the responses
from 655 institutions, which collectively award 81 percent of the
master’s degrees and 92 percent of the doctorates each year.
Panel looks to tackle skyrocketing special education costs
Jacqueline Rabe Thomasn CT MIRROR
September 17, 2012
A state panel is considering recommending wealthy school districts and
high-income parents with special needs children to pay more to cover
the skyrocketing price of special education.
One in eight Connecticut students -- more than 60,000 -- receives
special education services, and nearly $1 of every $4 spent on
education goes to special education. In the past decade, while general
education costs increased 40 percent, spending for special education
increased by 65 percent, nearly a $700 million jump.
The panel -- the Education Cost-Sharing Task Force -- which includes
the governor's budget director and the co-chairwomen of the
legislature's Education and Appropriations committees, will likely
recommend who should pay for special education as it's now structured.
Panel members at a meeting last week, however, hesitated to support
changes that many local school leaders say would cut their special
education costs; the members leaned, instead, toward studying those
changes.
"I'm afraid special education costs are growing at the expense of
regular education," Ben Barnes, the governor's budget director, said at
last week's task force meeting. "If we do not figure out a way to
control special education costs then anything we do for [overall
education funding] is irrelevant."
Meriden Superintendent Mark Benigni, a member of the task force, said
every year he has to consider cutting music programs, advanced
placement courses and other elective classes so he can afford to pay
for mandated special education services.
The situation is "alarming," he said.
In an interview after the meeting, Nancy Prescott, executive director
of the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center, said it's disappointing that
decisions may be made on costs, not on the actual need of special
education students.
"It shouldn't be based on numbers," said Prescott, whose center helps
about 5,000 parents of children with special education needs receive
services each year.
Who should foot the bill?
The cost of educating an average student in Connecticut is about
$14,400. Thousands of special education students cost their districts
well over $50,000 a year each. This can pay for services that include
one-on-one tutoring, special learning equipment or tuition for an
out-of-district program. (About 300 students cost more than $150,000
each year.)
Currently the state picks up the bill when the cost to provide special
services for a student exceeds 4.5 times the district's average cost to
educate a student. However, in seven of the last 10 years, the state
did not pay its full share, which left districts paying even more of
the cost.
The State Department of Education's budget director has reported that
it would cost the state an additional $101 million to fully pay its
share of special education costs for the 2013-14 school year, a
challenging price tag that for a state struggling to keep its budget
balanced.
In addition to the panel's preliminary recommendations to require that
wealthy districts and parents pay more of special education costs, it
also calls for low-income districts -- which typically have higher
concentrations of students with special education needs -- pay a
smaller share of the costs.
"Just put it on a sliding scale, where the wealthy districts pay 80
percent of the costs... Why don't we ask parents who can afford it to
contribute," suggested Ted Sergi, a task force member and former state
education commissioner. "And by the way, it will reduce costs for the
state."
While committee members were receptive to the idea of different state
reimbursements for districts, they noted they don't want to create any
incentives for districts to identify for more or less students based on
how much money they will, or will not, get.
Some panel members questioned whether federal and state special
education laws would allow parents to chip in, noting that those laws
require that special education students receive a "free appropriate
education."
Prescott, of the parent advocacy center, said she has a serious problem
with charging parents, no matter their income, for education.
"Free means free. Unless federal law is changed, I don't see any place
for a parent to be paying for an appropriate education," she said.
"It's amazing it's being considered."
What's driving the cost?
Connecticut is one of six states that requires a school district to
prove that a special education student is receiving an appropriate
education. In 44 states, the burden of proof lies on the parents to
prove the education is not sufficient.
Many local school officials have complained for years about the costs
of fighting a parent's complaint because the district must pay the
legal fees regardless of the outcome. The State Department of Education
reports that each year only about 200 cases are challenged and brought
before an independent hearing officer.
Many districts point to the burden of proof issue as the single most
expensive cost of providing special education. A preliminary task force
recommendation would keep this state regulation -- but calls for the
state to pay for an independent study to look at requiring the parent
and the district to share the burden.
In a recent education department survey, 68 percent of districts say
shifting the burden in the cases that came before the hearing officer
would save them an average of $74,000 a year. But if parents had to pay
to prove that their child's education services were not adequate,
nearly half the districts said they would have made a different, and
possibly less costly, decision, when negotiating which special services
to provide.
Preliminary Headcount Shows Dip In Simsbury
School Enrollment
Kindergarten, Project Choice Numbers
Up Compared To 2011-12
The Hartford Courant
By HILLARY FEDERICO, hfederico@courant.com
1:20 PM EDT, September 13, 2012
SIMSBURY Enrollment in the Simsbury Public School System has declined
this academic year, with 178 fewer students than reported last year
during the first weeks of classes.
Assistant Superintendent Erin Murray told the School Board Tuesday
night that the school system's budget had been built around a projected
enrollment of 4,518 students. As of the most recent headcount, the
school system's enrollment is 4,485. But this isn't the official
fall headcount, Murray stressed.
"Although it is always informative and interesting to review opening of
school enrollment data, it is important to note that the official
enrollment count is calculated on Oct. 1," she said in a report to the
board.
The Oct. 1 enrollment count is then reported to the state Department of
Education and is also the number Simsbury provides to the New England
School Development Council for calculation of annual enrollment
projections. Last year, Simsbury reported a total of 4,663 students
enrolled in its seven public schools. According to Murray,
overall enrollment at the elementary level has decreased by 54 students
from last year's opening day number of 2,235. The declining enrollment
at the elementary school level is consistent with NESDDEC projections
and national trends, she said.
A total of 747 middle school students are reported to be enrolled at
Henry James Memorial School, a decrease of 47 students compared to last
year's opening number. At Simsbury High School, enrollment is down 77
students from last year's opening of 1,634.
Despite an overall district-wide decline in enrollment, both the number
of kindergarteners and Hartford students participating in the Project
Choice program in Simsbury have increased.
The district, which this year implemented a full-day kindergarten
program, reported a record 244 enrolled students, 27 more than school
officials had anticipated. On Aug. 29, there were 127 Project
Choice students enrolled in K-12, and 10 Project Choice students
enrolled in PK, for a total of 137. Last year, there were 112 Project
Choice students enrolled at the opening of school.
Enrollment Off in Big Districts,
Forcing Layoffs
By MOTOKO RICH, NYTIMES
July 23, 2012
Enrollment in nearly half of the nation’s largest school districts has
dropped steadily over the last five years, triggering school closings
that have destabilized neighborhoods, caused layoffs of essential staff
and concerns in many cities that the students who remain are some of
the neediest and most difficult to educate.
While the losses have been especially steep in long-battered cities
like Cleveland and Detroit, enrollment has also fallen significantly in
places suffering through the recent economic downturn, like Broward
County, Fla., San Bernardino, Calif., and Tucson, according to the
latest available data from the Department of Education, analyzed for
The New York Times. Urban districts like Philadelphia and Columbus,
Ohio, are facing an exodus even as the school-age population has
increased.
Enrollment in the New York City schools, the largest district in the
country, was flat from 2005 to 2010, but both Chicago and Los Angeles
lost students, with declining birthrates and competition from charter
schools cited as among the reasons.
Because school financing is often allocated on a per-pupil basis,
plummeting enrollment can mean fewer teachers will be needed. But it
can also affect the depth of a district’s curriculum, jeopardizing
programs in foreign languages, music or art.
While large districts lost students in the 1970s as middle class
families left big cities for the suburbs, districts are losing students
now for a variety of reasons. The economy and home foreclosure crisis
drove some families from one school system into another. Hundreds of
children from immigrant families have left districts in Arizona and
California as their parents have lost jobs. Legal crackdowns have also
prompted many families to return to their home countries.
In some cases, the collapse of housing prices has led homeowners to
stay put, making it difficult for new families — and new prospective
students — to move in and take their place.
But some say the schools are partly to blame. “We have record-low
confidence in our public schools,” said Kevin Johnson, the mayor of
Sacramento and head of education policy for the United States
Conference of Mayors. (He is married to Michelle Rhee, the lightning
rod former chancellor of the Washington public schools and now an
advocate for data-driven reform). “If we have high-quality choices in
all neighborhoods, you don’t have that exodus taking place,” he said.
The rise of charter schools has accelerated some enrollment declines.
The number of students fell about 5 percent in traditional public
school districts between 2005 and 2010; by comparison, the number of
students in all-charter districts soared by close to 60 percent,
according to the Department of Education data. Thousands of students
have moved into charter schools in districts with both traditional
public and charter schools.
Although the total number of students in charter schools is just 5
percent of all public school children, it has had a striking effect in
some cities. In Columbus, Ohio, for example, enrollment in city schools
declined by more than 10 percent — or about 6,150 students — between
2005 and 2010, even as charter schools gained close to 9,000 students.
A year ago, Tanya Moton withdrew her daughter, Dy’Mon Starks, 12, from
a public school and signed her up for Graham Expeditionary Middle
School, a nearby charter school.
“The classes were too big, the kids were unruly and didn’t pay
attention to the teachers,” Ms. Moton said of the former school.
She said she sought help for her daughter’s dyslexia at her former
school, but officials “claimed that she didn’t need it.” After
transferring to Graham, Ms. Moton said, “one of the teachers stayed
after school every Friday to help her.”
During the recession and weak recovery, pinched state financing and
dwindling property taxes forced many public schools to shed teachers
and cut programs.
“The fewer students we have, the fewer dollars we’re getting” from the
state and federal government, said Matthew E. Stanski, chief financial
officer of Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, where
enrollment has fallen by almost 5 percent in five years, despite sharp
gains in nearby counties.
Officials have laid off about 100 teachers and district employees, cut
prekindergarten to half days and canceled some athletic programs, Mr.
Stanski said.
In Los Angeles, the district has dismissed more than 8,500 teachers and
other education workers in the last four years as enrollment fell by
about 56,000 students. The Mesa Unified District, which lost 7,155
students between 2005 and 2010, has closed four middle schools in the
last three years, delayed new textbook purchases, and laid off
librarians.
The students left behind in some of these large districts are
increasingly children with disabilities, in poverty or learning English
as a second language.
Jeff Warner, a spokesman for the Columbus City Schools, said that
enrollment appears to be stabilizing, but it can be difficult to
compete against suburban and charter schools because of the district’s
higher proportion of students requiring special education services.
In Cleveland, where enrollment fell by nearly a fifth between 2005 and
2010, the number of students requiring special education services has
risen from 17 percent of the student body to 23 percent, up from just
under 14 percent a decade ago, according to the Cleveland Metropolitan
School District.
Such trends alarm those who worry about the increasing inequity in
schools. “I see greater stratification and greater segregation,” said
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
Educators are concerned that a vicious cycle will set in. Some of the
largest public school systems in the country are in danger of becoming
“the schools that nobody wants,” said Jeffrey Mirel, an education
historian at the University of Michigan.
Jeanmarie Hedges, a mother of two teenage sons, moved her family out of
Prince George’s County two years ago because the proportion of students
passing standardized tests was much lower than in neighboring Charles
County, Md.
Ms. Hedges said she was also driven by fear of violence in the school.
“Some of our friends went there and they were beaten up a lot,” she
said.
A. Duane Arbogast, acting deputy superintendent for academics in Prince
George’s County, said he recognized the challenge of persuading
families to send their children to public schools.
“We simply have to get better and provide an education that people of
all social classes would be proud of,” said Mr. Arbogast, who cited a
new health sciences academy and a planned performing arts high school
in his district.
But declining enrollment can force tough trade-offs. “If you want to
offer Spanish but you only have 80 kids taking Spanish, then your cost
per pupil” is larger than if you have 500 in Spanish classes, said
Jonathan Travers, director at Education Resource Strategies, a
nonprofit consulting group that helps school systems adjust to changes
in enrollment.
Before the Mesa district closed Brimhall Junior High School this year,
the school lost teachers in art, music and technology in part because
of a declining student head count. That made it harder for the school,
which faces competition from many charter schools, to attract students.
“Education has gotten to be almost a sales job,” said Susan Chard, who
taught seventh grade math at Brimhall for 18 years. “You want to
provide reasons for parents to bring their children to your school.”
Hank Stephenson contributed reporting
from Mesa, Ariz., and Rebecca Fairley Raney from San Bernardino, Calif.
University of Pennsylvania neurology prof's course online -
"senior option" course?
Could Weston student get credit (like
advanced placement) - attending at computers in the WHS library?
Top Universities Test the Online Appeal of Free
NYTIMES
By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
July 17, 2012
A few months ago, free online courses from prestigious universities
were a rarity. Now, they are the cause for announcements every few
weeks, as a field suddenly studded with big-name colleges and competing
software platforms evolves with astonishing speed.
In a major development on Tuesday, a dozen highly ranked universities
said they had signed on with Coursera, a new venture offering free
classes online. They still must overcome some skepticism about the
quality of online education and the prospects for having the courses
cover the costs of producing them, but their enthusiasm is undimmed.
But at universities that have not yet seized a piece of this action,
the response ranges from curiosity to fear of losing a crucial
competition. When University of Virginia trustees ousted their
president last month — a decision they later reversed — one reason
cited was concern about being left behind online. (Virginia was
included in Tuesday’s announcement.)
“There’s panic,” said Kevin Carey, director of education policy at the
New America Foundation, a nonpartisan research group. “Whether it’s
senseless panic is unclear.”
Massive open online courses, or MOOCs, let colleges reach vast
audiences at relatively low cost, but they have not yet made money from
them. And if it becomes possible in years to come to get a complete
college education from an elite institution online, free or at
relatively low cost, experts wonder whether some colleges will find it
harder to attract students willing to pay $20,000, $40,000 or even
$60,000 a year for the traditional on-campus experience.
Online classes have been around for years, with technology evolving to
include multimedia features and interaction among students and faculty.
What is new is the way top colleges are jumping in with free courses —
in effect, throwing open the doors digitally.
So far, most people signing up live in foreign countries. But MOOCs
will become more appealing to domestic students when they give course
credits toward a degree, something the elite universities have not yet
done. The University of Washington says it plans to do so, and it may
be just a matter of time before earning credits becomes standard.
“The people who should be worried about this are the large tier of
American universities — especially the expensive private schools — that
are not elite and don’t have the same reputation” as the big-name
universities now creating MOOCs, said Anya Kamenetz, an author who
writes on the future of higher education.
Residential colleges already attract far less than half of the higher
education market. Most enrollment and nearly all growth in higher
education is in less costly options that let students balance classes
with work and family: commuter colleges, night schools, online
universities.
Most experts say there will always be students who want to live on
campus, interacting with professors and fellow students, particularly
at prestigious universities. But as a share of the college market, that
is likely to be a shrinking niche.
The elite universities will be best able to compete with low-cost
alternatives because their large endowments make them less dependent on
tuition income, and they can lower their effective prices through
generous financial aid, said John Nelson, a managing director at
Moody’s Investors Service who analyzes higher education finances.
Analysts say that universities will inevitably try to make money from
MOOCs, whether by charging tuition or not. Software companies working
with colleges have looked into advertising, or selling information on
students to prospective employers.
William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland,
noted that a few public colleges, including his system’s University
College, already offer mostly online courses. In the future, he said,
the standard class will be a hybrid of in-person and online elements,
which Maryland is experimenting with.
“We think this approach can cut costs by about 25 percent,” he said,
“enabling each professor to work with more students, while producing a
clear improvement in learning outcomes.”
For a decade, Carnegie Mellon University’s Open Learning Initiative has
created free online courses. But for many educators, Stanford fired the
starting gun last fall, with a free online course in artificial
intelligence that drew 160,000 students.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology started a free class project,
MITx, in December. The next month, a Stanford professor who helped
teach the artificial intelligence class founded Udacity, a company
offering free courses in partnership with colleges and professors.
In April, Stanford, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania and the
University of Michigan joined forces with Coursera to offer free
classes. In May, Harvard teamed with M.I.T. to create a similar
venture, edX.
In the last week, more universities signed on with Coursera.
“Our participation was finalized literally over the weekend,” said J.
Milton Adams, vice provost at the University of Virginia, which listed
five free courses. “I’m going to have some unhappy faculty members
saying, ‘Why can’t my course be on there?’ ”
School District: Race to the Top money
not worth the effort
Las Vegas Sun
By Paul Takahashi (contact)
Thursday, July 12, 2012 | 2 a.m.
The cash-strapped Clark County School District is expected to forgo a
pursuit of millions of dollars in federal grant money because it has
too many strings attached.
This month, the $4 billion Race to the Top grant program opened its
latest round of funding to individual school districts for the first
time in its three-year history. Previously, only state education
departments were eligible to apply for the grant, which rewarded states
for implementing innovations supported by President Barack Obama.
Nevada is not a Race to the Top state.
School districts across the country are eligible to apply for $400
million in Race to the Top funding, with each four-year grant worth
$15-25 million. Final deadline to send in grant applications to the
feds is set for October.
With only 15 to 20 school districts across the country anticipated to
win the multimillion-dollar grants, the competition is expected to be
fierce.
However, the School District doesn’t seem too interested in
participating in what one School Board member likened to
“mud-wrestling.”
That’s because the grant is too restrictive and potential for failing
to meet its requirements is too high for a large urban district like
Clark County, officials said Wednesday during a special work session.
These requirements include creating a “personalized learning
environment” — an individualized learning goal and plan — for each
student in the pilot program, in Clark County’s case about 10,000
students. The grant also requires that a teacher, principal,
superintendent and school board evaluation system be implemented by
2014-15.
There is also an expectation that school districts scale up these
innovations after the Race to the Top pilot program ends, said Kimberly
Wooden, chief student services officer.
That could prove difficult for a 309,000-student school district such
as Clark County.
“It’s a great idea, but in order to bring it to scale in a district our
size, it may require technology,” Wooden said, adding there may be
additional costs incurred to the School District to implement this
technology.
Furthermore, for all its troubles, the School District may receive just
$6 million a year in Race to the Top money, officials said. The School
District operates on a $2 billion budget.
“My concern is that a grant, once awarded, becomes a contract,” School
Board member Erin Cranor said. “Sounds like selling your soul for $6
million.”
States such as Georgia and Hawaii that have failed to meet the grant
requirements now face heavy sanctions — a fate School District
officials say they don’t want to fall on Las Vegas.
“I just have real concerns. I already feel that we have so many
mandates on us,” School Board member Deanna Wright said. “No, let’s
keep on our course. Let someone else mud-wrestle for $6 million.”
School Board member Chris Garvey agreed: “Let’s continue on our path.
Look for money without a lot of strings on it.”
Superintendent Dwight Jones, who was on vacation during Wednesday’s
work session, has the option to submit an application that is to the
School District’s benefit, said Cranor, who has experience as a
grant-writer. The federal government is likely to reject the
application; however, there is a small chance the money could be
awarded to Clark County, she said.
The School District currently has about $20 million in federal grants,
including more than $8 million in School Improvement Grant, or
“turnaround,” money.
Board to hire long-range consultant
John Burgeson, CT POST
Updated 02:19 p.m., Saturday, July 7, 2012
MILFORD ---- The city's public school system is to see its enrollment
drop by about 100 students a year over the next 10 years.
This will mean that changes are needed. To lead that effort, the Board
of Education is expected to hire a consultant at its meeting set for 7
p.m. Monday in the Parsons Complex on River Street. The consultant
would work with the board over the next few months to help it create a
long-range plan.
School officials say the current enrollment of 6,814 will drop by about
14 percent, or 1,000 pupils, by 2022.
Assistant Superintendent Michael Cummings said school closings will not
likely be recommended. The system has eight elementary schools, three
middle school, two high school and one alternative high school.
"The enrollment projections have sparked some concern over the need to
develop a long-range plan, and given that backdrop, and their main
concern is what must be done to develop the best educational system for
our kids," Cummings said. "The enrollment projections do provide us
with an opportunity to do some things, and this will also be a good
time to examine our work, too."
Cummings said that while closings aren't likely, the consultant will
explore how to best use the schools. The person hired will consider
various options for groupings based on grade level and geography, as
well as assess the physical plant.
"The consultant will be conducting public hearings and will talk with
all of the stake-holders before writing a final report," Cummings said.
The board began looking for a consultant in May, when it established
its Long Range Committee, which includes board members Susan Glennon,
Chairwoman Tracy Casey, Dr. Mark Stapleton, School Superintendent
Elizabeth Feser and Cummings.
Hamilton named superintendent
Interim
superintendent chosen: Appointment made despite push for national search
Maggie Gordon, Stamford ADVOCATE
Updated 10:31 p.m., Tuesday, June 19, 2012
STAMFORD -- The city's school board appointed Winifred Hamilton as the
district's new superintendent on Tuesday evening, with eight members in
support and Board President Polly Rauh abstaining.
Hamilton has been serving as interim superintendent since September and
was named acting superintendent in June, after former schools
superintendent Joshua Starr accepted a position leading the Montgomery
County, Md., school district. Hamilton has worked in the district
for more than four decades. She began as a physical education teacher
at Dolan Middle School, working her way through the ranks as a middle
school assistant principal and principal before heading downtown to
serve as assistant superintendent and deputy superintendent.
Board member Lorraine Olson spoke at length about the search process,
citing the campaign platform she used when running for her post three
years ago, which centered around the need to promote people from within.
"It's not like we're just taking her on face value, because she's been
here for 43 years. We did 28 focus groups and asked the public what
they're looking for in a superintendent," Olson said.
"We had pages and pages of pros for Winnie and just a couple cons; the
cons were that she wasn't a superintendent before and had no elementary
experience ... Our last superintendent wasn't even a teacher," she said.
The vote puts an end to what became a publicly dysfunctional process in
the last several days as board members were surprised by a last-minute
resolution to restart the search for a superintendent rather than
appointing Hamilton. Board member Gary Klein, who wrote the
resolution, said the request to extend the search process was not about
Hamilton's personality or qualification, but rather that "the right
thing for our staff, our students and our citizens is to conduct a
national search."
Four board members voted to extend the search earlier in the regular
meeting, including Klein, Geoff Alswanger, John Leydon and Rauh. It was
defeated by a five-vote majority.
"There in effect was no search," said Alswanger, who said he was
holding true to his campaign promises -- do what you say and say what
you do. "And to me folks, that's the definition of transparency. Say
what you do and do what you say and that's my issue tonight."
After the search resolution was voted down, the board moved onto a
resolution to appoint Hamilton; Alswanger, Klein and Leydon then all
threw their support behind her as a candidate.
"Dr. Hamilton has been a fixture, and we're proud to have her,"
Alswanger said. "I'm thrilled and ecstatic to support this nomination,
and it's going to be privilege I think to work with her."
But board President Polly Rauh said she would abstain from the vote,
drawing a visual grimace from Hamilton. Rauh said she could not
in good conscience support Hamilton as the "best" candidate without
conducting a more thorough search.
"Best is multiple people. One person can't be best when measured
against only themselves," Rauh said.
"It is not a vote in my heart on Dr. Hamilton as superintendent -- it
is a vote that we should not be talking until we have completed the
search," Rauh said. "That's my position and I will stand by it."
When the other eight board members voted in support of Hamilton, more
than 100 people present at the meeting rose to their feet to applaud
the new superintendent.
"As I first said when I was first appointed principal, I said `You will
not be disappointed.' Thank you," Hamilton said drawing another loud
round of applause from the crowd.
After the appointment was official, a line of dozens of people formed
in the board room to get an opportunity to hug Hamilton, while others
milled around discussing some of the more contentious points in the
evening.
"We're pleased that Dr. Hamilton will be continuing the good work
that's gong on in Stamford," said Regan Allan, co-president of
Stamford's Parent Teacher Council.
Allan also said she was not surprised the vote was not unanimous.
"We weren't expecting a unanimous vote. And I'm glad in the end she'll
be superintendent. But I think it was great for the public to see some
of the dysfunction that goes on in this board room. This was a good
example of that," she said.
Malloy Appoints
Panel To Cut Red Tape In Education System
Panel Charged With
Removing Bureaucratic Barriers To Allow More Innovation In Schools
The Hartford Courant
By KATHLEEN MEGAN, kmegan@courant.com
2:21 PM EDT, June 14, 2012
As he promised in January as part of his education reform package,
Gov.Dannel P. Malloyhas appointed a panel to clip red tape and remove
bureaucratic barriers in the educational system.
"While there are certainly districts that need help to turn their
schools around, many districts throughout our state are doing great
work and we in government need to get out of their way," Malloy said.
"The work of this task force will look at our bureaucratic policy with
an eye toward removing the policies that inhibit innovation."
The state Department of Education is already analyzing the forms local
districts must fill out and aims to eliminate a third of the required
paperwork in the first year.
State Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor said the state's role in
education "should be as a partner, not a barrier, in helping educators
prepare students for success. When state regulations, statutes or
practices hinder school districts' efforts, we need to examine ways to
reduce that burden."
Pryor said that many of the forms issued to local districts from
different bureaus and divisions of the state Department of Education
are redundant.
"Districts may be asked over and over again for the same pieces of
information," Pryor said. "An early task for us is reducing that
redundancy in the request for data."
The purpose, he said, is to free districts from "unnecessary and
onerous constraints" and to eliminate requirements that are outmoded,
unnecessary or overly burdensome.
"We aim to prune those [requirements] when possible in order to give
districts more room in which to innovate," he said. Pryor said that
schools districts frequently complain of "too much bureaucracy and too
little support. The rules too often get in the way and prevent the
types of innovation that will lead to progress."
The Red Tape
Review and Removal Task Force includes Michael Tetreau,
Fairfield's first selectman; Freeman Burr, superintendent of the
Shelton public schools; Ronald Goldstein, chairman of the Colchester
board of education; David Scata, director of special education and
pupil services in East Haddam; Donald Macrino, prinicipal of Waterford
High School; Charles Zettergren, director of finance and operations in
the Rocky Hill public school system; Danuta Thibodeau, executive
director at the Education Connection Regional Educational Service
Center; Sharron Solomon McCarthy, a special education teacher in the
New Haven public schools; and Tasia Kimball, a general education
teacher in the Amity Regional School District.
A date for the panel's first meeting has not been set yet, but it will
be in July.
New education standards end rote
learning, cursive
San Francisco Chonicle
Jill Tucker
Monday, June 11, 2012
Like fashion, trends in public education come and go.
What's in vogue depends on the decade and often reflects which way the
political wind blows and what shiny gadgets have hit the market.
With the threat of Soviet innovation and Sputnik, old math became new
math in the 1960s and then back to old arithmetic about 10 years later.
Phonics, like bell bottoms, always makes a comeback, although some fads
are but brief historical blips. Think the metric system and mullets.
But with such limited time to teach, there have long been debates about
what children need to know and how and when to teach it - and when to
stop teaching something altogether.
"Is it still necessary for kids to learn their times table when they
can pick up their iPhone and ask Siri what is 20 times 2?" asked Dan
Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School
Administrators.
A new set of national standards, called the Common Core, has sought to
answer that, offering states a guide for what skills and knowledge
children should have at the end of each grade level.
The ultimate goal is to get every child college and career ready. That
means, cursive is out and keyboarding is in. Repetition and rote
learning are passe while critical thinking is, well, critical.
Literature and novels see less class time than literary nonfiction and
informational texts, including essays and speeches. Spelling gets a
cursory nod, with the caveat that kids can consult "references."
New national push
Critics have called the effort a federal push that weakens states'
authority over public schools.
Yet the standards, a multistate effort coordinated by the National
Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers, are
optional, and states that do adopt them can choose to add more content.
California has opted to do that.
And the Common Core State Standards don't dictate how to teach the
knowledge and skills. That's up to districts and teachers.
Since the standards were released in 2010, nearly every state has
signed up to use the new standards, with districts like San Francisco
and Oakland leading the way. Texas, Nebraska, Virginia and Alaska have
opted out.
The new standards, which in the coming years will be incorporated into
new textbooks and assessment tests, expect students to apply skills or
information rather than, say, solve 50 multiplication problems on a
worksheet.
"You kind of make choices on what you're going to spend significant
time on," said Maria Santos, Oakland Unified deputy superintendent.
In sixth grade, for example, that means "draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research," or
"use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing
and to interact and collaborate with others."
In other words, the new system focuses less on learning facts and more
on using that information to synthesize and create new ideas, said
Domenech, a supporter of the national standards.
"What we're trying to do is to take the level of learning to the higher
levels of cognitive development," Domenech said. "What (students) have
to learn now is not how to get the data, but what to do with it when
you have it."
But the Common Core doesn't skip over the basics, such as
multiplication tables or spelling, it just doesn't dwell on them,
Domenech said.
"We cannot lose sight of the basic skills," he said. "On the other
hand, we shouldn't spend 12 years teaching basic skills."
Mike Konshak, the curator of the online International Slide Rule
Museum, cautions against an overreliance on technology. For starters,
batteries die. He also cited what he called "the lost art of numeracy"
that came with the advent of calculators.
He's not advocating for slide rules to return to the classroom, but he
said they required the users to have a number sense, an idea of the
size or scope of an answer to a problem.
"You'd have this feel of what your number should be," Konshak said.
"Kids nowadays punch it in the calculator, and if they have fat fingers
... there could be an erroneous answer in there, and they would just
assume that's the correct answer."
A balancing act
Parents might also feel a bit uneasy with these changes as the
textbooks get smaller and their children are spending less time
studying flash cards, drilling arithmetic or memorizing facts and more
time on projects that, say, delve into space exploration.
It will require new teaching styles and classrooms, more like a
high-tech startup, with students clustered together in teams solving
problems.
Whether Common Core will stand the test of time or fade away like
feathered hair remains to be seen.
In the meantime, Oakland third-grade teacher Oceanhawk will be
combining past and present, teaching multiplication tables and spelling
and hard-core grammar in addition to in-depth projects and critical
thinking.
"It's not either-or," the Encompass Academy teacher said. "I'm doing
all the basics, but I'm tying it into the core standards through art
and science."
And she insists her students master the loopy cursive letters crafted
by students through the centuries.
Manuel Sanchez, 8, is OK with that.
"My grandmother and my dad write in cursive," he said. "So I just want
that family tradition to keep going."
SAMPLE DESIGNED TO WHAT END?
CT Education Reform version of a sample: Of 5061 total teachers
in the pilot, 1545 are from the Bridgeport system or 30%. Note that some districts eventually will get waivers.
Coming to a school near you.
Teacher evaluations based on student performance.
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, CT MIRROR
June 4, 2012
Nearly 5,000 teachers and hundreds of principals from 16 school
districts will begin being graded this coming school year based largely
on student performance.
"This is an important, a very important step towards getting to a
[statewide] evaluation process down the road that we all seek," Gov.
Dannel P. Malloy told reporters at the state Capitol complex Monday.
Teachers and principals will likely be evaluated on a four-tier scale.
Their grade will come from a mix of teacher observations, standardized
tests and student, parent and peer surveys. The new education reform
law, which was signed last month, for the first time links teacher
tenure decisions to evaluations and allows teachers to be fired if
rated "ineffective."
While 10 percent of the state's teachers will be included in this pilot
during the 2012-13 school year, every district will need to implement
the state model the following year.
"The work of pilot districts will inform our process and offer lessons
learned for our statewide rollout next year," Education Commissioner
Stefan Pryor said. The University of Connecticut's education college
will provide a report on these evaluations by October 2013.
Superintendents and school boards from 42 districts applied to be
included in the pilot evaluation process. Teacher unions in those
districts did not need to sign off because evaluations are not part of
the collective bargaining process.
"I am pleasantly surprised how many districts applied. We heard nobody
is going to apply," said Joe Cirasuolo, referring to the controversy
that has surrounded these evaluations during a meeting last week.
Criticism had focused on linking the evaluations to student test scores
and having tenure and dismissal decisions tied to them.
While happy about the diversity in size and location of the districts
selected, the executive director of the state's largest teachers' union
has concerns with the list. Mary Loftus Levine specifically takes issue
with the inclusion of Bridgeport's 36 schools.
"For every reason in the world we shouldn't be doing this there," she
told the commissioner during a meeting last week, alluding to the
"instability" in the city because the state Supreme Court in February
invalidated a state-appointed school board in Bridgeport, and the city
has an interim superintendent. "It's like a wild card... I wouldn't
spend a lot of money in a place that's completely unstable."
The state budget has appropriated $2.5 million for the pilot program.
Pryor said that money will be used to train every teacher and principal
in the 112 schools involved. The budget also provides $5 million for
statewide teacher improvement and recruiting. Pryor said some of that
will likely be used to provide support for teachers determined to need
improvement. He said he will be seeking more money from the legislature
next year for the statewide rollout of the state model.
Members of the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council, which has been
working to finish the evaluation guidelines by July 1, also expressed
some concern that none of the state's wealthiest districts applied to
pilot.
"There was some concern about that," said Pryor. "I am not overly
concerned."
There are some districts that this state model will never impact, said
Pryor, noting that "a small number" of school systems are doing a
superior job with their independent evaluation system and will get a
waiver.
"We don't believe we have the monopoly on good ideas regarding
evaluation," Pryor said. "The reality is most districts will need to
adopt the guidelines."
Malloy added, "without a fair and reliable evaluation system, teachers
and administrators are left with no clear indicators of where they are
succeeding and where they should improve. Learning everything we can
from this pilot is a huge part of getting us to that goal."
No "racial imbalance" in Weston Central Part of Town
All schools in one location. Revamped bus routes and schedule
make for shorter routes; WMS & WHS together.
Two Greenwich schools still racially imbalanced
Lisa Chamoff, Greenwich TIME
Updated 10:45 p.m., Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Greenwich's school board will have to address the racial makeup at
several town schools, including two magnet schools that were once again
cited by the state as being racially imbalanced.
In Connecticut, a school is considered racially imbalanced if its
proportion of minority students varies more than 25 percentage points
from the district average. In Greenwich, the district average is about
33 percent.
Both Hamilton Avenue School, where about 61 percent of the school's 412
students are minorities, and New Lebanon School, where about 67 percent
of the school's 261 students are minorities, were listed as being
racially imbalanced in a report reviewed recently by the state Board of
Education. That's up from a 58 percent minority population at Hamilton
Avenue and a 62 percent minority population at New Lebanon two years
ago.
Julian Curtiss School, Old Greenwich School, Parkway School and Western
Middle School all have an impending imbalance, meaning they have
minority populations that are 15 percentage points off the district
average.
The report from Connecticut Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor notes
that the state will ask the Greenwich school board to amend the plan to
correct racial imbalances it submitted to the state Board of Education
in September 2010.
Greenwich Board of Education Chairman Leslie Moriarty said Tuesday that
the board is awaiting an official letter from the state Department of
Education on the issue, and will then decide what to do. The district
has a few ways it can change the racial balance at schools, including
redistricting, bussing kids to other schools and creating magnet
schools, which offer seats not taken by neighborhood children to
students from other parts of Greenwich. The seats are filled through a
lottery process that gives greater weight to applicants from areas
where students are more likely to be white, though race itself is not
used as a factor in determining where a student attends.
In 2007, the district launched a task force to examine the racial
balance issue, and the committee ultimately decided that creating
magnet schools was the best way to address it by attracting students
outside their neighborhoods and helping balance the schools' racial
makeup. The district has created magnet programs at Hamilton Avenue,
Julian Curtiss and New Lebanon schools in the past several years, but
the system does not yet appear to be solving the problem of racial
imbalance.
"Our current strategy is probably not going to be able to address the
situation given the enrollment trends in town," Moriarty said. "When we
get the letter, we can see what the state's action for us is."
There isn't much the state can do, however, to force a solution. Jim
Polites, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said the
state wants the plans that address racial imbalance to be locally
driven, so it will not step in and require a community to redistrict,
for example.
The school board had planned to examine the racial balance issue last
fall, but it was faced with a number of other more pressing matters,
including the search for a new superintendent of schools and the
discovery of contaminated soil at the high school. The Board of
Education will soon be addressing facility reorganization, and Moriarty
said the discussion about racial imbalance will play into that.
A federal boost for Connecticut's
education reforms
CT MIRROR
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas and Robert A. Frahm
May 29, 2012
When it came time for U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to decide
where he would make the announcement on which states landed an
exemption to the federal No Child Left Behind requirements, he said
Connecticut was the obvious choice.
"Connecticut is absolutely a winner," Duncan told a beaming Gov. Dannel
P. Malloy in a crowded function room Tuesday at the state Capitol. "Of
the 26 applications we received this round, Connecticut's was amongst
the strongest, most creative and most innovative."
The waiver to NCLB signals that the federal government has confidence
in the state's reform efforts to turn around low-performing schools,
improve the teaching profession and hold schools more accountable for
student progress.
For Malloy, Duncan's announcement was a quick validation of the
importance of education reforms that were passed until the final week
of the session, which ended May 8.
Connecticut joins 18 other states that have also received a waiver to
the NCLB benchmarks, which includes a requirement that 100 percent of
students be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Almost half of the
schools in Connecticut this year failed to reach the NCLB benchmarks.
Connecticut hosts the largest-in-the-nation achievement gap between
low-income students and their peers and has lost three bids to land
federal money through the government's Race to the Top competition.
State officials say they have grown accustomed to not being recognized
for their education reform efforts. That ended Tuesday, Malloy said.
"It's about time Connecticut starts winning federal approval," Malloy
told education advocates and leaders at the Capitol's Old Judiciary
Room, while standing next to a nodding Duncan.
So what has changed?
For starters, the state passed what Duncan called a bold education
overhaul, spearheaded by Malloy's education commissioner, Stefan Pryor.
The fact that it had the buy-in from most education leaders, including
teachers' union leaders and administrators, also made the waiver a sure
thing.
"It's inspiring to see that collective commitment," Duncan said.
Pryor is pleased that the Nutmeg State is beginning to shed its
embarrassing national reputation when it comes to education.
"We are now known for some other distinctions," Pryor said. "We are
known as a state where labor and management can work together to
achieve progress. We are known as a state that has just been identified
by the United State's Secretary of Education as a leader among states."
But the journey to this celebration has been rocky, as the state's
largest teachers' union aired advertisements attacking Malloy's
initiatives and teachers from both unions rallied outside the Capitol
in protest.
In the end a bill was eventually approved that had teacher union
support, a key component to the state winning its waiver, Duncan said.
Phil Apruzzese, president of the Connecticut Education Association, the
state's largest teachers' union, said it was critical that teachers
remain engaged as the reforms are implemented.
"We need to keep that collaboration open," Apruzzese said.
New Haven has had a collaborative model for three years, which is why
Duncan decided to stop by an elementary school there earlier in the day.
"You guys have really helped to create a national model. New Haven is
absolutely on the forefront of tough-minded collaboration," Duncan told
New Haven educators and city officials before heading to the Capitol.
What the waiver means
Connecticut's 397-page accepted waiver sets up a new five-tier system
for rating schools. The lowest-rated schools will guarantee state
intervention.
The existing NCLB system required schools and districts to increase the
number of students, as measured by racial and socio-economic groups, to
become proficient in math and reading from year-to-year on standardized
tests.
The waiver still uses standardized tests as its benchmark for rating
schools. Instead of just requiring students to reach proficiency,
schools will receive credit for the continued growth of students beyond
proficiency.
The schools also will begin for the first time take into account test
results on science tests when rating schools.
This emphasis on standardized tests when grading schools has some
concerned, including Sharon Palmer, the president of the state's
chapter of the American Federation of Teachers.
"That's a glitch we have yet to work out. I hope it will be more than a
test," Palmer said.
High schools will have their graduation rates factor into their rating,
but elementary and middle schools will be dependent on standardized
tests, said Ranjana Reddy, an official at the State Department of
Education who helped write the state's waiver application.
"We want to build beyond that with other indicators," she said,
mentioning upcoming student attendance, school climate and achievement
in other subjects like civics and art are being considered. "By no
means is this a perfect accountability system. It's a work in progress."
The waiver runs through the 2013-14 school year. The state will need to
reapply for exemption from a list of repercussions that schools face if
100 percent of their students are not proficient in math and reading.
Those penalties include closing a school and offering students
enrollment in other schools.
Duncan said he would welcome such inclusion of more than test scores.
"Looking at graduation rates, looking at reductions in dropout rates,
looking at closing achievement gaps, making sure high schools graduates
are actually college and career ready and not taking remedial classes.
You can't just look at one indicator you have to look at a range,"
Duncan said.
Annual teacher and principal evaluations based largely on student
performance is also a centerpiece of the state's waiver. Calling the
state's evaluation framework "meaningful", Duncan did not weigh in on
how much of a teachers' grade should be tied to standardized tests. The
state panel in charge of making that decision has butted heads recently
on whether tests should be allowed to make up to 50 percent of a
teachers grade. The state has until July 1 to make a decision.
"Having student achievement was important, but we didn't say how much,"
Duncan said during a conference call with reporters. He noted that in
New York he supported their reforms when it accounted for both 20
percent and 40 percent of a teacher's evaluation.
The waiver also means $20 million in federal money the state receives
each year can be redirected to new initiatives the state department
deems appropriate for turning schools around, Pryor said.
Following New Haven's lead
Before heading to the state Capitol, Duncan stopped at a New Haven
elementary school where teachers, school officials and political
leaders talked about the role of teachers in making that city a model
for school reform.
"Turning around schools is tough, tough work," Duncan said at the
Brennan-Rogers School during one of a nationwide series of roundtable
discussions focused on reshaping the teaching profession.
The Obama administration has cited New Haven as a model for
collaboration because of a teacher contract that is the centerpiece of
reform, including a rigorous teacher evaluation system that links
evaluations to student progress.
That collaboration is evident at schools such as Brennan-Rogers, a
struggling school that has begun an intensive turnaround effort, aided
in part by union-negotiated work rules that allow greater flexibility
for teachers to alter schedules and work extended hours.
"It's a very different place. We eliminated most of the restrictions,"
David Cicarella, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers,
told Duncan. "We want to make sure we have buy-in from the teachers."
Cicarella said the collective bargaining process was often difficult
but was a key element in New Haven's reform effort.
"It put teeth in everything we did," he said. "The things we put in the
agreement that we signed off on -- we have to do that...There was no
walking away from that."
Among those at Tuesday's roundtable was Randi Weingarten, president of
the American Federation of Teachers, who praised New Haven officials,
including union leaders, Mayor John DeStefano and Superintendent of
Schools Reginald Mayo, for their persistence in creating the reforms.
"The road they chose was not an easy road," Weingarten said. "These
folks put their heads down [and] focused on kids...People have seen you
can actually make an evaluation system work respectfully and work
fairly.
"None of this is easy, whether it is turnaround for schools, whether it
is ... college affordability, whether it is teacher evaluation."
The discussion, one of more than 200 meetings sponsored by the U.S.
Department of Education, is designed to encourage teachers to take an
active role in the effort to reform the teaching profession. The
department says the national project, known as RESPECT, envisions a
"sweeping transformation of the profession," including a shakeup in the
way teachers are recruited, trained, promoted and paid.
Efforts nationwide and in Connecticut to change the profession,
however, often have met with resistance or complaints that teachers
have been left out of the process. In Wisconsin, for example, teachers
and other public employees staged mass protests when Gov. Scott Walker
and the state legislature sharply curtailed bargaining rights.
Duncan said the debate should include teacher voices. "For far too
long, teachers and teaching have been beaten down...This [discussion]
has to be teacher-led, not Washington-led," he said.
During Tuesday's meeting, Duncan asked one teacher why she chose to
transfer to Brennan-Rogers after previously working at a
higher-performing school.
"The main reason I did that was for the challenge," said Tamara
Raiford, a pre-kindergarten teacher. The school's turnaround effort
attracted a wide range of teachers, she said.
"We had people coming from different facets of life. This was their
second career, third career. We had people coming from the business
field. We had people coming from all over the country, and we all came
with that commitment that we were going to work hard," She said. "We
knew that something good was going on here."
Duncan asked, "How do we create a climate where everyone is clamoring
to come to a school like this?"
The discussion was hosted by U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District.
"In Connecticut, we know education reform is no simple task," DeLauro
said. She added that school reformers should "be careful not to make
changes without the input or at the expense of teachers."
Part of the debate over Connecticut's school reform law was whether to
give the state education department the authority the commissioner
requested to limit some collectively bargained rights in the state's
lowest-performing school districts. The new law does not strip these
rights.
"Connecticut's approach has been to affirm the role of collective
bargaining," state Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney, D-New
Haven, told Duncan. "I think that's critically important. The model
only works when you have buy-in."
Redding-Easton
District for Joel Barlow H.S. one of these?
Regionalizing schools: a carrot or a
stick?
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, CT MIRROR
February 22, 2012
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has grown impatient waiting for small school
districts to team up with nearby districts to shave costs. He
wants the state to significantly scale back the amount it sends towns
such as Canaan, which spends $22,450 for each of the 139 students it
educates each year, the most expensive per-student spending in the
state.
"It's a way to not target your investments appropriately," Malloy said
of the 18 small schools districts his administration has identified as
spending too much.
But what Malloy may call excessive costs, the leader of Canaan, which
is located in the state's northwest corner, calls providing a quality
education.
"Our town should be commended for spending this much, for spending what
is needed to provide an adequate education," said First Selectwoman
Patricia Ally Mechare. "We're being responsible by spending what it
takes, while the state hasn't."
The state sends $78.8 million each year to the 49 towns with fewer than
1,000 students. But the Malloy administration reports that $12.5
million of that is being sent to towns that are spending way above the
amount the state deems acceptable, or $15,400 per student.
Malloy is asking the legislature to pass a bill that would cut the
amount of funding the state sends to a district by thousands of dollars
starting in four school years. James Finley, head of the
Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said his members have some
concerns. "We would like to see [the bill] modified so it's more a
carrot than a stick approach."
This change is already receiving pushback from Republican leadership,
who outlined their opposition to such a change in their legislative
package.
"It is not an incentive to regionalize. It's a penalty if they don't...
I would ask the committee to be cautious about that," House Minority
Leader Lawrence Cafero of Norwalk told the Education Committee
Wednesday.
Leaders from Eastford, which is on the cusp of spending too much to
educate its 233 students, worry that the $1.1 million in state funds
the town receives each year will be cut.
"Citizens agree that it is the small school, small class size,
attention from teachers and administrators, and regular interaction
with parents that has made Eastford students successful... Bigger is
not always better," the selectmen from the town wrote members of the
Education Committee this week.
State legislators have been talking about regionalizing school
districts for years. The most recent attempt was in 2010, when
lawmakers passed a law that would allow towns to keep half the savings
they netted from regionalizing transportation. Few districts took the
state up on that offer.
"It would actually cost us more. We found out very quickly it wasn't
cost-effective," said Mechare.
"There are a lot of reasons we don't want to get rid of our elementary
school," she said, "the No. 1 reason being we know we are providing a
great education and we aren't convinced we will get the education we
desire for our youngsters if we regionalize."
Malloy proposes separate board to run
tech schools
DAY
Feb 3, 1:36 PM EST
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut legislators will soon be asked to
create a new oversight board for the state's technical high schools
under a plan intended to make their training align with skills needed
by the students' potential employers.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Friday he will ask the General Assembly to
create the 11-member appointed board to operate separately from the
State Board of Education, which currently runs the 16 technical high
schools.
Malloy announced the proposal as part of a series of education reform
ideas he plans to pitch to lawmakers, who convene to start their 2012
legislative session Wednesday. Education reform is expected to be the
main focus of the session, which runs through May 9.
Malloy's proposal for a new board to oversee the technical schools is
similar to an idea proposed by a task force that was created after
Malloy proposed, then withdrew, a contentious plan to turn over the
state-run schools to the control of the municipalities in which they
sit.
He said Friday that the technical schools' training should reflect the
job skills in demand nationally and globally, and that putting a new
oversight board in place would help accomplish that. He also wants
$500,000 allocated to the technical school system to boost their
supplies and training equipment.
"Turning the corner on decades of economic decline means we have to
prepare our students for a successful future in the high-tech workforce
and we have to create the skilled labor that Connecticut companies need
to compete globally," he said in a written statement Friday.
The new 11-member board, if established, would include four business
executives nominated by business groups, four members appointed by the
state school board and a chairman appointed by the governor's office.
The commissioners of the state's education, labor and economic and
community development departments would also sit on the board as
non-voting members.
About 11,000 students attend the 16 technical high schools. The schools
offer regular high school degrees in a college prep curriculum and
training in 38 technical fields ranging from aviation maintenance to
culinary arts, diesel repair, masonry and hospitality management.
About 5,500 adults also take apprentice training part time at the
schools.
In addition to the 16 schools, a 17th school - J.M. Wright Tech in
Stamford - has been closed since summer 2009 for restructuring but is
expected to reopen in 2014 in a new building.
State figures show at least one student from every Connecticut town and
city attends a technical high school, even students from rural corners
of the state who travel lengthy distances to their regional schools.
Angry
Parents, Scared Students Seek Answers About Farm Hill School 'Scream
Rooms'
Middletown School Officials Host
Meeting, Pledge Change
The
Hartford Courant
By SHAWN R. BEALS, sbeals@courant.com
11:01 PM EST, January 12, 2012
MIDDLETOWN —
Frustrated parents of Farm Hill Elementary students told school
officials Thursday night they were disappointed by a lack of
communication about the use of "scream rooms," while students described
the school as "scary."
Some parents said their children do not feel safe at Farm Hill because
of what parents described as a distracting and intimidating
environment. Their children, they said, can hear screaming from
students in the rooms, called time-out rooms by school officials.
Superintendent Michael Frechette and Farm Hill Principal Patricia
Girard led the meeting Thursday with the school's parent-teacher
association to address concerns over the so-called scream rooms. About
150 people attended the session, which lasted close to three hours in
the school's gymnasium.
Elexa Belin, 10, a student at Farm Hill, said the school is "scary" to
her.
"I walk down the hall with my head down," she said. "You hear kids
screaming outside and you can't concentrate on your work."
"There's a lot of anger and still a lot of concerns," PTA President
Apryl Dudley said. "Unfortunately I think there's a lot of faith that's
been lost in the administration. We are going to make sure the
administrators and the board of education address the concerns. We're
going to stay on top of this."
"There have been a lot of rumors and accusations," Girard said. "They
are scary and unfounded. They have created a perception that this
school is out of control. That is not reality."
The issue was brought to light at a school board meeting Tuesday, when
parents complained about the use of the rooms, and when a letter Dudley
sent to Mayor Daniel Drew and the board of education was made public.
In response to those complaints, two state agencies have begun
investigations into Farm Hill School. In her letter, Dudley said
out-of-control students were being put in the rooms and allowed to act
out physically while a staff member waited outside until the child
calmed down. School officials this week acknowledged the problems
at
Farm Hill, and Frechette presented a plan to add staff hours and
resources from a variety of state and private agencies to help address
behavior and communication issues.
"I want to ensure the Farm Hill community that we're here to support
what's going on in Farm Hill," Frechette said Thursday night. "We've
narrowed the issues down to communication, climate and student
management. We're going to be aggressive and we have the support in
place to help the administration here, help the parents here and help
the students here."
Girard said the time-out rooms would be moved to out-of-the-way
locations so their use in the future is not disruptive to other
students. Right now, the time-out rooms border a hallway, she
said.
According to the state Department of Education, use of the time-out
rooms is allowed under state law for students with disabilities, "as
specified in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) … as determined
by a team of professionals that includes the parents of the child."
"There are no provisions for the use of seclusion time out for students
that do not have an IEP," according to a statement issued Wednesday.
Frechette said Thursday that the time-out rooms are not used for
students without an IEP.
"Unless you have an IEP this is not part of your daily [plan]," he
said. "The rooms have been used very infrequently for students without
an IEP, but generally they try to find another location for the
students."
James McGaughey, executive director of the state Office of Protection
and Advocacy for Persons With Disabilities, said Wednesday that his
office is conducting a "preliminary investigation," and state Child
Advocate Jeannie Milstein said she, too, would look into the use of the
rooms.
Frechette said Thursday that he was planning to meet with state
officials on Friday. School board Chairman Eugene Nocera said the
comments parents made Thursday night were important to help the
district address problems.
"Mistakes have been made," Nocera said. "We're here to correct those
mistakes."
School officials said their plan for improving things at Farm Hill
School includes adding hours for the school psychologist, adding a
student management coordinator, developing a school climate committee,
increasing training, working with a state consultant on school climate
and a behavior services consultant from a private education agency,
adding teaching training and adding support to the school's Family
Resource Center. The district will also work with a behavioral studies
graduate student at St. Joseph College, who will "assist in developing
and implementing behavior plans," according to the district's plan.
A grim
picture of education on display
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, CT MIRROR
January 5, 2012
More than half the school superintendents in the state say the state is
not helping to close the achievement gap between minority and
low-income and Caucasian students.
One-quarter of the school leaders say they have no authority to turn
around low-achieving schools; 87 percent say they lack the ability to
remove ineffective teachers; and two-thirds say bureaucratic obstacles
-- "red tape" -- stand in their way to implement change.
"There are a lot of challenges," Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor
told a roomful of national and state education advocates and officials
Thursday, as he revealed the results of his recent survey of almost
every superintendent.
Pryor’s presentation took place Thursday afternoon at Gov. Dannel P.
Malloy's long-planned Education Workshop, at Central Connecticut State
University in New Britain.
After laying out the education system’s grim landscape, Pryor offered
his audience some hope with the gamut of changes he and Malloy are
closing in on. Those changes include expanding early childhood
education, intervening in the worst-off schools, replicating successful
education models, cutting bureaucratic obstacles and ensuring that
schools have the best teachers.
"If superintendents don't feel we are helping, we've got some work to
do," Pryor said.
Joseph J. Cirasuolo, the longtime leader of the state's superintendent
association, said there should be nothing surprising about the results
of the survey, given that the state’s 157 school leaders have begged
the state for help for years.
"It's not news to us," he said, of the survey showing the four out of
10 superintendents are doubtful the state's education system will
change, even after Malloy’s promise to tackle the problems facing
education during this coming legislative session.
Connecticut has long held the title of having the largest achievement
gap in the country, a reality numerous task forces and commissioners
have failed to change.
"We are the worst, No. 1," Pryor said. He then added his final
statistic of the day: only 7 percent of the state’s superintendents
believe the state has a "clear plan" to turn education in the right
direction.
"What a shame, but we are going to change that," Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman
told the room, then called out the legislators attending the event to
stand. "Legislators you are going to carry the ball to making sure we
get this done."
The state's superintendents have given the commissioner a wish list of
changes they would like to see, but Pryor was mum on which of those
recommendations he plans to back. Pryor said he intends to conduct
similar surveys of other groups, including employees at the State
Department of Education and, possibly, teachers.
Education
advocates pin high hopes on Malloy for reform
Linda Conner Lambeck and Ken Dixon, Staff Writers. CT POST
Updated 11:20 p.m., Wednesday, January 4, 2012
In Dannel P. Malloy's first year as governor, Connecticut struck out in
its third bid at Race to the Top dollars. The state takeover of the
failing Bridgeport school board is being legally challenged and is in
the hands of the state Supreme Court. Connecticut's standing on
national and international benchmarks continues to slip.
About the only top slot the constitution state still clings to is
"largest achievement gap in the nation."
So educational reform advocates say much is riding on Malloy's pledge
that 2012 will be the year of education reform.
Malloy is hosting an Education Workshop Thursday at Central Connecticut
State University in New Britain. Many invited are convinced the
policies that begin to take shape there may lead to legislation that
can transform the state's failing schools and ultimately assist in
growing the economy.
"I am cautiously optimistic," said Pat Riccards, director of ConnCAN, a
New Haven-based advocacy organization.
Riccards said the governor, thus far, has done everything he said he
would do in his first year of office by appointing a like-minded
commissioner of education, shaking up the state department of education
and setting the stage for movement on teacher performance, early
childhood education and school funding.
"I think the governor is sincere in his attempt to address all six of
the principles he laid out and that we will likely see a plan ... that
offers some real and I would say bold solutions to get us there," said
Riccards.
Late last month, Malloy outlined his reform "road map" in a letter to
state legislative leaders. Malloy -- like the administration before him
-- wants legislation that will give more students access to
high-quality preschool. He wants to improve teaching and school
leadership, deliver more state resources to needy districts, expand
access to high-performing magnet and charter schools, and allow for
more state control of low performing school districts while lessening
the grip on districts that do well.
Gwen Samuel, president of the Connecticut Parents Union, said all that
sounds great, but she isn't getting her hopes up.
"Quite frankly, I don't think the moral courage exists to do what needs
to be done," said Samuel, a Meriden parent whose efforts two years ago
led to a law requiring schools to set up school governance councils.
The councils, which include parents, play a role in reconstituting
failing schools.
Samuel said there are important issues not on Malloy's list that she'd
like to see addressed, such as changing the residency law. This law got
Tanya McDowell, a mother arrested on larceny charges last year for
"stealing" education for her son by placing him in a Norwalk school
when officials said he belonged in Bridgeport.
"I do believe [the governor] will push the envelope. For that I will
get behind him 200 percent, as long as it is not just rhetoric," said
Samuel.
Steve Simmons, vice chairman of the Connecticut Council for Education
Reform, a group of business and foundation leaders, said he is very
optimistic that this year will bring significant change to education in
the state. "This time it's for real," said Simmons, who also co-chaired
the Connecticut Commission for Education Achievement under the Rell
administration.
Simmons said the principles outlined by Malloy would go a long way in
lifting educational achievement of all Connecticut students. He is also
convinced lawmakers will ultimately go along with the plan.
State Sen. Pro Tem Donald Williams this week said education will play
an important role in the short session that starts Feb. 8, but that
jobs and the economy are still front and center.
Rep. Auden Grogins, D-Bridgeport, a member of the General Assembly's
Education Committee, said she is looking forward to hearing Malloy's
educational initiatives and hopes they will help close the achievement
gap -- between students based on race, ethnicity and poverty -- which
has its epicenter in districts like Bridgeport.
"Suburbs don't have as much of the achievement gap as we do," Grogins
said. "They don't face as much as we do, with the large population of
English-language learners. It costs us more. I think the governor is
committed to progress in those areas."
State Rep. Andres Ayala, D-Bridgeport, leader of the city's legislative
delegation, said that the Educational Cost Sharing formula has to be
revised in order to pump more money into the school district. "We need
to be talking about more funding for Bridgeport, more teachers, more
critical services," Ayala said.
The city's delegation recently sent a letter to the task force studying
the ECS issue, inviting them to Bridgeport for a hearing.
Rep. Debralee Hovey, R-Monroe, a member of the legislative Education
Committee whose district includes part of Newtown, said that the
achievement gap looms over all school systems, "but it's an issue you
can't paint with a broad brush." Hovey likes Malloy's idea to give
districts that meet certain educational goals a pass on expensive state
mandates, such as in-school suspensions, where staff must supervise
small numbers of students who are being disciplined.
"My districts are worried about providing the best education they can
for the dollar," Hovey said. "Taxpayers in this economy are very
concerned about spending the money and they want to make sure the money
gets to the kids."
Thursday's workshop will feature an address by U.S. Department of
Education Under Secretary Martha J. Kanter and a number of panelists,
including Sandy Kase, a former superintendent for the New York City
Chancellor's District, who is now in Bridgeport to work under interim
Superintendent of Schools Paul Vallas. The governor's office said 350
people have been invited to the daylong event.
Early Childhood Education: We’re for
it – Unless We’re Against it:
What? Wait! Blog
Jon Pelto
December 23, 2011
Wait, or is it the other way around?
If there are any legislators out there – now is the time to speak out
and make a real difference concerning the future of early childhood
education. Please join Representative Gary Holder-Winfield and
Senator Beth Bye who has been very outspoken and Representative State
Representative Matthew Ritter, who was the only legislator to sign onto
a letter written by the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance.
Last week the federal government, once again, rejected Connecticut’s
application for $50 million Race to the Top education funds. That
makes three times that Connecticut has failed to successfully compete
with other states for these vital funds.
This time it was Connecticut’s application for the Race to the Top –
Early Learning Challenge Funding that was rejected. The federal
government was looking for “High-Quality, Accountable Programs;
Promoting Early Learning and Development Outcomes for Children; A Great
Early Childhood Education Workforce and Measuring Outcomes and
Progress.”
The Department of Education in Washington gave Connecticut a C- for its
existing early childhood education programs. Despite the high
hopes, we weren’t even contenders.
This week, Connecticut Voices for Children, the state’s leading policy
think tank, released a report about Connecticut’s early childhood
education system. They found that it “is currently a patchwork of
multiple funding streams, controlled by multiple agencies, with varied
reporting and eligibility requirements and inconsistent and
insufficient data collection.”
The report added that federal and state funding for Early Childhood
Education in the state has declined by about 10 percent over the past
decade.
Connecticut has once more created a system in which there are the
“haves” and “have-nots.” About 67 percent of white children are
in early childhood education programs, compared to 59 percent for
African-American children and 51 percent for Latino children.
Also earlier this week, Governor Malloy reiterated his commitment to
make 2012 the “year of education.” Malloy’s spokesman said,
“The governor has long recognized the importance of Early Childhood
Education, going back to his time as mayor of Stamford where he
launched a universal pre-k program…He agrees that our education system
needs major reform, which is why we released a set of core principles
to legislators earlier this week.”
However, there has been no indication that the Governor or Legislature
are planning to come up with additional money, although the Governor
did write in the federal grant application’s cover letter that “I am
committed to fund one thousand new early childhood education slots
targeted to high need children.”
The good news is that there is an increasing recognition among
Connecticut’s elected officials that Early Childhood Education is
important; that Connecticut is already far behind what other states are
doing; and that a major initiative is needed if we hope to close the
achievement gap and maintain an educated and capable workforce for our
economy.
Yet to be seen is whether our officials will put real money into this
effort.
And, at the other end of the scale, is that move by Attorney General
George Jepsen, with the strong backing of Governor Malloy, to get the
courts to carve out Early Childhood Education from the definition of
education.
As a result of the lawsuit brought by the Connecticut Coalition for
Justice in Education Funding, the Connecticut Supreme Court not only
reiterated that children have a constitutional right to an education,
but that Connecticut’s education system must actually work and provide
children with the knowledge and skills to succeed.
Then, three months ago, the Attorney General, citing the fact that
Connecticut’s Constitution only refers to primary and secondary
schools, petitioned the courts to make it clear that when the state
government addresses the constitutional provisions associated with
funding education, Early Education programs are specifically removed
from what needs to be done to fulfill the state’s duty to its children.
Jepsen has responded to criticism by saying;
“My office, on behalf of the state has not questioned the potential
benefits of press school education of the wisdom of providing such
services to Connecticut children as a matter of public policy
Rather, we have filed a motion asking the Court to decide – as a legal,
not policy matter – whether the Connecticut constitution’s guarantee of
‘free public elementary and secondary schools” was intended to
encompass pre-school services.
Not to raise this important legal issue would be irresponsible and a
disservice to the state of Connecticut and its people”
While reasonable people can disagree about exactly what the state
Constitution means when it refers to education, there are two critical
issues Jepsen overlooks.
First, the one constant that prevails throughout the broader education
debate is that without successful Early Childhood Education programs
you simply can’t have a successful education system.
Second, there is nothing, absolutely nothing that required Jepsen, with
Malloy’s support, to file that motion. As Dick Blumenthal showed
day after day, year after year, the Attorney General’s Office is guided
by a combination of both legal and policy issues. If a future
Attorney General wants to strip early childhood education out of the
definition of education they can.
But as virtually every politician across the ideological spectrum is
calling for a new and profound investment in Early Education, Jepsen
has engaged in a separate, unnecessary and harmful effort to exempt
state government from having to maintain its early educational programs
in the future.
The voters of Connecticut elected George Jepsen over his opponent
because they believed he would use his values and beliefs as he worked
to uphold the law. This second and counterproductive effort is
not only being spearheaded by a Democratic, but it has the blessing and
support of the Democratic Governor.
And perhaps the most amazing piece of all is that only three out of 187
member of the Connecticut General Assembly have stepped forward to
officially ask the Attorney General and the Governor to withdraw their
motion to carve out Early Childhood Education.
Every Connecticut elected official needs to decide: are you for Early
Childhood Education or are you not?
And if they are for Early Childhood Education, they need to have the
conviction to ensure that, in Connecticut at least, the notion of
“education” includes Early Education programs.
Had we done that over the last couple of decades we might have received
that $50 million federal grant. We didn’t get the grant; but
these officials can have an even bigger impact – they can work to make
sure Jepsen and Malloy pull back on their anti-early childhood
education motion.
Legislators, three of your colleagues have stepped up, now is the time
for you to join them and speak out.
Governor
Calls For 'Academic
Excellence For All'
Saying 'We Have
Lost Our Edge,' Malloy Outlines His Principles For Education Reform
The Hartford Courant
1:45 PM EST, December 20, 2011
Saying that "over time, we have lost our edge as a state," Gov.
Dannel P. Malloy Tuesday outlined his principles for education reform,
saying they will serve as a roadmap for the upcoming session of the
General Assembly.
In a letter to state legislative leaders, Malloy called for measures to
help restore Connecticut "as a model for creating academic excellence
for all."
He cited students' stagnant performance on standardized tests and the
fact that the state's position has grown so weak compared with other
states "that we are not competitive in national grant competitions like
the recent Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge." Connecticut
learned last week that it lost its latest bid for federal challenge
grant money.
Worse, Malloy said, is that Connecticut has the largest academic
achievement gap between poor minority students and more affluent peers
in the nation.
In his letter, Malloy said he was asking state Education Commissioner
Stefan Pryor to develop a set of "ambitious and carefully tailored"
legislative proposals for the upcoming session.
He said the proposals would be rooted in a number of principles, among
them enhanced access to high-quality early childhood education;
authorizing intensive interventions and supports in the state's
lowest-performing schools and districts; expanding the availability of
high-quality schools, including magnets and charters; removing red tape
for high-performing schools and districts; and valuing teachers and
principles more for their skill and effectiveness than seniority.
Malloy said he would convene a set of workshops on
Jan. 5, to delve more deeply into the most pressing education reform
issues.
Up next -- education unions' plans to
reform schools
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, CT MIRROR
December 19, 2011
The education commissioner has been to nearly a dozen school districts
during his inaugural tour, hearing what does and doesn't work to
improve education -- and last week was the teachers unions' turn to
pitch their strategy. Instead of inviting the new commissioner to
one of their highest-performing districts, union leaders took Stefan
Pryor to the epitome of the crisis facing education.
"Welcome to Bridgeport," said Mary Loftus Levine, leader of the largest
teachers' union, as the commissioner entered Bassick High School's
library.
The figures were alarming. One of every three students drops out before
graduation. Fifteen percent don't even show up for school on any given
day. And of the students that do make it to 10th grade, fewer than one
in three are proficient in reading, math or science.
"I was petrified to come here," Luise Lenis, a senior, told Pryor.
JoAnn Kennedy, a parent of two freshmen, shared that fear.
"We were terrified because of all the stories I'd heard," she said.
Metal detectors adorn the entrance at Bassick. Nine full-time security
guards stroll the halls and parking lot, and stories of fights and
gangs at the school are frequently in the local newspapers. What
students and parents didn't know was that things were about to change.
The teachers' union had a plan, and the University of Connecticut's
highly regarded education college was there to help.
That plan called for the school's teachers and parents to vote to make
the management decisions themselves so initiatives would no longer be
stalled at the central office. Those changes, to name a few,
include requiring students to wear school uniforms; staff sweeping the
halls and rounding up students not in class; dividing the building by
grade instead of subject area; and making sure that teachers have
common planning periods.
"This is a living example of what school reform is all about," Levine
told a roomful of teachers and state officials Thursday.
"I'm hearing you've achieved incredible progress," Pryor said.
Indeed, test scores and other outcome measures are already beginning
showing dramatic upticks, just a few months into the changed model.
Last year, 32 percent of students were proficient in writing compared
with 52 percent this year. Similar spikes are found in reading, science
and math test scores and daily attendance rates.
"This school is clearly uptrending ... It's so impressive to see,"
Pryor said.
"Teachers were used to being told what to do," said Kathy Young, a
longtime Bassick teacher.
Principal Alejandro Ortiz explained that his staff "was hungry for
change." Parents and teachers overwhelmingly voted to approve the
changes they concocted.
"We gave them a simple voice," he said. "They own these changes."
UConn's Neag School of Education's Center for Education Policy Analysis
believes that giving autonomy to individual schools is critical in
making reforms.
"Local principals and teachers are best positioned to make decisions on
how to help their students reach high levels of academic achievement
because they are most familiar with their talents and their
challenges," reads a policy brief on this initiative, known as CommPACT.
Over the past decade, teachers at Bassick have seen multiple reform
attempts fail, they said. But now many are convinced they have finally
found the right strategy.
An investment
Michele Femc-Bagwell got a little teary as she started to talk about
how far these low-income students have come.
"This is just so great. We're really making a difference," she said to
a group in the library, as emotion started to build. "I have to pull
myself together."
Nearly every child at Bassick comes from a low-income family, 95
percent receiving free- or reduced-price lunches and breakfasts.
So five years ago, the Connecticut Education Association and the
state's other teachers' union, the American Federation of Teachers,
gathered a coallition of parents, superintendents and UConn officials
to brainstorm. They were sick of children not getting a quality
education.
"We were given a blank slate in how we wanted the school to change,"
said Walter Brackett, a Bassick teacher for nearly two decades.
The change wasn't cheap. Launching this model at seven schools across
the state in Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury took $3
million from federal, state and local donations.
"That's about $120 per student," Levine said. "That was a great
investment, just look around."
But the start-up money that spurred these reforms and hired the experts
from UConn is set to begin running out at some of the schools at the
end of next school year. And despite Levine and AFT's president,
Sharon Palmer, insisting that there is a long line of schools their
unions want to expand this model to, there is no funding to do it.
"These schools are really shining stars. Now we just need to validate
what we think is working," Palmer said.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy proposed cutting funding for the initiative as he
worked to close a massive state budget deficit last year, but in the
end the unions succeeded in getting the money back. Pryor said he
is looking into expanding this model.
"It's very important that reform models be able to thrive in our
state," he said.
Switching things up
The norm last year was to find dozens of students, who should have been
in class, roaming the halls. Teachers worked on that by having
all the ninth-graders go to class on one floor, so it would be
difficult for them to get lost as they switched from one class to the
next.
"There was just a lot of room for them not to make it there," the
principal said. Attendance data being tracked by UConn shows the effort
is paying off. Another initiative was to have common time off for
teachers to work on lesson plans with each other, discuss issues facing
the same students and be there for other areas of support
"The research shows this works," Bagwell said.
What also appears to be working is requiring students to wear uniforms.
"It makes you look like you're going to school and not a fashion show,"
said student Brandon Williams, who wore the mandated black polo shirt
and khaki pants during a tour of the school.
"This [uniform] is not a joke, because Mr. Ortiz will send you home if
you aren't wearing it," Sasha Rosario, a senior, told Pryor.
Later, Sasha conceded that the uniforms have shifted the focus to what
school is for.
"We can get to learning now," she said. "What a difference it has made."
Education commissioner
proposes easing bureaucratic barriers
CT MIRROR
By Robert A. Frahm
November 25, 2011
FAIRFIELD - In affluent, high-achieving school districts like this one,
the state's top education official thinks the best strategy might be
for the state education department to step aside and do less, not
more. State Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor asked Fairfield
officials how the state could ease the burden of regulations, annual
reports and other bureaucratic mandates that often lead to a mountain
of paperwork.
"We're interested in hearing about regulatory barriers, anything that
might be a hindrance ... We want to know how to get out of your way,"
Pryor told the Fairfield Board of Education this week.
Fairfield was the latest stop on what Pryor calls a "listening tour" to
visit schools, meet educators and assess the needs of the state's
public education system as he completes his second month on the
job. Pryor, whose most recent job was deputy mayor of Newark,
N.J., was an unconventional choice for the education post, taking over
a system that boasts some of America's best schools but also struggles
with low-achieving schools in the state's poorest towns and cities. On
national tests, Connecticut has the nation's largest academic
achievement gap separating the poor from the well-to-do.
Fairfield is among the state's top-performing districts. More than 90
percent of the town's eighth-graders, for example, met the reading goal
on the state's annual Mastery Test last spring, well above the state
average of 75 percent. Similarly, 87 percent met the mathematics goal,
compared with a statewide average of 67 percent. Pryor
praised Fairfield's record, including its recent expansion of
pre-kindergarten classes to include children as young as age 3.
Nevertheless, despite the success of school systems such as
Fairfield's, the state can do better, Pryor said.
"We are not as high-flying as we may think we are," he said, citing
recent 8th-grade mathematics scores on the National Assessment of
Educational Progress, also known as the Nation's Report Card.
Connecticut's scores fell behind those of states such as Massachusetts,
New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas. "I'm tired of hearing
how Massachusetts is beating Connecticut," Pryor said. "There is no
good reason for it. They are doing some things right that we are
not...We ought to aspire to be number one."
He added, "Many states do a far better job of supporting and
intervening with lower-performing schools than we do." In
Massachusetts, for example, the state has a "tight alignment of
curriculum, instruction, professional development and assessment," he
said.
While the education department intends to focus much of its attention
on improving low-performing schools, it also will try to help
high-achieving schools by relaxing some of the state's bureaucratic
requirements, Pryor told the Fairfield school board.
"It's all in pursuit of higher performance in all our districts for all
our children," Pryor said.
Phil Dwyer, a member of the Fairfield board, asked Pryor about the
time-consuming regulations and record-keeping requirements imposed on
schools by the state. "Does it really help us move the needle when it
comes to school climate?" he asked.
Pryor said, "Where there are outdated or irrelevant or barrier-creating
regulations, we want to know about it."
The State Department of Education lists more than 60 reports that are
issued on a regular basis, many of them required annually under state
or federal laws. The reports cover matters such as busing, school
construction, school lunch, discipline, graduation surveys, technical
education, bilingual education, immigrant students, dropouts, teacher
shortages, racial balance and teacher certification.
Across the state, school officials have often complained that state and
federal regulations are burdensome, but reducing paperwork or easing
regulations could be difficult, possibly requiring new legislation.
Fairfield Superintendent of Schools David Title cited the example of
certification regulations for teachers and administrators, saying the
rules are so cumbersome that they sometimes prevent school districts
from hiring talented educators from other states.
Title also said later that the state's annual Strategic School Profiles
- which require schools to report a range of data on demographics, test
results and other matters - are outdated and include information that
also is contained in other reports published by the state.
"It's arcane," he said. "We never get rid of anything. Any data
collection they do really needs to be examined."
New
commissioner looks for schools
that are succeeding
Robert A. Frahm, CT MIRROR
November 14, 2011
MERIDEN - When unionized teachers in Meriden's public schools needed
more time to examine student test data, they voluntarily added extra
classroom time to their schedules to make room for regular weekly data
review meetings.
That simple solution, the result of informal talks between the union
president and school superintendent, was cited Monday by the state's
top education official as one of the reasons for the success of Thomas
Hooker School.
"It's a perfect example of how a district solves a problem - union and
management together," said state Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor.
"You are creating a model for the rest of the state."
That spirit of teamwork, along with strong leadership and an intense
focus on monitoring student progress, have made Hooker stand out, Pryor
said.
Pryor, who took over as commissioner last month, stopped at Hooker as
one of the first stops on what he calls a "listening tour" to visit
schools and meet educators across Connecticut and to look for education
strategies that work.
In Connecticut, Pryor oversees a public education system that boasts
some of America's best schools but also has the nation's largest
academic achievement gap separating the poor from the well-to-do. At
Hooker, that gap has virtually disappeared over the past six years as
test scores among low-income children gradually improved.
Although about half of Hooker's students come from low-income families
and one-third of the student body is not fluent in English, the school
regularly posts impressive results on the statewide Connecticut Mastery
Test. More than 90 percent of Hooker's third-graders scored at the
proficient level in reading and math last spring, for example, compared
with statewide averages of 74 percent in reading and 84 percent in math.
Hooker, along with a school in Old Lyme, tied for the Connecticut
Association of Schools' award as the state's top elementary school this
year. Two years ago, it was named a national Blue Ribbon school by the
U.S. Department of Education.
"There are numerous exemplary schools in our state even though there
are certainly challenges statewide," Pryor said after touring Hooker.
"There are bright spots, and we want to highlight those and learn from
them."
Monday's meeting with teachers and administrators provided an early
glimpse of some of the themes likely to mark Pryor's approach as
commissioner.
Although he was an unconventional choice for the education post -- his
most recent job was as deputy mayor in Newark, N.J. -- Pryor's grasp of
key education issues was evident as he took notes and asked the Meriden
educators about curriculum, teacher training and other matters.
In particular, Pryor asked pointed questions dealing with monitoring
student progress: How often do teachers gather data? Does the district
work with the state in designing test questions? Do schools use data to
diagnose problems for individual students?
Meriden Superintendent of Schools Mark Benigni said teachers regularly
review how their students' growth compares to that of students in other
schools, throughout the district and across the state. "We know that
these results matter," he said. "We want to push all our students to
their optimum performance."
Later, Pryor said that Hooker's focus on data was a key element in its
success.
"There is very thoughtful attention being paid to the use of data. ...
There is concern for reaching further into the data to examine
students' needs beyond the surface level analysis of right and wrong
answers on the standardized tests. There's an interest in deeper
diagnosis, which is so important," he said.
"It's rare that you find a school these days that's succeeding at this
level that isn't aiming for such deeper diagnosis. It's great to see it
happening, and it's the kind of thing that the state can enable."
Pryor, who arrived in Connecticut with a reputation as a skilled leader
able to bring together groups with differing points of view, also
praised the union-management relationship in Meriden, citing the
example of altering the schedule to create time for the data review
meetings.
"It was great to see it in action," he said. "There is problem-solving
on a routine basis and also on a structural long-term basis between the
superintendent's office and the union president's office. That is
terrific to see. It's essential."
Hooker's success has not come without obstacles. The school district's
budget has had no increase for the past two years. The building is
aging, and class sizes are edging upward.
"With 29 students, it's a challenge to get to every single one of
them," said fifth-grade teacher Jacqueline Sapinski. Nevertheless, part
of the school's success is the result of the close bond among staff
members, she said.
"It's definitely a school that is a team," she said. "I can depend on
anyone -- the cafeteria worker, the speech therapist -- to help me when
I need it."
A
'change agent' seeks consensus on
school reform
CT MIRROR
By Robert A. Frahm and Caitlin Emma
October 5, 2011
When Gov. Dannel P. Malloy tabbed Stefan Pryor, a charter school
founder, as the state's next education commissioner, the appointment
raised eyebrows among some in public education circles.
Would Pryor, whose career has been shaped both inside and outside the
education arena, be able to win over a public school establishment that
viewed some charter advocates with suspicion?
Those who know him best are betting the answer is yes.
Pryor officially begins his new job Friday, taking over a public
education system that boasts some of America's best schools but also
has the nation's largest academic achievement gap separating the poor
from the well-to-do.
Colleagues describe the 39-year-old Yale graduate as a tireless
reformer unafraid to try new ideas - not limited to those tested in
charter schools - and as a skilled leader able to bring together groups
with differing points of view.
"I think he's practical. He's not really an ideologue," said Paul
Vallas, a former school superintendent in Chicago, Philadelphia and New
Orleans. Pryor worked alongside Vallas as a volunteer in Haiti and
Chile as those nations rebuilt school systems after suffering
devastating earthquakes last year.
"I don't think he comes in as a person who sees one model or one
solution to addressing the deficiencies that exist in the educational
system," said Vallas, one of the nation's leading voices in school
reform. "I think that he's a supporter or charter schools without being
a critic of traditional schools... In all the projects he's worked on
with me, people liked him. He's not divisive...He works with diverse
groups."
That was a mark of Pryor's style in Newark, N.J., too, where he worked
as deputy mayor for the past five years to revitalize the struggling
city.
"One of his great secrets is he just never looks at sides - this side
versus that side," said Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who has known Pryor
since the two were classmates at Yale Law School. "He's somebody that
really [says] let's all come together, find out where we can agree...
and make something happen that can benefit us all."
Pryor, whose background includes a major role in rebuilding Lower
Manhattan, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, was an unconventional
choice for the education post. Nevertheless, he had been on Malloy's
radar for months, said Timothy Bannon, the governor's chief of staff.
Soon after Malloy's election last year, the governor met Pryor and
began thinking about finding a spot for him in the new administration,
Bannon said. The governor "was quite taken with his intellect and his
grasp of public issues," said Bannon, who described Pryor as a flexible
leader not bound to any single strategy of school reform.
"He is very outcome oriented...The other thing that stands out when you
look at his record is he really is able to form a consensus," he said.
"That's going to be a key to any success in terms of education reform."
In Connecticut, Pryor will confront thorny, divisive issues such as
teacher tenure, pay and evaluation. He must do so in the midst of a
slumping economy that has led to teacher layoffs, school budget
cutbacks, and a shrinking staff at the State Department of Education.
He takes over an agency that has intervened in two struggling school
districts, Windham and Bridgeport, and that has begun reviewing the
state's complicated and often-criticized school aid formula.
Although Pryor's predecessor, former Commissioner Mark McQuillan,
helped win reforms such as more rigorous high school requirements, he
never was able to build a strong alliance with former Gov. M. Jodi Rell
- a factor, some observers say, in Connecticut's failure to win a grant
last year in the Obama administration's $4.3 billion Race to the Top
school reform competition.
Pryor, by contrast, appears to have the strong backing of Malloy, who
has pledged to make education reform a central element of his agenda.
Pryor "has the wind at his back," said state Rep. Andrew Fleischmann,
D-West Hartford, co-chairman of the legislature's Education Committee.
"He is a change agent who arrives with a lot of support for change."
His biggest test will be to shore up lagging academic performance,
particularly in schools with large populations of low-income and
minority students - a key to restoring Connecticut's status as a leader
in education circles.
Pryor is no stranger to big challenges. After heading the agency
charged with rebuilding Lower Manhattan following the attacks on New
York's World Trade Center, he left for Newark, where he worked
alongside Booker and played a central role in promoting business
development, expanding affordable housing and developing innovative
projects such as a mentoring and job training program for former
prisoners.
Newark has more than $700 million in construction projects under way or
in the pipeline, Booker said. Pryor has been influential in attracting
dozens of new businesses, including the first new downtown hotel in
nearly 40 years and the headquarters for Panasonic Corporation of North
America.
"He presided over probably one of the greatest development periods in
our city in the last 60 years, and he did it during the worst economy
when people weren't building, weren't investing," Booker said. "He's a
guy who has achieved great success in everything he's done and really
has become one of the more sought-after leaders in America... He was
always being wooed by other cities, states, communities."
Kathryn S. Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York
City, a nonprofit organization of business leaders where Pryor once
worked on school reform, described him as pragmatic. "I would say
progressive, but not at all confrontational." she said.
"If you were comparing him and Michelle Rhee, they're sort of opposite
ends of the spectrum," Wylde said, referring to the former Washington,
D.C. schools chancellor, whose aggressive, often blunt style rankled
teachers' unions and made her a controversial figure in school reform.
At the partnership, Pryor worked with two troubled school districts in
Brooklyn, focusing heavily on the use of data to monitor student
progress and trying strategies such as performance incentives for
principals and financial incentives for recruiting teachers, Wylde said.
Pryor is known for devoting long hours to his work, rarely taking time
off. "He has total immersion in the work he's doing," Wylde said. "He's
a 24/7 guy."
Booker, who called Pryor one of his closest friends, said, "He's a guy
who has gone at full speed, around-the-clock with the intensity I've
rarely seen matched by others...Stefan is his work. It's what he does.
It's who he is...His hobbies were things like leading missions down to
Haiti to serve after that disaster."
Pryor, who is single, is the son of two public school teachers. He grew
up and attended public schools in New City, N.Y., a suburb of New York
City.
On the day his appointment was announced in Connecticut, Pryor said he
will focus on strategies that work, wherever they exist.
"I think it's important we look at schools not in terms of their
governance model but in terms of their results - whether we're talking
about conventional public schools or magnet schools or charter schools
or vo-ag or tech schools," he said. "The question is not how is a
school structured. The question is: How is a school providing for
outstanding student outcomes?"
The search for effective strategies is something Pryor did along with
other Yale law students and community leaders in founding Amistad
Academy, a successful, high-profile charter school that opened in New
Haven in 1999 and became a national model.
"He's very results focused and people focused," said Dacia Toll, former
Amistad director and now president and CEO of Achievement First, a
network of charter schools that includes Amistad and other schools in
Connecticut and New York.
"In coming up with a model for Amistad," Toll said, "we traveled around
the country, going as far as Calgary, Canada, to look at schools that
were serving kids from low-income backgrounds who have historically
been underachieving - yet in these schools, they were achieving
breakthrough results."
Charter schools are publicly supported schools that are free of the
usual central office restrictions and union rules. In theory, they are
designed to foster experimental approaches that can be expanded to
other schools, but critics, including teachers' union officials in
Connecticut, have been at odds with some charter advocates, accusing
them of bashing public schools and acting as competitors.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers,
knows Pryor and believes he has the skill to mend that relationship.
"Part of what he will need to do is reduce that toxicity. That will be
both a challenge and opportunity for him, particularly since he comes
from the charter school side," said Weingarten, who remembers Pryor
from his school reform work in Brooklyn when she was head of United
Federation of Teachers in New York City.
"I think he has seen both the potential of charter schools and the
limits of charter schools," Weingarten said.
She said that Pryor is likely to draw not only on the lessons of
charter schools but on other experimental approaches such as a
reform-minded teachers' contract in New Haven. That contract includes a
rigorous new evaluation process for teachers, linking their performance
to student progress.
The contract has drawn praise from the Obama administration and others,
including Pryor.
"The fact that the collective bargaining unit and municipal
administration and school district administration came together and
grappled with issues and resulted in a contract that everyone felt good
about...that's impressive, and that's a good model," Pryor said.
Weingarten said a key element of the New Haven reform is that it
reaches an entire district, not just a single school.
"The fact that [Pryor] has looked at the New Haven model...and sees
that collaboration as a key lever to school district reform to try to
help all kids - not just some kids - I think is very positive,"
Weingarten said.
When the Partnership for New York City tested various reforms in
Brooklyn schools, Pryor "was pretty honest about what did and didn't
work," she said. Even when some of the reforms did not work as planned,
"the partnership didn't blame the schools for failure to try," she said.
"I found him at the time...to be open-minded and flexible, you know,
pragmatic," she added. "It's about how you help all kids, and the one
thing we've learned is it's not so easy."
From the official CT website
Changes To Education Funding On The
Horizon This Year
CTNEWSJUNKIE
by Christine Stuart | Jan 12, 2012 2:20pm
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s Budget Director Ben Barnes, who co-chairs the
task force in charge of looking at the state’s Education Cost Sharing
formula, tried his best to dodge reporters’ questions about whether
there would be changes to the education funding formula this year.
As the awkward pauses and vague answers continued one reporter jokingly
volunteered to hold him while the rest tickled the information out of
him.
But Barnes defended his cagey behavior explaining that he’s in the
middle of making some of those big policy decisions and wouldn’t want
to say the administration will do something that it ends up scrapping.
But when he was asked if Malloy will be able to accomplish everything
he wants to accomplish this fiscal year without changes to the
education funding formula, Barnes replied “ultimately no.”
The statement was an indication changes to the formula will be
forthcoming.
But Barnes refused to offer any more details or confirm anything
Thursday.
“If I were to say something and then we change our mind,” Barnes said
as his voice trailed off. “There are a lot of trade offs and clearly we
don’t have as much money as we’d like to, to do all the things we‘d
like to get done,” he added.
He admitted there was a certain awkwardness to attending the CT Voices
for Children budget forum at the state Capitol Thursday because of the
proximity of the budget adjustments.
“I don’t bring any paper because I don’t want to say anything,” Barnes
joked.
Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford, co-chairwoman of the legislature’s
Education Committee and co-chairwoman of the ECS Task Force, said there
may be some small policy changes to the “framework” of the ECS formula
this year. But like Malloy, she doesn’t want to impact funding to
municipalities.
“To pull the rug out from under our residents and taxpayers would not
be well received,“ Stillman said Thursday in a phone interview.
However, she believes there are some small changes the state can make
to the formula in anticipation that bigger changes are on the horizon.
She said there are parts of the formula that can be looked at and
changed, but was reluctant to say exactly which parts of the formula
will be undergoing those small changes, since the task force has yet to
finalize its draft report.
Stillman said everyone is hoping fiscal conditions improve this year,
so they have an opportunity to make more significant changes to the
formula in fiscal year 2013.
Rep. Andrew Fleischmann, D-West Hartford, co-chairman of the
legislature’s Education Committee, said given all of the variables
involved and the complexity of the formula he didn’t expect to see
changes until 2013. However, he said he has nothing but respect for the
wide range of aims the governor has enunciated on education reform.
It’s possible to set up a system where you can hold all municipalities
harmless, while increasing funding to several school systems,
Fleischmann said. It’s been done in the past, but how exactly how
Malloy plans on funding it was still a mystery to Fleischmann.
During an interview on WNPR Wednesday Malloy told John Dankosky that
his education proposal will be “the most far-reaching in our state’s
history, and probably one of the most far-reaching in the nation.”
He said there are about 29 school districts mostly in urban communities
that need more help than they’re currently getting from the state. His
comments were similar to those made in December at the Council of Small
Towns meeting.
“I’ve already said that I’m going to hold municipalities harmless of
losses that we’re going to stand by our funding commitments. I made
that very publicly about four or five months ago. Believe me if I say
it, you can believe it,” Malloy told Dankosky.
Administration sources said changes to the formula are inevitable and
will be done this year, but how they will be funded is still unclear.
Since the state won’t be increasing taxes this year many school and
town officials are wondering if the state should be taking money from
high performing districts to give to low performing districts. This
would create winners and losers amongst municipalities.
Bart Russell, executive director of the Council of Small Towns, said
Thursday that it would be quite a challenge to imagine significant
changes to the ECS formula during the short session of the legislature.
And “I don’t know if you can automatically assume these changes to the
formula will be robbing Peter to pay Paul either,” Russell added.
He said it would be difficult and challenging to cut municipalities in
the second year of the two-year budget, but the ECS formula is the 800
pound gorilla in the room.
“We’re all waiting with baited breath and hoping we’re going to be held
harmless in the second year of the biennium,” Russell said.
Just 2 in 5 Connecticut high school
grads finish college
Westport News
Linda Conner Lambeck, Staff Writer
Updated 12:21 a.m., Friday, December 30, 2011
HARTFORD -- As the state strives to improve student performance, high
school graduation rates and eventual success in college, a new report
suggests just how far public schools have to go.
For the 35,671 high school students who graduated from Connecticut
public high schools in 2004, just two in five had earned a degree or
certificate from college six years out. Another one-third started
college during this time, but did not finish. One-quarter skipped
post-secondary education altogether.
Locally, the percentage of students successfully completing a college
program six years out of high school ranged from 6 percent at Henry
Abbott Technical High School in Danbury to 73 percent at Ridgefield
High School.
Suburban high school graduates find more success at college than urban
students, the report shows.
The data comes from the National Student Clearinghouse, a central
repository of enrollment and graduation data, and was requested by the
state's Board of Regents for Higher Education, the state Department of
Education and P-20 Council, a collaboration between the state's early
childhood, K-12, higher education and workforce training sectors.
The council, which held a series of college readiness workshops across
the state this fall, is releasing the data to give policymakers and
educators a better idea of what high school graduates in the state do
with their diplomas. The report provides degree completion rates by
high schools in the state, information which has previously not been
available in Connecticut.
Michael Meotti, vice president of the state's Board of Regents, said
the report signals a need to identify ways to help students prepare to
enter the workforce.
"We need to ensure that we're preparing our students for success from
the very moment they set foot in our schools," Meotti said in a
prepared statement. "That means identifying ways in which we can help
them learn and be better able to adapt to the 21st century workforce."
The report calls for a focus on students who enter college but fail to
graduate within six years.
Of the 41 percent of the class of 2004 who completed at least one
degree or certificate program, half -- representing 20 percent of the
class -- went to Connecticut colleges and universities and half
attended colleges or universities out of state.
In Connecticut, according to the U.S. Census, 46 percent of 25- to
34-year-olds have an associate degree or higher. That puts the state
seventh in the nation. The state's level of education attainment is
slipping.
Braden Hosch, director of policy and research for the Board of Regents,
said the results are about what was expected.
The data also shows the college-going rate between 2004 and 2009 has
increased. According to the state Department of Education, 77.8 percent
of the class of 2004 indicated they planned to attend college. In
actuality, 57.4 attended college, according to clearinghouse statistics
that officials say are accurate within 5 percent.
In 2009, 80.5 percent said they were college-bound. The clearinghouse
reports 66.9 percent enrolled the following fall.
"What we are trying to focus attention on is: What matters for
Connecticut's economic competitiveness is not simply that students go
to college, but when they go, they finish," Hosch said. "We know that
in the economy we have today, having some sort of credential after high
school makes you much more competitive in the job market."
The report doesn't get into the reasons why students don't finish.
While some point to the cost of college as for why some students start
but don't finish college, many say not enough students enter college
prepared to do the work or have the motivation to stick with it.
State Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor said there is a need for
better preparation. The higher education report comes out the same day
the Department of Education released a report that shows graduation
rates from public high schools in 2010 showed only a slight
improvement. Nearly one in five students still fail to graduate within
four years. For minority students, one in three fail to graduate with
the class they entered with as freshmen.
Ten districts in the state, including Monroe, had greater than a 95
percent graduation rate in 2010. Six districts, including Bridgeport,
had rates lower than 65 percent.
Former SWRPA
member Dudley Williams on this panel.as is Ted Sergi, former CT
Education Commissioner (coined the phrase "The Two Connecticuts")...
ECS
PANEL HOPES TO MEET IN LOWER FAIRFIELD COUNTY (UNDER "TASK FORCE
ACTIVITIES" NOT TO BE RANKED)
Go directly to the first cut of 49 alternative changes here.
Please note that CT MIRROR forced the hand of Education Committee
Co-Chair. to release this
draft. How many people on the task force and who do they
represent?
Inquiring minds would like to know!
Is there a link here?
First challenge of ECS panel:
Untangling old compromises
Keith M. Phaneuf, CT MIRROR
September 15, 2011
The new state panel charged with ensuring fairness in
Connecticut's education financing system hit its first quandary
Thursday: How do you fix the program when decades of political
compromises and nearly $3.8 billion in under-funding have left
virtually all communities--rich and poor alike--feeling short-changed?
In its first detailed briefing on state education financing, the
Education Cost Sharing task force learned that:
Connecticut's share of local education funding
reached its lowest point in two decades over the last two years.
While poor cities argue they don't receive
sufficient funds through ECS, nearly 50 of the wealthiest communities
effectively receive less per student now than they did just before the
first education equalization formula was drafted, after adjustments for
inflation.
And an artificial capping system has deprived the
ECS program of an average of $760.4 million annually since 2006-07.
The ECS system "has been a series of political compromises over the
years," Brian Mahoney, the state Department of Education's chief
financial officer, told the panel that must recommend options to reform
education financing next February. "The state has never really,
actually funded the pure formula."
With nearly $1.9 billion in grants this fiscal year to Connecticut
school districts, the ECS system is largest component in a $4.2 billion
state funding plan for municipal education that also includes school
construction grants; teachers' pension account contributions; a
vocational-technical high school system; specialized state school
districts serving abused and disabled children; and racial diversity
programs.
While a major state tax hike enabled Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the
legislature to maintain ECS funding despite the loss of federal aid,
the state budget includes significant cuts to spending on construction,
diversity and technical high schools.
And though the ECS spending level was maintained, Mahoney and Office of
Legislative Research analyst John Moran also told the panel that the
grant formula, which takes into account a community's wealth, student
population, numbers of families from households on federal assistance,
and past education spending, still will distribute $724.8 million less
than the formula calls for.
Artificial caps on the ECS program are nothing new. In each of the
prior four fiscal years, under-funding levels have ranged from $731.1
million to $865.9 million.
Part of the controversy over ECS stems from what analysts called "the
myth of the 50-50 funding promise."
The state Supreme Court ruled in the landmark 1977 case of Horton v.
Meskill that Connecticut's flat, $250 per pupil grant to municipal
school districts was unconstitutional because it didn't recognize
disparities in local wealth.
Though a state Board of Education advisory panel recommended a
long-term goal of state assistance covering, on average, half of each
community's local education costs, "no one who controlled the purse
strings, neither legislatures nor governors, came forward and said
50-50 is our goal," Moran said.
Nonetheless, that perception creates a problem: The state's share of
local education spending generally has been in the high-30 percent to
low-40 percent range for much of the past two decades. And the
deviation among communities has been even greater.
Almost immediately after the first equalization formula was enacted,
legislators added "stop-loss" provisions to ensure wealthier
communities didn't experience reductions in state aid--a move that has
long drawn criticism from poorer communities, both urban and rural.
But while more affluent towns may have been protected in the short term
that didn't last. Accordingto Thursday's briefing, the 24 wealthiest
towns receive about $378 per student, and and the 24 in the next wealth
ranking receive about $735. The $250 per student grant issued in 1977,
when adjusted for inflation, would be worth $934 now.
"Which virtually means for the last 35 years they have gotten nothing,"
said former state Education Commissioner Theodore Sergi, a member of
the task force.
ECS funding per student then climbs in the next five wealth tiers to
$1,720, $2,744, $3,125, $4,586, and $6,860 per student for the poorest
communities in Connecticut.
Sen. Toni Harp, D-New Haven, co-chairwoman of the Appropriations
Committee, said it's crucial that this task force not only analyze
funding issues, but also assess the educational results school
districts are achieving.
But Sergi cautioned after the meeting that no school funding
equalization program can--on its own--also equalize education results.
"You can't look at ECS to solve everything," he said, adding that the
effects of poverty and other social problems can't be overcome by
school spending alone.
Meriden School Superintendent Mark Benigni, who also serves on the task
force, said that rather than look for ways to fully fund the current
ECS formula, the panel might be better off trying to determine the
fairest way to distribute the $1.9 billion the program has been
allocated in each of the past three budgets. "I think for this
committee to do its job, that's what has to be shared," he said.
The alternative, he added, is to develop a formula that calls for
more--and then faces the risk of being subverted by state policy makers
unwilling to fund it.
"I don't know who in the legislature is happy with the ECS formula,"
Sen. Andrea L. Stillman, D-Waterford, co-chairwoman of the task force,
said. "I think everything needs to be on the table, ... but I think
there's a good foundation with what we have now and I'm not sure I want
to throw it out."
Charter school founder to be named
education commissioner
Robert A. Frahm, CT MIRROR
September 6, 2011
One of the founders of an acclaimed Connecticut charter school who
later led the redevelopment effort in Lower Manhattan after the attacks
of 9/11 will be named Connecticut's next commissioner of education.
Gov. Dannel Malloy is expected to appoint Stefan Pryor, now the deputy
mayor of Newark, N.J., to succeed Mark McQuillan, who resigned abruptly
in December, citing the stress of the job. Acting Commissioner George
Coleman has held the interim post since then.
State Board of Education Chairman Allan Taylor confirmed the selection
of Pryor but would not comment further. Pryor's selection was first
reported in a story by Hartford Courant columnist Rick Green.
The board, which led a six-month search for the new commissioner, will
issue its recommendation of Pryor at its meeting Wednesday, where the
new commissioner will be introduced. Pryor is one of five finalists
interviewed for the job.
Pryor, 39, a graduate of Yale Law School, was among the founders of the
Amistad Academy in New Haven, a high profile public charter school that
has had a successful track record with children from low-income
families.
The selection of Pryor signals Malloy's intent to focus on reforming
the public education system and is certain to raise eyebrows among the
education establishment, including teacher union officials who have
sometimes clashed with charter school supporters over funding and other
issues.
Pryor's background indicates he is no stranger to big challenges.
In Newark, Pryor oversees economic development, city planning and
housing as part of the administration of Mayor Cory Booker. Before
taking that job, he was president of the Lower Manhattan Development
Corporation in charge of rebuilding the area after the attacks on the
World Trade Center in 2001.
Before 2001, he worked as vice president of the Partnership for New
York City, a leading business organization, where he was involved in
school reform efforts.
In the mid-1990s, Pryor worked as a policy advisor to New Haven Mayor
John DeStefano.
"I'm hearing from folks in New Haven. They think it's a good choice,"
said Sharon Palmer, president of the American Federation of
Teachers-Connecticut. "If he is bringing a vision of what charter
schools are supposed to be--schools of innovation and creativity--then
that's a good thing."
"I'm hoping he doesn't have the ConnCAN vision of charters being
competitors with K-12 [schools]," she said, a reference to the New
Haven-based organization that has pushed aggressively for school
reforms, including more support for charters.
Alex Johnston, ConnCAN's executive director, knew Pryor when the two
men worked for the City of New Haven, Johnston as an official with the
New Haven Housing Authority and Pryor as an advisor to DeStefano.
"I think it's an exciting appointment," Johnston said. "He's really an
experienced public administrator who has taken on turnaround challenges
in New York City and Newark...Think about trying to rebuild Lower
Manhattan after 9/11...
"I think we have a rebuilding challenge of our own with a public school
system that historically has led the nation but in recent years has
fallen behind."
In Connecticut, Pryor will take on a public school system that has
struggled to close one of the largest achievement gaps in the nation,
with low-income and minority students trailing far behind more affluent
and white students in reading and mathematics. Some critics also have
expressed concern that the state failed to win a grant last year in
Race to the Top, the Obama administration's $4.3 billion school reform
competition. The surrounding states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and
New York all won grants.
"If you can work in Newark and New York City," you should be able to
handle Connecticut," said Mary Loftus Levine, the recently appointed
executive director of the Connecticut Education Association, the
state's largest teachers' union.
"I never met him...He has a very interesting background," she said. "I
think having an urban background will be a big plus. My hope is he'll
want to work collaboratively with us and listen to the voices of
teachers."
Attempts to reach Pryor Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Pryor, who has been described as a tireless worker, also has done
volunteer work in earthquake-damaged Haiti and Chile alongside one of
the nation's most noted school reformers.
Paul Vallas - former school superintendent in Chicago, Philadelphia and
New Orleans - said Pryor was a valuable voice in building school
systems and other services as those countries recovered from
devastating earthquakes.
"He's a great guy. The governor has made a real smart choice," Vallas
said Wednesday by phone from Haiti, where he has been working for the
past 20 months helping to design a publicly funded school system.
Vallas, a proponent of school choice and charter schools, said Pryor is
highly respected and has a solid grasp of education issues. "He knows
what constitutes good schools - what works and what doesn't work. He's
not a novice when it comes to education."
The report of Pryor's selection also won an enthusiastic response
from Frank Carrano, longtime president of the New Haven Federation of
Teachers before leaving that post in 1999.
"I'm very excited about the appointment. I knew Stefan from his days as
an undergraduate at Yale through his involvement with public schools,"
said Carrano, now chairman of the Board of Education in Branford. "I
found him to be, as a young man, genuinely interested in making
positive changes happen. As a college undergraduate, it's rare to find
those qualities...
"We've kept in touch over the years. I know his involvement in the
Lower Manhattan project is another example of his willingness to step
into a difficult situation. His greatest strengths lie in his ability
to bring people together, to collaborate."
Robert Rader, executive director of the Connecticut Association of
Boards of Education, said of Pryor, "I don't know him personally, but
he has some accomplishments. He has more background in education that
we first thought. My understanding is he was the governor's first
choice, and we'll do what we can to make him successful."
Stefan Pryor named state's next
Commissioner of Education
Linda Conner Lambeck, Staff Writer
Updated 11:33 p.m., Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Before 9/11, education was Stefan Pryor's focus.
The Yale graduate helped found the state's most successful charter
school and led education programs for a business leadership partnership
in New York City. After the terrorist attacks of 10 years ago, he
shifted his energy to rebuilding lower Manhattan, then went to work for
Cory Booker when his college buddy became mayor of Newark, N.J.
Now, Pryor, 39, is poised to return to education as Connecticut's top
school chief, taking on one of the nation's largest achievement gaps
between poor students of color and more affluent white students.
Officials have confirmed that Pryor will be introduced Wednesday by
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy as the state's next commissioner of
education. The announcement will be made at 2 p.m. in the
Legislative Office Building during the monthly state Board of Education
meeting. Pryor did not respond to calls for comment. Board
Chairman Allan Taylor said he was pleased with the selection. Others,
like New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, called it a good day for the young
people of Connecticut.
"I don't think Gov. Malloy would have picked Stefan or Stefan would
have accepted the position if both weren't about the mission of
creating aggressive change in the state Department of Education," said
DeStefano, who pulled Pryor from the city council in 1994 to work with
him on youth and education issues early in his administration.
DeStefano called Pryor a change agent who has the ability to set clear
goals and to be persistent and collaborative.
"I think the state Department of Education is in desperate need of
leadership and change," DeStefano added.
Pryor becomes the state's fourth commissioner of education since 2007,
counting acting Commissioner of Education George Coleman, whose
nine-month stint in the job this year included naming a new Bridgeport
Board of Education after a majority of the existing one asked to be
replaced. Commissioner Mark McQuillan was commissioner prior to Malloy
taking office. Before him, Betty Sternberg spent three years in the job.
This will be the first commissioner appointed under a relatively new
statute that puts the final decision in the hands of the governor and
the Legislature, not the state Board of Education.
Dacia Toll, who co-founded Amistad Academy Charter School in New Haven
with Pryor in 1997, called Pryor's appointment great news for
Connecticut. She thinks Pryor can do for Connecticut what he did for
students at Amistad, who in very short order were scoring at or above
the state average on the Connecticut Mastery Test. The school has since
expanded to include schools in New York, Hartford and Bridgeport under
the Achievement First brand name. Pryor was the first chairman of the
board of Amistad Academy.
Alex Johnston, executive director of Connecticut Coalition for
Achievement Now, or ConnCan, which advocates for education reform and
charter schools, said picking someone like Pryor suggests Malloy is
serious about turning around the state's achievement gap.
"I'm encouraged," Johnston said. "He is someone who helped rebuild
ground zero despite complex political challenges, worked on
redevelopment in Newark and before that education," said Johnston.
Pryor graduated from Yale University and then Yale Law School. After he
helped found Amistad Academy, one of the state's first charter schools,
he went to work for Kathy Wylde, president and CEO of The Partnership
for NYC, where his job was to support public education, reform and
improvement.
"He was responsible for a major initiative called Breakthrough that was
all about bringing data-driven management and accountability to
schools," said Wylde.
She was not surprised when Pryor recently confided in her that he was
considering becoming Connecticut's education chief.
"Education has always been his first passion," said Wylde, who lent him
to the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. after 9/11 to help with the
rebuilding effort. "All of our staff went from what we were doing on
9/10 to focusing on emergency response and rebuilding effort. Stefan
lived and worked 10 blocks from the site."
Pryor helped found ReStart Central, which provided donated and
discounted goods and services to 9/11-affected businesses. For
the past five years, he has been deputy mayor for economic development
in the city of Newark.
State tells 11 towns they must
increase education spending
Jacqueline Rabe, CT MIRROR
August 31, 2011
Officials at the State Department of Education are notifying officials
in 11 cities and towns that they are in violation of state law setting
minimum spending requirements for education and that they must increase
their school appropriations for the current fiscal year."If they don't
comply soon then we will have to figure out what the next step is,"
said Brian Mahoney, the longtime chief financial officer for the SDE.
In order to receive state education funding grants, the law requires
school districts to spend at least as much each year than they did the
previous year. For the first time a significant number of districts
have submitted budget figures to the state that do not comply with the
minimum spending requirement.
"This is unprecedented. This has never happened before," said Mahoney.
He said in the nearly 30 years of the state imposing minimum spending
or appropriations requirements for districts, fewer then 10 incidents
have occurred of districts failing to meet the requirement.
"It must be the recession that's catching up with their budgets," said
Allan B. Taylor, chairman of the State Board of Education.
Taylor and Mahoney said the state will be forced to take action against
the non-complying districts if they don't increase their school
budgets. Possible options include legal action or withholding state
funding.
Mahoney has told districts that they have until Thursday to let the
department know what their plans are. He said he expects there will be
some districts that respond that they cannot resolve the issue locally
and need the state to step in.
One of those districts is likely to be Winchester, where town and
school officials are in a dispute over a $1.4 million gap in the
education budget.
"I must report that I do not expect that the Town will provide funding
at this required level," Superintendent Thomas M. Danehy wrote Mahoney
last week. Danehy accused the board of selectmen are offering
"fictitious savings" to justify not allocating more money for the
schools.
Selectwoman Lisa Smith said the board if not going to budge on the
issue.
"I just don't understand how giving them millions and millions of more
dollars is going to solve the problems facing education," she said. "I
am not willing to go back to the taxpayers and ask for more
money... It's a very frustrating position we are in."
Mayor Candy Perez, a local principal who supports giving the schools
more money, said the dispute is not going to be resolved without some
action by the state.
"When two sides are in a stalemate the state agency needs to
intervene," she said.
This tug-of-war for funding between town councils and school boards has
existed for years, but Bristol Superintendent Philip Streifer says the
recession is the "straw that finally broke the camel's back."
Bristol's school budget is $2.6 million short of the minimum
requirement. Streifer, who is also the head of the Connecticut
Association of Urban School Superintendents, says said he is hopeful
his town council will decided to fill the gap.
"They respect the law. They may not be happy with it, though," he said.
"School districts and towns are at loggerheads everywhere and we are
going to keep having these issues unless something changes."
David Medina, a spokesman for Hartford Public Schools, said the mayor's
office has informed the district that they intend to appropriate more
money for the schools so they are in compliance with the law.
The legislature did attempt to give towns and school districts some
relief this year by passing a law that allows them to cut spending if
enrollment declines under certain conditions. But the change only
applies to districts that have have met federal benchmarks under the
federal No Child Left Behind Law. Districts with high levels of poverty
were also restricted from cutting spending.
Without this change in law, seven of the 11 districts that are set to
spend less than the required amount would have been much further in the
hole. For example, Columbia's school budget is $159,000 short of the
minimum; without the new law, if would have been $275,000 below the
required appropriations.
About one-fifth of the state's school districts are spending the same
as last year. Sixteen of those 30 school districts were able to cut
their budgets below what they spent last year, but elected not to,
according to the SDE figures.
Wetlands remediation work at Weston
schools postponed until next summer
Weston FORUM
Written by Kimberly Donnelly
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 11:20
The town has been given permission to delay wetlands remediation at the
school campus until next summer when school is not in session. Full story here.
The next debt bubble: college loans
NYPOST
By NATHAN HARDEN
Last Updated: 12:11 AM, August 23, 2011
Posted: 10:58 PM, August 22, 2011
In the last few years, excessive borrowing has led to a housing-market
collapse -- and now, to Standard & Poor’s downgrading of the US
credit rating.
But America’s debt-fueled woes haven’t ended: The higher-education
industry may be the next bubble to burst.
Moody’s rating agency recently issued a report that should be a wake-up
call to every student now considering taking out large loans to pay for
college.
Total student debt is at an all-time high -- and may top $1 trillion
this year. Meanwhile, default rates are rising alarmingly. Skyrocketing
tuition, lax lending standards and high rates of unemployment have
created the perfect financial storm.
Some advice to college students: Learn from our government’s mistakes
and avoid borrowing your way into a hole.
Tuition costs have more than doubled since 2000, far outpacing the
inflation rate -- even surpassing the bubble-fueled growth in
real-estate prices.
Tighter lending standards for auto loans and mortgages have vastly
improved loan performance. Yet student-loan-default rates are getting
worse, not better.
For 2008, the most recent year for which data is available, the default
rate was 7 percent, up from 4.6 percent in 2005. Among students who
attend for-profit institutions, the default rate is nearly 12 percent.
Despite high default rates, lenders have had little incentive to
curtail the amount of money they loan to students because the federal
government guarantees most student loans. Yet, for borrowers, the
consequences of default are severe.
Unlike most debt, student loans are almost impossible to dispose of
through bankruptcy. If students fail to repay, their tax refunds can be
withheld and wages and Social Security payments can be garnished.
President Obama’s takeover of the student-loan industry last year means
the government no longer backs private loans, and most students now
borrow directly from the government. But unless the government improves
underwriting standards, we’ll have an ever-growing portfolio of bad
loans on the federal books, and all taxpayers will pay for it.
Financial advisers often refer to educational debt as “good debt”
because college graduates make far more on average than nongraduates.
But not all degrees provide an equal return on investment. A degree in
chemical engineering, for example, produces an average starting salary
of $64,500. Someone with a degree in culinary arts, however, can expect
to start out making less than $30,000 -- a salary they might get
without a degree. Yet despite such differences, the government
subsidizes loans as if all majors were equally valuable.
Another problem is that many students borrow money for college but
never finish, and so don’t reap the financial rewards of a degree. Of
those who enroll in college, more than 40 percent fail to complete
their degree within six years. Among minorities and the poor,
graduation rates are even lower.
Moody’s report expressed concern that many borrowers and lenders have
unrealistic expectations of borrowers’ future earnings. “Unless
students limit their debt burdens, choose fields of study that are in
demand and successfully complete their degrees on time, they will find
themselves in worse financial positions and unable to earn the
projected income that justified taking out their loans in the first
place,” the agency wrote.
Education has an intrinsic value beyond finding a good job and making
more money. But most students enter college expecting it to pay off
economically. Looking at the rising student-loan-default rate, it’s
hard not to conclude that, for many students, college is failing to
produce the returns they expected.
The job market, while tough for all, is even tougher for recent college
grads. A study showed that among 2010 graduates, only 56 percent had
managed to hold at least one job by this past spring. No wonder
defaults are on the rise.
In this troubled economy, students should look for ways to reduce their
borrowing, such as working a part-time job. Some may wish to lower
their costs by attending community colleges for the first two years.
Most should avoid for-profit colleges, where costs and default rates
tend to be higher. Finally, students should carefully assess the
marketability of their chosen course of study and the likelihood that
they’ll be able to finish their degree.
With no lift to the job market in sight, the financial consequences of
mishandling such decisions could be dire.
Malloy tells school superintendents
'We've got to do a better job'
Jacqueline Rabe, CT MIRROR
August 17, 2011
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy told school superintendents from across the state
Wednesday that he will tackle a host of education issues in 2012,
including a flawed school finance system, a seniority system that
protects bad teachers and the failure of many students to learn.
He also said the state Department of Education has to play a larger
role in improving education in the state.
"Education has such an important position on my list of priorities," he
told a roomful of superintendents and other education leaders in East
Hartford. "We got to check our presumptions [and] our assumptions at
the door."
The governor offered few specifics, but school leaders welcomed his
commitment.
"We have long waited for this. It's been a long time coming," said
Manchester Superintendent Kathleen Ouellette, who was recently selected
to become the superintendent of Waterbury Public Schools.
Several measures show the state is failing when it comes to education,
Malloy told the audience. They include the failure of one out of every
four students in several urban districts not graduating from high
school, minority students testing far behind their white classmates and
70 percent of students showing up to community colleges needing to take
remedial courses for things they should have learned in high school.
"I am not convinced we are properly preparing students," Malloy said.
While he spent just over 20 minutes telling the group what is wrong
with the system, what he didn't do was offer specifics on how exactly
he intends to change the status quo or who would be leading the State
Department of Education, which has not had a permanent commissioner
since December.
"I'm not here to be critical. I am here to focus," he said. "We've got
to do a better job."
Malloy said he is still shaping what specific initiatives he intends to
ask the legislature to approve. He also said he expects the next
education commissioner to be named in "a matter of weeks."
The changes he intends to make to how the state finances districts are
sure to be controversial however it plays out. With the likelihood that
the state will not be able to spend more on education anytime soon, his
budget director said Tuesday the state has to more fairly distribute
the $2.7 billion pot of money it does have for education.
"I apologize to you that I can't send a lot more money to your
districts," Malloy told the education leaders at Rentschler Field.
It's the specifics of that new financing formula that leaders are
waiting to see.
"The fact that he's promising to tread in new water and figure this out
once and for all is really refreshing," said Hartford's Superintendent
Christina Kishimoto.
How he intends to identify the bad teachers will also likely be
controversial. Education advocates for years have been calling on state
leaders to develop a teacher evaluation system to begin the process of
helping teachers improve and dismiss those that do not. Mary
Loftus-Levine, the head of the Connecticut Education Association, the
state's largest teachers union, said she agrees with the governor that
something needs to be done.
"We are also looking for a new system to evaluate teachers," she said,
adding she believes it's a small minority of teachers that are so bad
they should be shown the door. "The [districts] needs a rubric to
follow."
"Every teacher in every school in Connecticut can be proud of their
colleagues sitting next to them, or in the hallway next to them or in
the hallway down -- that should be our goal," Malloy said, reiterating
his previous statements that seniority should not be the only thing
looked at when districts lay off teachers.
Kishimoto, whose district has been unsuccessful in getting the State
Board of Education to allow it to circumvent seniority rules in teacher
layoffs, said she's eager for change.
"The current approach is not grounded around quality assessment," she
said. "I hope [Malloy] follows through."
Maryland teachers union balks at
pension cost change
By David Hill, The Washington Times
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Maryland's teachers union is resisting state lawmakers' efforts to trim
an anticipated $1.1 billion budget gap by sharing teacher pension costs
with counties. A state-appointed commission has recommended
Maryland begin splitting the cost of nearly $1 billion in annual
teacher pension benefits with its 23 counties and Baltimore, to help
close the state's structural deficit during next year's legislative
session Yearly pension payouts to Maryland teachers have
essentially tripled in the past 10 years as salaries have increased and
more teachers have retired, and represent nearly two-thirds of the
state's annual $1.5 billion in total pension costs.
Maryland is one of just three states that pay teacher benefits without
help from counties, though hiring and salaries are determined on the
county level. While the commission and many legislators say a
50-50 sharing of costs is long overdue, unions and local governments
argue it could yield disastrous results for many already cash-strapped
school systems.
"Shifting costs to local boards of education is really tantamount to a
huge cut in education funding," said Adam Mendelson, spokesman for the
Maryland State Education Association, which represents more than 71,000
school employees and is the state's largest union. "There would be a
tremendous impact on the quality of education."
Cost sharing has become a hot topic in Annapolis in recent years, as
legislators look to fix an underfunded state pension system that has
been wracked by underperforming investments and salary and benefits
increases. Legislators during this year's General Assembly
considered shifting as much as half the costs of teacher pensions to
counties, but met stiff opposition from state and local teachers unions
that staged several protest rallies and predicted the plan would force
jurisdictions to increase class sizes, cut programs and lay off as many
as 2,800 employees, Mr. Mendelson said.
Counties currently pay retired teachers' Social Security benefits,
which Mr. Mendelson said makes up about one-third of their total
benefits. The unions eventually won out, with the Assembly taking
the less drastic steps of shifting $17 million in administrative costs
to counties, raising the early-retirement age from 55 to 60 and
requiring many employees to pay higher contribution rates. Cost
sharing is sure to come up again in next year's session, and could even
be considered as early this fall, in a special redistricting session,
some legislators say.
The state-appointed Public Employees' and Retirees' Benefit
Sustainability Commission recommended in a July report that legislators
work as soon as possible toward evenly splitting costs with counties —
a move that committee Chairman Casper R. Taylor Jr. characterized as
necessary and inevitable.
"Before the budget deficits became a huge, major issue, it was still
always a concern simply because the body that sets the salary level
hasn't been required to pay the bill," said Mr. Taylor, who was House
speaker from 1994 to 2003 and served in the chamber as an Allegany
Democrat from 1975 to 2003.
"That, on itself, is a mistake," he said, adding that he'd like to see
legislators phase in an even split over two or three years. The
MSEA criticized several of the commission's recommendations, including
that the state look into a hybrid pension plan in which employees would
be partially on the hook if investments underperform.
Senate Majority Leader Thomas V. Mike Miller, a Prince George's
Democrat and vocal cost-sharing supporter, has said he believes cost
sharing has majority support in the Senate but could be in for a tough
battle in the House. He said during last session that
less-tenured legislators could be reluctant to go against the will of
education proponents and a union, ardently supporters of Democrats in a
majority Democratic state.
Delegate Melony G. Griffith, a Prince George's Democrat who serves on
the House Appropriations Committee, downplayed any potential loss of
union support in the next election cycle, saying this year's changes to
the pension system have helped cut costs in the short term and that
discussions about cost sharing are "a little premature."
"What the educators want to ensure is that the commitments that are
made to teachers are lived up to," said Miss Griffith, House chairman
of the Assembly's Special Joint Committee on Pensions. "Clearly, the
conversation will continue, but it is a different conversation than it
was a year ago."
© Copyright 2011 The Washington
Times, LLC.
Arne Duncan’s NCLB Overreach
National Review editorial
August 11, 2011 4:00 A.M.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently announced that he will
offer a waiver to the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to
any state that wants one — so long as the state agrees to enact the
Obama administration’s preferred education reforms.
This is an overreach. No Child Left Behind gives the secretary a broad
authority to grant waivers, but Duncan is essentially using that
authority to create a whole new policy. If the administration wants to
encourage states to adopt specific reforms that are not prescribed in
existing law, it should encourage Congress to pass legislation to that
effect, not just make the decision itself. This move is of a piece with
the administration’s other attempts to legislate by fiat, including the
Environmental Protection Agency’s move to regulate carbon dioxide as a
pollutant.
But the deeper problem here is NCLB itself — the ridiculous assumptions
of which nearly justify Duncan’s actions. The 2001 law mandates that
all American schoolchildren be “proficient” in reading and math by
2014; whenever a school fails to make adequate progress toward that
goal, it runs a risk of losing federal funding. Needless to say, thanks
to a wide variety of factors, not all children are capable of becoming
academically proficient — so the law punishes schools for failing to do
the impossible.
The drafters of the legislation, and President Bush, who signed it,
were perfectly aware that they were making unreasonable demands. We
know this because they built escape routes into the law. In addition to
giving the secretary of education the right to waive the requirements,
NCLB allowed each state to define “proficient” however it wanted. Not
surprisingly, massive fraud resulted: To simulate improvement, states
made their “proficiency” tests progressively easier. In many states,
student scores improved on NCLB tests, but not on other standardized
measures of achievement.
However, there are limits to states’ ability and willingness to fudge
the data, and the 2014 deadline — at which point tests will have to be
so easy that all students pass them — is approaching. It’s clear that a
change is needed, and Congress has thus far failed to pass new
legislation.
If the federal government got out of education entirely, we wouldn’t
face problems such as this one. But at the very least, legislators
should take the reins back from the administration — and base their
funding requirements on plausible assumptions this time.
Duncan scolds Congress, announces
bypass plan
By Ben Wolfgang, The Washington Times
3:01 p.m., Monday, August 8, 2011
Education Secretary Arne Duncan had harsh words for Congress on Monday,
calling it "dysfunctional" and announcing plans to bypass lawmakers and
institute sweeping education reform through a waiver system for states.
Despite repeated calls from President Obama to pass a comprehensive
overhaul to the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act before the next school
year, Congress has been unable to do.
The inaction is especially apparent in the Senate, where Sen. Tom
Harkin, Iowa Democrat and chairman of the committee which oversees
education policy, continues to push back his own timetable for
introducing a reform bill.
"We can't sit here in Washington and turn a deaf ear to what's going on
around the country," Mr. Duncan said during a press conference at the
White House. "Right now Congress is pretty dysfunctional. They're not
getting stuff done."
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has made some
progress, passing the first three bills in a five-step process out of
committee. They await votes on the House floor.
Earlier this year, Mr. Harkin, chairman of the Senate Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said he'd introduce a bill by
the spring. Two weeks ago during an Appropriations subcommittee
hearing, he said he hopes to introduce the bill "this year."
The lack of progress has clearly frustrated the administration and
education specialists, who criticize NCLB for its high-stakes testing
and what they call its unrealistic expectations.
The Education Department's waiver system — the details of which will be
announced sometime next month — will free states from many NCLB
mandates, including the "failing" school designation, if those states
demonstrate real reform and a high bar for student achievement.
Mr. Duncan said he hopes all 50 states will apply.
© Copyright 2011 The Washington
Times, LLC.
Acting Commissioner of Education George Coleman (l); Mayor Bill Finch (r. second from right)
Bridgeport schools case heads to Conn.
high court
Greenwich TIME
Published 11:20 a.m., Sunday, October 16, 2011
HARTFORD (AP) -- The dispute over whether Connecticut education
officials acted properly when they swept out Bridgeport's elected
school board is heading to the state Supreme Court.
Justices are scheduled to hear arguments Oct. 27 in the case, in which
some parents and former board members challenge the validity of a 2007
state law allowing the takeover.
Connecticut's state Department of Education removed the elected board
members this summer amid budget stalemates and other problems. They
were replaced with appointees under terms of a law that lets state
officials intervene when students' academic performance is in dire need
of improvement.
The takeover provision hadn't been used before.
The parents and other Bridgeport residents argue the sate's actions
deprived them of their right to be represented by people who were
legally elected.
Board
of Education case is continued
CT POST
Daniel Tepfer, Staff writer
Published 03:25 p.m., Tuesday, August 16, 2011
BRIDGEPORT -- There were 19 lawyers and one judge but after two and a
half hours of discussion Tuesday the only thing that apparently was
clear is that the board of education takeover case is a complicated
situation.
Waterbury Superior Court Judge Salvatore Agati continued the hearing to
Friday morning hoping the lawyers would work out a number of
"procedural" matters by then.
There are four separate lawsuits seeking to block the state from taking
over the city's school system; a lawsuit from parents of school
children, a suit from members of the city's board of education who had
opposed the takeover, and lawsuits from Democratic mayoral candidate
Mary-Jane Foster and several people who had intended to run for
positions on the city's board of education.
The Foster slate lawsuit claimed the takeover is a violation of the
U.S. Constitution and that resulted in their suit going to federal
court, a move they are now trying to retract so that their case can be
heard by Agati.
In addition, Norm Pattis, the lawyer for the opposition board members,
wants members of the new state-appointed board of education for the
city added to the case as defendants.
Then there is the Democratic and Republican town committees'
applications to join the case.
There are also claims that at least one of the lawsuits wasn't served
properly.
And Josephine Smalls Miller is waiting to find out whether her lawsuit
on behalf of the parents of Dunbar School children will even make it to
the next stage or be thrown out by the judge for lack of standing.
Outside interests were working behind
the scenes to reconstitute school board
CT POST
Linda Conner Lambeck, Staff Writer
Updated 08:28 a.m., Thursday, August 4, 2011
HARTFORD -- A consultant for a Greenwich billionaire interested
in education reform was advocating behind the scenes for charter
changes that would give the mayor control of the Bridgeport school
board at the same time that local and city officials were also looking
to reconstitute the board, email correspondence released to Hearst
Connecticut Newspapers revealed.
Meghan Lowney, of Fairfield, who works for hedge fund philanthropist
Steve Mandel, tried first to find a way to create a mayor-controlled
school board through a charter change and then to get the board
reconstituted.
Numerous email exchanges between Lowney and State Board of Education
Chairman Allan Taylor detail an ongoing lobbying effort that she
repeatedly asked be kept confidential. Lowney and Taylor were
introduced, via email, by Alex Johnston, director Connecticut Coalition
for Achievement Now, or ConnCan, of New Haven on Jan. 11.
In the emails, Lowney tells Taylor she is part of a small group
strategizing a Bridgeport charter revision campaign that would result
in mayoral control of the schools. They were hoping to turn it around
in time for the November 2011 election. She called the Bridgeport
Partnership for Student Success a new community-based education reform
coalition gaining momentum.
On Wednesday, Lowney said her efforts were not on behalf of the
partnership, or any other group.
"In the last few months I've talked with Mayor (Bill) Finch and others
about the possibilities for private support for the Bridgeport public
schools," she said. "Just as in other challenged urban districts ...
private-public partnerships can fuel innovations and system
transformations."
In emails to Taylor, Lowney tells him that Mandel, founder of Lone Pine
Capital in Greenwich, along with his wife, was interested in making
meaningful school change in Bridgeport. They did not think accelerated
change could take place under the current school board, which by most
counts was deemed dysfunctional.
The emails were released to Hearst Connecticut Newspapers by the state
Department of Education after a Freedom of Information request was
filed. The emails between Taylor, Acting Commissioner of Education
George Coleman, members of the department's legal staff and local
officials chronicle efforts to get a resolution to reconstitute the
school board on a state board agenda for months -- first in February,
then March, before the effort to reconstitute the school board became
public on July 6, when the state board voted 5-4 to allow Coleman to
replace the board following a vote by the school board, 6-3, to
dissolve itself.
Some of Lowney's emails to Taylor list examples of the board
dysfunction. She tells him in April she is working behind the scenes to
support a request for state intervention. When the Bridgeport school
board, faced with a $17-million shortfall, failed to pass a budget on
June 16, Lowney writes Taylor the next day to tell him time is running
out. She asks him how far in advance of a state board meeting must an
item be placed on an agenda. She also tells him she'd like to talk to
him and Coleman about support she's organized in the private sector.
"Should the state (Department of Education) act to intervene, there is
excellent private partnership to be activated," she wrote.
Taylor said Wednesday he had no idea what Lowney's role was in the
Bridgeport situation, but that she contacted him, and he counseled her.
"When people want to know how to do something, if I can tell them, I
do. It doesn't mean I am going to agree with them," said Taylor. He
doesn't think his exchanges in any way compromised his ability to vote
on the matter.
Lowney said Wednesday her efforts to reach out to Taylor were to become
informed about and to support opportunities for meaningful system
change. Lowney, of Fairfield, said for too long Bridgeport children
have been denied the opportunity for an education that prepares them
for success -- despite the efforts of many talented teachers and
leaders, and the advocacy of caring parents.
The emails suggest that as early as January, the Bridgeport situation
was being discussed with local city officials -- both Schools
Superintendent John Ramos and Finch's office.
"My conversations with John Ramos indicate ... the mayor regards the
situation as being near crisis," Coleman writes to Taylor in a Jan. 28
email.
There were discussions between Coleman and his staff about whether the
board had sufficient training as is required by the reconstituted law.
The lack of training is an argument raised in one of the lawsuits filed
against board reconstitution.
Coleman's staff also discussed if there was evidence school board
rancor was hurting student achievement. His staff couldn't establish a
link. Taylor suggests the question perhaps should be if the board is
doing anything to improve student achievement.
On Feb. 22, Coleman emails Taylor to tell him he spoke with Ramos, who
wants to get a reconstitution resolution on the March agenda of the
state board. Coleman tells Ramos it would be beneficial if in the
resolution most board members declare they have availed themselves of
training as required under the law. Until the weekend of July 4, three
members of the school board -- along with the public -- were unaware of
any discussions taking place.
Who will be on the new state appointed board is still under review.
Coleman told the state education board Wednesday he is pleased with
having more than 50 applicants and is encouraged by the talent pool. He
said prospective board members come from as far away as Hartford and
New Haven. He won't say when the selections will be made and indicated
he might be open to picking more than five members. "The quality of
talent leads me to consider more than five if we can get more than that
to commit to doing this difficult work that has to be accomplished. My
mind is open until I have to make the decision," he said.
He said he is looking for the best individuals to do the job and is not
concentrating on groups they are affiliated with. Despite a recent
lawsuit, Coleman said he is continuing to move forward.
City will argue injunction preventing
school board takeover should be thrown out
CT POST
Published 11:08 a.m., Thursday, July 21, 2011
BRIDGEPORT -- A group of city parents rallied outside of Superior Court
Thursday morning in an effort to prevent a restructuring of the city's
Board of Education by the state. The parents, joined at a press
conference by Connecticut Parents Union president Gwen Samuel, pleaded
their case prior to a hearing in front of a judge who the parents hope
will impose an injunction stopping the proposed takeover. The
injunction request was tacked on as an amendment to a previous request
filed by parents in order to prevent the Dunbar School from closing.
But city officials have since said the Dunbar School will not close --
bringing the fate of the injunction into question.
At the hearing, Superior Court judge Barbara Bellis continued the case
until Aug. 15, at which point Associate City Attorney Russell Liskov
will argue the case should be dismissed because the Dunbar School -- at
the center of the initial injunction -- is no longer a target for
closure. Karen Johnson, a parent at Cesar Batella School,
criticized
both city parents for their lack of involvement and Mayor Bill Finch
for comments Finch made earlier this month to the state Board of
Education.
"There's no support," Johnson said. "It's very difficult when the mayor
goes to state Board of Education and tells them that the majority of
parents in Bridgeport can't vote because they have criminal records."
Finch's comments, made at a hearing in Hartford, have generated
criticism from parents and political rivals.
Speaking in support of a schools takeover by the state earlier this
month, Finch told state Board of Education officials concerned about
the disenfranchisement of voters that doing away with the BOE election
wasn't a "great loss" because few people vote in Bridgeport.
He added that many parents can't vote because of their citizenship
status or due to "having done things in a previous life."
"I just do want to remind you that ... many of my parents who either
because of them not being citizens or having done things in their
previous life cannot participate in the Democratic process," the mayor
said at the hearing. "Democracy doesn't work. It doesn't work in all
cases."
Johnson, who is not named in the lawsuit but said she came to the
hearing to support it, also criticized parents for being willfully
ignorant about issues in the city's school system. "The main problem
is, enough parents aren't involved," she said.
Johnson said she hopes the judge will rule that the state and city have
to listen to parents and consider other options of how to deal with the
school system. The parents said they realize there are major
issues
that need to be dealt with, but they said the restructuring of the
school board by the state, and thereby taking away the parent's voice,
is the wrong move. The plaintiff in the lawsuit, Shavonne Davis,
a
mother of five children who attend Dunbar School, said she wanted the
parent's to be heard.
"We have a voice and it will be heard," said Davis in front of cameras
from multiple telvision stations. "It's sad that it had to reach this
point for us to be heard."
Davis said many people in the past died so that there could be the
right to vote in this country and said they would not be happy if they
saw what was happening in Bridgeport.
"We have the right to vote and our votes are being taken away from us,"
Davis said.
Fifty people interesting in serving on
revamped Bridgeport school board
CT POST
Linda Conner Lambeck, Staff Writer
Updated 07:10 a.m., Thursday, July 21, 2011
BRIDGEPORT -- More than 50 people have indicated a desire to sit on the
reconstituted Bridgeport Board of Education, state officials said
Wednesday.
The applicants represent a wide range of ethnic and racial backgrounds
and live both within and outside the city school district, said Mark
Linabury, a spokesman for the state Department of Education.
Linabury said he could not be any more specific about the number of
applicants and who applied. He did say some of the applicants are
individuals whom acting Commissioner of Education George Coleman asked
to apply.
In a cursory initial review, Linabury said, Coleman is impressed by the
range of talents the applicants bring to the table both from within the
city and the surrounding towns. Some of the applications came by email,
others through the U.S. Postal Service.
The list is expected to be paired to about eight to 10 candidates in
the short term. Those individuals will be brought in for interviews.
Coleman was away at a educators conference until Wednesday. Last week,
he indicated that the decision as to who would be on the new
five-member panel would be his and no one else's.
The new panel will replace a nine-member board that voted 6-3 on July 5
to ask the state to replace it. The very next day, the state Board of
Education voted 5-4 to grant the request. The unprecedented step was
made possible by a year-old law that allows for state intervention into
school districts with chronically failing schools.
The state's action is being challenged in court.
At 9 a.m. Thursday, the Bridgeport Superior Court will hear oral
arguments regarding an amended injunction filed against the City of
Bridgeport and the state Department of Education that challenges the
state's authority to replace the elected board with one appointed by
the commissioner. The law requires the board to receive training before
being reconstituted. The injunction, filed on behalf of Shavonne Davis,
a parent, and Laurayne Farrar-James, a community activist, argues that
the required training did not occur.
The injunction asks for a temporary restraining order. It also argues
that the state Department of Education acted beyond its statutory
authority and is depriving city residents of the right to vote for
school board members of their choosing.
Takeover
Is About More Than Bridgeport
Malloy Must Address Real Problem:
Suburban Kids Learn, Poor Kids Fail
The Hartford Courant5
Rick Green
July 7, 2011
Bridgeport's forlorn plea for a state takeover of its schools isn't
about another dysfunctional school board. It's about our abject failure
to deal with the problem that, year in, year out, never fails to go
away.
Suburban kids learn. Poor kids fail. It's a problem we won't, or can't,
fix. Is it any surprise that an inept school board devolves into a
squabbling mess?
One fourth-grader in four in Bridgeport reaches state goals for
reading. The number is about the same — or worse — in Hartford, New
Britain and New London. It's only slightly better in New Haven. All
this has barely changed in decades of hand-wringing, commissions and
studies.
No company or college wants graduates like this. We are talking tens of
thousands of young people.
This is about Gov. Dannel P. Malloy deciding to make our greatest
shame, the failure of city schools, his priority. Whether Malloy takes
the lead here will tell us much about the success of his administration
and the growth of Connecticut's economy. His office, not surprisingly,
has been discussing the proposed takeover with Bridgeport officials for
months.
The future of our state very much depends on whether cities like
Bridgeport and its 20,000 students figure out a way to succeed. Because
if it's not Bridgeport, it's New Britain or East Hartford, New Haven
and Hartford. This is where our future workforce is coming from.
Cynics tell me the real problem is the raw material — poor children
from dysfunctional families arrive in kindergarten years behind their
counterparts. It certainly is. But I'd rather look to the striking
success of the Achievement First schools in Hartford and New Haven and
other public school programs for a glimpse of what can happen.
At least Hartford and New Haven have a clear schools strategy and
strong leadership. Malloy, who showed no reluctance to jump in and pick
a favorite in the Hartford mayoral primary last week, must provide the
muscle to make sure Bridgeport also gets on track.
"He is not afraid to tackle big problems,'' Malloy's adviser, Roy
Occhiogrosso, assured me. "Bridgeport has thrown up its hands and said,
'We can't do this.' "
Unfortunately for Malloy, this sticky mess comes at the wrong time and
long before his promised legislative session devoted to education
reform next year. He doesn't even have a permanent commissioner for the
agency that will assist the Bridgeport schools, the state Department of
Education. That department is facing a 20 percent cut in staff.
At the meeting Tuesday night where the Bridgeport board voted to ask
for state intervention, a lot of folks in the audience of a couple
hundred were slamming Mayor Bill Finch, who has little control over
city schools and nothing to gain through his support of a takeover just
90 days before a tough primary.
"This is a state of the suburbs, by
the suburbs and for the suburbs,'' Finch told me Wednesday before
heading into a State Board of Education meeting where a takeover was
approved by a 5-4 vote. "That leaves mayors to run quarantine zones for
poverty."
Finch wisely thinks Bridgeport ought to be open to a range of
solutions: more public school choice for parents, more charter schools,
hiring better-trained teachers, and even private school vouchers for
children trapped in persistently failing schools.
To make change, Bridgeport will need a strong new leader to replace its
underwhelming superintendent of schools, John Ramos, who didn't even
attend the board meeting this week where members voted 6-3 to ask for
state control. Eventually, the city will probably need an appointed
board of education that gives the mayor real authority.
And Bridgeport, which receives thousands of dollars less per pupil than
Hartford, will also need more money.
At the top of the list to temporarily take charge in Bridgeport is
Steve Adamowski, the highly regarded former superintendent in Hartford.
Adamowski isn't perfect (teacher unions loathe him) but he would bring
strong leadership, direction and immediately restore confidence of
parents and taxpayers.
Just remember, this isn't merely about Bridgeport. It's about whether
there is someone in all of Connecticut's government who can step up and
finally make sure we address the problems of urban education. We're
waiting, governor.
Copyright © 2011, The Hartford
Courant
After
slow start, applications for top
education post begin flowing in
CT MIRROR
Jacqueline Rabe
1 July 2011
After a slow start, State Board of Education Chairman Allan Taylor said
the extended deadline to apply for the state's top education job has
paid off and a wave of people have since applied.
"I kinda lost track of how many people applied," he said Friday. "All I
know is I am very happy with the pool of candidates."
The deadline to apply was Thursday and the State Board of Education
committee responsible for recommending a name to the governor to fill
the vacant job will meet next Wednesday. Taylor said there will not be
another extension and interviews of the finalists will begin shortly
after Wednesday's meeting.
Taylor had originally said the finalists would be revealed to the
media, but has since decided against that after candidates signaled
they did not want their names released if they did win the nomination.
Taylor said he is hopeful a new education commissioner will be in
office before the start of the upcoming school year.
FLOOD PLUS LEAN TIMES = DO IT YOURSELF READING?
Mary had a little lamb, his fleece was white as snow. Everywhere
that Mary went to escape the flood, he
went, too.
Tied to
enrollment
In Lean Times, Schools Squeeze Out
Librarians
NYTIMES
By FERNANDA SANTOS
June 24, 2011
Budget belt-tightening threatens to send school librarians the way of
the card catalog.
The schools superintendent in Lancaster, Pa., said he had to eliminate
15 of the district’s 20 librarians to save full-day kindergarten
classes.
In the Salem-Keizer school district in Oregon, all 48 elementary and
middle school librarians would lose their jobs under a budget proposal
that faces a vote next week.
In Illinois’s School District 90, which spans several rural and
suburban communities in the southern part of the state, parent
volunteers have been running the libraries in the district’s seven
schools since September, in what the schools superintendent, Todd
Koehl, described as “a last-ditch effort” to avoid closing their doors.
And in New York City, half of the secondary schools appear to be in
violation of a state regulation requiring them to have a librarian on
staff, with the city currently employing 365 licensed librarians.
“The dilemma that schools will face is whether to cut a teacher who has
been working with kids all day long in a classroom or cut teachers who
are working in a support capacity, like librarians,” the city’s chief
academic officer, Shael Polakow-Suransky, said in an interview.
In New York, as in districts across the country, many school officials
said they had little choice but to eliminate librarians, having already
reduced administrative staff, frozen wages, shed extracurricular
activities and trimmed spending on supplies. Technological advances are
also changing some officials’ view of librarians: as more classrooms
are equipped with laptops, tablets or e-readers, Mr. Polakow-Suransky
noted, students can often do research from their desks that previously
might have required a library visit.
“It’s the way of the future,” he said.
Nancy Everhart, president of the American Association of School
Librarians, whose membership has fallen to 8,000 from 10,000 in 2006,
said that, on the contrary, the Internet age made trained librarians
more important, to guide students through the basics of searching and
analyzing information they find online.
Libraries, Ms. Everhart said, are “the one place that every kid in the
school can go to to learn the types of skills that will be expected of
them when it’s time to work with an iPad in class.”
Some states, including Arkansas, Indiana and Kentucky, require every
public school to employ a certified librarian; others, like Maine,
leave staffing decisions to districts. New York requires certified
librarians in middle and high schools but not elementary schools, and
also requires a certified library assistant for any school that has
more than 1,000 students.
But an analysis of state and city data shows there is one librarian for
every 2,146 students this year, compared with 1 per 1,447 in 2005. At
least 386 schools serving students from grades 6 through 12 do not have
a librarian on staff, the records show. A spokesman for the Education
Department said some of those schools shared librarians, though he
could not say how many.
Separately, Mr. Polakow-Suransky said that once principals received
their individual school budgets for the coming year, “we will work with
them to ensure compliance with the state’s regulations.” He noted that
schools “need great flexibility to staff them in these tough times.”
Schools around the city have already been flexible: in addition to
sharing librarians, some classroom teachers, particularly in elementary
schools, have been trained to stand in for librarians. But there are
also libraries sitting unused for lack of someone to staff them.
At a squat brick building on Underhill Avenue in Prospect Heights,
Brooklyn, parents at the elementary and middle schools that share the
space banded together a few years ago to improve the library, whose
books were so outdated that some still referred to the Soviet Union
without reporting its demise. They convinced the Brooklyn borough
president and the local councilwoman to provide $450,000 for the
project. One parent, an interior designer, helped sketch the plans and
supervised the renovation.
The new library opened on Nov. 17, with nine new computers and 4,200
titles, but has been used only as a reading space, mostly by
kindergarten teachers who bring in their pupils once a week.
“We just put all this money into a project that may never be fully
utilized,” said Kiki Dennis, 43, the designer.
The problem is that shortly after the library’s completion, the city
announced plans to close the building’s Middle School 571 by 2013,
prompting a drop in enrollment that officials expect to worsen in the
fall
Because school budgets are largely tied to enrollment, the principal
decided she could no longer afford to pay half the salary of a
librarian, who earns about $70,000. The principal of the elementary
school, Public School 9, decided she could not pay the salary alone,
and so no librarian was hired.
At the Morris High School campus in the Morrisania section of the
Bronx, where five schools — with a total of 1,900 students — share
space, the central library has been closed all year because it has no
librarian. At the John F. Kennedy High School campus, in the
Kingsbridge section of the Bronx, the lack of a certified librarian was
only part of the problem: the principal of one of the six high schools
that share the building said the books there were too outdated to be
usable.
The principals, with the help of New Visions for Public Schools, which
will run two charter schools scheduled to open on the Kennedy campus
this fall, submitted a request to Councilman G. Oliver Koppell for $1.8
million to create a media center equipped with e-readers, iPads and a
language lab for students not proficient in English. Mr. Koppell sought
$600,000 for the project in the budget, which must be approved by
Thursday. Whether the request will be granted is uncertain.
But Mr. Polakow-Suransky said he understood that in tight times,
principals had to make stark choices — as do their counterparts
elsewhere.
Pedro Rivera, the Lancaster superintendent, said that when he realized
a few months ago that his largely poor and immigrant district faced a
$10 million deficit, he gathered his senior staff members and asked,
“If this budget is an expression of our values, what is it that we
value the most?”
The team decided to limit class sizes. They made sure there would be no
cuts to physical education — “to prevent obesity and promote a healthy
lifestyle,” Mr. Rivera said — or arts or music. And they protected
prekindergarten classes.
Given what was left, he said, “it was either library or kindergarten.”
Robert Gebeloff contributed reporting.
Latest in the
continuing story about the budget...
Ramos urges new path in difficult budget process
CT POST
Linda Conner Lambeck, Staff Writer
Updated 08:29 a.m., Friday, June 17, 2011
BRIDGEPORT -- Dunbar School will not close. More than 400 school
employees will not lose their jobs. Students in city schools won't lose
their guidance counselors, gifted program or social workers. For now.
In a move that even brought his sharpest critics to their feet, Schools
Superintendent John Ramos Thursday convinced the Board of Education to
not pass a $215.8 million budget that he called shameful and simply not
enough to educate children in the state's largest city.
"This whole process has caused me to look at my roots," Ramos said.
He acknowledged the tipping point was a unilateral move by Mayor Bill
Finch on Thursday to announce an agreement with AFSCME Local 1522, a
union made up largely of school aides, clerical staff and special
education bus drivers, to pay more for health insurance in exchange for
job security. The agreement was reached without school board knowledge.
Finch hailed the action as a plus to the city, since he plans to
transfer the benefit cost savings to the school district.
Ramos said the district would force the district $4 million further
into a budget hole, which is already $19 million deep. School and city
officials agree the benefits would save about $600,000, but school
officials say keeping employees they planned to cut as a budget-cutting
move would have meant restoring more than $4.8 million between the
general and grants account.
The board for the past three weeks has been wrestling with fitting $233
million worth of needs into the $215.8 million it has received for the
fourth straight year. After a week of painful public hearings on the
damage the cuts would cause, the board's Finance Committee was prepared
to recommend a reconciliation plan that would have increased class
sizes to 29 students, and cut nearly every area of the school system.
Even with all that, the district was still $1.5 million short -- before
the city created an inability for the district to lay off 110 AFSCME
workers.
Ramos said the deal forced him to reconsider his position on the budget.
"This budget reconciliation plan is simply not good for children,"
Ramos said. "The largest city in Connecticut, the state with the
largest achievement gap in the nation, cannot provide an equitable
education for its children based on this budget. We cannot do it."
He recommended the board authorize him to file a complaint with the
state specifying the district's inability to educate children
equitably, given the reconciliation budget. He proposed to continue
working with the city and union officials to secure more money, and
with parents and the community to have their collective voices heard.
All three proposals passed unanimously.
A fourth proposal, to run the system as is, until at least Oct. 15,
passed on an 8-to-1 vote with board member Thomas Mulligan voting no,
to a large cheer from a packed audience. Ramos said he wasn't
grandstanding but doing what he thinks it's right.
"If we do anything but what I am proposing, we are setting ourselves up
for everyone else to just go away," he said.
Ramos acknowledged that at a certain point, cuts must be made if
additional funds aren't found. Otherwise, he and the board will be
personally liable.
Finch, in a statement released by his office, offered his continued
assistance, including the support of his top labor advisers and budget
experts to help the district address its very serious budget issues.
Ramos welcomed the help.
Board member Sauda Baraka said regardless, the city needs to cough up
the cash for the AFSCME workers that it is dictating remain on staff.
She also wants the board to continue working on the budget.
Ramos agreed and said his thoughts about closing Dunbar changed when he
learned the state authorized $8.8 million be spent to renovate the
school.
Compromise will
allow some towns to cut spending on education
Jacqueline Rabe, CT MIRROR
May 19, 2011
Legislation that would allow communities in which student populations
have declined markedly to cut school funding appears likely to pass
this year--but some hard-pressed cities and towns won't be eligible.
Rep. Andy Fleischmann, the co-chairman of the Education Committee, said
legislative leaders and the Malloy Administration have agreed on a
measure that would allow municipalities to cut education spending--but
only if they have had "sizable" reductions in the student population,
and only if their schools reach federal education benchmarks.
"We don't want to make massive reductions possible," Fleischmann said.
Towns are currently required to spend at least as much on education as
they spent the previous year in order to qualify for state education
aid. Local officials have complained for years that the requirement is
an unfair burden.
"Town government has no say how much they spend. This disenfranchises
town's democracy," said James Finley, executive director of Connecticut
Council of Municipalities.
The original proposal, backed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, would have
allowed all municipalities to cut education spending when school
enrollment drops. The compromise, Fleischmann said, will only allow
districts that make Adequate Yearly Progress under the federal No Child
Left Behind law to cut their spending.
Last school year 33 school districts did not make AYP, including the
state's largest cities and many inner-ring suburbs.
"If there's a district that has been performing well, I would like to
allow them to reduce their budget. That's rational," said Fleischmann.
Municipal and school officials alike were dissatisfied with the
compromise.
"We are somewhat disappointed by this. We were hoping there would be
more significant relief in the end," Finley said. "It remains to be
seen how effective this will be."
Joseph Cirasuolo, executive director of the Connecticut Association of
Public School Superintendents, said it doesn't make sense to allow
districts that meet AYP requirements to cut spending.
"How much longer do you think they will reach those goals if their
budgets are cut? That's a very questionable public policy," he said.
Abbey Dolliver, the superintendent of Norwich Public Schools, stood to
lose more than $400,000 the upcoming school year under the original
proposal. But her district has did not make AYP last year, so town
officials will not be able to cut her budget.
"I will take it, but what happens when we make that [goal]? It's like
you are being punished for being good," she said. "As soon as you make
progress and get to where you need to be resources can be taken from
us. Any resources being taken away is going to be very detrimental.
Falling
enrollment could cost schools $18M under Malloy plan
Jacqueline Rabe, CT MIRROR
April 15, 2011 (we just noticed this today - and did the research to
find the number of the bill, etc.)
Proposed legislation allowing cities and towns to cut their school
spending when enrollment drops--part of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's
education funding package--could reduce the collective local school
budgets by more than $18 million, the head of a superintendents' group
says.
"We're talking major teacher layoffs if this is approved," said Joseph
Cirasuolo, head of the Connecticut Association of Public School
Superintendents. "Those dollar amounts are tough to accommodate."
A district-by-district list of potential cuts, circulated by Cirasuolo
to local superintendents, has 20 districts losing more than $300,000 a
year if members of the General Assembly approve Malloy's plan. Those
districts are responsible for teaching almost one-quarter of the
state's public school students.
The bill -- approved unanimously by members of the Education Committee
last month -- would allow municipal leaders to cut the amount they
spend on education when their student enrollment declines.
"We just think this makes sense," said Jim Finley, executive director
of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. "We just think in
these tough times, if there are ways to decrease spending then towns
should be able to see some of those savings."
This proposal could certainly intensify the tug-of-war towns and local
school boards face when determining how much of the budget will go to
pay for education. Almost 70 percent of municipal spending currently
goes to pay for education, according to CCM. And because tows are
forbidden by current state law to cut school allocations, even if fewer
students attend, that percentage is unlikely to dwindle.
"State leaders, in an effort to make themselves feel good for not fully
funding their share of education, have this requirement that towns
spend a certain amount," Finley said.
Malloy, a former mayor of Stamford, wants to change that and give town
the opportunity to cut the amount they spend on education. Stamford
Public Schools would not lose money under his proposal because
enrollment actually has increased, making it one of 42 districts immune
from cuts under his proposal.
But school officials in districts that could lose money are concerned.
Abby Dolliver, the superintendent of Norwich Public Schools, is one of
them.
"We are the poster child," she said. Year after year, her district has
barely met the minimum state budget requirements. "This could be
devastating... I think the city [leaders] would like the ability to
lower funding because in years that they didn't have the money then
they could just cut."
She said the $403,000 her schools would be at risk of losing would mean
she may have to fire eight more teachers. Her district has had laid off
almost 70 teachers and staff over the last two years.
"Right now we have pretty much just what's mandated... We don't have
books to cut anymore. We don't have any more programs to cut. And we
don't have any more federal [stimulus] dollars," she said.
Hartford Public Schools would be vulnerable to losing the most, the
according to the CAPPS report. City schools have lost 589 students,
which means the city council and mayor could cut their budget by $1.8
million.
Ben Barnes, Malloy's budget director, said he expects this change to
have a "minimal impact" on school budgets.
"I don't expect they'll see enormous declines," he said, noting that
only a handful of cities only spend the minimum amount required.
Leaders of those cities -- which include New Britain and Bridgeport --
should be able to reduce funding if enrollment declines, he said.
"We look at it as being reasonable," he said.
Finley also said he doesn't believe many towns will take advantage of
the full amount they are allowed to cut if the bill becomes law, but
Cirasuolo said the proposal leaves too much authority in the hands of
town leaders to do just that.
"They will have the final say in how much is cut," he said.
------------------------------
Substitute Bill No. 6385
January Session, 2011
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE BUDGET
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE GOVERNOR CONCERNING EDUCATION.
July 1, 2011 this would go into effect:
(e) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2010, and June 30, 2011, the
budgeted appropriation for education shall be no less than the budgeted
appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009,
minus any reductions made pursuant to section 19 of public act 09-1 of
the June 19 special session, except that for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 2010, those districts with a number of resident students for
the school year commencing July 1, 2009, that is lower than such
district's number of resident students for the school year commencing
July 1, 2008, may reduce such district's budgeted appropriation for
education by the difference in number of resident students for such
school years multiplied by three thousand.
(f) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2012, and June 30, 2013, the
budgeted appropriation for education shall be no less than the budgeted
appropriation for education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011,
plus any reductions made pursuant to section 19 of public act 09-1 of
the June 19 special session, except that (1) for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 2012, those districts with a number of resident students for
the school year commencing July 1, 2011, that is lower than such
district's number of resident students for the school year commencing
July 1, 2010, may reduce such district's budgeted appropriation for
education by the difference in number of resident students for such
school years multiplied by three thousand, and (2) for the fiscal year
ending June 30, 2013, those districts with a number of resident
students for the school year commencing July 1, 2012, that is lower
than such district's number of resident students for the school year
commencing July 1, 2011, may reduce such district's budgeted
appropriation for education by the difference in number of resident
students for such school years multiplied by three thousand.
As
teacher layoff notices go out, no change in seniority rules
Jacqueline Rabe, CT MIRROR
March 29, 2011
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's announced
plans to give school districts the "flexibility they need to retain
new, talented teachers" will not come soon enough for this year's round
of layoffs -- as hundreds of teachers this week are expected to receive
pink slips based on their tenure, not on the quality of their teaching.
The Education Committee last week
rejected a proposal that would restrict districts from only considering
years of service when making layoff decisions, instead opting to wait
for a model teacher evaluation to first be created.
"Given the fact that we know there
are districts that lack a robust evaluation system... it's hard for me
to see how this is the time," Rep. Andy M. Fleischmann, D-West
Hartford, and co-chairman of the Education Committee, said before
voting against the proposal.
In a review of more than half the
school districts in the state, 77 percent used seniority as the sole or
primary factor when making layoff decisions, the state's largest
teachers union told lawmakers last month.
"We should not be allowing
seniority to be the only factor," said Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton and
ranking Republican on the Education Committee. "We have hundreds of
teachers being laid off and we should require a more equitable measure."
A recent survey conducted by the
education reform group ConnCAN shows 89 percent of the participants
felt layoff decisions should not be only decided by the how many years
a teacher has been in the classroom.
Last year, 1,500 teachers were laid
off and education officials are expecting a similar number to be let go
this year.
And while the American Federation of
Teachers, Malloy and the co-chairs of the education committee
acknowledge something needs to change so districts can retain great new
teachers, all say it is too soon to make that shift this year.
As part of its Race to the Top bid
last year, the state committed to creating a model evaluation system
that will include student outcomes, but it will not be complete and
ready for districts to consider using until July 2013.
Lawmakers are considering pushing up
that deadline by a year -- to July 2012 -- and also requiring it
include a 100-day dismissal process for teachers who fail the
evaluation.
"The process can go on for a very
long time and it's very expensive for the boards of education to
dismiss a teacher," said Sharon Palmer, president of American
Federation of Teachers-Connecticut. "If the teacher does not improve in
one school year, then that's it, they will have 100 days' notice."
Malloy is in favor of the 100-day
deadline and bumping up the deadline.
"I support tenure but I think the
AFT recommendations are a good way to go at reforming it. It is taking
into consideration not just how long someone has been teaching but what
they've been teaching with excellence as well," he said. "I think it's
a start. I think it's a very bold and brave move on their part."
But the proposal has its critics,
including the state's other major teachers' union, the Connecticut
Education Assoiation.
John Yrchik, CEA's executive
director, said the proposal "would impose a one-size-fits-all approach
to teacher evaluation. This is not necessary and not productive."
But Patrice McCarthy, general
counsel of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, said it
would just be an option for districts to use and not a requirement.
"We need a good evaluation system
out there," she said. "Last in, first out is a major issue as teachers
face layoffs."
Alex Johnston, leader of the New
Haven school-reform group ConnCAN, said even absent a model evaluation
being ready, he is disappointed districts won't have the ability to
retain new teachers.
"Everyday we are seeing more and
more news of more layoffs. The sooner we fix this the better," he said.
Bill to
allow towns to cut school spending advances
Jacqueline Rabe, CT
MIRROR
March 25, 2011
A bill to allow cities and towns to cut school budgets when enrollment
declines--opposed by educators but backed by municipal leaders and Gov.
Dannel P. Malloy--won key approval from the legislature's Education
Committee Friday. Local governments are currently barred by state
law
from cutting the amount they spend on education, even in towns were
enrollment has dropped, such as Meriden, New Britain and Bridgeport,
where numbers have fallen between 6 and 9 percent.
"We'll certainly address this," Sen. Andrea L. Stillman, co-chairwoman
of the Education Committee, said before committee members unanimously
voted in favor of a bill that would allow towns to cut $3,000 for every
one-student drop in enrollment. But education officials say
allowing
towns to cut based on enrollment declines would be disastrous, since
many of the costs are fixed for schools.
"If you lose only one student you will have no savings. We have to hit
that critical mass before savings are achieved," said Patrice McCarthy,
general counsel for the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education.
"You still have to pay for teachers... for just about everything."
She said a formula must first be developed to accurately
determine
what a district saves as enrollment declines, and then school boards
may be able to back a reduction in spending. State funding does
take
student enrollment figures into account when allocating education aid
to cities and towns, but towns are held to a different standard.
"That doesn't work," said Rep. Timothy J. Ackert, R-Coventry, of the
prohibition towns' cutting spending. He also urged the committee to go
one step further and allow towns to cut the "actual amount" towns
realize in reduced costs, which he expects is more than $3,000 per
student.
Current spending for public education statewide is about $10.4 billion
this year and almost 70 percent of all municipal spending goes to pay
for education, according to the Connecticut Conference of
Municipalities.
"We are requiring towns to pay for students that aren't in their
schools. That is taxpayers paying for that," said Stillman during an
interview. She said last year a handful of towns brought up this
problem, and lawmakers responded by carving out a one-time exception
that allowed towns to reduce the amount they spend on education.
But
lawmakers are considering making it the rule and not the exception, so
towns don't have to plead their case in Hartford when they want to make
cuts.
Malloy -- who proposed the change the committee unanimously approved -
said last month he supports allowing towns to reduce their spending,
but only when towns experience "a sizable reduction" in
enrollment.
This proposal has no qualifying threshold in the amount of students
that a district must shed before cutting $3,000 per student. And
even
then, McCarthy said $3,000 is way too much to allow towns to cut.
Jim Finley, executive director of CCM, acknowledges if state lawmakers
untie town officials hands and allow them to reduce education spending,
tensions between school and town officials will undoubtedly arise.
But he says it's a battle that worth having.
"It's not cutting their budget. It's allowing towns to pay what it is
realistically costing to educate a child," he said. "Why should the
education side of their budget be immune from cuts?"
Bart Russell, executive director Connecticut Council of Small Towns,
said he thinks towns will get through the tension.
"It will create some tensions... But there is an understanding that we
are in it together. I think that conflict is going to be minimal," he
said.
Finley and Russell also said only allowing towns to cut when enrollment
declines doesn't go far enough -- they want towns to be able to cut
whenever they find savings.
"We are blind to the opportunity to get some savings," Finley said.
But McCarthy said the impact of that would be harsh on schools.
"What you'll have is a smaller pool of resources for students," she
said.
Windham Schools: Moving In The
Wrong Direction
Ideas Abound For Turnaround, But
Poverty, Language Barriers And Politics Stand In The Way
The Hartford Courant
By GRACE E. MERRITT, gmerritt@courant.coms
March 20, 2011
WINDHAM —Five years ago Windham had a blue-ribbon school.
The small, blue-collar community in eastern Connecticut, which includes
the city of Willimantic, had a nationally recognized urban elementary
school and Windham schools were considered to be among the best of the
state's urban districts.
But since then poverty has soared there. The number of students who
don't speak English fluently has nearly doubled. Town residents have
balked at education budgets and whittled them down. And alienation has
worsened between town officials and the school district and between the
community's urban and rural taxpayers.
Now, by many measures, Windham schools are headed in the wrong
direction.
Connecticut Mastery Test scores have declined in many areas. The
dropout rate is twice the state average. Only half the students are
proficient in reading. And the school district has the largest academic
achievement gap — the persistent disparity in academic performance
between poor students and their more affluent classmates — in the
state.Teachers
grumble that many students are disrespectful and roam the hallways
during class. Not that many parents are involved with their children's
schools. The number of special education students is unusually high.
The school system's problems became so severe last summer that
then-state Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan stepped in and
threatened to replace the school board, a move that has sparked
resentment in this hilly town of 23,000.
Windham's problems came to a head in August when McQuillan saw the
latest Connecticut Mastery Test scores, which showed that the town's
3,361 students lag far behind statewide averages. Among the trouble
spots: Fifth-graders' scores had dropped, and eighth-graders' reading
and writing scores had plunged. From fourth to fifth grade, academic
growth in reading and math was slowing considerably and, in some cases,
regressing.
McQuillan visited the Windham school board to discuss the "dire
condition of education in Windham" and the need for strong, proven
leadership. The superintendent position was vacant and McQuillan wanted
the board to hire one of his associate commissioners, Marion Martinez.
But the board said the community felt more comfortable with Windham's
assistant superintendent, Ana V. Ortiz, an experienced administrator
who was serving as interim superintendent.
In September, McQuillan ordered a comprehensive audit of the school
system and told the school board to take the Lighthouse Training
Program, a leadership program for school boards that focuses in depth
on student achievement. He also threatened to replace the school
board if the situation didn't improve by April. A school reform law
enacted last May allows the state education commissioner to replace
school board members. This did not sit well in Windham.
"Who the hell is he to tell us what to do?" said Kenneth Folan,
chairman of Windham's school board, recalling the standoff.
"Why us?" Ortiz recalled thinking. "Why is he picking on little Windham
all of a sudden?"
The school board ignored McQuillan's recommended choice for
superintendent and voted in December to make Ortiz the permanent
superintendent. McQuillan, meanwhile, resigned for unrelated reasons,
and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has not yet named a permanent replacement.
In the meantime, the state Department of Education recently conducted
seven audits of the Windham district — which has four elementary
schools, including blue-ribbon winner Windham Center School; a middle
school and a high school — covering everything from student achievement
and governance to finances. State education consultants have begun to
share the findings with school administrators, the school board and
teachers. Next, the state consultants plan to work closely with the
board and administrators to develop a comprehensive set of
recommendations that they hope the community will embrace.
This is not the first time the state has intervened in Windham. In
2008, the state forged a partnership with the school district to raise
student achievement. The state also sent coaches to work with
principals in each of Windham's schools.
McQuillan said in a phone interview after the standoff that he felt an
increasing urgency to pull Windham out of its tailspin after seeing the
test results and the widening academic gaps. Despite working on a
district improvement plan, Windham was still going in the wrong
direction, he said, and demoralized staff and disenfranchised families
seemed to be giving up hope.
Hispanic Population Spikes
A demographic shift in Windham in the past decade has deeply affected
the town's schools. More than 60 percent of the student body now is
Hispanic — up from 50 percent 10 years ago, and from the mid-20 percent
range about 15 years ago.The urban core of Puerto Rican residents has
seen a major influx of Mexican immigrants in recent years. A third of
Windham students now come from homes where English is not the primary
language.
The state audits reveal that Windham's schools have been slow to adapt
to the population change.
"What seems to come out of reports is that the instructional practices
and strategies in schools haven't responded quickly enough to needs of
those kids," said Lol Fearon, a state Department of Education bureau
chief who has been working on the audits and assisting Windham.
"Teachers try to meet the needs, but they just don't have the resources
and the background training," he said. "Also, it's almost impossible to
find teachers for English language learners in the state."
The audits also found a serious paucity of language-based services for
English language learners, particularly as they transitioned into
mainstream classrooms or moved into middle school or high school.
In addition, only about 13 percent of the teachers and administrators
are Latino. "With that kind of shift in population, you would want to
reflect that in the adults available to the kids," Fearon said.
Despite the population shift, most decision-making power in town
remains in the hands of white residents. The state's audits found the
Hispanic population has little or no involvement in local politics and
government.
"There is definitely a feeling of disenfranchisement," Fearon said.
Poverty And Budget Cuts
Poverty, not surprisingly, contributes to Windham's woes. In one
barometer of poverty, 74 percent of students qualified for a free or
reduced-price school lunch last year, a rate that shot up from 57
percent five years earlier.
"Everything that happens here is a struggle because there's never any
money," said Daniel Chace, a member of the high school's Parent
Advisory Committee. "It's always been a struggle here. We're not
Fairfield County."
"There's no doubt that economic background is a factor in academic
achievement," Fearon said. "But it's not something the school district
can control.
Town council President N. Joseph Underwood said the school system has
already made many budget cuts, including middle school sports, and he
is frustrated that the state doesn't send more education funds to
Windham.
"Give us more money so we can put it into education," Underwood said.
"Maybe we can buy more books, buy more computers, put more bilingual
individuals in our school system."
Besides struggling with poverty, the district has an unusually high
percentage of special education students, with 18.6 percent of students
classified as having special needs, compared to the state average of
11.6 percent. State education officials believe that figure may be
inflated because some students who don't speak English as a first
language may have been misdiagnosed.
Caring Teachers
Despite the school district's challenges, observers say Windham schools
have many strong teachers, and most are dedicated and genuinely care
about their students.
"Windham does have caring teachers," Fearon said. "That's a great
start. But do they feel competent that they can reach these kids and
meet the needs they have in front of them? That's where we hope to make
a difference."
The school system also has made some headway in narrowing the
achievement gap, according to recent Connecticut Mastery Test results,
though the gains were smaller than those of similar school systems and
the statewide average, the audits found.
Unruly Students, Uninvolved Parents
Teachers complain that some students at the middle school and high
school are disrespectful and unruly. During a recent visit to both
schools, some students were wandering in the hallways during class and
had be told by their principal to return to class. A couple of students
yelled and cursed loudly as they passed in the hallway.
Teachers also say students stroll into class late or simply disappear
from school for weeks at a time. During class, students often text or
talk on their phones and sometimes swear at teachers.
"They are disrespectful beyond belief," said one teacher, who asked not
to be identified. "It's not the way I was brought up. They'll just turn
away and say 'F-U.' "
Sometimes it gets physical. Two weeks ago a high school student whom
Principal Steve Merlino was escorting to an in-school suspension
knocked him to the ground.
"He was agitated," Merlino said. "I was pushed to the ground, but I
consider that really more a part of my balance."
Four years ago, the town's alternative school closed, which meant those
students entered the high school. Also, the high school lost an
assistant principal position. The state's audits also found
limited parental involvement in the schools. Many Hispanic
parents interviewed by the state for its audit said they are restricted
by job demands and can't leave small children at home to attend school
events. Some also cited the language barrier and said they feel
disconnected to the school system. Fearon said part of the reason could
also be that some of the Mexican immigrants may be undocumented and
trying to keep a low profile.
Chace, of the parents' committee, said he is frustrated that so few
parents attend school plays and other events.
"You'll see kids who are not in school for weeks," Chace said. "That's
a problem. I think the problem is parents have to be involved."
Another parent, Vicente Sanchez, said usually only a handful of people
show up for PTO meetings.
Urban-Rural Frictions
The problems are further compounded by a deep divide between the city
of Willimantic, where most of the Latino population lives, and the more
rural town of Windham, where residents are more predominately white.
"It's the story of the two Connecticuts," Ortiz said. "Willimantic
tends to fall into the same situation: the Hispanic vs. white
population."
Until 1983 Windham and Willimantic were separate communities, and each
still retains its own mill rate. Layered on top of this is friction and
a lack of communication between town officials and the school board,
the audits found.
"Without significant reform on [the communication] issue, the
combination of insufficient public support, declining resources, and
lack of cohesive leadership will inevitably result in the continuing
decline of the school district," one of the audits concluded.
Last year, it took Windham five referendums to pass the school budget.
Taxpayers kept rejecting the budget until the school board finally cut
$1.1 million from it, coming in with a 1.87 percent increase over the
previous year. Part of the resistance came from Windham voters who
opposed plans for a new magnet school, Folan said.
"The community needs to be energized and engaged to support the
schools," an audit concluded. "The overarching problems of school
performance, community capacity and the will to create the conditions
for improvement are of extreme urgency."
This year, Ortiz is trying more of a community-based approach to the
education budget, by sharing and discussing it at a series of
meetings. The audits also concluded that the school board has had
a history of micro-managing the superintendent and other
administrators, which has undermined efforts to move forward with
big-picture goals.
"They have not given responsibility to the superintendent to develop
plans to meet the needs of the kids," Fearon said. At the same time, he
added, school board members feel that the community doesn't support
their needs, a problem compounded by the city's poverty.
Looking Forward
The state Department of Education is now boiling down the findings of
the seven audits into a more managable overview. From there, state
officials plan to share the findings with the school board and teachers
and trim down the 60 recommendations in the audits to a focused action
plan. In the meantime, there is a renewed energy and will to
improve Windham's schools, they said.
"The school board is really attentive. They really want to change the
schools," said Robert Rader, executive director of the Connecticut
Association of Boards of Education, which is running the school board
training program. "It's sort of a paradigm shift, you might call it."
As for the former education commissioner's threat to replace the school
board in April, it is still on the table, but the state seems unlikely
to follow through because the school board training is helping.
"The threat is always present, but it's less likely now," said state
Department of Education spokesman Tom Murphy. "Things have improved."
Ortiz said she understands the sense of urgency to improve the school
system but wants to make sure the change is driven by Windham itself.
"We have got to move forward and we've got to do that collaboratively
because no one is going to take us over," she said.
State Board of Ed concerned about plan
to shift control of vo-tech schools
Jacqueline Rabe, CTMIRROR
March 2, 2011
The Malloy Administration wants to turn the first four of 17 state-run
vocational-technical schools over to local control in the next school
year--a move that has members of the State Board of Education concerned.
"That's insane," board Chairman Allan B. Taylor said Wednesday,
reacting to the timeline.
Benjamin Barnes, budget chief for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, announced last
month that the administration wants to shift responsibility for the
10,600-student system from the state to municipal or regional control,
but didn't disclose a timetable. News that the shift would begin in the
2011-2012 school year surprised many.
"You have a debacle on your hands," said interim Education Commissioner
George A. Coleman, questioning whether the impacted districts could
handle the added responsibility so soon. "We don't know what the local
response will be... what they need to accept this."
The four vocational schools to be turned over during the 2011-12 school
year are A.I. Prince in Hartford, E.C. Goodwin in New Britain, Howell
Cheney in Manchester and Vinal in Middletown. The next school year four
more schools will be turned over: Bullard Havens in Bridgeport, Windham
in Willimantic, Eli Whitney in Hamden and Kaynor in Waterbury. By July
2015 the state will shed all management responsibility for the schools.
The state currently pays $134 million a year to run the schools,
including about $5 million for the 66 full-time state employees in the
central office in Hartford.
Malloy's budget director has said the administration does not intend to
cut financial support from the state in the next two years, but State
Board of Education members and vo-tech system Superintendent Patricia
Ciccone worry that this new restructure will make the schools
vulnerable to cuts down the road.
"Local boards of education are obviously limited just as the state is
limited" Ciccone said. "There is a great potential for underfunding
these schools."
During a town meeting on his proposed budget in Torrington, Malloy said
his proposal is aimed at protecting the vo-tech schools. As mayor of
Stamford, he said, he saw how J.M. Wright Technical High School
declined under state oversight.
"I watched the state literally destroy one of those vocational
schools," Malloy told the audience. "They literally ran it into the
ground. And when they succeeded in running it into the ground they
closed it,"
He said he was frustrated that even as mayor he was unable to do
anything about the decision to close the school.
"I tried to help it," he said. "What I am trying to do is get more
local input in the proper running of a school."
But State Board of Education members, many who were just nominated by
Malloy for their positions last week, questioned the wisdom of such a
change.
Patricia Keavney-Maruca, a newly nominated member who worked at Kaynor
Tech for 33 years, said Malloy's proposal "just defies logic," because
the system "was designed to be a regional school system for a reason.
Joseph J. Vrabely, Jr., who was reappointed by Malloy and is chair of
the state board's Vocational-Technical School Committee, said he
worries the plan sends the wrong message to businesses in the state
reliant on graduates from vo-tech schools, including his small
manufacturing company.
"I know we have to make cuts, I know we have to integrate things but
you're taking away that feeder system from manufacturers," he said.
It's not clear how much of the system's operating costs the state would
continue to pay down the road under Malloy's plan.
"Will the state's share be 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent? That has
not been determined," Brian Mahoney, chief financial officer for the
State Department of Education, told the board.
Taylor said Malloy's proposal deserves consideration, but his gut
reaction is, "It's a mistake."
If the goal is to reduce state spending, he added, there are other ways
to accomplish that without destroying the statewide infrastructure.
"It's hard to believe it's anything but the economic implications... on
the face of it, none of us understand this," he said.
Malloy's budget would cut scholarships
for private colleges
By Mary E. O’Leary, Register Topics Editor
moleary@nhregister.com
Published: Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Cutting state scholarships to Connecticut students at private colleges
will mean thousands will not get the aid they need, forcing them to
either leave school, take on more debt or shift a greater share of the
burden to their families.
That’s the analysis of the 19 members of the Connecticut Conference of
Independent Colleges that are facing 25 percent cuts next year and 50
percent in fiscal 2013 under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposed biennial
budget — cuts they say contradict promises Malloy made on the campaign
trail.
Last year, 6,121 Connecticut students at private colleges received
state-funded scholarships, with the highest amount, $2.85 million,
distributed by the University of Hartford to 549 students; $2.84
million went to 424 students at the University of New Haven; and $2.57
million went to 548 students at Quinnipiac University.
The $23.4 million in scholarships in this year’s budget will be cut by
$5.8 million next year and $11.7 million in fiscal 2013, if lawmakers
agree with Malloy as he tries to close a $3.5 billion deficit.
Ben Barnes, the state’s new budget chief, said enough money was left to
fund students who are already participating in the program, but beyond
that, he questioned some aspects of the program.
“There is little ability for the state to determine how the schools
make those awards, how effective they are with respect to student
success and graduation, or whether they are having the effect of
increasing funds available to Connecticut students overall,” Barnes
said in an e-mail.
Barnes also questioned awarding state-funded scholarships to three
for-profit schools — Briarwood College, Paier College and Post
University — and those with high endowments — Yale University. “We need
to be especially careful in how we ensure public accountability with
these funds,” Barnes said.
Judith Greiman, president of the conference, said all students have to
file a financial statement, and those whose families have a low ability
to contribute get the aid. She said the income data and audits are sent
to the state Department of Higher Education to ensure that only
Connecticut residents benefit. Nick Yoia, financial aid officer
at Quinnipiac, said there are attempts every year to cancel the funds,
and every year the school has to explain to critics that their
questions can be answered with data already filed with the state.
“Why are the private college students selected as the sacrificial lambs
and no one else?” Yoia asked of the lack of cuts to the public programs
in Malloy’s budget. The combination of state cuts and the proposed
elimination of federal scholarships will severely impact students, he
added. As a gubernatorial candidate, Malloy, in a position paper,
spoke of the importance of supporting scholarships.
“Our state budget includes a major commitment to scholarships for
students in public and private Connecticut colleges who cannot afford
full tuition. ... If higher education success is a fundamental plank in
our state’s economic development strategy, we must maintain this
commitment even in difficult budget times or we run the risk of eating
away at our long-term economic and fiscal strength,” Malloy had said.
Greiman said the private colleges enroll and graduate more minority
students than the public colleges, and the investment by the state in
the scholarships “is the best bang for the buck that Connecticut has.”
Yale University, which gave out 16 awards for a total of $128,973 in
state money this year, should not be used as a reason to drastically
cut the scholarship program, Greiman said.
“Most of my schools get their financial aid funds from their operating
budgets and have had to increase this significantly in the past three
academic years as the economy tanked and students came with increased
need,” Greiman said. In 2009-2010, the endowments dropped 28 percent
and financial aid at private colleges jumped 15 percent, with the
institutions awarding more than $558 million annually in private and
institutional aid to undergraduates.
“Providing access is the passion of the people I represent,” Greiman
said.
State panel rejects Hartford's attempt
to skirt teacher seniority
Robert A. Frahm and Jacqueline Rabe, CT MIRROR
February 22, 2011
Days after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said he wants to provide school
districts with the opportunity to retain new and talented teachers over
more senior staff, an arbitration panel rejected Hartford Public School
officials request to do just that.
Hartford Public Schools, like many districts across the state, is
facing potential layoffs under a deepening budget crisis, but the
district will not be allowed to loosen seniority rules in laying off
teachers, a state arbitration panel has decided.
The panel's ruling touches on an issue that is part of a volatile
debate over school quality across the nation.
In Connecticut, schools have shed 2,700 teaching positions in the last
two years, said Joe Cirasuolo, head of the Connecticut Association of
Public School Superintendents. Most of those who lost their jobs were
teachers who had worked in the system the shortest amount of time, he
said.
Malloy raised the issue in his budget address last week, proposing a
reform of teacher tenure rules "to give local school districts the
flexibility they need to retain new, talented teachers."
However, Malloy's proposal will not come in time to affect potential
layoffs this year. A spokeswoman for Malloy said Tuesday the governor
is not proposing an immediate change in the law but rather hopes his
comments launch the conversation.
"The Governor has a very large, visible role in the dialogue of our
state and he plans to use that role to get people to the table to talk
about ways to close [the] achievement gap. One of the things to discuss
is tenure," said Colleen Flanagan. "Gov. Malloy believes in the concept
of tenure but in tough economic times, he believes schools should have
the ability to retain new, talented teachers who otherwise might lose
their job."
Cirasuolo said he welcomes the governors' comment but is disappointed
to hear it will not be coupled with a legislative proposal to change
the law.
"It's not enough for him to just appeal to their altruism. We need
legislative action to release us from the current reality," he said.
"Something has to change," he said, warning that districts will begin
making their layoff decisions in April, so that a change of heart by
the teachers' unions, or a law requiring it, needs to take place soon.
In Hartford, which has laid off 350 employees in the last two years,
school officials contended that strict system-wide seniority provisions
inhibit the district's ability to staff specialized schools that are at
the heart of the city's school reform efforts. However, a State
Department of Education arbitration panel rejected that argument.
Under existing seniority rules, the least experienced teachers are the
first to be laid off and can be replaced by more experienced teachers
from any school in the district, resulting in a shuffling of teachers
among different schools. School officials, including Superintendent
Steven Adamowski, contend that policy undermines stability at magnet
schools, where special themes such as science, technology or the arts
require teachers to have special qualifications or training.
Many of those schools are part of a school reform program that has been
credited with improving performance across the district.
The district had proposed a system that would allow a principal to
override system-wide seniority rules by rejecting prospective transfers
from other schools if the principal decided the candidates were not a
good fit.
However, the arbitrators ruled in favor of the teachers' union, saying
the district's proposal "is overly broad and may be inconsistently
applied across the district in such a manner as to deprive teachers of
their right to a vacant position or a position held by an untenured
teacher without due process."
Allowing school principals to make decisions on which teachers will be
hired does not comply with state law granting that authority only to
school boards, the panel said.
"Obviously we're thrilled," said Andrea Johnson, president of the
Hartford Federation of Teachers. "Seniority within the district is a
very good thing and has worked very well."
Johnson disputed the district's argument that the specialty schools
required an unusual level of training. "You still have to teach
history...no matter what kind of school you're in," she said. "They'd
like the public to believe somehow you have to have very specialized
training. It doesn't mean you as a teacher, especially an experienced
teacher, can't go in and learn that process."
The three-member panel's ruling was a split decision, with panelist
John M. Romanow dissenting. The last-hired, first-fired approach fails
to take into account teacher quality and "will result in many teachers
being forced into position that are not suitable for them," Romanow
wrote.
The result, he said, "will do irreparable harm to the school system and
clearly make it less likely that the Hartford Board of Education will
be able to continue to make great strides in closing the achievement
gap."
The district last year had sought to change seniority rules by asking
the State Board of Education to override the provisions in the
teachers' union contract, but the board took no action.
After losing the arbitration ruling, Hartford officials said they will
ask the State Board again to rule on the matter.
"A portfolio district such as ours, with a wide variety of schools that
require specialized training, cannot function properly under a
one-size-fits-all, quality-blind approach to seniority," the district
said in a prepared statement.
Connecticut one of many states debating seniority-based layoffs and
tenure, says Kathy Christie, the chief of staff for the Education
Commission of the States.
"The conversation is changing all over the country on whether to look
at the quality of the teacher versus the amount of time spent in the
classroom. That push lately has been much stronger to go back and
revise those laws," she said.
The reaction is different state-by-state. In Oregon, voters rejected in
2008 an initiative that would allow districts to "retain teachers who
are most qualified" regardless of their seniority. In Arizona,
the governor signed in 2009 a law that forbids districts from adopting
policies that provide employment retention priority for teachers based
on tenure or seniority. In California, lawmakers are also considering a
proposal to overhaul these laws.
Ads urging parents to keep children in
Hartford schools anger Sheff lawyer
Robert A. Frahm, CT MIRROR
April 29, 2011
Hartford educators say an ad campaign discouraging parents from sending
their children to suburban schools reflects success of the city's
education reforms, but a lawyer for plaintiffs in the Sheff vs. O'Neill
desegregation case says it threatens to undermine a court-ordered plan
to reduce the racial isolation of city students. Hartford Public
School officials launched the campaign with television, radio and print
advertisements urging parents not to gamble on a lottery for seats in
suburban or regional magnet schools that are key elements of the
desegregation effort.
Instead, the ads advise families to choose among several
career-oriented high schools and various restructured elementary and
middle schools that are part of the city school system's school reform
program.
The ads drew the ire of Martha Stone, a lawyer for plaintiffs in the
long-running Sheff vs. O'Neill school desegregation case.
"It's really, from our perspective, just outrageous," she said.
The ads are airing as parents receive letters this month announcing
results of the annual lottery for seats in suburban or magnet schools.
Although many children were placed on waiting lists for those schools,
Hartford can guarantee parents a spot at one of their top four choices
of city schools, the ad campaign said.
"Why risk [your children's] future on a lottery and then a waiting
list?...They don't need to go anywhere else," the ads say.
Regional magnet schools and suburban schools are the central elements
of the state's effort to comply with a 1996 state Supreme Court order
in the Sheff case seeking to reduce racial segregation among Hartford's
mostly black and Hispanic student population. Since then, the state has
spent hundreds of millions of dollars building and operating racially
integrated magnet schools in the greater Hartford region. In addition,
state officials are encouraging predominantly white suburban schools to
accept more Hartford minority students under a transfer program known
as Open Choice.
In a press release this week, Hartford school officials cited the
city's own school reform efforts, including the redesign of previously
struggling schools to emphasize specialized themes and college-bound
curriculum.
"All of these schools are staffed with dedicated teachers who will
prepare their children for college studies," said Christina M.
Kishimoto, who was recently named to succeed Superintendent Steven J.
Adamowski, when he retires in July. "There is no need to travel outside
of Hartford to get a superior education."
The Sheff plaintiffs take a different view, Stone said.
"It's really disturbing to see the Hartford school system try to
discourage parents and kids from exercising their constitutional right
to an equal educational opportunity," said Stone. "This is about having
parents be able to choose the best possible schools for their children."
Under Adamowski's reform program, Hartford schools have shown
improvement, but the school system still ranks among the state's
lowest-performing districts on statewide achievement tests. Last
year, for example, just 43 percent of the city's elementary and middle
school students reached the proficiency level in reading on the
Connecticut Mastery Test, and 57 percent met the proficiency standard
in mathematics.
Nevertheless, Adamowski said Thursday that parents can find high
quality choices within the system.
"Five years ago, we had 28 schools that were low-performing. Today
we're down to five," he said. "Our Hartford parents will choose for
quality. What they really want is what every parent in America wants,
which is a good school in their own neighborhood."
Adamowski also said that the district's effort to keep families in city
schools is not in conflict with the Sheff goals.
"We support Sheff, but we see a different path to meeting the goals
than the plaintiffs do," he said.
About 28 percent of Hartford's minority schoolchildren now attend
integrated magnet schools, charter schools, regional technical and
agricultural high schools or suburban schools. However, under terms of
a court-approved agreement with the Sheff plaintiffs, the state must
increase that number to 41 percent by the 2012-2013 school year or meet
at least 80 percent of the demand for seats. As more parents
choose city schools, the level of demand for seats in magnet and
suburban schools will decline, making it easier to meet the state's 80
percent threshold, Adamowski said. He predicted that the goal could be
met as early as next year.
George Coleman, acting state commissioner of education, said he does
not view Hartford's ad campaign as a competition with other districts.
"It's ultimately controlled by the families. The evidence of
performance is available to parents to assess and make decisions for
themselves," he said.
Meanwhile, the level of demand for magnet schools remains high. "We had
over 8,000 applications for seats," said Bruce Douglas, executive
director of the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), which runs 15
magnet schools in the Greater Hartford region.
Douglas said he is not surprised by Hartford's advertising campaign.
"It's a sign of the times because of the proliferation of school
choice," he said.
He said CREC doesn't market its schools against other schools but added
that the agency has not felt the impact of Hartford's pitch to attract
more students.
"My attitude is education is so important, I don't care what school
they go to," he said. "If it's a good school, go there."
Malloy
taking another route to reach
desegregation goal
Jacqueline Rabe, CT MIRROR
February 17, 2011
Up against a looming court-ordered deadline to reduce the racial
isolation of Hartford's largely black and Hispanic school population,
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has opted to take a less expensive--and arguably
more effective--approach to integration.
Since the 1996 state Supreme Court's Scheff v. O'Neill desegregation
order in 1996, the state's emphasis has been on creation of magnet
schools with specialty themes in hopes of attracting a racially-diverse
student population. Nearly $1 billion has been spent to build the
schools in and around Hartford and billions more reimbursing the
schools $13,000 per student a year.
But Malloy seems to be taking the advice of education officials and is
changing course: He's proposing significantly reducing the state's
reimbursement for construction of new magnet schools, and expanding
funding for school choice programs that encourage suburban districts to
accept Hartford students.
Although many suburban districts around Hartford have empty desks, they
have been slow to accept city students in what's called Open Choice,
often blaming the level of state reimbursement--$2,500.
Malloy is proposing that the state's next education commissioner--who
Malloy will select--be allowed to significantly increase reimbursements
to suburban public schools that take Hartford students, and he wants to
allocate another $7.2 million to do it.
"We expect by increasing the reimbursement the commissioner will be
able to find a sweet spot that will be able to get significant
participation in the program and get to the [court-ordered] goal,"
Malloy budget director Ben Barnes said.
To comply with the court order, the state must find an additional 3,500
seats in an integrated magnet, charter, technical, agricultural or
suburban school by October 2012. There are currently 1,300 Hartford
students attending districts other than their own, so reaching the goal
through the choice program is a tall order.
Education leaders and advocates both agree the state will not meet that
deadline if the state's approach remains the same and welcome the
increase reimbursements for the Open Choice program.
"The Open Choice program is by far the most cost-effective option for
us," said Brian Mahoney, the State Department of Education's chief
financial officer.
"This is surely more of an incentive to suburban districts to
participate," said Alex Johnston, leader of the New Haven school-reform
group ConnCAN. "It's certainly a positive step but we are going to need
a system where schools are funded fully and not partially for the
students they have."
Martha Stone, a lawyer for the Sheff plaintiffs, said Wednesday she is
"heartened" by the increase and believes it will help get the state
closer to reaching the required 41 percent of Hartford's 21,713
minority students attending integrated schools by November 2012.
They're at 25 percent now.
Malloy's proposal coincides with a State Board of Education
recommendation made in November that would put more focus and money on
sending students to suburban schools than on magnet schools.
"I imagine a court mandate will look very similar to what I am
proposing," former education commissioner Mark McQuillan said at the
time.
But the SBOE's proposal went one step further than Malloy's in
suggesting the education commissioner have the authority to require
suburban districts enroll a certain number of Hartford students.
There are currently 27,000 students attending magnet schools across the
state and 5,700 attending charter schools. Malloy's budget proposal
does increase state spending for magnet and charter schools for seats
that were already approved long before he became governor.
The legislature's Education Committee will hear public testimony
Wednesday on the governor's proposed changes to education and also on a
separate proposed change in the kindergarten entrance age.
Can a private firm and federal funds
fix this public school?
Robert A. Frahm, CT MIRROR
February 12, 2011
BRIDGEPORT--Long before lunch hour begins, the cafeteria at Harding
High School fills with students sitting idly around tables. Some chat
on cell phones. Others slump in chairs. Not a book in sight.
Most are chronic class-skippers, rounded up by hallway monitors working
for a private New York City-based consulting firm charged with trying
to turn around one of Connecticut's worst high schools.
Whether a private company can do what local officials have failed to do
is uncertain, but the experiment to rescue Harding - backed by $2.2
million in federal stimulus money - will be watched closely by
officials from Hartford to Washington, D.C.
Harding--plagued by high dropout rates, disciplinary problems and
academic failure--is one of 14 struggling Connecticut schools to
receive U.S. Department of Education School Improvement Grants.
It is the only one of the 14 to choose the "restart" method, one of
four models prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education to turn
around failing schools. "Restart" requires the hiring of an outside
contractor to restructure the school. At Harding, officials turned to
Global Partnership Schools, a company run by former New York City
schools Chancellor Rudy Crew and former Rochester, N.Y., school
Superintendent Manny Rivera.
The scene in the lunchroom is a stark reminder of the daunting task
facing Global. Officials estimate about 180 students are rounded up
each morning--more than 10 percent of the student body. If Global is to
succeed, it will have to reach students like 16-year-old Jeffrey
Roscoe, who was ushered to the cafeteria one recent morning while
skipping Spanish class.
"I didn't feel like going," Roscoe said. "It doesn't interest me." He
said he is failing all his classes.
Officials say their first task is to change a culture in which too many
students skip classes, ignore homework, and feel disconnected from
Harding.
"It's had such a long history of failure that it doesn't believe in
itself," said Crew, Global's president. "It believes itself to be what
the papers have said about it, what the culture around it says...
People who don't think of themselves as graduating don't act like
graduates."
Until now, not much has worked at Harding, where principals have come
and gone with alarming frequency, trying various strategies to rescue
the troubled school. Harding has had nine different principals in the
past decade.
"Too many to count," says veteran history teacher Leslie Waller. "We've
seen so many initiatives start and then just stop."
Waller and her colleagues are looking for better results from the
latest initiative, including a shakeup of leadership and a fundamental
restructuring of the school under the federal stimulus project.
The decision to turn to a private firm "was based primarily on the lack
of success over time we've had in trying to turn the school around...
Traditional methods did not work," said Robert Henry, associate
superintendent for the Bridgeport public school system and the former
superintendent of Hartford's schools.
A hulking brick fortress, Warren Harding High School once was the pride
of Bridgeport. Named after the nation's 29th President, the school
opened in 1925 and produced graduates who became mayors, judges and
prominent business and civic leaders. Today, however, it is a victim of
urban decay, part of an impoverished East Side neighborhood of aging
houses and an abandoned industrial complex that once housed bustling
Remington Arms and General Electric plants.
It is exactly the kind of school the Obama administration targeted with
the School Improvement Grants. According to a 2009 study by New York
University, more than half of Harding's students miss 19 days of school
or more each year, and one out of five is absent on an average day,
The five-month study reported more than 2,000 disciplinary offenses
committed by about 40 percent of the school's 1,500 students. Nearly
one-third of the grades in core subjects were Fs, and about two out of
five students were lacking enough credits for their grade level.
Less than 5 percent of students met the goal on reading and math on the
statewide 10th-grade performance test last year.
The $2.2 million that Harding will receive in stimulus funds "is enough
money to really change the school," said Joseph Garcia, a senior vice
president at Global who remains upbeat about the prospects for change.
"There's a lot of talent among the leadership team and in the faculty,"
he said. "There's a real chance here for this to succeed."
The restart is under a tight timeline. Global signed a contract with
Bridgeport in September, and the formal kickoff for the restructuring
took place Jan. 31. Nevertheless, the company has already made some
basic changes, starting with efforts to improve attendance, reduce
tardiness and improve the school climate.
"A lot of this really is just blocking and tackling," said Garcia, who
early in the school year walked the hallways himself with a
walkie-talkie, ushering students to classes. Since then, the company
has hired "climate specialists" to clear the halls of loitering
students. The school, under a new state law, also set up an in-school
suspension program and began seeking alternative placements for overage
students who roamed the hallways, skipped classes and had too few
credits to graduate on time.
Working alongside the school's regular security guards, the school's
new "climate specialists" patrol all corners of the aging building.
"Ladies, do you have gym?" Aaron Stroud said as he found three girls
huddled in a stairwell and ushered them to gym class one recent
morning. The hiring of specialists such as Stroud, who previously
worked with troubled young people at a child care agency in New York
City, is the most visible sign of change so far.
In addition, the company plans to require school uniforms as early as
this semester and is considering acquiring technology to block the use
of cell phones, a frequent distraction among students.
The first major step in Global's effort was the hiring of an
"educational change agent" to oversee the three-year process of change
at Harding. The company picked Eleanor Osborne, a respected former
reading supervisor and associate superintendent for New Haven's public
schools and a professor at Sacred Heart University.
Officials also decided to replace Harding's principal, Carol Birks,
saying in the district's grant application that there was "not enough
cohesiveness in her action plans to improve student achievement." To
replace her, Global recruited Kevin Walston, a promising public school
administrator in nearby Norwalk who had also worked as an assistant
high school principal in the Bronx in New York City.
"In Norwalk, there was that sense of community, sense of belonging.
With the kids, the staff, you felt that connectedness to the school,"
Walston said. "Here, in the majority of the school, you don't get that
sense."
"Our job," he said, "is to create a sense of urgency among the staff."
A key part of Global's strategy is the refinement of a longstanding
plan to break up the school into smaller units or academies, known as
small learning communities. Harding has tried the idea for nearly a
decade, but some of the smaller academies were only loosely defined and
poorly understood by students.
"Some students we asked what small learning community they belonged to,
and they didn't know," said Osborne.
Under the old arrangement, the school had seven academies enrolling
students throughout the building, but the new plan calls for four
academies located in separate parts of the school, each with its own
group of students and teachers. One of the academies, known as "New
Scholars," is reserved exclusively for freshmen while others will focus
on health and environmental science, communications and technology, and
law and international studies. In theory, the small academies will
allow students to form stronger bonds with the same classmates and
teachers.
"Research says the more engaged students are with their school and
school community, the more successful they'll be," said Walston.
Global also altered the school schedule, shortening 100-minute teaching
periods and providing additional advisory time for teachers and
students to meet. The company created a regular testing schedule to
monitor student progress. It hired a reading specialist and began a
significant expansion of professional coaching in reading and
mathematics teaching methods. It also upgraded the school's computers
and acquired other new technology.
"I think it's exciting. We're going to get a new math lab, and we're
getting some new online programs," said Mary Liggins, coordinator of
Harding's math department. Liggins said she is encouraged so far by the
changes, including the hiring of Osborne.
"She advocates for teachers," Liggins said. "She looks through
teachers' eyes."
Much remains to be done, but Osborne is encouraged by the changes she
has seen so far. "It's like a night and day experience," she said.
"There's a whole different feel to the building."
Not everyone is convinced that the latest effort will work. Global has
run into some resistance, including objections from some teachers who
did not want to switch classrooms under the reorganization.
Gary Peluchette, president of the Bridgeport Education Association
teachers' union, said he would prefer a turnaround approach that gives
teachers more of a voice.
"Quite frankly, the suggestions [that GPS officials] are coming up with
are nothing different than what teachers have been suggesting for
years," he said. "You have to empower teachers. It can't be this
top-down approach."
Garcia, the Global senior vice president, said, "The union has been a
good partner" in the effort so far. "The faculty's professionalism has
been high."
Some had hoped for a more aggressive start.
"It's premature for me to say it's not going to work, but the company
that got the contract to take over the school should have hit the
ground running. We should not have had to wait so long to see what's
going to happen," said Linette Jones, president of the school's Parent
Teacher Student Organization.
Jones' oldest daughter graduated from Harding last year. Another
daughter is a sophomore in Harding's International Baccalaureate
program, but Jones remains skeptical about the school. "If I were
independently wealthy, I would take my daughter out," Jones said.
Although much of the reorganization has barely gotten under way, the
most obvious change so far has been the crackdown on hallway loiterers.
Corey Baldwin, a lanky senior, said the problem has eased but was a
serious distraction a year ago.
"Chaos," he said. "During class, everybody was making noise in the
hallway."
Now, a few stragglers still try to evade security workers during
classes, but most are caught and sent to the cafeteria.
Walston, the new principal, said the school is designing alternatives,
including a staggered schedule and online study programs, for those who
skip classes. Still, dozens are rounded up daily. "I was hoping the
numbers would decrease by now," he said. "They have not."
Nevertheless, he remains optimistic that Harding is making progress.
"I certainly understand that change takes time," he said. "When you're
living through it, you'd like it to go faster."
Private companies have had mixed results intervening in public schools.
In Connecticut, the most prominent experiment in privatization was the
hiring of a Minnesota firm, Education Alternatives Inc., to run
Hartford's public schools in the mid-1990s. That experiment collapsed,
leading to a state takeover of schools in the state capital.
In addition to Bridgeport, Global is working under federal School
Improvement Grants with schools in Pueblo, Colorado and Baltimore,
Maryland.
According to Crew, Global's president, one advantage of the private
management model is that "outside organizations sometimes can be more
nimble." An outside firm, he said, can operate "at a faster pace than
going through school board meetings and all the other apparatus common
to big city schools."
Crew, who also works as a professor at the University of Southern
California's Rossier School of Education, gained a reputation as a
reformer running giant public school systems in New York and Miami.
Rivera, the company's CEO, is a former national superintendent of the
year credited with making significant improvements in Rochester's
schools.
"One advantage," said Crew, "is, frankly, that we are all public school
educators who have done this work in successful organizations."
Most experiments with privatization have involved public charter
schools rather than traditional public schools such as Harding.
There is relatively little good research on the track record of private
companies in public schools, says Henry M. Levin, director of the
National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education at Teachers
College at Columbia University.
"The one thing we've learned over the years is there are no miracles,"
Levin said. "Often these companies come in and promise something that's
never been demonstrated before."
At Harding, computer graphics teacher Irwin "Doc" Coombs, a former
union president, said he is hopeful the latest effort will work, "but
I'm very wary of it right now... I have been forever opposed to public
money going to private organizations."
Educators and others will be watching closely to see the impact of the
federal grants on Harding and the state's other 13 turnaround schools.
The School Improvement Grants, totaling about $23 million in
Connecticut, are only a fraction of the $889 million in stimulus money
received by the state for elementary and secondary education. The bulk
of stimulus funding has been used to fill gaps in the state's education
budget and save jobs, but the improvement grants go to the heart of the
Obama administration's agenda to turn around struggling schools.
Many are taking a wait-and-see approach on the proposed shakeup.
"I haven't seen evidence of it yet," said Michael Brosnan, a history
teacher at Harding. He said the restart plan "is extremely vague" and
hasn't been explained clearly to students or teachers. He also said
teachers were not involved in making the original application for the
federal grant.
But, he added, "If the end result is a more successful school, that's
hard to argue with."
Consultants: Washington's
billions spawn an industry
CT MIRROR
Andrew Brownstein (Hechinger Report/EWA)
February 12, 2011
The flood of federal stimulus money into the nation's public schools
has dramatically increased the demand for education consultants,
leaving some stimulus recipients struggling to find seasoned advisors
and others uneasy about the pitches they are getting.
The frenzy was caused by the unprecedented size and scope of the nearly
$100 billion federal effort, which began two years ago. That has
stirred up great expectations among policymakers and the public. Faced
with nerve-wracking timelines, their own bold promises and a dearth of
in-house expertise, states and school districts have anxiously sought
advice on how to demonstrate progress and avoid missteps. "Some are
calling it 'No Consultant Left Behind,' " says Frederick M. Hess,
director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise
Institute, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.
There are consultants who know data, consultants who say they can
revitalize struggling schools and consultants who write grants that
lead winning states and school districts to hire other consultants.
They work at nonprofits, universities and textbook giants like the
British-based Pearson PLC, a huge educational publishing concern. A
good many are former state commissioners or district superintendents
who have parlayed their expertise into lucrative jobs as education
experts.
Many of them were present at a downtown Washington, D.C., hotel
conference room in December to assist state education officials who won
grants in the $4.3 billion Race to the Top competition, or RttT, the
best-known element of the stimulus effort. The officials had come to
learn about state-of-the-art reform strategies for using sophisticated
data-tracking to link teacher evaluations to student achievement. Most
of the recognized experts in the field were there--all half-dozen of
them.
"There's a sense of confusion and anxiety," says Scott Joftus, director
of the Race to the Top Technical Assistance Network, a stimulus-funded
contractor tasked with aiding states and districts in implementing
their bold plans. "There's a general acknowledgement that there are a
handful of people with the expertise to implement assessments related
to teacher evaluation-maybe seven or eight people in the country."
The scramble reflects the scope of the states' ambitions. "There's a
lot of money being thrown into the system at the same time to create
changes that have never been done before," Mr. Joftus says. "States
have promised a ridiculous amount of change."
Many states are just beginning to sign contracts for outside help.
Those that have made consulting deals seldom have guarantees. It is the
rare contract that comes with a promise of increased student
achievement in exchange for services.
And lately some state education officials have grown skeptical of some
of the proposals they are fielding.
Leslie Wilson, assistant state superintendent for assessment in
Maryland, estimates about 38 percent of the $125 million in RttT funds
that her state received will flow through her office, with much of it
going to build a new system for collecting student data. She says
representatives of nonprofits, for-profit companies, colleges and
universities have gone to great lengths to try to talk to her about
related contracts. They have called her, emailed her and approached her
at conferences. Some have enlisted mutual friends to intervene. One
vendor asked the state superintendent of education to persuade Ms.
Wilson to schedule a meeting.
She says she has warned them all to stay away because she believes such
conversations will disqualify consultants from bidding on
stimulus-funded technology contracts. "They understand, but they don't
want to abide by it," adds Ms. Wilson, who describes the parties
involved as "people who you have never heard of and people who should
know better."
The phenomenon may be even more pervasive in the market for turning
around failing schools, which received a $3.5 billion jolt from the
stimulus program known as the School Improvement Grant fund. Just a few
years ago, there were few consultants even marketing themselves as
turnaround experts.
With the stimulus, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan
has said he wants to transform thousands of schools in the bottom five
percent in performance over the next few years. That's a tall order.
Schools in the bottom five percent are places where fewer than one in
three students read at grade level, the dropout rate is over 50 percent
and there are enough disciplinary issues to make them feel like armed
fortresses. In the landscape of school reform, they are like the Middle
East: constantly fought-over, subject to countless "solutions" that
come and go and, in the end, stubbornly resistant to change.
That metaphor is an apt one for the market as well. In the fall of
2009, Mr. Joftus was contacted by a former contractor who was working
for Global Partnership Schools, a new school turnaround venture funded
by GEMS Education, a Dubai-based company founded by entrepreneur Sunny
Varkey. The caller was hoping to obtain copies of Mr. Joftus' contract
for school improvement services in Kansas.
"You know we're in a new era when school turnaround firms in the U.S.
are being funded out of the Middle East," Joftus said. "To me, that
says there's money to be made. I call this period the Wild West in
education."
Mr. Joftus is not questioning the organization's credentials or
quality. By all accounts, Global Partnership has experience on its
side. It is run by Rudy Crew, a former chancellor of the New York City
schools, and Manny Rivera, a former superintendent in Rochester, NY.
Also, it backs its promises with a rare performance guarantee: Its
contract with Pueblo, Colo., states that the partnership will only be
fully paid if it succeeds in significantly boosting student
achievement. Up to 20 percent of its $1.5 million fee is linked to a
series of benchmarks geared at overhauling Pueblo's schools.
"Within 12 to 18 months, there'd better be gains, or if I were a
district I'd raise some serious questions," Mr. Rivera said. "There
traditionally hasn't been that kind of accountability in the field."
The aggressive competition and hoopla behind the big grant competitions
make some in the field uncomfortable. School turnarounds are
notoriously hard to accomplish and harder still to maintain.
Revitalizing schools that have become dropout factories typically means
replacing the principal and a large number of staff, as well as
installing tough discipline and a new curriculum. Such efforts also
require creating a new culture where high expectations are the norm.
"Very few people understand what a turnaround takes," said Josh
Edelman, deputy chief of innovation for the Washington, D.C. schools.
"What people expect is that you're going to see magic. Most of these
schools have been failing for years. They're not going to turn around
on a dime."
Sandra Abrevaya, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education,
said the department is hopeful that its investment will help build
expertise in turnarounds and other tricky areas, adding she is
"encouraged" that states and districts are beginning to share their
knowledge. "While there is a need for more experts in the field, we're
very optimistic that states will build this capacity and that more
high-quality organizations will emerge to assist them," she said.
The difficultly of the tasks at hand and the relative lack of supply
make education-consulting a lucrative enterprise. Those in the field
say it is typical for an individual expert to make between $1,500 and
$5,000 a day, depending on one's level of expertise. In Ohio, more than
half of the state department of education's $194 million share of RttT
funds will be awarded to "external providers," according to state
documents.
The money has attracted big names and powerful organizations that
typically haven't played in the education sphere. Sir Michael Barber,
education advisor to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, heads
the global education practice of McKinsey & Company, a consulting
giant that helped several states write RttT applications.
In November, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation paid $360 million for a
90 percent share in another company that helped consult for the RttT
competition, Wireless Generation, a Brooklyn-based education technology
firm. Wireless Generation's involvement in the competition was not
without controversy. Despite being paid more than $500,000 by New
Jersey, the company failed to catch an erroneous last-minute change to
the application. That cost New Jersey crucial points in the
competition, leading to an 11th-place finish-just out of the money.
Bret Schundler, New Jersey's state education commissioner at the time,
took responsibility for the error and was fired. Wireless Generation
officials have not commented publicly on the error, which is the
subject of several state investigations. Some legislators have blamed
Wireless Generation for not noticing the error, and have asked the
company to return its fee.
Just how important is a good consultant? Ask Jennifer Vranek, founding
partner of Education First, a Seattle-based consulting firm. Her
company was behind the successful RttT applications for Hawaii,
Maryland, Ohio and Tennessee-one-third of the winners.
"If nothing else, a consultant has the ability to focus exclusively on
the application, unlike the typical state education official, who has
75 other things to focus on," she says. "A good consultant makes a
difference."
She insists the job involves more than spin. In RttT, states were
pushed to make bold promises in their grant applications. Part of the
job of the consultant, she says, is to ensure they deliver. Education
First cajoled the state leadership in Maryland to commit to overhaul
its longitudinal data system, which cannot currently link student test
data to individual teachers or track the learning growth of an
individual student over time.
The federal government's stimulus effort was designed to persuade
states to take on such complex improvements. Convinced they have an
important role to play, many consultants fear that in a time of severe
economic distress, there will be less patience than usual for the
missteps that inevitably accompany innovation.
"If we get 50 percent of this right, I think that's a success," says
Mr. Joftus, the RttT technical assistance director. "My concern is that
the public will see this as a 50 percent failure rate. If that happens,
there's going to be a huge backlash."
LINK TO FULL ARTICLE. (BELOW IS
A SMALL SECTION)
...Funding Search
Connecticut, which has one of the largest achievement gaps in the
country, is on the hook for a $300 million reform agenda, which was
created when state lawmakers passed a sweeping new law.
Now, with the state facing a $3.5 billion budget deficit, school
districts still reeling from painful budget cuts last summer will have
to figure out how to pay for the online and Advanced Placement courses
the law mandates. They will also have to track student data, create new
tests and provide remedial help to struggling students. In addition,
they must hire additional math, science and language teachers-and
possibly build science labs-to implement a more rigorous high school
curriculum set to launch in 2014.
"Talk about unfunded mandates," said Elin Katz, a school board member
in suburban West Hartford. "I don't know how we're going to do
this..." Full article here.
On their way out the door, state ed
board members pass on school financing decision
Jacqueline Rabe, CT MIRROR
February 9, 2011
At the State Board of Education's last meeting before Gov. Dannel
Malloy makes his appointments, members decided not to vote on a
proposal to overhaul how magnet, charter and public schools in the
state are financed.
"So, we will leave that to the next board," said chairman Allan Taylor,
who was visibly irritated that the proposal was tabled.
The recommendation would have state funding reallocated on the basis of
how much a local school district's costs are actually reduced when a
student leaves the system for an alternative program--a partial "money
follows the child" approach. It was a compromise reached after
months of work by a broad coalition, including the Connecticut
Association of School Superintendents, the Connecticut Conference of
Municipalities, the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and
the New Haven-based reform group ConnCAN.
But that coalition began to fracture Wednesday at the state education
board meeting.
"I am not sure these recommendations will do anything to improve
education," said Joshua Starr, the superintendent of Stamford Public
Schools and the head of the Connecticut Association of Urban
Superintendents representing 19 school districts.
"Our urban students need more, not less," said Sharon Beloin-Saavedra,
president of the New Britain Board of Education.
The leader of the Connecticut Association of Public School
Superintendents, Joe Cirasuolo, a member of the special committee that
drafter the plan, continued to maintain his support. But James Finley,
head of CCM who also helped draft the recommendations, stepped back
Wednesday.
"CCM does not support money follows the child," he told the board. Last
month when approving the recommendations he voiced support because it
would only have the money that is actually saved by the district follow
the child to their new school.
Speakers also said it would be near impossible to come up with a
formula to identify the actual savings for a district when a student
leaves, if they save at all. But Brian Mahoney, the chief
financial officer for the SDOE, said during an interview he is
confident such a formula could be accurately made. After 90
minutes of testimony from public education leaders from across the
state -- mostly critical of the proposal -- state board members decided
to pass on taking a stand in what will be their last meeting together.
The terms of eight of the 11 board members expire before the next
meeting, and Malloy will get to choose their replacements.
During a 10-minute discussion, board members said they need more
information and more in-depth recommendations on other issues facing
education financing.
"It's very disappointing what's been produced by this committee," said
Janet Finneran of Bethany, the board's vice-chair.
"There needs to be a lot more work," said Beverly Bobrosk, a member
from Bristol. "Let's stop being afraid to talk about it."
But Taylor said after the meeting that by deciding to table proposal,
board members showed they were afraid of it.
"I am sorry to have the discussion dominated by fear. Which is what
just happened," he said.
Alex Johnston of ConnCAN said he doesn't buy the argument board members
didn't have enough information to make an informed decision.
"We went through very vigorous debate and it was a lot of work," said
Johnston, referring to the special committee's weekly meetings. Board
members were invited to attend the meetings, many of which also were
broadcast on the state's public affairs television network, CT-N. "They
found themselves unable to take a position. This underscores why we
need strong leadership to move forward on school finance reform."
Taylor said for 25 years education advocates and leaders have been
calling on reforming how schools are financed, and the state board
opting to pass on taking a stand is detrimental.
"We have to figure out recommendations and move this debate forward,"
he said.
Malloy, who has been highly critical of the way the state finances
schools, said at a press conference Wednesday that the funding formula
does need an overhaul, but said it is not likely that will happen this
year.
Detroit plan would slash schools, cram
classrooms
The Washington Times Online Edition
By Andrea Billups
7:56 p.m., Wednesday, January 26, 2011
DETROIT | Think wrangling one or two teenagers at home is tough?
Some high school teachers in Detroit could end up with as many as 62
students per classroom under a proposal geared at helping balance the
district's budget, which is $327 million in the red.
The class-size increases come along with a recommendation to close
nearly half of the struggling city's schools over the next two years,
from 142 to 72, in a money-saving effort that would shutter empty
buildings, lay off staff, force parents to pay fees for sports and
consolidate some departments.
The plan also calls for cutting vocational and alternative schools,
JROTC, truant officers and busing for students seeking GEDs.
The hard-times proposal was released last week as a part of a monthly
recommendation made to the Michigan Department of Education by Robert
Bobb, a former D.C. school board president and deputy mayor who was
appointed in January 2009 by Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm as the
district's emergency financial manager.
It is the latest of his stark yet determined efforts to get the failing
school system on track after years of financial woes and mismanagement.
Mr. Bobb's efforts, while lauded by some on the national education
reform scene, have not made him a popular figure among some teachers,
school officials and parents, but his path toward overhaul is
necessary, said Michael Petrilli, vice president for national programs
and policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Washington.
"I think it's definitely appropriate … but he's not going to win a
popularity contest," Mr. Petrilli said of Mr. Bobb's massive fixes.
"He's like an emergency-room doctor up there, trying to stop the
bleeding and he's doing some tough work that had to be done — laying
off teachers, cutting costs, trying to find a way for this school
district to be sustainable," Mr. Petrilli added of the tough choices
ahead for the Motor City schools.
Over the past several decades, as the city's population has diminished
along with property tax revenues and state aid, the system has
struggled with its finances and its record of achievement. On the U.S.
Department of Education's National Report card, the district's fourth-
and eighth-graders posted the lowest reading rates of any urban school
district. The district's high school graduation rate was 24.9 percent
in 2008.
The dismal academic outlook in Detroit prompted Secretary of Education
Arne Duncan in 2009 to call it "arguably the worst urban school
district in the country."
School finances have been in a deficit for the past four years, forcing
the Democratic governor, who left office this month, to hire Mr. Bobb
as a turnaround specialist. As he strives to cut the budget deficit and
return the schools to fiscal solvency, he also must now work with a
Republican governor and legislature as he negotiates the return of
academic control back to the Detroit Board of Education, which
eventually will hire a new superintendent.
The city itself is plotting a rebound strategy after the Kwame
Kilpatrick scandal and the ongoing rebirth of General Motors, Chrysler
and Ford, which has energized those invested in the city's fledgling
renaissance.
Mr. Petrilli said it is not the first time that a struggling urban
district has turned to massive overhaul, including shuttering many
schools to make ends meet. He pointed to massive cuts in the Kansas
City, Mo., district, which closed 26 of its 61 schools in August amid a
$50 million budget shortfall. Like Detroit, Kansas City had drastic
reductions in enrollment — from a peak of 79,000 students in 1979 to
fewer than 17,000 today.
"This takes a lot of energy and leadership and stamina. It's not a lot
of fun," Mr. Petrilli said. "But Detroit public schools were in such
dire shape that the only path was dramatic overall. They were not on a
sustainable path — financially and academically. He's trying to get the
house in order up there."
The proposed plan calls for class-size increases in grades four to 12
starting this fall, and then all grades in fiscal year 2012.
Kindergarten through third grade would rise from 17 to 25 now to 31 by
the 2013-14 school year.
Class sizes in fourth and fifth grades would increase from 30 now to 39
in 2013-14. Sixth and eighth grades would increase from 35 to 47 in the
2013-14 school year. High school class sizes would rise the most — from
35 students now to 62 in 2013-14.
Whether the plan comes to fruition is another matter. District
spokesman Steven Wasko said officials are working on but have not
released details of alternative plans to the latest proposal, under
which the large class sizes and school closures were suggested. The
emergency financial manager updates the state education department
monthly of his progress.
Even as ideas are being formulated, the head of Detroit's teachers
union said the proposal on the table will never happen.
"It is the union's contention that the district's deficit can be
resolved without the dismantling of the Detroit Public Schools and our
contract," Detroit Federation of Teachers President Keith Johnson said
in a statement published last week.
The union's contract with the district said teachers receive more
payments when class sizes exceed a certain benchmark. It filed a charge
of unfair labor practices in July in an attempt to make sure class
sizes were not increased.
© Copyright 2011 The Washington
Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
JAN. 2013 FULL
OFFICIAL REPORT OF DRAFT ECS TASKFORCE RECOMMENDATIONS:
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ed/CostSharing/Documents/2013/ECS%20TASK%20FORCE%20Final%20Report%201-23-13.pdf
Speakers tell school funding panel the
answer is more money
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, CT MIRROR
October 25, 2011
WATERFORD--Parents, school officials and teacher unions had one message
for the panel responsible for resolving the highly-criticized formula
used for financing schools across the state: Increase funding.
"I'm sure you've heard what I'm going to say from a lot of people.
[State funding] is not hitting anywhere near an actual reflection of
what the actual costs are," Donald Blevins, chairman of the Waterford
Board of Education and president of the state's school board
association, told the panel.
The state's largest teachers union says the poorest districts are
underfunded $5,300 per student and statewide the shortfall is $1.5
billion a year.
But top officials say the reality is the state is strapped financially
and the chances of a wave of additional money being approved for
schools is nil.
"I'm not going to deny that more money is an advantageous goal," said
Benjamin Barnes, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's budget chief, shocked by the
$1.5 billion shortfall in state funding cited by the Connecticut
Education Association. "I flinched."
A parent of three children at the last public hearing in New Haven
brought an tiny apple pie to convey the same message of state
underfunding education.
"The pie is too small," Ester Santana told the panel, which is
co-chaired by Barnes and Rep. Andrea Stillman, House chair of the
legislature's Education Committee.
Three out of every ten dollars spent on education in Connecticut comes
from the state, which is comparable to other Northeast states,
according to the State Department of Education in its annual report
released earlier this month.
But parents and education officials at Tuesdays meeting said the state
has a more severe achievement gap between low-income students and their
peers than the surrounding states.
"It's simply unacceptable to underfund education," said Erika Haynes, a
parent of four children in Windham, a district that the state recently
intervene in for failing too many children. "We are where we are
because of money."
No one on the financing panel disagreed during the three-hour barrage
of requests for more funding that additional money wouldn't help, but
they aren't expecting to find a pot of money. Rather, the panel intends
to figure out how to more fairly disperse the $1.9 billion the state is
providing.
"We all have the recognition that there is a bottom line... What would
you do if we didn't have another dollar?" asked Sen. Toni N. Harp,
D-New Haven and the co-chair of the legislature's Appropriations
Committee.
That comment solicited whispers from the packed school cafeteria that a
formula with no additional funding would be horrible, but not a
surprise.
"It's a shame. I don't know about formulas. I don't know about
percentages. I know that more money needs to go to education," said
Susy Reyes, a parent with one child in Bridgeport Public Schools,
another district the state recently intervened in and replaced their
board of education.
Rep. J. Brendan Sharkey of Hamden, the House Majority Leader, said
earlier in the day he is expecting the panel to provide lawmakers a
realistic path to better funding schools, which does not include a
request for additional funding.
"I don't envision that we are going to have more funding," he said.
"You can't solve the formula by adding more money, they need to make
sure we have an equitable system."
The task force has set a goal of releasing a proposed overhaul to the
school financing formula by next fall.
There was more to this Pelto
letter. He added a list of other State of CT funding programs "on
the chopping block" as well as another letter to the editor regarding
how little performance improvement CT gets from its highest cost for
public education. NOTE: We do not say any of these "facts"
from letters to the editor are accurate...
State
may change education aid
Connecticut
funding formula may be overhauled
New London DAY
By STEPHANIE REITZ Associated Press
Article published Jan 2, 2011
Hartford - Connecticut's formula to determine state aid for local
schools could be on the verge of a major overhaul after decades of
criticism that it hasn't helped close achievement gaps between poor and
rich towns.
A coalition of lawmakers and education advocates is urging incoming
Gov. Dan Malloy to settle a 2005 lawsuit against the state over alleged
inequities in the state's Education Cost Sharing formula. As
mayor of
Stamford, Malloy was among the original plaintiffs in the lawsuit,
which calls for major changes in the ECS formula.
"It's time now for people of good will to sit down and resolve this
issue. We can't lose another generation of young people to an unequal
and, in some cases, an inadequate education system," said state Rep.
Christopher Caruso, D-Bridgeport.
The ECS formula has been tweaked regularly since it went into effect in
1988, a hybrid of two earlier plans intended to ensure more funding
equity between wealthy and poor communities. It uses a complicated
equation that considers the number of students, a town's wealth or
poverty and other factors. Its intention is to split school costs
50-50 between the state and municipalities, a goal that's never been
reached. The closest the state got was 45 percent in 1989, and it's
around 42 percent now.
It's also spawned a few lawsuits, including a 1998 case in which
9-year-old Jedidiah Roesler of Meriden and his mother, Karen, were
among more than a dozen plaintiffs on behalf of municipalities that
believed they were shortchanged. Jedidiah, now a 22-year-old
college
student, is among thousands of youths whose school careers mostly or
completely coincided with the ECS formula's life span. Karen
Roesler
said she joined the lawsuit hoping it could help students whose
families did not have the time and educational background to be as
involved as her family was, and who might lose out on the best possible
education of the funding issue.
"It's been so many years now and yet here we are in Connecticut, still
struggling with the same issues of equity in education," Karen Roesler
said.
"What I did learn from being involved in that suit with Jed was how
complicated that (ECS) formula was and that in the end, it wasn't
really followed anyway."
That lawsuit eventually was dropped, with many of its claims over the
ECS formula absorbed into larger cases, including the 2005 one that's
currently pending. The plaintiffs, the Connecticut Coalition for
Justice in Education Funding, are a group of officials and parents from
more than a dozen cities and towns, including Hartford, New Haven and
Bridgeport. Their lawsuit says the vast differences in test
results,
graduation rates and other factors between many rich and poor towns
show that some of Connecticut's nearly 500,000 students are not
receiving an adequate education.
The coalition says the way to close that gap is to overhaul the ECS
formula. Dianne Kaplan deVries, the coalition's project director, said
members are confident that Malloy understands their concerns and the
complexity of the case.
"The primary backbone of the ECS formula is fine, but so many of its
elements were not based on reality," deVries said.
A Superior Court judge had dismissed part of the coalition's case
regarding funding in 2007. The Connecticut Supreme Court revived the
case last spring, saying the constitution promises an education that is
good enough to prepare students for a job or college. It's tentatively
set for trial in 2014. The push to fix the ECS formula comes as
Connecticut faces a $270 million shortfall in that school funding
budget starting July 1. That's because federal stimulus money, used to
cover an ECS gap last year, will run out.
The $270 million is part of a $3.67 billion budget shortfall that
Malloy will be forced to address in the 2011 budget year. Malloy
said
this week that although resolving problems with the ECS formula is a
high priority during his administration, his most immediate concern is
ensuring the budget shortfall is covered and public schools don't face
major cuts this fall.
The formula is being closely watched in Connecticut municipalities,
where local officials would have to raise taxes or slash spending if
the ECS money shrinks.
"At least in the short term, our focus is going to be on seeing that
ECS is stable," said Robert Rader, executive director of the
Connecticut Association of Boards of Education. "We have felt for years
that if (ECS) was fully funded, it would do what people wanted. But
people are finding the more they delve into it, the more complicated it
seems."
State colleges and
universities bracing for budget storm
Jacqueline Rabe, CT MIROR
December 29, 2010
Officials at Connecticut's public colleges and universities are bracing
for another tough budget year as the legislature and new governor
grapple with next year's $3.67 billion deficit.
"Public universities are definitely on the firing line," said Higher
Education Commissioner Michael Meotti. "The next several years are
going to be the toughest budget years higher education has faced in the
last 50 or 60 years."
"We all know cuts are coming. It's just a matter of how much,"
Connecticut State University System Chancellor David G. Carter told a
student member of the Board of Trustees at a recent meeting.
And legislators are not trying to allay those concerns.
"Public universities are preparing for what they expect to come, and
that's cuts from the state," said Rep. Roberta B. Willis, co-chairwoman
of the legislature's Higher Education Committee and a Democrat from
Salisbury. "Universities have to control their costs and find savings."
Gov.-elect Dan Malloy also has warned that state institutions will have
to tighten their budgets. Even at the upbeat announcement of a new
president for the University of Connecticut last week, he would only
commit to funding the school "at a level that is appropriate," without
promising there would be no cuts.
The dire budget predictions come against the backdrop of a new report
by the legislature's research office saying that the growth in higher
education budgets has far outstripped the level of state General Fund
support for the institutions.
While combined spending by the state's three higher education systems
-- UConn, CSUS and the Connecticut Community Colleges -- grew by nearly
230 percent over two decades, to $1.94 billion in fiscal 2009, the
General Fund contribution increased by less than 83 percent, to $556
million, according to the Office of Legislative Research.
Meanwhile, in-state tuition and fees increased by 239 percent at the
community colleges, 284 percent at UConn and nearly 353 percent at CSUS.
The rising cost of higher education has caused concern and prompted
several reviews, including one by the legislature's bipartisan Program
Review and Investigations Committee into how colleges and universities
are governed.
"The public in general has expressed discontent with the rises in
higher education costs and spending," says a staff report approved
unanimously by the committee. "UConn and CSUS have been consistently
ranked among the most expensive public university systems in the nation
(numbers 9 and 11, respectively, in 2009 among peer institutions)."
But higher education officials warn cuts in state support would likely
lead to even higher tuitions.
"We are left with no choice but to increase tuition so we can provide
the same level of education... We are beginning to price people out of
education," said Mary Anne Cox, assistant chancellor for Connecticut's
dozen community colleges.
Last week, the board of the community colleges approved increasing
tuition by almost 3 percent -- to almost $3,500 a semester for in-state
students. And if state funding is cut in the coming months to help
close the state's deficit, Cox said the board would surely have to
revisit tuition levels.
"There aren't very many options" for cutting costs, she said, saying
most spending increases are for personnel. The college system's
contract with unionized employees provides for 5 percent raises in the
coming year, she said.
UConn will likely determine how much tuition will be for next school
year in February.
"We've known for some time that (the upcoming year) is going to be a
very difficult budget year. Just how rough it will be for UConn depends
on what our state appropriation looks like," UConn's budget director
Richard Gray wrote in a statement.
But things could have been worse for Connecticut's public colleges over
the last few years, said Bruce Vandal, director of postsecondary
education for Education Commission of the States.
"There are states that are abandoning or retrenching their expenditures
for universities... Connecticut has not begun to do that, so that's
good," he said.
Six states -- including Rhode Island, South Carolina and California --
have reduced the actual amount they spend on higher education by five
percent or more in recent years, reports the National Conference of
State Legislators.
But with the recent signals from Connecticut lawmakers, university
leaders are beginning to worry their state funding levels are in
jeopardy.
School Board Considers Social Media
Rules for Employees
WestportNow
By James Lomuscio
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
With the popularity of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and
MySpace, Westport Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon asked the Board
of Education Monday night to consider a policy regulating employees’
use of social media, even for personal use.
The board, which only had four of its seven members present, will vote
on the action at its Jan. 4 meeting.
Landon said that the proposed policy is an extension of the Acceptable
Computer Network Use policy requiring all faculty, staff and school
board employees to use the school network for emails so that all
communication is archived.
He said the policy is designed to protect employees against claims of
inappropriate conversations.
“We’ve asked teachers not to use Facebook because there is no way to
archive this,” said Landon.
Donald O’Day, school board chairman, questioned whether the policy
should be extended to school volunteers who use social media to
communicate about school functions. Landon said he would seek legal
opinions.
The policy states that while the school board recognizes the importance
of social media and acknowledges employees’ First Amendment rights, the
board will regulate social media use, even personal use, under certain
circumstances.
They include: it interfering with the school district’s work; being
used to harass co-workers and others in the school community; creating
a hostile work environment; breaching confidentiality obligations;
disrupting work of the school district; if it “harms the goodwill and
reputation of the school district;” and if it “violates the law, board
policies and/or other school rules and regulations.”
Regarding personal use, employees were asked to refrain from
inappropriate speech and postings that could reflect poorly on the
school district and to maintain “appropriate professional boundaries
with students parents and colleagues.”
For example, the proposed policy states that it is inappropriate for a
teacher “to friend” a student or his or her parent to establish a
special relationship.
It also states it is not appropriate for an employee to give students
or parents access to personal postings unrelated to school.
Posted 12/21 at 09:03 AM
Weston's new school buses are
safer in more ways than one
Weston FORUM
Written by Kimberly Donnelly
Thursday, 16 December 2010 00:00
Over the past several weeks, many Westonites noticed an overabundance
of school buses filling the parking lot of the bus depot on the corner
of Weston Road and School Road — and spilling over onto the lawn, the
side lot, and even in the elementary school parking lot.
This week, passersby should notice that the bus depot looks back to
normal. But, actually, a big change has taken place.
Not only are Weston’s 20 school buses (plus two spare ones), provided
by First Student, brand new, but they are also now all equipped with
active audio and video recording devices.
When the school district renewed its contract with First Student last
year, the bus company agreed to replace the district’s buses with brand
new ones for the same cost per bus it had charged the previous year,
said David Lustberg, the district’s transportation coordinator.
For an additional $1.20 per bus per day, the school board decided to
authorize the installation and use of cameras on the buses.
The new buses with cameras began to roll out at the beginning of the
month. Each bus had to go through an inspection, however, and so, Mr.
Lustberg said, there were several weeks when both the old and new buses
were parked at the bus depot.
This week, the last of the old buses were scheduled to be replaced with
the newer ones.
According to school board member Dick Bochinski, who was among the
board members to take a “test ride” recently, “They’re quieter, more
fuel efficient, safer with higher padded seats, and the recording
devices will help deter any potential misconduct.”
With winter knocking on the door, Mr. Lustberg pointed out that another
advantage is all the buses have new batteries, heaters, and engine
systems, making cold mornings much less problematic.
“We had our first good test a few days ago when it was 10 degrees at
start-up time, and all the buses started immediately and the heat
kicked right on,” Mr. Lustberg said. “We’re looking forward to less bus
trouble and having to use fewer spares, and having fewer breakdowns.”
It’s the cameras that have been the focus of most of the attention
given to the new buses, though.
At its September meeting, the school board adopted a new policy to
address the use of the cameras and recording devices on the buses “as
an aid in monitoring student and adult behavior. The recordings from
these cameras will be used to assist school administrators in deciding
upon appropriate disciplinary action.”
Mr. Lustberg said he has not heard any negative response about the
cameras and audio recorders. Drivers like having them, he said, because
it means they can concentrate on driving; parents like it because it’s
a way of seeing what’s going on; and administrators like it because it
should be a deterrent that helps to maintain appropriate conduct on
buses.
“Everyone thinks it will lead to better behavior by the kids,” Mr.
Lustberg said.
First Selectman Gayle Weinstein agreed. “Given the number of bullying
incidents we’ve had, at least the cameras provide another set of eyes.
I’m all for it. And as a parent, I think it’s a great idea,” she said.
Staff and students, including contracted drivers, are prohibited from
tampering with the recording devices for any reason.
Mr. Lustberg said the video, recorded from both the front and the back
of the buses during the morning and afternoon trips, runs on a 30-day
loop. After 30 days, the recordings “drop off,” so any incidents need
to be reviewed within the 30-day window. However, when an incident is
reviewed, it may be downloaded to a computer and saved indefinitely if
needed, Mr. Lustberg said.
According to the school board’s policy, “Recordings considered for
retention as a part of a student’s behavioral record will be maintained
in accordance with established procedures governing access, review and
release of student records.”
Recordings also may become a part of employee records. “This provision
applies to all employees of the district as well as all contractors,
agents and their employees,” the policy states.
The policy, which is available in its entirety on the school district’s
Web site, www.westonK12-ct.org, spells out who may request to review
recordings and how those requests are to be made and considered.
There is a relatively small window of time to request viewing: Requests
must be made in writing to the appropriate school principal within
seven school days of the date of recording one wishes to review.
Cromwell
Must Give $1.3 Million Back To State For Woodside School
By MELISSA PIONZIO, mpionzio@courant.com
The Hartford Courant
5:00 PM EST, December 10, 2010
CROMWELL —
Enrollment at Woodside Intermediate School is lower than projected, a
state audit has found, prompting the state to ask the town to return of
$1.3 million used to build the school.
There are 494 students enrolled at the school, 105 fewer than predicted
by the school building committee when the school was in the planning
stages in 2001.
"We have a formula that authorizes payments per square foot per
student," said Tom Murphy, spokesman for the state Department of
Education. "With this school, there is a square footage allotment per
pupil that the state will reimburse or cost share. But if you build a
school that is too large, then the state will only pay up to the
authorized square footages."
The state initially sought $1.6 million from the town, but reduced the
amount by $377,000 by decreasing the square footage used in the grant
calculation, Murphy said. The 84,000-square-foot school was completed
in 2006 at a cost of $27.4 million.
Superintendent Matthew Bisceglia said the town got the data to support
its enrollment projections through studies conducted by a state
education consultant and an educational consulting agency. Bisceglia,
who was not superintendent when the school was built, said he questions
the validity of such projections, pointing out that the consultant's
study projected that Cromwell's overall student enrollment for
2010-2011 would be lower than it actually is.
"They projected for the 2010-2011 school year we'd have 1,717 students
for the district; we have 2,040," he said. "Additionally, they said
we'd have 485 students at the high school; we actually have 603."
Bisceglia said Mark Cohan, who was the superintendant at the time,
hired Education Leadership Services LLC to help plan the type of
intermediate school the town would need. That information was provided
to the state, he said.
"Based on data they reviewed, such as enrollment dynamics and building
permits, the company suggested that Cromwell plan for 600 students at
the intermediate level by the end of the decade," said Bisceglia.
Although Woodside's enrollment is lower than projected, Bisceglia said
he is confident that the school will serve 600 students by 2020.
"You have the enrollment projection done by the state and the
educational leadership services coming up with a very strong projection
and you have the unique characteristics of Cromwell, which included an
incredible amount of open space," he said. "Even today as you drive by
Woodside Intermediate School, there are two new housing developments
going up. Had the economic downturn not taken place, we would see many
more of those homes being purchased, being built and many of the
building permits that were projected not being scrapped."
Murphy said the state will work with Cromwell to determine how it can
repay the $1.3 million. The town can also ask the General Assembly to
review the matter, or try to increase enrollment at Woodside.
Murphy said ways to do that include encouraging "public school choice,
students coming from other districts. If they do have that in place and
those students do attend that school, it does offer some opportunities
for discussion and those numbers would need to be looked at. We want to
work with the school district to resolve these issues, but these are
significant dollars and there is a school with 100 open seats."
Bisceglia, who has requested a meeting with state Department of
Education officials, said 73 students from other districts attend
Cromwell schools through the Open Choice program. He asked why state
officials accepted the town's application in the first place, since the
state audit also found that the town didn't supply sufficient data with
its application.
"Because this is an independent committee, why didn't the state write
to them and tell them they need more documentation?" Bisceglia. asked
"Why didn't they give them some guidance as to what they were really
looking for?"
Education panel rejects proposal to
change school funding rules
Jacqueline Rabe, CT MIRROR
December 6, 2010
A panel of municipal, education and business leaders Monday failed to
reach agreement on a proposal to require that state funds for education
follow students who leave their local public schools for alternative
institutions.
The business and education reform leaders on the panel backed the
proposal, but representatives of towns, local schools and unions
defeated their efforts. Alex Johnston, head of the New
Haven-based school reform group ConnCAN, called the proposal a "policy
answer" to improving public education in the state.
"We are not funding school choice in a way that makes sense right now,"
he said.
About 27,000 students in the state attend magnet schools and another
1,300 students attend public schools outside their home districts
through a choice program. Although the state provides some funding for
the alternative schools, it also continues to fund the local school
after the student is gone.
"The way we fund magnets and school choice programs is not fair. When a
student leaves a school, so should the money. The school responsible
for that student deserves that money," said Dudley Williams, an
executive at GE Asset Management who was named co-chair of Gov.-elect
Dan Malloy's education policy advisory group Monday.
"money follow the child"
CCM's Jim Finley (r): 'This would cause a lot of pain for schools'
But local officials and union leaders said Monday it would be unfair to
take money from an already cash-strapped school and send it to another.
"We are concerned about the impact on the individual districts," said
John Yrchik, head of the Connecticut Education Association, the state's
largest teachers' union. "You would be making it more difficult for
districts to function."
Jim Finley, executive director of the Connecticut Conference of
Municipalities, agreed.
"This would cause a lot of pain for schools," he said after the
meeting. "Maybe we can consider this when schools begin to be
adequately funded by the state. Right now they are not."
The panel, which was created by the State Board of Education to make
recommendations on school finance issues, did forward other proposals
to the board, including:
* Allowing parents to enroll their children in any
charter, magnet or school choice program
* Having the state fully fund its 50 percent share
of education
* Reorganizing the funding formula for schools
because it is not functioning effectively
Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan said he hopes whatever changes
are made to how schools are funded, it is fixed once and for all.
"There needs to be dependability and stability of school funding," he
said. "We cannot continue with this uncertainty."
Freund answers questions on
'stay-the-course budget'
MJ Mercanti-Anthony, Special To Greenwich Time
Published: 10:43 p.m., Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Superintendent of Schools Sidney Freund had a lot to answer for at
Tuesday night's public hearing on his proposed budget.
After soliciting input on his initial 2011-12 budget proposal presented
in early November, 144 questions came into the board office, including
ones from school board and PTA members and the public, as well as town
agencies like the Board of Estimate and Taxation and the Representative
Town Meeting. In front of the school board and a crowded audience
Tuesday night at Cos Cob School, Freund applauded the board and the
public for its analysis of the budget.
Coming in the second year of the district's strategic plan, he stated
this was a "stay-the-course budget, but not a business-as-usual
budget." As such, he argued the budget reflects the ongoing effort to
clarify and increase the focus on improving classroom instruction
through data-driven decision making. Most questions and comments
at the hearing from both board members and the public centered on
staffing concerns. Eighty-five percent of the budget consists of
staffing costs, while staffing additions account for 75 percent of the
increase in the proposed $135.6 million budget over the 2010-11
spending package. The overall year-to-year increase is 3.4 percent.
Freund clarified his initial proposal, saying that the budget calls for
an increase of 10.75 positions, not the 14.1 originally projected. The
error stemmed from a failure to account for building-based
administrators who teach part of the day. The new figure allows the
budget to meet the BET-set staffing guidelines of 10.2 students per
staff member. In total, the budget calls for the creation of
seven new elementary classes to maintain class-size guidelines enacted
by the board.
On the issue of resources, Freund explained that due to the diffuse
nature of schooling, precisely attributing student gains to specific
resource allocations was not possible. Long term, he argued the best
allocations are those that build the capacity of the instructional
staff. Board member Leslie Moriarty, conscious of the lack of
student-performance growth in some areas, worried if the current
staffing guidelines, particularly in regards to class size, were
appropriate for furthering the board's initiatives.
In response, Freund argued that class-size research is inconclusive.
"The strongest predicator of student success is not class size, but
quality of instruction," he said.
If given the option, Freund said he would rather increase the number of
instructional coaches to train teachers in new instructional
strategies. However, he reiterated that the current proposal follows
board guidelines on class size. Board member Peter Sherr
challenged the superintendent, arguing that anyone could Google class
size and see that is does make a difference, particularly in grades 3
and below. "Part of the reason our scores are declining are because
bright kids are leaving the district," Sherr said.
He continued, "I've heard from lots of groups of parents that we want a
hard cap (on class size). It sounds like we are not committed to that
issue."
Freund reiterated that the proposal meets current guidelines as
stipulated by the board. A 72-page booklet answering all of the
collected questions is available on the district's website at
greenwichschools.org. Anyone with questions not covered on the website
is asked to submit them to board President Steven Anderson by noon
Thursday. The board will hold another public hearing on Dec. 9
before voting on the budget at its Dec. 16 meeting.
"At that point it becomes the board's budget and we further it along to
other groups by statute," Anderson said. The board would submit
the spending plan to the town by Dec. 30. The BET will take up the
proposal before the Representative Town Meeting adopts the budget in
May.
Lady
Trojan swimmers splash their way to Class S title
Westport NEWS
By Eliot Schickler, eschickler@bcnnew.com
Published: 06:08 a.m., Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Miracles happen in sports from time to time and underdogs go on to win
championships. In the fashion of David slaying Goliath with a
slingshot, the underdog prevailed in the Class S swimming championships
at Southern Connecticut State University on Tuesday when the Weston
girls swimming team dethroned three-time defending Class S champion
East Catholic, 568.5-561.5 points in the 26-team field.
Weston's slingshot struck the bullseye square in the face because of
its depth. Although the Lady Trojans won only one event, taking the
200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:42.80 behind freshman Dacia
Gross, junior Catie Ledwick, senior co-captain Karen Bottger and
freshman Katie Johnson, they won because they had many other All-State
performances.
Bottger took second in the 200-yarrd freestyle (1:55.84) and third in
the 500-yard freestyle (5:17.95). Sophomore Olivia Clark almost made
All-State in the 500-free but settled for fourth (5:19.43) and was an
All-Stater in the 100-yard breatstroke (1:09.09). Johnson was an
All-Stater in the 100-yard freestyle (55.58) by placing third and
sophomore Alex Edgar earned All-State in the 50-yard freestyle (25.75)
by taking third place. Bottger, Edgar, Clark and Johnson earned
All-State in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:43.02) by placing second.
School's out for Klein
NYPOST
By SALLY GOLDENBERG and YOAV GONEN
Last Updated: 5:50 AM, November 10, 2010
Posted: 2:45 AM, November 10, 2010
Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, a hard-charging innovator who brought
unprecedented national attention to the city as a model for urban
public-school reform, shocked the education world yesterday by
announcing his resignation. He will be replaced by Cathie Black,
a publishing-world powerhouse who has headed Hearst Magazines for the
past 15 years and who Mayor Bloomberg said was selected largely for her
managerial skills.
Like Klein when he was appointed to run the country's largest schools
system back in 2002, Black will take the helm of an operation with a
$23 billion budget, 1.1 million students and 135,000 employees having
had almost no experience in education. She will become the city's
first female schools chancellor when she takes over sometime around the
new year. Klein, who has been heralded as an educational
reformer, said he is taking a position as an executive vice president
at News Corp., the parent company of The Post.
"Thank you for giving me the best job I've ever had," Klein told
Bloomberg at a press conference at City Hall yesterday.
To the city's public-school parents, Klein added, "Being responsible
for educating your children has been both daunting and humbling. I want
you to know, I gave it my all."
Klein, 64, took over a schools system that was by all accounts
dysfunctional and that had seen a revolving door of chancellors
attempt, and for the most part fail, to make lasting
improvements. Hand-in-hand with Bloomberg -- the first mayor to
have direct control over the city's public schools -- Klein set about
restructuring not just the chaotic organization of the system but also
its defeatist culture. Among the initiatives with which he
targeted his so-called three pillars of school reform -- leadership,
empowerment and accountability -- Klein:
* Assigned schools A through F letter grades and closed schools that
had consistently received poor grades.
* Created a hospitable environment in which more than 125 charter
schools could flourish, including by providing them with free public
building space.
* Battled to eradicate longstanding teachers-union protections, such as
tenure, seniority rights and lockstep pay, which he believed benefited
educators, but not students.
* Handed much of the budget and educational decision-making power to
schools, rather than ruling from a central bureaucracy.
During his tenure, Klein oversaw a 15-percentage-point increase in
graduation rates, according to the city's calculations. It now stands
at 63 percent, according to a new methodology. Klein also oversaw
steady gains in elementary- and middle-school math and reading test
scores.
"He really was and is a transformative leader," said Sy Fliegel, a
former educator and current director of the Center for Educational
Innovation-Public Education Association.
"His reorganization and what he's doing now is a major innovative
change, because I always thought schools were the center of change --
and that's where he's putting the power."
But Klein also took his fair share of punches throughout his tenure --
often after alienating parents and when butting heads with the leaders
of the powerful teachers union. Many parents and teachers have
been fuming for years over what they see as Klein's reliance on test
scores -- which are used to decide which students to hold back, which
teachers to give tenure to, and which schools to close.
"Chancellor Klein's tenure has been controversial, and even divisive,
in part because he never figured out how to work effectively with
parents," said Zakiyah Ansari, a parent organizer for the Alliance for
Quality Education.
But others say that Klein brought a tidal wave of positive change to
the city -- and that he was particularly effective at recruiting
talented teachers and principals.
"Joel Klein built an incredible base in his term, and now it is up to
the rest of us to build on that base and continue the push to save
public education from itself," said Joe Williams, director of Democrats
for Education Reform.
Education officials propose a plan to
expand school choice--at a cost
CT MIRROR
Jacqueline Rabe
November 8, 2010
State education officials are proposing a series of measures to expand
opportunities for Hartford schoolchildren to attend suburban
schools--but the multi-million-dollar plan will be a tough sell with
the state facing a massive budget deficit.
The plan would provide money to reopen suburban schools that have been
closed, with the requirement that 25 percent of their enrollment be
Hartford students. It also would more than double current
reimbursements for districts that enroll a certain threshold of
Hartford students, increase transportation grants to get students to
alternative schools and give the state education commissioner authority
to require suburban districts to enroll Hartford students.
The state is under court order in the Sheff vs. O'Neill school
desegregation case to reduce the racial isolation of Hartford's largely
black and Hispanic school population. In an interview last week,
Education Commissioner Mark K. McQuillan said the alternative to the
state's taking action on its own is to face another court mandate.
"We have to do more. We can make the investment now, or we can go back
to court and they can make us meet our objectives," he said. "I imagine
a court mandate will look very similar to what I am proposing."
The plan would cost $2 million a year for a pilot program to reopen
four closed schools; $5.9 million a year to increase the reimbursement
to suburban districts for enrolling Hartford students; and an
additional $7 million a year to increase transportation grants.
McQuillan said the costs could prove to be a major problem, considering
the state is facing a $3.3 billion deficit the coming year.
"We need to get people to make this commitment," he told State Board of
Education members during a meeting Thursday.
McQuillan said reopening closed schools is less expensive that building
new magnet schools, which has been the principal strategy for complying
with Sheff so far.
The state has spend more than $1 billon on magnet schools since the
1996 order; they currently enroll about 5,200 students.
State Department of Education officials say a less expensive
alternative is to increase enrollment in the state's Open Choice
Program, which has about 1,300 student attending public schools in a
district outside their own, well short of the SDE goal of 3,000
students.
Martha Stone, a lawyer for the Sheff plaintiffs, said the state is
still falling "significantly short" of its obligation to provide
alternative schools -- whether it's charter, magnet or enrollment in a
suburban schools.
"There's a huge demand of students wanting to leave their current
school. The problem is there are not thousands of seats at suburban
schools. The suburban districts aren't offering the spots," she said.
McQuillan said part of the problem is that there are not adequate
incentives for suburban districts to accept Hartford students.
James Caradonio, who heads the Greater Hartford Regional School Choice
Office, said some superintendents and principals tell him they would
loose money by taking students from the city.
"It's absolutely not enough money. It's common sense why we still have
a shortage of spots," he said.
Districts are currently reimbursed $2,500 for each student they enroll.
McQuillan plans to ask state lawmakers to increase that to $6,000 for
districts that offer 3 percent of their seats to Hartford students.
The proposal to reopen closed schools would start as a pilot program
and would provide $250,000 a year for each participating school for
renovations, computers, lab equipment or other instructional materials
if 25 percent of the school's students are from Hartford.
McQuillan is also proposing that he be allow to require suburban
schools accept more Hartford students, a proposal he admits is a long
shot and will face a lot of resistance if the appropriate funding does
not accompany such a mandate.
Stone said requiring suburban districts accept Hartford students,
increasing the funding for each student they enroll and reopening
closed schools to provide more options are good steps toward the
state's meeting its obligations.
"We would support this," she said. "The goal is to offer more seats in
schools for Hartford students."
Education commissioner proposes
increasing kindergarten enrollment age
Jacqueline Rabe, CT MIRROR
November 4, 2010
Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan is proposing an increase in the
minimum age for students to enter kindergarten--a move that could delay
the start of public school for 10,000 students a year. McQuillan
told members of the State Board of Education Wednesday the proposal
will narrow the age range for students in kindergarten, which now
includes children from 4 to almost 7 years old. Such a wide
developmental range makes it difficult to meet the needs of all the
children in the class, he said.
Connecticut currently allows students to be enrolled in kindergarten if
they will turn 5 by Jan. 1 of that school year. Most states have
cut-off dates sometime between Aug. 31 and Oct. 16, according to the
State Department of Education. McQuillan's proposal would push
the cut-off date back a month at a time, until by the 2014-15 school
year, children would have to turn 5 by Sept. 1 in order to enroll in
kindergarten. Ultimately, the change would affect about a quarter of
some 40,000 kindergarten students in the state.
"No one would be disadvantaged," McQuillan said.
But not everyone agrees, including State Rep. Andrew Fleischmann,
D-West Hartford, co-chairman of the legislature's education committee.
McQuillan's proposal would likely need to be approved by his committee.
"It's sounds to me a bit divorced from reality. Having access to
kindergarten or education for everyone is important," he said.
Sherry Linton-Massiah, an early-education advocate for the Connecticut
Association of Human Services, said it's true that not all children are
ready for kindergarten before age 5, noting that she chose to pay "a
small fortune" to send her son to preschool for an extra year. But not
everyone can afford that.
"Do some children start kindergarten too early? Yes, absolutely," she
said. "But we can't leave these children with no learning environment."
Fleischmann agreed. "It just sounds problematic to stop providing
kindergarten to some families in the middle of a fiscal crisis."
McQuillan's proposal also includes state funding of preschool for an
estimated 4,700 children from low-income families. Officials at the SDE
estimate that would cost almost $37 million every year, some of which
would be offset by the state not having to pay for a portion of
kindergarten for those students.
"This is not about the costs. This is an education matter and providing
education in a more effective way," said Brian Mahoney, the chief
financial officer at the SDE.
Fleischmann said picking up the cost of preschool for only some of the
10,000 children affected by the age change would be unfair to families
who don't get the benefit.
"Those parents would be screaming," he said.
Linton said she could support the commissioner's proposal if preschool
was paid for all 10,000 students that would now be deemed too young for
kindergarten. But with the state facing multi-billion dollar deficits,
that's unlikely to happen. Shifting all these students from
kindergarten to preschool programs worries Mary Loftus Levine,
Connecticut Education Association's director of public policy.
"We prefer teachers who are certified working with these children. Some
preschools pay so poorly and their requirements are not as strict; it's
hard to attract good teachers. You need more than just a babysitter,"
she said.
Current law
does require by 2015 every preschool classroom funded by the state be
staffed with a teacher with a degree or certificate in early childhood
education, child development or related field.
Rising enrollment strains community
colleges
Jacqueline Rabe, CT MIRROR
October 5, 2010
The state's community colleges are once again experiencing record
enrollment growth, an expansion that college officials say could force
them to stop accepting all applicants.
"We can't continue at this pace," said Anita T. Gliniecki, president of
Housatonic Community College, adding the almost 50 percent enrollment
increase in the last five years has her campus at capacity. "We cannot
continue to grow without additional staff and additional funds."
This is the twelfth consecutive year the state's dozen community
colleges experienced a surge in enrollment, from about 39,000 during
the 1998 fall semester to a preliminary count of more than 58,000 this
semester, the Connecticut State Department of Education reported Monday.
"We have lived with this philosophy of open enrollment at these
colleges for decades. We can't afford to fund this open enrollment
model indefinitely," said State Higher Education Commissioner Michael
P. Meotti. "Enrollment is outstripping capacity. People can't get into
classes and programs."
Vanessa Morest, dean of institutional effectiveness at Norwalk
Community College, said 90 percent of the classes at NCC had more
students trying to enroll than spaces available at the start of this
semester. A few years ago, she estimates students were shut out of just
over half the classes.
"We're an open admission college. But that doesn't mean people will be
able to get into their classes. That's a major problem," said Kim
Ebert, director of enrollment at NCC.
Community college leaders say this enrollment increase comes at the
worst possible time, since it is unlikely state lawmakers, facing huge
budget deficits, will find more money for community colleges.
"Increased costs are inevitable when you have this big of an increase
in the number of students. We are looking at a very, very grim
picture," said Mary Anne Cox, assistant chancellor of Connecticut
Community Colleges
Community colleges have been level-funded at about $158 million since
the 2008-09 school year. In that time, enrollment increased 14
percent. But Rep. Roberta B. Willis, co-chairwoman of the
legislature's Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee and
graduate of Northwestern Community College, said she is not ready to
consider requiring that the state's community colleges start turning
people away.
"I will not consider that until it's the last resort," she said. "You
would be closing the door on a lot of people that are asking for an
education. ... I don't want to leave people behind."
With or without legislative action, Cox said the record enrollment
growth already has community colleges headed down this path.
"We'll soon have to turn students away, there is no question about it,"
Cox said. "This comes at the worst possible time. There may be no where
else for these students to go."
Community colleges have long served as an inexpensive alternative for
those to whom other higher education choices are a financial or
academic stretch. Katherine Monsalve, a 21-year-old single mother
from Fairfield, said she couldn't afford to go anywhere but Housantonic
Community College.
"When I heard Sacred Heart was in the $30,000 a year price range,
that's when I looked at this school. That's a lot of money," she said.
"This school is a lot cheaper. That helps."
Meotti calls community colleges a "bargain" for students, as tuition
and fees are just $3,400 for a full-time in-state student this
semester. Tuition and fees at the University of Connecticut this fall
is $10,416.
"People see going to these colleges as a smart investment," he said,
noting that more students go to the state's community colleges than
Connecticut State University System or UConn. "The limited amount of
space [at community colleges] is something we must talk about."
He said it makes no sense to accept someone into a class that there is
no chance they are going to pass, while shutting out another student
that has a good chance of passing the class.
"It's not really doing you any favors to let you in a class that you
are doomed to fail," he said.
Willis does not see the 80 percent of students needing remedial classes
as a problem for the community colleges, rather an opportunity to get
them academically where they should be.
"Yes, that's a huge, huge burden on community colleges. But where else
are they going to learn?" she asked. "In order to turn this economy
around, they have to be able to work. ... This would be closing the
door on a lot of people before they even have a shot."
But Meotti is focusing on the likelihood being that state funding will
decrease, so community colleges will soon only be able to afford a
limited number of students. "You have to be a realist. ... We are going
to accept the budgetary reality that the odds are funding is going to
decrease."
And with that decrease, he believes the decade-old policy of accepting
everyone that applies to community colleges needs to be reconsidered.
Does performance on SAT 2010 relate to per pupil
cost?
Town-By-Town SAT Scores
By GRACE E. MERRITT, gmerritt@courant.com
2:08 PM EDT, September 27, 2010
HARTFORD —
Students in Connecticut's wealthy southwestern towns, particularly
Weston, had the best scores overall on the 2010 SAT test while some of
the state's larger cities fared the worst, according to town-by-town
results released by the state Department of Education.
Weston High School had two of the highest mean scores in the state, 587
on the reading portion of the test and 610 on the writing portion.
Darien High School had a mean score of 611 on the mathematics test. A
perfect score on the individual subject tests is 800.
Closer to the Hartford region, Avon, Farmington, Glastonbury, Simsbury
and EO. Smith High School in Regional District 19 in Mansfield did well
on the college entrance exam, Department of Education spokesman Tom
Murphy said Monday. Simsbury ranked fifth best in the state for reading
with a school of 575.
Statewide, the average math score was 510, reading was 505 and writing
was 510. Though the scores were up slightly overall, they really just
regained ground lost over the past five years. State education
officials said they were not satisfied with student progress and intend
to take steps to improve student performance overall.
Murphy said the trend underscores the correlation between wealthy
school systems and student achievement.
"It's clear that students in the towns with high scores, parents do
have resources for SAT prep courses, additional tutoring and
exploration of the PSAT and the ability to take the SAT multiple
times," Murphy said.
"In addition to that, these students are more likely to have the
highest percentage of parents with dual college degrees and an
appreciation for the educational enterprise. So there's a lot of
support for each student to succeed."
Some urban districts did not fare well, with schools such as Bulkeley
High School in Hartford and Bassick High School in Bridgeport and James
Hillhouse High School in New Haven scoring in the upper 300s all three
subject areas.
The Hartford Culinary Arts Academy, a school within Weaver High School,
had the worst reading score and second worst math score in the state.
Stamford Academy, an alternative high school for students who have not
succeeded in a traditional high school setting, posted the worst math
and second worst reading scores. Eli Whitney Technical High School, a
state-run technical school in Hamden, also fared poorly across the
board and posted the worst writing scores in Connecticut.
Besides struggling with poverty at home, some students in urban schools
are not native English speakers and many of the high schools do not
offer rigorous college prep courses, Murphy said. New legislation
passed this May should help address the coursework disparity because it
requires all students to take more rigorous courses and requires high
schools to offer Advanced Placement courses, Murphy said.
Links to Gallis Report and
METROPATERNS...
From "Casablanca" - I'm
shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! [a croupier hands Renault a pile of money] :Guess
what - they discovered...The
Two Connecticuts
Conn. has worst achievement gap
between low-income, nonlow-income students
New London DAY
Article published Aug 31, 2010
Hartford - A Connecticut education group says the state has the worst
performance gap between low-income and non-low-income students in the
country. The Connecticut Commission on Educational Achievement
announced Monday that it has found 4th- and 8th-grade low-income
students are on average about three grade levels behind their peers in
reading and math. It also said 60 percent of low-income students
graduated from high school in 2009 compared with 86 percent of more
affluent students.
The group says it plans to release a report Oct. 20 with suggestions on
how to close the gap.
Connecticut was not a finalist in the Obama administration's Race to
the Top education grant program.
The state was seeking $175 million in federal funding to help
jump-start a series of education reforms passed by the legislature this
year.
Andre Agassi College
Preparatory Academy: 4th grade class in Las Vegas, Nevada
- not in Weston, CT!
At one school, new technology means
blackboard is a relic
LAS VEGAS SUN
By Rick Lax
Monday, Aug. 30, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.
The old classroom blackboard is dust.
Every classroom in the K-12 Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy is
equipped with a SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard. The boards are also
being used in other Clark County schools.
The SMART Whiteboard is a multitasking every-tool that functions as a
traditional blackboard, an overhead projector, a video player and
tablet computer.
You can write on the SMART Whiteboard with your finger and erase it
with your palm, or you can use a digital pen and eraser.
Teachers can make printouts of material that appears on the SMART
Whiteboard, and then distribute the printouts to students who missed
class or have trouble taking notes because of learning disabilities.
The SMART Whiteboard is equipped with an audio recorder, so teachers
can upload the whole day’s lesson onto the Web. Students can then
access the lessons from home. No more excuses for forgetting who got
what in the Louisiana Purchase.
COST REDUCTION PROGRAM (Heating-Cooling), WESTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NOV.
9, 2009 - JULY 10, 2010
JONES: Lawsuit taxes go public
They're not hidden
anymore - they're on your tax bill
The Washington Times
By Bob Dorigo Jones
6:08 p.m., Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The "hidden" lawsuit tax that all Americans pay because we live in the
most lawsuit-happy society on earth isn't hiding in Detroit anymore.
Beware - it may come out of hiding soon in your city, too.
Because of mounting lawsuits against public schools in the Motor City,
taxpayers there have been forced to pay a new special levy over and
above the other taxes. It's an alarming development and should be a
warning sign to residents of other cities across the nation of what
will happen if courts and policymakers fail to address the growing
problem of excessive litigation in our country.
In July, the Detroit Free Press reported that property owners there are
getting socked with a new markup on their summer property tax bills to
pay off lawsuits against the schools. Like most school districts and
cities in the United States, the Detroit Public School District is
facing a financial emergency brought on by, among other things, the
struggling national economy.
Rather than roll the costs of the lawsuits into the general-fund budget
as they try to pay other bills, officials chose to use a little-known
law that allows them to charge a "judgment tax levy." Worse yet, this
lawsuit tax doesn't require voter approval.
For years, consumer advocates like myself have been sounding an alarm
about the hidden lawsuit tax built into everything we buy. All of the
lawsuits against doctors, job providers and even charities add a
staggering amount to the cost of the things we buy every day - not to
mention the quality of life in our communities.
According to the most thorough analysis of the total legal costs in
America conducted to date, an American family of four pays an
"excessive tort tax" of about $7,800 a year in higher prices, fewer new
products and reduced access to health care. This study was conducted by
the Pacific Research Institute and is the most realistic look at how
much we pay for excessive litigation.
Although the lawsuit tax hasn't appeared on the receipts we get when we
buy a car or go to the doctor, the costs are there nonetheless. Now,
with Detroit's schools adding a special levy for the lawsuits, one
portion of the tax is out in the open.
With other cities and school districts facing financial crises of their
own, how much longer will you be able to avoid a special levy on your
tax bill? Just this week, an advocacy group in California called
Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse released a study revealing that 12
school districts in the Golden State have had to pay $98.7 million in
litigation costs over the past three fiscal years. That's troubling,
for sure, but it's only a fraction of the total cost of lawsuits
because there are nearly 1,000 school districts in California.
School districts aren't the only governmental units being crippled by
the cost of litigation. In 2008, it cost New York City $554 million to
pay off lawsuits. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg was quoted as saying,
"Court settlements are killing us," and one major newspaper said the
city should be known as "Sue York."
Taxpayers should wake up to the hidden - and not-so-hidden-anymore -
tax that's piling up because of the proliferation of lawsuits. Because
we're in election season, voters should ask candidates where they stand
on this issue. It's time for policymakers to tackle the problem of
lawsuit abuse because the true costs are coming out of hiding. Your
city might be next.
-----
Bob Dorigo Jones is senior fellow at Foundation for Fair Civil
Justice.
Applications, enrollment up at private
schools
Stamford ADVOCATE
Maggie Gordon, Staff Writer
Published: 09:52 p.m., Sunday, August 22, 2010
STAMFORD -- Many local private schools are experiencing increased
enrollment for the new academic year after struggling in recent years.
King, a private school on Newfield Avenue, is seeing record high
enrollment for the upcoming school year, according to Director of
Admissions Carrie Salvatore. King recently raised its enrollment cap to
685 students, and each available seat will be filled in September,
Salvatore said. The school, which costs $32,500 annually for high
school students, also received an increased number of applications this
year -- both for admission and financial assistance, she said.
"There was a slight increase in applications for financial assistance
this year, and an uptick in current families who had never required
assistance in previous years needing it for a one- or two-year help
with tuition," Salvatore said.
But the majority of requests for assistance occurred two years ago, she
said.
"This year, I think we saw a lot of that start to settle," she said.
The unemployment rate in Fairfield County was 8 percent in June,
according to the Connecticut Department of Labor. It was 5.1 percent in
June 2008 before jumping to 8.1 percent in June 2009. About 12
percent of families who send students to King receive financial aid,
according to Salvatore. The packages range from $3,000 to $32,000, and
the average grant hovers near $15,000, she said. King's
ninth-grade class will have 88 members this fall, making it the upper
school's largest incoming class yet, she said. In total, the school
system, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade,
will host 130 new students this year.
"I think we've been really lucky. We really weathered the financial
storm last year quite well. Even though we saw slightly higher
attrition, we had more applications coming in," she said.
King was not the only independent school to experience higher rates of
attrition in recent years.
"It has happened that families have not come back because of financial
reasons -- we've felt it as other schools have," said Nancy Hayes,
director of admissions at New Canaan Country School, which serves about
615 students in pre-kindergarten through ninth grades. The school's
annual price tag ranges from $23,500 to $30,000 plus fees, increasing
as children grow older.
"I think the impact was greater last year in the 2009-10 admission
season," she said. "There's always a normal amount of attrition anyway.
I would say our attrition has been less this year than it was last
year, and retention was stronger."
In fact, retention rates for students entering ninth grade increased 20
percent over last year, she said. The eighth-to-ninth-grade
transition typically comes with attrition as families make decisions
about a student's high school years, said Sam Gaudet, director of
admissions at St. Luke's School, also located in New Canaan, which
serves students in fifth through 12th grade.
"Our retention for eighth to ninth has been pretty good," Gaudet said.
The preparatory school, which costs about $32,000 a year, has received
20 percent more applications for the upcoming year than last year, he
said.
"Certainly last year, you saw more families applying for financial aid,
but when we compare this year to last year, it's been pretty flat," he
said.
Last year, some of the area's Catholic schools, run by the Diocese of
Bridgeport, took on new students who had previously attended more
expensive private schools, according to Joann Borchetta, principal of
St. Cecilia Elementary School, located on Newfield Avenue.
"This year, we're seeing less of the kids coming from other private
schools," she said. "Last year, I wouldn't call it significant, but it
certainly let us know that something was different."
The number of Stamford children attending St. Cecilia's in the 2010
academic year increased by 5 percent over the 2008 academic year, while
the percentage of Stamford children attending King decreased by 6
percent, according to data from the state Department of Education.
The diocese's schools charge $5,500 per "certified" pupil, and an
additional $2,000 if the students are not certified. Students are
certified by a pastor based on attendance at church and whether they
are "living the faith," Borchetta said.
Administrators at the elementary school projected they would teach 276
students in the 2010 academic year, but they ended up hosting 302
students, she said. The projection for this year was 275 students;
administrators are now expecting about 300 students again, according to
Borchetta.
"Tough times make people make honest decisions, and we're seeing
parents who are totally committed to the education and the future of
their children," Borchetta said. But while several local administrators
say parents are choosing to invest in their children's future by
choosing private schools, Borchetta noted that the choice and the
sacrifices involved aren't always easy.
"We do offer a very minimal amount of tuition assistance," she said.
"Earlier, I was on the phone with a mother, and she said that if she
could just get some financial aid instead of working her day job and
six nights a week, she would work her day job and three nights a week
to keep her kids in Catholic schools."
Weston schools have applications
for free/reduced lunches
Weston FORUM
Written by Kimberly Donnelly
Sunday, 22 August 2010 00:00
Weston Public Schools has adopted the United States Department of
Agriculture’s (USDA) Income Eligibility Guidelines for determining
eligibility of children who may receive free or reduced price meals
served under the National School Lunch Program. The income
guidelines
that will be used from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011 (or until new
income guidelines are issued by USDA) are avialable on the school’s Web
site, www.westonK12.org.
Application forms may be obtained by calling the Weston Public Schools
Business Office at 203-291-1407 or by accessing the form at
www.westonk12-ct.org. Click on the “Free & Reduced Priced Lunch”
link on the homepage. Copies are also available at the
principal’s
office at each school. Questions should be directed to the appropriate
principal’s office: Hurlbutt Elementary School (203-291-1444), Weston
Intermediate School (203-291-2700), Weston Middle School
(203-291-1500), or Weston High School (203-291-1600).
The information provided on the application is confidential and will be
used only for the purposes of determining eligibility, and may be
verified at any time during the school year by school or other program
officials. Applications may be submitted at any time during the year.
Application forms for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) —formerly known as Food Stamps — or Temporary Family Assistance
(TFA) households require the child’s name, the child’s SNAP/TFA case
number and the signature of an adult household member. Households
receiving assistance under the SNAP/TFA programs will be notified of
their eligibility and their children will be provided free benefits
unless the household notifies the school that it chooses to decline
benefits. Households receiving SNAP benefits or TFA for their children
should only submit an application if they are not notified of their
eligibility by Sept. 2, 2010.
Households receiving SNAP benefits or TFA for their children may
receive a direct certification letter from the Department of Social
Services. These letters will automatically qualify a child for free
meals or milk and may be submitted instead of an application to the
school. Application forms for all other households require a
statement
of total household income, household size and names of all household
members.
Under the provisions of the policy for determining eligibility for free
and reduced price meals, the principals will review applications and
determine eligibility. If a parent is dissatisfied with the ruling of
the determining official, he/she may wish to discuss the decision with
the determining official on an informal basis. If he/she wishes
to
make a formal appeal, a request either orally or in writing may be made
to Dr. Jo-Ann Keating, Director of Finance and Operations, Weston
Public Schools, 24 School Road, Weston, CT 06883; 203-291-1407.
If a household member becomes unemployed or if household size changes
at any time, the family should contact the school to file a new
application.
Video cameras a fixture on many school
buses in the region
Greenwwich TIME
Amanda Cuda, Staff Writer
Published: 09:21 p.m., Saturday, August 21, 2010
When a child shoves a classmate, they see it. If a bus driver isn't
following the rules, they're there. They're witnesses to unruly
behavior, vandalism, traffic violations and countless other, less
exciting instances taking place on school buses throughout the region.
They're video cameras, and many school buses are equipped with them as
a security measure.
About half the school districts in the state have the equipment on at
least some of their buses, said Jim Salter, president of the
Connecticut School Transportation Association, a nonprofit organization
that represents nearly all the public and private owners of school
buses in the state. There are a variety of reasons a district might
choose to equip its buses with cameras, but Salter said the devices are
mainly seen by school officials as a way to help protect students, even
when they're not in the school building. "Most of these districts
consider the school bus an extension of the classroom," Salter said. "I
think the cameras are just another tool."
Shocking Behavior
Most school districts that employ the cameras mainly use them to
identify and prevent relatively routine problems, such as fights among
kids or other disorderly behavior. But, sometimes, what the cameras see
is shocking.
That was the case earlier this year in Trumbull, when the parents of a
9-year-old autistic girl asked to review video footage from their
daughter's bus. The child, who doesn't speak, had come home from school
several times with bruises and sprained fingers. Upon reviewing the
footage from the bus, the parents -- and later police -- reportedly saw
evidence that school bus monitor Jennifer Davila, 24, repeatedly hurt
the child while the girl was a passenger on the bus, driven by Davila's
mother. Davila was arrested Aug. 10 and charged with three counts of
risk of injury to a child and three counts of third-degree assault on a
disabled person. The videos also allegedly revealed that the bus driver
was text-messaging while operating the vehicle. That incident is under
investigation by police.
Trumbull has had cameras on its school buses for about 10 years, said
Dawn Perkins, transportation coordinator for the Trumbull Public School
system. She said the cameras are intended to catch, and prevent, a
variety of problems, including conflicts among students and vandalism.
About 90 buses serve the district, all of which have four cameras
aboard. The cameras are owned by First Student, the bus company the
school district contracts with to provide transportation. However, the
footage is owned by the district, meaning all requests to view the
footage must go through school officials.
Typically, Perkins said, footage is only reviewed if there is a request
from a parent, administrator or someone else, though she does do
periodic random checks of the footage. The hard drive with the footage
on it is reset after about 30 days. Prior to the incident with Davila,
Perkins said the district has been asked to review the video footage on
occasion, including at least one request that involved a bullying
incident. "We've had some people come to us with concerns," she said.
An eye on Safety
Aside from Trumbull, districts in the region that have cameras on at
least some of their buses include Fairfield, Bridgeport, Stratford and
Milford. Most school officials from districts that employ cameras said
they, like Perkins, typically just review footage when there's some
sort of complaint. In Bridgeport, Raul Laffitte, director of
transportation for the school system, said there were about a dozen
such complaints last year, mostly regarding behavior issues among
students.
Laffitte said the Long Island, N.Y.-based bus company We Transport
provides the majority of the district's buses -- 114 large buses and 59
smaller ones -- and all those vehicles are equipped with cameras.
However, the city owns and operates 18 buses, which are used by special
education students, and only three of those have cameras. Laffitte said
the absence of cameras on those vehicles is mainly due to budgetary
concerns, and the district is trying to find the funds to add the
equipment.
Salter said, depending on type and number of cameras, outfitting a bus
with the equipment can cost from $800 to $4,000 a bus. There can be as
many as four cameras on a bus "depending on what the district is
looking for," said Salter, also vice president of the Simsbury-based
school bus company Salter's Express.
Fairfield's 31 buses that serve special education students don't have
cameras, though the other 95 buses do. Fairfield transportation
supervisor John Ficke said that in the negotiating stages of the bus
contracts there were confidentiality concerns about having cameras on
the special education buses. Meanwhile, Stratford Superintendent of
Schools Irene Cornish said four vans used by the district for
transportation of special needs students are without cameras, but all
the vehicles owned and operated by the district transportation
provider, Durham School Services, have cameras aboard. Durham provides
39 buses and 26 vans to the district.
The cameras do offer an extra level of security, school officials said.
Cornish said she used to work in a district in Massachusetts, and "we
insisted on having monitors on the buses" to watch the children. But
finding, and paying for, monitors for all the buses was difficult.
Cameras are a viable alternative.
Like Laffitte, Cornish said most of the requests her district gets to
review footage involve issues among students, though she does recall at
least one complaint about a driver. "There was one instance where there
was an accusation that bus driver had grabbed a student's arm," Cornish
said. Upon reviewing the tapes, officials found no evidence of the
alleged incident.
Despite that incident and the one in Trumbull, most officials said the
cameras mainly serve to keep students from acting out. As a confined
space in which a variety of kids are in close contact, buses can be a
tense place, Cornish said. That's particularly true of the rides home
in the afternoon, when the students are energized by the freedom that
comes with the end of the school day.
"They're excited," she said. "They're wide awake and there's potential
for things to get out of hand."
But, Salter said, the cameras can serve to keep them in line. "The kids
know they're there, so that should be a deterrent to some bad
behavior," he said.
RACE TO THE
TOP OF THE NOVEMBER 2, 2010 ELECTION?
The only winner
NOT on or near the East Coast was Ohio - that's where people from
Weston moved when the economy tanked in the earlier part of this
country's history. Oh - and Hawaii.
Governor:
Connecticut denied grant in federal 'Race to the Top' program
DAY
By STEPHANIE REITZ Associated Press
Article
published Dec 16, 2011
Hartford - The U.S. Department of Education has denied Connecticut's
application for up to $50 million in grants to boost its early
childhood education programs, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Thursday.
Connecticut officials were notified that the state is not among the
winners in the latest round of federal "Race to the Top" grants, Malloy
said. A formal announcement is expected today. It was the second
year in a row Connecticut was rejected by the highly competitive grant
program, which calls on states to coordinate and improve education for
children in the critical time before kindergarten. It places
special focus on reaching poor children who need the services the most,
but whose families can least afford them.
Connecticut was competing with 34 other states, the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Connecticut's application promised to cut in half the percentage of its
students who enter kindergarten unprepared, and also said the state
will add 1,000 new state-funded preschool seats for needy children
starting in July 2013 - whether or not it won the federal grant.
It's also making a push to reach more young children whose caregivers
are family members and friends, and who might otherwise not get the
benefit of early learning programs in more formal settings.
"High-quality education for all of Connecticut's children is a top
priority for my administration, and we should be pleased with the
strong application that we submitted; it will serve as a roadmap as we
move forward on education reform," Malloy said in a statement.
"However, we were aware going in that we were at a disadvantage - a
lack of investment over the past decade meant that we did not have the
infrastructure in place, or have a well-developed or coordinated early
learning system."
'Determined to move forward'
"That will change," Malloy said. "This federal funding would have
accelerated our efforts, but we are determined to move forward to
improve early learning in Connecticut and keep our commitment that all
of Connecticut's students receive a high-quality education."
Officials who worked on Connecticut's application and its supporters
said boosting early learning programs and preparing more students for
kindergarten was within the state's grasp if it won the money to
coordinate current programs, fill gaps where others are needed, and get
the best teachers in place. State officials said that what set
Connecticut's application apart from other states was its push to reach
more children whose caretakers are neighbors, relatives and family
friends, and who might otherwise have little exposure to education
programs before kindergarten.
Officials estimate at least 40,000 of Connecticut's most high-need
young children are in that situation. Several programs are already in
place to train those caregivers to prepare the children before
kindergarten, but state and local officials say they know thousands of
other children could be helped if they could reach them.
The state hopes to identify the youngsters through their families'
participation in other state and federal programs, such as HUSKY health
care; the Care 4 Kids childcare credit program; welfare and food stamp
assistance; Birth to Three early intervention services and other
programs.
At least 80,000 of Connecticut's 210,500 children ages 5 and younger
are considered to have "high needs."
That means they are living in poverty, have a learning or developmental
disability, come from homes in which English is not the primary
language, or a combination. Many are in the state's poorest
cities. Although the state's investment in early learning
programs has been climbing steadily over the last four years, the wide
achievement gap between its wealthy and poor children is obvious, even
in kindergarten - something the Race to the Top grant application was
intended to address.
State-mandated assessments of young children show that in wealthy
communities, about 95 percent of children are well-prepared when they
enter kindergarten. In poor communities, it's 70 percent. Malloy
has said that the next legislative session will be focused on education.
"Over the past 11 months we've been aggressive about bring federal
dollars back to Connecticut," Malloy said, noting that the state has
received hundreds of millions of dollars for transportation projects.
"We will go back to Washington for education funding at every
opportunity," he said.
State's teacher evaluation plans too weak, federal reviewers say
Robert A. Frahm, CT MIRROR
August 25, 2010
The weakness of a plan to link teacher evaluations to student
performance was a key factor in Connecticut's failure to qualify for
millions of dollars in federal school aid, according to a government
report released Wednesday.
The proposed evaluation system lacks detail, won't be ready for years,
and fails to include adequate provisions for rewarding successful
teachers or removing ineffective ones, said reviewers for the U.S.
Department of Education's Race to the Top school reform competition.
"They were not satisfied [the plan] was aggressive enough," said state
Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan.
Race to the Top
The plan for revamping teacher and principal evaluations was one of
several areas where McQuillan believes Connecticut's approach differed
sharply from the strategies espoused by Race to the Top, the Obama
administration's $4.3 billion effort to spur school reform.
Those differences, including a divergence of views on how to turn
around low-performing schools, hurt Connecticut's chances in the
high-stakes competition, McQuillan said.
While neighboring states of Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island
were among 10 winners named this week in the competition, Connecticut's
application had already been eliminated, failing to qualify as a
finalist last month.
Connecticut won praise from reviewers in some areas, including its
emphasis on math and science education, but lost ground for failing to
turn around low-performing schools and for making only slow progress on
data systems to measure student performance.
A major shortcoming, according to reviewers, was the weakness of the
state's proposal to link teacher evaluations with student progress - a
central goal in the Obama administration's education strategy.
One reviewer described Connecticut's plan as "very weak," saying it
contains "no real commitments . . . to using the new evaluation system
data for making compensation, tenure or removal decisions." Another
said the proposal to create "a collaborative framework" for designing
pay and evaluation systems through union bargaining had little
substance. "This is a very weak statement of commitment for recognizing
the successes of highly effective teachers," the reviewer wrote.
McQuillan said, "You have this push by the federal government to create
measures of teacher effectiveness that are very aggressive." However,
he said the matter is complicated, with experts disagreeing on
strategies such as using student test scores in reading and mathematics
as a factor in evaluations.
"That sounds very seductive," McQuillan said, "but when you think about
it, how many teachers do we have that don't teach reading and math, per
se?"
Under legislation passed earlier this year, the state will help schools
develop an evaluation system that links teacher performance more
directly with student progress but also takes into account a range of
other factors, including class size and student characteristics such as
socioeconomic status and English language proficiency.
"We felt we needed to take a very careful approach, field test it, and
come forward with a plan," McQuillan said.
Connecticut failed to qualify for up to $175 million in Race to the Top
funds despite a sweeping school reform package passed by the state
legislature in May. It was the second time Connecticut failed to make
the cut. An earlier application also was rejected in March.
Connecticut's latest application received a score of 379 points of a
possible 500 - an improvement of 34 points over the score on its
earlier application. Nevertheless, out of 36 applicants, Connecticut
ranked 25th - the same rank it held in the first round of competition.
The teacher evaluation plan was "probably the single greatest area [of
weakness] the reviewers singled out," said Alex Johnston, CEO of the
New Haven-based school reform group ConnCAN.
States such as New York and Rhode Island made student performance a
substantial element of teacher evaluations and pledged to use those
evaluations in making decisions on staffing, including removal of
ineffective teachers, Johnston said.
"They did create consequences based on the evaluations," he said.
"Clearly, that's an area where Connecticut didn't go."
One leading teachers' union official questioned whether some of the
systems in other states go too far in imposing consequences.
"That may have won them points. It may have won them money, but I don't
think it's a good way to go," said Sharon Palmer, president of the
American Federation of Teachers - Connecticut.
"I think we have significant work to do in that area, but honestly I'm
glad Connecticut didn't rush to some draconian system," she said.
"Before we jump to a punitive plan, we have to have development of a
system that works well. . . . What we've always advocated as a union is
more mentoring and professional development for teachers so they are
getting a chance for success."
Another factor that may have hurt Connecticut's application is that its
key strategy for improving low-performing schools - known as the
Connecticut Accountability for Learning Initiative (CALI) - does not
match up directly with the school turnaround models outlined in the
Race to the Top guidelines, according to McQuillan.
Those models include replacing most or all of the teaching staff at
low-performing schools, converting schools to a charter model or even
closing failing schools, but McQuillan said there is little scientific
research to support those strategies.
The state's CALI model requires schools to revise classroom strategies,
create new tests and adjust curriculum based on a thorough review of
student performance data.
In the Race to the Top report, one reviewer said Connecticut's
application provided little evidence to suggest that CALI has helped to
improve learning or close the achievement gap that finds many
low-income and minority students lagging behind white and more affluent
students.
McQuillan, however, said the most recent results of statewide testing
show encouraging progress at schools using the CALI program, but those
results were not available until July - long after the Race to the Top
application was filed.
Connecticut
Out of
Running for Key Education Grant
Deirdre Shesgreen, CT MIRROR
July 27, 2010
WASHINGTON-Connecticut is out of the running for a coveted federal
education grant that state officials had said was vital to implementing
the sweeping new school reforms passed in May.
At the end of the legislative session, Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed a
landmark education reform package into law that was aimed at bolstering
Connecticut's efforts to win $175 million in federal funding under
President Obama's Race to the Top education initiative.
To make the state more competitive, the legislature created a new
teacher evaluation system, increased high school graduation
requirements, and strengthened charter schools, among other steps. That
law, state officials said, would give the state a stronger hand as it
applied for a share of $4.3 billion pot of federal Race to the Top
funds.
Education advocates and state leaders hailed the new law but said
federal funding would be necessary to help put these new measures into
place...Sorry about that
Read
exerpt here.
Money's an old issue in state's schools, new book says
Robert A. Frahm, CT MIRROR
July 26, 2010
Throughout its history, public education in Connecticut has enjoyed a
flattering - though often misleading - reputation among citizens who
wanted excellent schools but were reluctant to pay for them.
That blunt assessment comes from a new book by one of the state's most
noted authorities on education, former state historian Christopher
Collier.
The ongoing struggle over school finance, from the 18th century School
Fund to the 20th century legal battles over school equality, is one of
many topics in Collier's ambitious, meticulously researched history of
public elementary and secondary schools.
From the description of crowded, ramshackle 19th century rural
schoolhouses to the weighty battles over education finance, academic
standards and school desegregation, Collier traces the development of
public education in Connecticut from the Colonial era to modern times.
"I knew that we needed a history of the public schools," said Collier,
80, who wrote the 893-page book after retiring as a University of
Connecticut professor in 2000 and as state historian in 2004. "I
think of it as a gift to the public. . . . It was a retirement project
that was fun to do."
The product of six years of research, "Connecticut's Public Schools: A
History, 1650-2000," is designed chiefly as a reference work for
libraries and schools, but casual readers, too, can glean insights
about how the state's schools took shape. How did kindergartens start
in Connecticut? When did graded schools develop? Which of two rival
statewide teachers' organizations opposed the right to strike?
"The book . . . has a lot of emphasis on pedagogy, how were things
taught," said Collier, a former junior high and high school teacher and
longtime professor at the University of Bridgeport and UConn.
Collier explores matters such as the development of curriculum, the
rise of the common school, the creation of comprehensive high schools,
the origin of town control of schools, the focus on citizenship
education, and the changes in teaching methods.
"It's just an encyclopedic work. . . .It's just amazing," said Wesley
Horton, the Hartford lawyer who is featured in the book at the center
of two of the state's most significant education lawsuits dealing with
school finance and school desegregation.
The book, said, Horton, "points out a lot of the warts in Connecticut.
I've always thought of Connecticut as being way ahead of the rest of
the country . . . I didn't know how cheap our Yankee forefathers were."
Readers will find that today's battles over matters such as school
finance, curriculum reform and teacher pay are echoes of earlier
struggles.
For example, the book describes Connecticut's initial school law, the
Code of 1650, as "an unfunded mandate," a phrase often heard today in
complaints by town officials about state-ordered school expenses. In
1795, the creation of a state fund earmarked for schools was envied
elsewhere in the United States, but the fund failed to provide even
minimal support. "Connecticut taxpayers were profoundly reluctant to
actually give up any money to support the public schools, particularly
when they had no children of school age of their own," Collier writes.
The book profiles prominent figures in Connecticut education such as
Henry Barnard, the 19th century legislator and educator who campaigned
tirelessly, though not always successfully, to reform education in an
era when many schools suffered from neglect and poor teaching.
Collier also features more obscure figures, people he refers to as
"unsung heroes," including Charles D. Hine, secretary of education in
the late 19th and early 20th century. Hine brought Connecticut's
educational system into the modern era with reforms such as state
teacher certification, compulsory attendance laws and a system of
state-operated trade schools.
Hine was "a giant in the history of Connecticut education . . . [yet]
nobody had ever heard of him," Collier said in a recent interview.
Collier, a veteran of nearly a half century of teaching experience,
said he wrote the book from his perspective as a teacher, providing
detailed descriptions of how teachers of different eras taught subjects
such as reading, spelling, penmanship and arithmetic.
"Throughout the book, one of the themes is what really counts is the
teacher in the classroom," he said.
From elsewhere in CT...
For region's school systems, time may
be money
Towns consider adopting single calendar with shared vacations for
budget savings
By Claire Bessette, New London Day Staff Writer
Article published Jul 23, 2010
A regional calendar, where schools from town to town have the same
vacations, could save local school districts significant dollars.
The Southeastern Connecticut Association of School Superintendents met
at the LEARN regional office in East Lyme last week to iron out a
proposed school calendar for the 2011-12 school year with uniform
vacations, start dates and some shared professional development days.
The proposed calendar will be presented to boards of education in the
hopes that all - or at least most - adopt it in the coming months.
Superintendents also were asked to calculate savings for their specific
towns.
"I'm very pleased with the superintendents who really tried to craft a
calendar that makes sense," said Montville Superintendent Pamela Aubin,
association chairwoman. "Part of the idea of regionalizing is giving up
local control."
The proposed calendar would have students starting school the Wednesday
before Labor Day. Each town would decide when teachers would return for
preparation. Two uniform professional development days are scheduled -
the day after Columbus Day and on Veterans Day. The idea is to bring
teachers from different towns together for specified professional
training on those days.
The calendar calls for a four-day February break - a possible point of
contention for towns that still have a full week of February vacation -
and an April vacation starting on Good Friday and running through the
following week.
The calendar has 180 school days, the state minimum, ending June 8.
Towns could tack on extra days or snow days at the end and set their
own graduation dates, Aubin said.
Savings could be high
School districts provide bus transportation to students who go
to school in other towns. Eight towns send buses to Norwich Free
Academy, and most local towns send some students to Norwich Technical
School, Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical School, Ledyard High
School vocational-agricultural program and various magnet and charter
schools.
A lack of a regional calendar means some districts are busing students
to out-of-town schools even on days when the district's schools are
closed.
Norwich Board of Education Chairman Charles Jaskiewicz said the city
would save $330 per bus per day by not running buses on days when
Norwich schools are closed.
Preston Superintendent John Welch said conservatively Preston could
save about $50,000 per year with the uniform calendar.
Shared professional development would also produce some savings. The
state requires continued training for teachers, and it can be expensive
for small towns to bring in experts for a few staff members, such as
physical education, music or art teachers, Aubin said.
Aubin said superintendents also would reach out to the parochial
schools, including St. Bernard High School in Montville.
Thomas Murphy, spokesman for the state Department of Education, said
the technical high schools would be limited in their participation. The
17 state technical schools must work together on professional
development because of their specialized fields, for example. Tech
schools have 183 school days, rather than 180. Tech school teachers
also have to take state employee furlough days.
"The tech schools are willing to work to work with them, but there are
some limitations," Murphy said.
New London Superintendent Nicholas A. Fischer said his board probably
would review the proposed uniform calendar in September. New London is
one of the towns that still have a full-week February vacation, so the
board would have to weigh the benefits of having a regional calendar
against that tradition. Fischer has not yet calculated potential
savings from the proposed uniform calendar.
Norwich Free Academy representative Kristin Peckrul, who works on the
school calendar, said the proposed calendar appears to present no major
conflicts for NFA, the region's largest high school. NFA does have
school on Election Day, but Peckrul said school officials would
consider the proposal to make that a professional development day.
The start date and the proposed four-day February vacation could cause
the most debate. At the meeting, shoreline town representatives in
particular like starting after Labor Day to avoid summer tourism
season, Aubin said. About one-third of the towns still have a full-week
February vacation.
"We're never going to please everyone," Aubin said. "It's going to
depend on how committed the various boards are to the regional
calendar."
Malloy outlines education plans--but
where's the money?
Robert A. Frahm, CT MIRROR
June 29, 2010
If Dan Malloy is to win support for his ambitious plan to revitalize
Connecticut's education system, he will have to persuade some doubters.
The Democratic candidate for governor outlined ideas such as expanding
preschool classes, promoting innovation and increasing college
graduation rates, but the 15-page education plan released Monday is
likely to face steep challenges.
The biggest challenge is how to pay for it.
Despite the ambitious education plan, Malloy did not win the
endorsement of the Connecticut Education Association, the state's
largest teachers' union. The 40,000-member CEA endorsed Ned Lamont,
Malloy's opponent in the Democratic primary election Aug. 10.
Nevertheless, Malloy said Monday, "What I believe is, if you showed our
plan to most teachers, most administrators . . . they would be
supportive of it."
Subprime goes to college
NYPOST
By STEVE EISMAN
Last Updated: 4:54 AM, June 6, 2010
Posted: 12:28 AM, June 6, 2010
Until recently, I thought that there would never again be an
opportunity to be involved with an industry as socially destructive and
morally bankrupt as the subprime mortgage industry. I was wrong. The
for-profit education industry has proven equal to the task.
The for-profit industry has grown at an extreme and unusual rate,
driven by easy access to government sponsored debt in the form of Title
IV student loans, where the credit is guaranteed by the government.
Thus, the government, the students and the taxpayer bear all the risk,
and the for-profit industry reaps all the rewards. This is similar to
the subprime mortgage sector in that the subprime originators bore far
less risk than the investors in their mortgage paper.
In the past 10 years, the for-profit education industry has grown 5-10
times the historical rate of traditional post secondary education. As
of 2009, the industry had almost 10% of enrolled students but claimed
nearly 25% of the $89 billion of federal Title IV student loans and
grant disbursements. At the current pace of growth, for-profit schools
will draw 40% of all Title IV aid in 10 years.
How has this been allowed to happen?
The simple answer is that they’ve hired every lobbyist in Washington,
DC. There has been a revolving door between the people who work for
this industry and the halls of government. One example is Sally Stroup.
In 2001-2002, she was the head lobbyist for the Apollo Group — the
company behind the University of Phoenix and the largest for-profit
educator. But from 2002-2006 she became assistant secretary of
post-secondary education for the Department of Education under
President Bush. In other words, she was directly in charge of
regulating the industry she had previously lobbied for.
From 1987 through 2000, the amount of total Title IV dollars received
by students of for-profit schools fluctuated between $2 billion and $4
billion per annum. But when the Bush administration took over, the DOE
gutted many of the rules that governed the conduct of this industry.
Once the floodgates were opened, the industry embarked on 10 years of
unrestricted massive growth. Federal dollars flowing to the industry
exploded to over $21 billion, a 450% increase.
At many major-for profit institutions, federal Title IV loan and grant
dollars now comprise close to 90% of total revenues. And this growth
has resulted in spectacular profits and executive salaries. For
example, ITT Educational Services, or ESI, has a roughly 40% operating
margin vs. the 7%-12% margins of other companies that receive major
government contracts. ESI is more profitable on a margin basis than
even Apple.
This growth is purely a function of government largesse, as Title IV
has accounted for more than 100% of revenue growth.
Here is one of the more upsetting statistics. In fiscal 2009, Apollo
increased total revenues by $833 million. Of that amount, $1.1 billion
came from Title IV federally funded student loans and grants. More than
100% of the revenue growth came from the federal government. But of
this incremental $1.1 billion in federal loan and grant dollars, the
company only spent an incremental $99 million on faculty compensation
and instructional costs — that’s 9 cents on every dollar received from
the government going toward actual education. The rest went to
marketing and paying executives.
Leaving politics aside for a moment, the other major reason why the
industry has taken an ever increasing share of government dollars is
that it has turned the typical education model on its head. And here is
where the subprime analogy becomes very clear.
There is a traditional relationship between matching means and cost in
education. Typically, families of lesser financial means seek lower
cost colleges in order to maximize the available Title IV loans and
grants — thereby getting the most out of every dollar and minimizing
debt burdens.
The for-profit model seeks to recruit those with the greatest financial
need and put them in high cost institutions. This formula maximizes the
amount of Title IV loans and grants that these students receive.
With billboards lining the poorest neighborhoods in America and
recruiters trolling casinos and homeless shelters (and I mean that
literally), the for-profits have become increasingly adept at pitching
the dream of a better life and higher earnings to the most vulnerable
of society.
If the industry in fact educated its students and got them good jobs
that enabled them to receive higher incomes and to pay off their
student loans, everything I’ve just said would be irrelevant.
So the key question to ask is — what do these students get for their
education? In many cases, NOT much, not much at all.
At one Corinthian Colleges-owned Everest College campus in California,
students paid $16,000 for an eight-month course in medical assisting.
Upon nearing completion, the students learned that not only would their
credits not transfer to any community or four-year college, but also
that their degree is not recognized by the American Association for
Medical Assistants. Hospitals refuse to even interview graduates.
And look at drop-out rates. Companies don’t fully disclose graduation
rates, but using both DOE data and company-provided information, I
calculate drop out rates of most schools are 50%-plus per year.
Default rates on student loans are already starting to skyrocket. It’s
just like subprime — which grew at any cost and kept weakening its
underwriting standards to grow.
The bottom line is that as long as the government continues to flood
the for-profit education industry with loan dollars and the risk for
these loans is borne solely by the students and the government, then
the industry has every incentive to grow at all costs, compensate
employees based on enrollment, influence key regulatory bodies and
manipulate reported statistics — all to maintain access to the
government’s money.
In a sense, these companies are marketing machines masquerading as
universities. Let me quote a bit from a former employee of Bridgepoint
Education, operators of Ashford University:
“Ashford is a for-profit school and makes a majority of its money on
federal loans students take out. They conveniently price tuition at the
exact amount that a student can qualify for in federal loan money.
There is no regard to whether a student really belongs in school, the
goal is to enroll as many as possible. They also go after GI Bill money
and currently have separate teams set up to specifically target
military students. If a person has money available for school Ashford
finds a way to go after them. Ashford is just the middle man, profiting
off this money, like milking a cow and working the system within the
limits of what’s technically legal, and paying huge salaries while the
student suffers with debt that can’t even be forgiven by bankruptcy. We
mention tuition prices as little as possible . . . this may cause the
student to change their mind.
“It’s a boiler room — selling education to people who really don’t want
it.”
How do such schools stay in business? The answer is to control the
accreditation process. The scandal here is exactly akin to the rating
agency role in subprime securitizations.
In order to be eligible for Title IV programs, the universities must be
accredited. But accreditation bodies are non-governmental, non-profit
peer-reviewing groups. In many instances, the for-profit institutions
sit on the boards of the accrediting body. The inmates run the asylum.
The latest trend of for-profit institutions, meanwhile, is to acquire
accreditation through the outright purchase of small, financially
distressed non-profit institutions. In March 2005, Bridgepoint acquired
the regionally accredited Franciscan University of the Prairies and
renamed it Ashford University. On the date of purchase, Franciscan (now
Ashford) had 312 students. Bridgepoint took that school online and at
the end of 2009 it had 54,000 students.
So what is the government going to do?
Most importantly, the DOE has proposed a rule known as “Gainful
Employment.” The idea behind the rule is to limit student debt to a
certain level. Specifically, the suggested rule is that the debt
service-to-income-ratio not exceed 8%. The industry has gotten
hysterical over this rule because it knows that to comply, it will
probably have to reduce tuition.
I cannot emphasize enough that gainful employment changes the business
model. Gainful employment will cause enrollment levels to grow less
quickly. And the days of raising tuition would be over; in many cases,
tuition will go down.
By late 2004, it was clear to me and my partners that the mortgage
industry had lost its mind and a society-wide calamity was going to
occur. It was like watching a train wreck with no ability to stop it.
Who could you complain to? The rating agencies? They were part of the
machine. Alan Greenspan? He was busy making speeches that every
American should take out an ARM mortgage loan.
Are we going to do this all over again? We just loaded up one
generation of Americans with mortgage debt they can’t afford to pay
back. Are we going to load up a new generation with student loan debt
they can never afford to pay back?
If nothing is done, then we are on the cusp of a new social disaster.
If present trends continue, over the next 10 years almost $500 billion
of Title IV loans will have been funneled to this industry. We estimate
total defaults of $275 billion, and because of fees associated with
defaults, for-profit students will owe $330 billion on defaulted loans
over the next 10 years.
Steven Eisman is the portfolio manager of the FrontPoint Financial
Services Fund, and one of the first people to predict the subprime
mortgage crisis. Adapted from a speech he gave to the Ira Sohn
Investment Conference.
BIG BUSINESS OF COLLEGE
In 2002, the government changed regulations banning colleges from
providing “any commission, bonus or other incentive payment based
directly or indirectly on success in securing enrollments or financial
aid.” Since then, there has been an explosion of advertising for ITT,
DeVry, Phoenix University and other for-profit universities, which
aggressively recruit students and help guide them to federal student
aid. Investing expert Steve Eisman estimates that for-profit students
will default on $275 billion in taxpayer-backed, federal student loans.
* Tuition and fees at private for-profit institutions averages $14,174,
$859 (6.5%) higher than in 2008-09. Though average federal aid isn’t
available, 80%-90% of funding for many for-profit companies comes from
federal aid.
* At for-profit institutions, 96% of bachelor’s degree recipients had
student loans in 2008, and their average debt was $33,050. At public
and non-profit colleges, 65% of bachelor’s degree recipients had loans,
and their average debt was $22,750.
* Nearly one in four Pell Grant dollars went to students attending
for-profit schools in 2008-09 (24%, or $4.3 billion), almost double the
share a decade earlier, according to the National Consumer Law Center.
* Though for-profit students account for 10% of all college students,
they represent 44% of all loan defaults, according to the Department of
Education.
Major for-profit educators include . . .
Apollo
Schools include.................... The University of Phoenix
Enrollment............................. 320,000-plus
Revenue................................ $2.7 billion
Profit margin........................... 28%
ITT Educational Services
Schools include....................... ITT Technical Institute
Enrollment................................ 70,000-plus
Revenue....................................$1.32 billion
Profit margin............................. 37%
Strayer Education, Inc.
Schools include......................... Strayer University
Enrollment................................. 55,000-plus
Revenue.................................... $512 million
Profit margin.............................. 34%
*Profit margins based on an UBS analysis
What the Obama administration is considering . . .
* The Department of Education is mulling a “Gainful Employment” rule
that would limit student debt. A proposed limit would be a debt
service-to-income ratio of no more than 8%. This would force
universities to lower their tuition, or face declining enrollment
because fewer students could afford school. After a discussion period,
the rules will be issued in November and go into effect summer 2011.
JOINT MEETING SELECTMEN, FINANCE AND EDUCATION 6-14-10
One idea for educational change...think it would
have legs in Weston?
4-day school weeks gain popularity
across US
YAHOO
By DORIE TURNER, Associated Press Writer
4 June 2010
FORT VALLEY, Ga. – During the school year, Mondays in this rural
Georgia community are for video games, trips to grandma's house and
hanging out at the neighborhood community center.
Don't bother showing up for school. The doors are locked and the lights
are off.
Peach County is one of more than 120 school districts across the
country where students attend school just four days a week, a
cost-saving tactic gaining popularity among cash-strapped districts
struggling to make ends meet. The 4,000-student district started
shaving a day off its weekly school calendar last year to help fill a
$1 million budget shortfall.
It was that or lay off 39 teachers the week before school started, said
Superintendent Susan Clark.
"We're treading water," Clark said as she stood outside the
headquarters of her seven-school district. "There was nothing else for
us to do."
The results? Test scores went up.
So did attendance — for both students and teachers. The district is
spending one-third of what it once did on substitute teachers, Clark
said.
And the graduation rate likely will be more than 80 percent for the
first time in years, Clark said.
The four days that students are in school are slightly longer and more
crowded with classes and activities. After school, students can get
tutoring in subjects where they're struggling.
On their off day, students who don't have other options attend "Monday
care" at area churches and the local Boys & Girls Club, where
tutors are also available to help with homework. The programs generally
cost a few dollars a day per student.
Experts say research is scant on the effect of a four-day school week
on student performance. In fact, there is mostly just anecdotal
evidence in reports on the trend with little scientific data to back up
what many districts say, said University of Southern Maine researcher
Christine Donis-Keller.
"The broadest conclusion you can draw is that it doesn't hurt
academics," said Donis-Keller, who is with the university's Center for
Education Policy, Applied Research and Evaluation.
Many districts that have the shortened schedule say they've seen
students who are less tired and more focused, which has helped raise
test scores and attendance. But others say that not only did they not
save a substantial amount of money by being off an extra day, they also
saw students struggle because they weren't in class enough and didn't
have enough contact with teachers.
The school district in Marlow, Okla., is switching back to a five-day
week after administrators decided students were not being served well
by attending school only four days. The 440-student district tried the
shorter week the spring semester this year to save $25,000 in operation
costs.
"It was harder on the teachers. We were asking the kids to move at a
quicker pace," said district Superintendent Bennie Newton. "We're
hoping the four-day week won't come into play next year."
The move by Peach County in Georgia gets mixed reviews.
Parents like Heather Bradshaw worry that their children are getting
shortchanged on time with teachers.
"I don't feel like they're having the necessary time in the classroom,"
said Bradshaw, a single mother with a fourth-grade son at one of the
county's three elementary schools. "The schedule has slowed him down."
Other parents prefer the shorter schedule and don't mind the hassle of
finding a babysitter one day a week.
"It makes the children's weekend a little better, so they get more
rest," said LaKeisha Johnson, who sends her fourth-grade daughter to
the Boys & Girls Club on Mondays.
The trend of four-day school weeks started in New Mexico during the oil
crisis of the 1970s and has been popular in rural states where students
have to commute a long way. Other districts have used it as a way to
try to fix schools with a long history of poor student performance by
shaking up the schedule and giving children more time to study outside
of school.
Georgia, Oklahoma and Maine have changed their laws in the last couple
of years to allow districts to count their school year by hours rather
than days, allowing for a four-day week if needed. Hawaii schools were
off every other Friday this year for schools to save money, giving them
the state with the shortest school year in the country.
From California to Minnesota to New York, districts — mostly small,
rural ones with less than 5,000 students — are following the trend,
hoping to rescue their bleeding budgets.
For Peach County, the four-day week was enough of a success that the
school district is trying it again next year, Clark said. The move
saves $400,000 annually and is popular among teachers and students
because they get extra rest, she said
"Teachers tell me they are much more focused because they've had time
to prepare. They don't have kids sleeping in class on Tuesday," she
said. "Everything has taken on a laser-light focus."
Judge:
Connecticut town can't
hold graduations in church
The Associated Press
Article published May 31, 2010
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) _ A federal court judge has ruled two
Connecticut public high schools can't hold their graduations inside a
local church, saying it's an unconstitutional endorsement of religion.
U.S. District Court Judge Janet Hall made the ruling Monday in the case
of Enfield High School and Enrico Fermi High School, also in Enfield.
The Enfield school board said they voted to hold services at The First
Cathedral in Bloomfield because it had enough space at the right
price. But two students and three of their parents sued.
Hall said Enfield had unconstitutionally entangled itself with religion
by agreeing to cover up much of the church's religious imagery.
She
also said the town had coerced the plaintiffs to support religion by
forcing them to enter the church for graduation.
19 States Named as
Finalists for Race to the Top
Duncan Salutes State and Local
Leaders for Leading "Quiet Revolution" for School Reform
U.S. Department of Education Dept. Press Release
July 27, 2010
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that 19 states
are the finalists for more than $3 billion available in the second
round of funding in the Race to the Top program.
"Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia submitted bold
blueprints for reform that bear the signatures of many key players at
the state and local level who drive change in our schools," Duncan said.
"Peer reviewers identified these 19 finalists as having the boldest
plans, but every state that applied will benefit from this process of
collaboratively creating a comprehensive education reform agenda,"
Duncan added. "Much of the federal dollars we distribute though other
channels can support their plan to raise standards, improve teaching,
use data more effectively to support student learning, and turn around
underperforming schools."
Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia applied for the second
round of Race to the Top. Including the 36 applications for the second
round of Race to the Top, a total of 46 states and the District of
Columbia applied for either the first or second rounds – or both.
The 19 finalists are: Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of
Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.
Duncan named the finalists at the end of a major speech at the National
Press Club. In the speech, Duncan saluted educators, elected officials,
and private sector leaders for leading a "quiet revolution" of the
education reform across the country.
"From educators to parents and political leaders to journalists --
there is a growing sense that a quiet revolution is underway in our
homes and schools, classrooms, and communities," Duncan said. "This
quiet revolution is driven by motivated parents who want better
educational options for their children. It's being driven by great
educators and administrators who are challenging the defeatism and
inertia that has trapped generations of children in second-rate
schools."
He highlighted the momentum for adopting rigorous standards, elevating
the teaching profession to reward excellence, turning around
low-performing schools, and building better data systems to inform
reform.
While the work is being done by governors, superintendents, and
teachers at the state and local levels, the federal government is
supporting their work through Race to the Top and other reform
programs, including the Investing in Innovation Fund, the Teacher
Incentive Fund, the School Improvement Grants under Title I, and the
federal charter school program.
Through all of these programs, the Department of Education will be
distributing almost $10 billion to support reform in states and local
communities.
"As we look at the last 18 months, it is absolutely stunning to see how
much change has happened at the state and local levels, unleashed in
part by these incentive programs," Duncan said.
Race to the Top's Next Steps
Race to the Top is an historic federal investment in education reform,
with $4.35 billion available to support states in their comprehensive
reforms. The Department is reserving $350 million for a separate
competition to support consortia of states that are creating the next
generation of assessments that will support reform.
In the first round of competition supporting state-based reforms,
Delaware and Tennessee won grants based on their comprehensive plans to
reform their schools and the statewide support for those plans. Almost
$3.4 billion remains to award grants to winners in the second round.
The finalists chosen today will travel to Washington during the week of
Aug. 9 to present their plans to the peer reviewers who scored their
applications. After the state's presentations and an extended
question-and-answer period, the peer reviewers will finalize their
scores and comments.
The Department intends to announce the winners of the competition in
September.
"Just as in the first round, we're going to set a very high bar because
we know that real and meaningful change will only come from doing hard
work and setting high expectations," Duncan said.
Duncan acknowledged that not all of the finalists would be awarded
grants from the almost $3.4 billion remaining in Race to the Top.
President Obama has requested $1.35 billion for the program in the
administration's fiscal 2011 budget.
Will towns get stuck with the school
reform bill?
CT MIRROR
James J. Finley Jr.
June 1, 2010
Governor Rell has signed the highly touted 'school reform' bill, a bill
that passed both chambers of the General Assembly overwhelmingly,
garnering 31 votes in the Senate and 106 in the House. The Mirror
describes the bill as the product of an "unlikely coalition" and the
Governor's press statement says "all of the interested parties -
educators, unions, parents, students, legislators and others - [were]
together at the table".
Nobody questions the need for school reform - the Connecticut
Conference of Municipalities has been in the forefront calling for an
increased state role in closing the "achievement gap." But one group
was not invited to the table when it was being discussed: Chief elected
municipal officials - those with the ultimate responsibility for paying
for any new unfunded state mandate - were left out of the discussion.
The siren call of $195 million over four years in new, temporary
federal funds for new programs is alluring, but let's look at the
abysmal job the state is doing in meeting its existing education
finance responsibilities.
In each year of the current biennium, Connecticut's Education Cost
Sharing program was kept level-funded to FY 08-09 only by use of $271
million in federal budget stabilization funds -- money that will likely
be gone in FY 11-12. Further, the reform legislation imposes new costs
estimated to be between $21 and $28 million. Adding together the loss
of ECS funds and the new costs, and subtracting the Race To The Top
grants, it is possible that by the time the new law takes effect,
property taxpayers could be hit with almost $250 million per year in
new education costs.
The state's history of fulfilling financial commitments to towns and
cities is sketchy at best. The state's share of K-12 public education
costs next year will be 32.7%, the lowest in over a quarter-century.
For example, special education "excess cost" grants were funded at $120
million, but applications for reimbursements will be about $145 million
- so municipalities and property taxpayers will be forced to eat the
$25 million difference. Altogether, towns and cities have suffered cuts
in state aid in this biennium of over $100 million.
On top of that, the state's ability to fulfill its commitment is
questionable - it faces a structural deficit of about $3.5 billion for
FY 11-12. Is it any wonder local officials wonder whether sufficient
state funding will be forthcoming and, if not, who will pay for the
reform bill's new costs?
Few dispute the potential benefits from the school reform legislation.
It's no fun being the wet blanket who has to talk about its price tag.
But today's school closings, teacher layoffs and program cuts are just
the beginning. Is the state going to be willing to "increase" ECS
funding by $271 million in FY 11-12 to keep it "level-funded" to FY
08-09 and appropriate additional funding for unreimbursed school-reform
mandates on local school districts?
It's an old story in Connecticut - the state buys into new programs
with high-sounding rhetoric and then refuses to fund them, forcing
municipalities and property taxpayers to pick up the tab.
Let's not let that happen - again. Improving school performance is
important to Connecticut's future. CCM urges every citizen - local
officials, homeowners and business leaders - to press state candidates
for a commitment to adequately fund K-12 public education, including
newly mandated costs for school reform.
James J. Finley Jr. is executive
director & CEO of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. CCM
is the statewide association of towns and cities.
Hoping
for federal aid, Rell signs
sweeping education reform bill
CT MIRROR
Jacqueline Rabe and Robert A. Frahm
May 26, 2010
Hoping for a second chance at millions of dollars in federal stimulus
money for school reform, Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed into law today a
massive education bill...full
story here.
Stacy A. Lore/Spectrum Kids: Amount to
‘counselor’ may exceed $300,000
Weston FORUM
Written by Patricia Gay
Thursday, 15 April 2010 00:00
The dollar amount the Weston school district paid to an ex-autism
counselor who allegedly faked her credentials may be higher than
initially anticipated.
According to Weston Police Detective Carl Filsinger, Stacy Lore and her
company, Spectrum Kids, LLC, may have racked up more than $300,000 for
services provided to Weston special needs students from 2005 to 2007.
“Our investigation is still ongoing, but it looks like the numbers will
be up in the $300,000 range,” he said.
The initial estimate was between $100,000 and $200,000, but is being
adjusted as bills and tax forms are reviewed and tallied.
Ms. Lore was arrested by Norwalk Police on Sunday, March 28, and
charged with first-degree larceny, second-degree forgery, and criminal
impersonation for allegedly providing services to children with autism
in the Norwalk school district, while claiming to possess
certifications and degrees she didn’t have.
Although Norwalk is the only department to file charges against Ms.
Lore so far, the department issued a statement saying she provided
services to other towns in Westchester and Fairfield counties.
Weston police were notified last summer about the investigation into
Ms. Lore. At that time, Superintendent Jerry Belair contacted the
families involved, and turned over to police all information the school
had on Ms. Lore.
“The schools and their attorney acted quickly and have fully cooperated
with our investigation,” Det. Filsinger said.
In 2005, when Ms. Lore was retained as an independent contractor to
provide special education services, Janet Rosenbaum was director of
pupil personnel services for Weston schools and would have had the
responsibility of checking Ms. Lore’s credentials, Mr. Belair said. Ms.
Rosenbaum retired from the district in 2007.
Mr. Belair said it is the schools’ intent to recover any monies if the
allegations aganst Ms. Lore are true.
An economist offers ideas for tracking
academic achievement
Robert A. Frahm
April 6, 2010
Despite the reams of test scores, enrollment figures, attendance
records and other data it collects on public schools, Connecticut falls
woefully short in trying to make sense of it all, a noted state
economist says.
Lawmakers are writing legislation to design a new statewide data
collection system to meet requirements of the federal Race to the Top
school reform program, but Fred Carstensen said they are overlooking a
solution that already exists.
"It's on a state computer" at the Department of Labor, the University
of Connecticut professor said.
Carstensen, head of the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis, was
referring to a research model developed as part of a groundbreaking
study published by the center two years ago.
The study, "Next Steps: Preparing a Quality Workforce," tracked about
170,000 high school sophomores from Connecticut for more than eight
years as they entered college and the workforce. The study, which
focused on students who took a statewide 10th-grade test between 1996
and 2000, could easily be adapted to build a system to analyze the
long-term performance of students, teachers and schools, according to
Carstensen.
"Simply a remarkable study of immense potential," he said.
Connecticut officials are revamping the state's education data system
as they gear up to compete for a second round of awards in Race to the
Top, the Obama administration's $4.3 billion incentive program to spur
innovation in America's schools. Only two states - Tennessee and
Delaware - were named last week as winners of the first round.
Connecticut began building a new education data system five years ago,
assigning each student a unique identifying number, making it easier to
track student progress from year to year. However, the system still
lacks several crucial elements, according to federal reviewers who
examined the state's initial Race to the Top application. The
state,
for example, has not yet completed procedures for matching student data
to individual teachers or for linking data from elementary and
secondary schools to higher education, reviewers said.
The reviewers gave Connecticut only 10 of a possible 24 points on a
rating of its data system. Tennessee and Delaware each received the
maximum 24 points.
Carstensen singled out Tennessee as a model, saying the state has
gathered nearly two decades of detailed information to monitor
long-term student progress and other factors related to school
performance.
"The gap between Tennessee and Connecticut is just enormous," he said.
One of the most difficult problems confronting educators is the
challenge of linking student progress to teacher and principal
evaluations - a key goal of the Race to the Top guidelines.
Although lawmakers continue to revise the proposed legislation,
Carstensen said the initial bill under consideration in Connecticut
failed to take into account the complexity of the issue.
"There are an awful lot of things about school organization and the
context in which teachers function to know you can't just look at
student progress and say the teacher is at fault or the teacher
deserves credit," he said. "That's just ridiculous."
He added, "How do you measure a teacher when 50 percent of the students
change during the year?"
He said a meaningful system ought to include a wide array of data,
"beginning with the [student's] earliest contact with the educational
system," including pre-kindergarten programs, and continuing through
college. He said it should cover factors such as class size,
absenteeism, disciplinary issues, family characteristics, turnover of
teachers and students, physical facilities, access to computers, school
size, graduation rates and the presence of support personnel such as
social workers.
Some local teacher unions have refused to support Connecticut's Race to
the Top application because they object to the effort to link teacher
evaluation to student performance.
"I have a huge problem with that," said Gary Peluchette, president of
the Bridgeport Education Association, the local teachers' union in
Bridgeport, one of the state's poorest cities. "Our kids come to school
with a lot more issues than suburban kids do," he said. "Now you want
to evaluate us based on test scores when the playing field is not
level?"
Developing an evaluation system based on student data is tricky, but
possible, said Stephen Coelen, author of the Next Steps study and
senior research fellow at the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis.
Coelen, who once worked at Tennessee's Center for Business and Economic
Research, said Connecticut should build partnerships with universities
and other research institutions to develop its data system. A strong
system should collect data even when students move across state lines,
he said. "States that take it seriously and have multiple [data]
measures are going to be performing better in the long run," he said.
In New Haven, a recently approved teachers' contract won praise from
the Obama administration because it provides for development of a
system to link student and teacher performance.
Alex Johnston, head of the New Haven-based school reform group ConnCAN,
has lobbied aggressively for legislation to bolster the state's data
system. He disagrees with critics who say the proposed legislation is
unfair to teachers or too simplistic.
"It's nobody's intention that the only pieces of data we'd be using
[for teacher evaluation] are the [state] test scores," he said.
The
proposed legislation "leaves a lot of room for districts to define
student achievement growth," he said.
Johnston is a member of a working group of educators and others that is
advising lawmakers on legislation related to the state's Race to the
Top application, including the data collection proposal. The group was
convened by Sen. Thomas Gaffey, D-Meriden, and Rep. Andrew Fleischmann,
D-West Hartford, the co-chairmen of the legislature's Education
Committee.
Gaffey has not talked to Carstensen about the legislation but said the
working group shares the belief that the new data and evaluation system
should not be oversimplified. "It sounds like we're on the same track,"
he said. "There has to be context beyond just what the numbers say."
Education
falls into a judicial rabbit hole
DAY editorial
Paul Choiniere
Article published Mar 28, 2010
This is what the Connecticut
Constitution has to say about the state's obligation to provide its
children an education.
"There shall always be free
public elementary and secondary schools in the state. The General
Assembly shall implement this principle by appropriate legislation."
This week the Connecticut
Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, determined that simple phrase
requires "that the public schools provide their students with an
education suitable to give them the opportunity to be responsible
citizens able to participate fully in democratic institutions, such as
jury service and voting, and to prepare them to progress to
institutions of higher education, or to obtain productive employment
and otherwise contribute to the state's economy."
So states the plurality
opinion written by Justice Flemming L. Norcott Jr.
A few observations:
If the framers of the
constitution intended that to be the required standard, they could have
said it. The
court's majority ignored the plain fact that the constitution quite
explicitly states that implementing the "principle" of a free education
is the job of the elected General Assembly. Finally,
I would contend that the state's public schools already meet the
standard cited by the court. Even in Connecticut's poorest schools a
student who studies hard and does his or her homework should graduate
with the ability to participate in our democracy, to serve on a jury or
vote, and to obtain a trade or go to college.
Is the majority instead
suggesting there is a constitutional requirement to assure that every
student graduate with these abilities? Nice goal perhaps, but it is
unrealistic, because achievement is ultimately up to the will of the
individual student and the family commitment to education.
Is the court saying that
every student, no matter where they live, should have the same
opportunity to obtain an education that prepares them for a productive
life? That is certainly a more valid goal, but there is no way of
magically mandating it. The quality of teachers, of equipment,
buildings and textbooks, and the ability to pay for all that, are
significant factors in educational outcomes. But so too is the economic
standing of a community, the level of education of the parents, and the
level of poverty or affluence.
Connecticut has a serious
problem with educational disparity between its urban centers and its
affluent suburbs, its rural towns and its toady communities. In 2009
high school graduation rates for Hispanic students were 58 percent, 66
percent for blacks and 87 percent for whites, and not coincidentally
these minority groups populate its distressed cities, while suburbia
remains predominately white.
Addressing this problem,
creating an environment in which all students have the best opportunity
to succeed, must be a product of the political, not judicial process.
It involves ending the overreliance on the property tax to fund
education, increasing access to early childhood education and replacing
or repairing crumbling inner city schools. But it also involves
reviving the economic vitality of the state's cities, reversing the
flight to the suburbs and rebuilding pride in education.
In 2007 Hartford Superior
Court Judge Joseph Shortall recognized the court's limitations, ruling,
quite correctly, that the state constitution does not guarantee an
educational standard and it was not the role of the judiciary to supply
one.
Filed in 2005, the lawsuit
that Shortall dismissed argued that Connecticut's failure to maintain a
suitable and substantially equal education system was a constitutional
violation. The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit is the Connecticut
Coalition for Justice in Education Funding, a group of municipal and
educational organizations. Parents of students in New London,
Plainfield, Windham, Hartford, East Hartford, New Britain, New Haven,
Bridgeport and Danbury joined in the lawsuit.
It is Shortall's decision the
Supreme Court has overruled. So back to Superior Court goes the case.
But what does a judge do to correct the alleged constitutional
violation? Does he or she order more education spending, with no
responsibility for figuring out where it will come from? When filing
the lawsuit, the coalition issued a study projecting $2 billion more a
year is necessary to assure all schoolchildren get a good education.
But is more money really the
solution? Hartford and New Haven have among the highest per pupil
expenditure rates in the state, surpassed only by the most affluent
towns, yet educational outcomes remain deplorable.
Does the judge become an
education czar, outlining what classroom sizes, early childhood
opportunities and classroom laboratories pass constitutional muster? Or
does the judge simply make note that there is a problem - something
lawmakers already recognize - and order it corrected without saying how?
In his dissent, Justice Peter
T. Zarella issued a warning the majority should have listened to.
"Judges will become
legislators because the courts will now be allowed, and very likely
required, to define minimum educational 'inputs' and 'outputs' in order
to determine whether the state has satisfied its purported
constitutional mandate to provide Connecticut schoolchildren with a
'suitable' education," wrote Zarella.
The result, he said, will be
"decades of confusion (that) produce a trail of wasteful litigation."
It is hard to imagine how
that will benefit Connecticut's students.
UPDATED:
Conn. high court sets minimum education standard
DAY
Associated Press
Article published Mar 22, 2010
HARTFORD (AP) - Connecticut's Supreme Court on Monday revived a lawsuit
that challenges the state's method of funding public schools, saying
the state constitution promises an education that is good enough to
prepare students for a job or college.The 4-3 ruling means the lawsuit,
brought against the state by the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in
Education Funding in 2005, may go back to the Superior Court. The
coalition argues that achievement gaps between rich and poor towns show
some students are not receiving an adequate education.
The group, made up of officials and parents from several
municipalities, says the way to close that gap is to overhaul the
22-year-old funding formula that determines how much state money the
schools receive.
"The decision means that the state can no longer pay lip service to the
notion of putting up a building and putting in a teacher and saying
that's a meaningful education," said Robert Solomon, a Yale professor
and attorney who supervised law students who argued the case for the
coalition.
A spokesman for Attorney General Richard Blumenthal did not immediately
return a phone call seeking comment.
A Superior Court judge had dismissed that portion of the coalition's
case in 2007, agreeing with the state's argument that the constitution
guaranteed access to education, but did not guarantee a standard of
quality.
The current state education funding formula created in 1988, the
Education Cost Sharing grant, distributes state education funds to
municipalities using a complicated equation that takes into account
poverty, tax bases and other factors.
Some local officials, particularly in struggling large cities, have
said the system has failed and arbitrarily allocates funds for regular
and special education.
Many of those officials involved in the case said they would like to
scrap the formula and start over. Some suggested requiring the state to
pay all education costs.
The coalition said schools across Connecticut are underfunded by $1
billion to $2 billion a year, and that legislators and Gov. M. Jodi
Rell haven't done enough to address the inequities.
Community group scoffs at fees for
community room
By Colin Gustafson, Greenwich TIME STAFF WRITER
Published: 09:50 p.m., Sunday, February 28, 2010 (we only saw this
today, March 1)
If it was built as a community room, it should be open to the
community.
That's the sentiment of members of a western Greenwich neighborhood
group who say they have been unfairly denied free access to a
"community room" at the rebuilt Hamilton Avenue School since it
reopened a year ago.
District officials have asked the group to pay fees associated with
custodial work and liability insurance to use the space.
Sylvester Pecora, co-chairman of the Chickahominy Neighborhood
Association, is outraged by the idea of having to pay to use a room
that he believes was built for groups like his in the first place. His
group has not held any meetings in the room since it opened.
"This is a slap in the face," Pecora said. "It aggravates the hell out
of me that they built this room primarily for the community, and now
they tell us we can't use it without (paying)." The cost of using the
room is unclear.
The schools chief recently said he's sympathetic to these concerns and
would be willing to take another look at the practice of charging
outside groups to use the space.
Closed in 2005 because of mold and structural issues, Hamilton Avenue
School was supposed to have been rebuilt in 18 months. Instead the
project took more than three years to complete, causing overall costs
to swell by $2.2 million.
A former member of the building committee that oversaw the
reconstruction, Pecora said he had always been under the impression
during the planning and rebuilding of the school that access to its
community room would be free for neighborhood groups.
Back when the reconstruction was first being planned more than five
years ago, he said then-schools chief Larry Leverett billed the new
Hamilton Avenue School as a "community school" that would serve as a
center for education and, secondarily, for community activity as well.
Pecora said he was shocked to learn after the school reopened last
February that his group would have to pay to use the room.
As recently as December, former Assistant Superintendent Sue
Wallerstein told Pecora that the district could not make an exception
to its facility-use policies by waiving the fees for his neighborhood
association.
Pecora believes community members, after investing so much into pushing
the delay-plagued project forward, have already paid for the school
with their blood, sweat and tears -- not to mention their taxpayer
dollars.
"I have been a taxpayer for more than 40 years. My children and wife
went to the school," he said. "I don't like it when somebody ... tells
me I cannot use it."
Not only that, but many have continued to invest their time and energy
into improving the school environment, Pecora said. He pointed to his
neighborhood association's recent efforts to ease vehicle congestion
near the parking lot and reduce truck traffic on nearby roadways.
The school's PTA currently uses the space, free of charge for a certain
number of hours, to hold some of its meetings. And just recently, the
District 3 delegation to the Representative Town Meeting began holding
meetings there at no cost, after seeking access from the town clerk.
The Chickahominy Neighborhood Association continues to hold its
meetings in the basement of St. Roch's Church, just across the street
from the rebuilt school.
Thomas Conelias, the neighborhood association's other co-chairman and a
member of the local RTM delegation, bemoaned the district's decision to
charge some groups for access to the community room.
"It's a shame that we cannot use our own building without paying for
it," said Conelias, who serves on the District 3 RTM delegation.
Terry Moore, a mother of two Hamilton Avenue School students and a
member of both the PTA and the neighborhood association, feels likewise.
"I think the administration should be working with the community to
make sure that there are not too many hoops to go through, given the
understanding that there was a commitment," Moore said.
Superintendent of Schools Sidney Freund on Friday said that he would be
willing to reconsider the practice of charging groups to use the space.
"I do understand their perspective and why they are upset," he said.
"I'm not making any promises, but I am certainly willing to take a look
and see what can be done."
Wallerstein, who retired at the end of last year, could not be reached
for comment.
Page last updated at 12:18 GMT, Friday,
19 February 2010
The school district says the laptops had a
"security device" - US reaction by education establishment to counter
effects of fine film at right above?
US school accused
of web spying
|
By Angela Harrison, BBC News education reporter
|
Parents in the US have accused a school of
spying on children by remotely activating webcams on laptops.
A couple from Pennsylvania have filed a lawsuit against a
school district which gave laptops to its high school pupils.
They say their son was told off by teachers for "engaging in
improper behaviour in his home" and that the evidence was an image from
his webcam.
Lower Merion School District says it has now deactivated a
tracking device installed on the laptops.
It says the security feature was only used to track lost,
stolen and missing laptops.
But it was deactivated on Thursday and would not be
re-instated without informing students and families, the district said.
'Stages of undress'
The Lower Merion School District gave the laptops to all
1,800 students at its two high schools with the aim of giving them
access to school resources around the clock, according to its website.
Michael and Holly Robbins are suing the district on behalf of
their child and all the children in the district issued with the
laptops.
They allege the school district invaded their privacy and are
guilty of "wiretapping" by putting children under covert surveillance.
 |
 Images captured may
consist of minors and their parents or friends in compromising or
embarrassing positions, including in various stages of dress or undress
|
In their lawsuit, they claim the webcams were activated
remotely and images were taken which could have included anything going
on in a room where the laptop was placed.
The legal papers say: "As the laptops were routinely used by
students and family members at home, it is believed that many of the
images captured and intercepted may consist of images of minors and
their parents or friends in compromising or embarrassing positions,
including in various stages of dress or undress".
On Thursday, the Lower Merion School District posted a letter
to parents on its website saying it had always "gone to great lengths"
to protect the privacy of its students.
In it, the Schools Superintendent Christopher McGinley gives
details of the security feature, which he said was activated only if a
laptop was reported lost, stolen or missing.
"The security feature's capabilities were limited to taking a
still image of the operator and the operator's screen," he wrote.
"This feature was only used for the narrow purpose of
locating a lost, stolen or missing laptop. The District never activated
the security feature for any other purpose or in any other manner
whatsoever."
However, the district had carried out a preliminary review of
security procedures and had disabled the security-tracking program, he
added.
The district would now conduct a thorough review of the
existing policies for student laptop use and look at any other
"technology areas in which the intersection of privacy and security may
come into play".
"We regret if this situation has caused any concern or
inconvenience among our students and families, " he said.
Connecticut part of project to
reinvent high school
Robert A. Frahm, CT MIRROR
February 18, 2010
Just 16, and off to college?
That could become an option for high school sophomores in Connecticut,
one of eight states named Wednesday to pilot test a rigorous new
system, including board examinations, that would mark a dramatic shift
in the traditional notion of high school education.
By fall of 2011, those states will begin testing a system of coursework
and tests that has been widely used in other nations to bolster
academic standards and prepare students for college, the National
Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) announced.
The Board Examination system has been used in places such as Australia,
Denmark, England, Finland, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Scotland,
Singapore, and parts of Canada and Germany but has been missing from
U.S. schools, the NCEE said.
"This is about implementing the best the world has to offer," said Marc
Tucker, president of NCEE, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that
has pushed for higher academic standards.
Under the proposed system, students who volunteer to take the exam and
pass it at the end of 10th grade would be eligible to enroll at any
open admissions two-year or four-year college in their state. In
Connecticut, that would be the two-year Community College System.
"It would be a significant change. As a culture, we're geared toward
thinking of four years of high school," said Everett Lyons, principal
of Bristol Eastern High School and one of several educators who
attended a recent briefing on the proposal. He said some students are
ready for college or employment early while others are tempted to slack
off, especially during their senior year.
If they are ready, he said, "Why hold them for two more years in this
holding pattern? I think it has a great deal of merit."
Those who do not pass the lower division high school exams will be
offered a customized program designed to help them succeed on their
next attempt. Students who pass the exams also could choose to
remain in school and take an advanced upper division program preparing
them for admission to selective colleges.
Tucker said NCEE hopes to sharply increase the number of students ready
to succeed in college without having to take remedial courses.
Nationwide, many high school graduates are unprepared for college work.
In Connecticut, officials at the state's two-year community colleges
estimate 60 to 70 percent of students signing up for degree programs
are in need of remedial work.
At the Connecticut State University System, more than half of new
students are enrolled in developmental or remedial math courses,
according to the State Department of Higher Education.
The NCEE first proposed the Board Examination system in 2006, as part
of a package of school reforms aimed at improving workforce
competitiveness. The reform package has since been endorsed by the
National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers' union,
and by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of
Manufacturers.
The proposed Board Examination system includes a core program of
courses, teaching materials matched to a well-designed syllabus,
high-quality exams and professional training for teachers.
The system most likely would require states to pass legislation
allowing a new path to a diploma, Tucker said. It is designed to
encourage students to take tougher courses and work harder in order to
be ready for college or the workforce, he said.
"For the first time in the United States, kids will know what they have
to do, whether they want to be a carpenter, a plumber or a brain
surgeon," he said.
Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island and Vermont will work with NCEE through a $1.5 million
grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to pilot test the new
curriculum, teacher training and exams.
Each state will select between 10 and 20 schools to pilot test the
system beginning with the 2011-12 school year.
The board exams and curriculum will be aligned with a series of new
voluntary national standards under development by the National
Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.
Participating states will approve up to five Board Examination programs
and invite high schools to pilot one or more of those programs for
freshmen and sophomores and one or more for juniors and seniors.
The performance-based approach marks a shift from the traditional
system requiring students to put in their time and accumulate credits.
"It is consistent with what we've wanted to do with secondary school
reform," said Connecticut Education Commissioner Mark McQullan. For
some students, the new tests could be an alternative to the Connecticut
Academic Performance Test now required of all 10th-graders, he said.
McQuillan has been an advocate for high school reform and has proposed
plans that include performance exams for key subjects and provisions
allowing early admission to college. "We wanted to get kids through
faster and hook them up to college faster," he said. If the proposed
system proves to be successful, "it could be quite transformative," he
said.
Calvin Brown, 17, a junior at Bristol Eastern High School, said such an
approach would appeal to "students who are willing and ready to
get out there and take hold of their future and not waste time. There
are a lot of kids who definitely could go off to college now, a lot of
people better off out there working. It's good to have those options
open."
The idea "sounds great to me," said 17-year-old Hunter Kodama, a senior
at Norwich Free Academy. "Not every student is bound for college,
but some students are ready for college before others."
Kodama, a student representative on the State Board of Education, said
the idea of testing for college readiness as a sophomore "sounds
intriguing. . . . I'm sure I would have attempted it at least."
Wednesday's announcement also drew praise from David Carter, chancellor
of the Connecticut State University System. "There are a number of
students who right now are capable of completing high school [early],"
he said. "If you're capable, why not go ahead and challenge yourself?
"I'm excited by it," he said. "I think it could end up motivating other
students who might not be thinking of college."
However, state Higher Education Commissioner Michael Meotti said he's
not convinced of the value of the program. Even if they pass the exams
as sophomores, most high-performing students will opt to remain in high
school to prepare for selective colleges, he said, and he questioned
whether the system would help low-performing students.
The Board Examination system uses a series of existing tests and
provides a faster, cheaper and surer way to catch the United States up
to the best performing countries than by developing new tests and
teaching systems, according to the NCEE.
"Students who pass these exams will meet international standards, not
just national standards," the NCEE said. "The examinations these
programs use are much better at measuring the kinds of analytical
skills that will make America competitive than the kinds of tests most
states now use."
State Educators Hail Obama's Budget
Proposals
Hartford Courant
By GRACE E. MERRITT
February 4, 2010
State education leaders say they're pleased that President Barack
Obama's proposed education budget would overhaul the Bush
administration's test-based No Child Left Behind law with a more
competitive approach that rewards reforms designed to raise student
achievement, improve teaching and inspire students to excel in math and
science.
Connecticut is set to receive $455 million under Obama's proposed
budget to help develop better schools, improve student achievement and
make high school graduates ready for college and a career.
Many of the proposals in the education budget, released Monday, expand
Obama's Race to the Top national school reform competition, which
encourages expansion of charter schools and linking teacher pay to
student performance, among other reforms.
The budget would add $1.35 billion more to Race to the Top and offer
millions in competitive grants for state and local efforts to improve
literacy instruction and develop effective strategies for teaching and
learning science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
"It more clearly defines what's most important to invest in," said
George Sugai, a professor at the Neag School of Education at the
University of Connecticut.
He said he liked the fact that the budget increases funding for
education overall, focuses on improving student performance "by looking
at how you teach" and pays attention to special education to make sure
the needs of all children are addressed.
"We see a refocused shift from No Child Left Behind, which was based on
year-to-year test scores and consequences, to a new calculus of
focusing on instruction, using data and putting more emphasis on
student performance from year to year," said State Board of Education
spokesman Thomas Murphy.
State Rep. Andrew M. Fleischmann, D-West Hartford, co-chairman of the
legislature's education committee, called the new approach a "vast
improvement" from the "one-size-fits-all" approach of the Bush
administration.
He said the new approach is more logical and attempts to improve the
nation's global competitiveness.
"It sounds to me like the right direction," Fleischmann said. "We know
the United States is falling behind our competitors when it comes to
math and science."
State Sen. Thomas P. Gaffey, D-Meriden, the other education committee
chairman, was more reserved, saying he'd like to know more specifics.
"It remains unclear as to actually how they are going to define these
terms as having children college-ready and career-ready," Gaffey said.
"That's going to be left to the Department of Education to write those
terms. I get very nervous when there is stuff proposed in legislation,
but it is left up to the bureaucrats to write the terms."
Copyright © 2010, The Hartford Courant
School choice: 'The most efficient
way' to desegregate
CT MIRROR
Robert A. Frahm
February 2, 2010
As Connecticut spends millions of dollars a year to meet a court
desegregation order by building and running racially-integrated magnet
schools, parents like Iraida Sanchez of Hartford would be happy with a
far less expensive alternative.
Year after year, Sanchez has put her son Nathaniel's name in a lottery.
She is not aiming for one of the region's state-of-the-art magnet
schools but hoping instead for a desk in a regular elementary school in
any of the city's neighboring suburbs.
No luck so far. "Ever since first grade or kindergarten he's always on
the waiting list," she said. Nathaniel's now in fourth grade.
Despite what state officials insist is an ample supply of open seats
under a decades-old school choice program, suburban schools have
accepted only a trickle of children while Sanchez and thousands of
other Hartford parents continue to wait.
Moving some of Hartford's largely minority student population to
integrated or mostly white suburban schools was to have been a key
element in the effort to comply with a 1996 state Supreme Court order
[3] in the Sheff vs. O'Neill desegregation case. However, the state put
its emphasis - and its money - mainly into building magnet schools with
popular specialty themes such as science, performing arts and
international studies. The suburban choice program languished.
But today, as magnet schools and the state's fiscal crisis push
education budgets to the breaking point, some educators believe this
civil rights-era program, now known as Open Choice, could be a more
budget-friendly, long-term answer to school desegregation in the
Hartford region.
"The future of Sheff rests on the back of Open Choice, not magnet
schools," said Bruce Douglas, executive director of the Capitol Region
Education Council (CREC), an agency that runs both the choice program
and several magnet schools in the Hartford region.
Leaders of the state Department of Education and the legislature's
Education Committee agree that the choice program should be expanded,
and the potentially volatile issue of requiring suburban towns to
accept city students may come up in the General Assembly session that
starts Wednesday.
Urban-suburban transfer programs have been used to desegregate schools
in cities such as Boston, St. Louis and Milwaukee, and plaintiffs in
the Sheff lawsuit agree that Hartford's suburban choice program can
play a larger role.
"We've always believed that [suburban] choice was a far more effective
means to offer quality and integrated education for the bang for the
buck," said John Brittain, a civil rights lawyer who was part of the
team that filed the Sheff lawsuit in 1989.
Among those hoping to bolster the Open Choice program is state
Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan, who is troubled by the focus on
magnets as the central strategy to meet the Sheff goals.
"Relative to Sheff, it has not been a good strategy," McQuillan said.
Magnet schools sprouted across Connecticut following a 1996 law that
promised the state would pay the entire cost (later reduced to 95
percent) of building new magnets.
The state has spent nearly half a billion dollars to build more than a
dozen magnets in the Hartford region with several others under
construction or in planning. Nevertheless, the effort to place enough
Hartford children in integrated schools has been a struggle.
About one quarter of Hartford's 21,730 minority schoolchildren now
attend integrated magnet schools, charter schools, regional technical
and agricultural high schools, or suburban schools. However, under
terms of a court-approved agreement with the Sheff plaintiffs, the
state must increase that number to 41 percent by the 2012-2013 school
year.
As many as 14,000 names remain on waiting lists for magnet schools and
the Open Choice program, officials estimate. Most are Hartford students.
Although the legislature increased support for operating magnet schools
in the Sheff region this year, it did not increase the subsidy to
suburban schools for enrolling Hartford students in the choice program.
That subsidy remains at $2,500 per student despite McQuillan's request
for a substantial increase.
Bolstering that subsidy would be far more efficient than building
another magnet school for, say, $60 million, said former Avon
Superintendent of Schools Richard Kisiel, now representing the Sheff
plaintiffs under the court-approved settlement.
"You take that $60 million and translate that into [Open Choice]
incentive money - absolutely it's the most efficient way, but we can't
seem to convince the legislature," he said. "If they had increased the
incentive as the commissioner proposed, I'm convinced that would have
opened up seats. . . . I think it could solve the problem completely."
McQuillan still hopes to get more incentive money but also plans to ask
the legislature to give him authority to order suburban schools to
accept additional Open Choice applicants.
"Choice is the preferred strategy," McQuillan said, "but you can't
execute a strategy like that if you don't have any power and, secondly,
no money."
State Sen. Thomas Gaffey, D-Meriden, co-chairman of the legislature's
Education Committee, supports the idea of allowing the commissioner to
order schools to increase participation in the Open Choice program. "I
don't see how you reach the [Sheff] goal . . . unless he does have that
authority," he said.
Nevertheless, forcing schools to accept students in what has always
been a voluntary program undoubtedly would be met with resistance. "In
my community, the fact it's voluntary has an extremely positive effect.
Mandating things is very corrosive," said Cal Heminway, chairman of the
Granby Board of Education and past president of the Connecticut
Association of Boards of Education.
Granby is among the most active school systems in the Open Choice
program, taking more than 3 percent of its student body from Hartford.
But is the expansion of Open Choice the best strategy for pursuing the
Sheff goals?
The magnet school approach has led to major school construction
projects in places such as New Haven and Hartford, helping those cities
replace or renovate crumbling schools. Magnets also have renewed
interest in city schools from thousands of applicants, including
suburban families who have put their names on long waiting lists for
the popular specialized schools. Four Hartford magnet schools recently
were cited in U.S. News & World Report's survey of America's best
high schools.
"As long as there is a demand, then we haven't reached the limit" for
magnets, said Norma Neumann-Johnson, principal of Hartford's
Breakthrough Magnet School. "Just building magnets may not be the only
solution. Choice should be part of it, but I think we need to keep
going."
Edward Linehan, who formerly ran magnet programs in both Hartford and
New Haven, said state officials should not ignore the benefits of
magnets.
"If Open Choice were seen as the only future expansion [of
desegregation programs], you lose the potential impact on urban school
districts that magnets represent," he said. "The cost of voluntarily
desegregating our schools is going to be substantial, and the least
expensive alternative may not be the most effective."
The choice program was known as Project Concern when it began in 1966
with 266 Hartford children bused to schools in Farmington, Manchester,
Simsbury, South Windsor and West Hartford. It drew national attention
and was once considered a showcase for racial integration, but after
reaching a peak of about 1,200 students in the 1970s it fell on hard
times and nearly closed.
Today, enrollment hovers near 1,200 again but growth has been slow. A
state study last year reported that suburbs have the capacity to enroll
three times that number. Still, of more than 4,000 applicants this
year, just 236 children were selected in a lottery for new seats,
according to CREC.
Suburban officials have been reluctant to open more spaces. Some
question the accuracy of the state study on school capacity. Others
cite factors such as cost and limited class sizes. Many accept only the
youngest students, those in kindergarten or the primary grades, saying
older students have more difficulty adjusting or are sometimes lagging
academically.
In Granby, for example, schools accept new Open Choice applicants only
up to second grade so that they can stay in the Granby system
throughout elementary, middle and high school, said Heminway.
"You send us a ninth-grader with $2,500, and there is no way we can
service that kid," he said.
To run a choice program successfully, schools should have support to
pay for services such as extra training for teachers or after-school
buses allowing city children to take part in sports or extracurricular
activities, Heminway said.
In Plainville, about 50 students from Hartford attend school under the
choice program. "We keep trying to take more, but we don't have the
space," said Kathy Binkowski, superintendent of schools. Some
classrooms already exceed school board guidelines on class size limits,
she said.
An early study of the choice program, then known as Project Concern,
said it produced long-term benefits. The study, published in 1992 by
Teachers College at Columbia University, found that graduates of the
program had lower dropout rates, more social contact with whites,
better success in college and fewer problems with police.
"I learned how to deal with different cultures," said Angela Minto, of
Hartford, a former Open Choice student and one of nine black graduates
in a class of 192 seniors at Plainville High School in 2004. "In
the real world when you grow up, you're going to have to deal with
different kinds of people," said Minto, who later attended Howard
University, where she graduated in 2008.
Minto's mother enrolled three daughters in the choice program in
Plainville, looking for "a diverse education," Minto said, and "a
better education than what Hartford schools were giving at the time."
That is the same goal that prompts parents such as Iraida Sanchez,
Nathaniel's mother, to put their children's names in the lottery again
and again.
"I'm still keeping my fingers crossed," Sanchez said.
Charter Schools - not a popular idea in most states, as of now...
Obama to seek $1.35 billion more for education
YAHOO
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press Writer
January 19, 2010
FAIRFAX, Va. – President Barack Obama announced Tuesday he'll ask
Congress for $1.35 billion to extend an education grant program for
states, saying that getting schools right "will shape our future as a
nation."
Obama outlined the proposal that will be part of his budget request for
this year at an elementary school here, where he also held a short
discussion with sixth-grade students.
The $787 billion economic stimulus program that Obama signed into law
soon after taking office included $4.3 billion in competitive grants
for states, nicknamed the "Race to the Top" fund. States must amend
education laws and policies to compete for a share of the money.
The deadline to apply for the program is Tuesday, and officials expect
more than 30 states to apply. The Education Department is expected to
announce its first of two rounds of awards in April — with Obama saying
that not all who enter will get a grant.
The president said that extending the program would allow more states
to win grants. He also wants to use some of the $1.35 billion for a
similarly competitive grant program for local school districts.
"Offering our children an outstanding education is one of our most
fundamental — perhaps our most fundamental — obligations as a country,"
Obama said in brief remarks. "Countries that out-educate us today will
out-compete us tomorrow, and I refuse to let that happen on my watch."
With the grant programs, Obama is trying to make federal education
spending more of a competitive endeavor to encourage states and school
districts to do better, rather than a solely formula-driven effort in
which states and districts look forward to receiving a certain amount
of money each school year, regardless of how good a job they do
educating students.
To that end, Obama sees the use of student test scores to judge teacher
performance and the creation of charter schools, which are funded with
public money but operate independently of local school boards, as
solutions to the problems that plague public education.
National teachers' unions disagree. They argue that student achievement
amounts to much more than a score on a standardized test and that it
would be a mistake to rely heavily on charter schools.
The "Race to the Top" fund — and the opportunity to compete for the
billions of dollars it holds — was designed to encourage states to
rework their education systems and bring them more in line with Obama's
vision. Education is largely a state and local responsibility.
So far, more than a dozen states have changed laws or policies to link
data on student achievement to the performance of teachers and
principals, or pave the way for opening more charter schools.
Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Education and Labor
Committee, called the administration's plans "exciting."
Obama is expected to send Congress his 2011 budget proposal sometime
next month.
State
Stands To Win Up To $175M For School Reform
Department of Education Racing To
Finish Race To The Top Application
The Hartford Courant
By GRACE E. MERRITT
January 18, 2010
HARTFORD —
The state Department of Education has been racing to finish its
application to the federal Race to the Top competition that's designed
to stimulate broad-based school reform.
With $4.35 billion on the table — a tantalizing chunk of change in a
time of tight budgets — states are fiercely competing to file the most
compelling proposal.
"We're in an era of fiscal crisis. This is the only game in town," said
Tom Murphy, spokesman for the state Department of Education.
The grant program, part of the federal economic stimulus package, is
designed to reward states that promote innovative reforms to improve
teaching, do a better job tracking student performance and shore up
failing schools.
Connecticut stands to win up to $175 million in Race to the Top money
and is working overtime to get towns to sign on, write proposed
legislation and iron out hundreds of other details by Tuesday's
deadline.
Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan has been working late and on
weekends and held numerous meetings with superintendents, teacher
organizations and school boards to encourage schools systems across the
state to support the application by signing a memorandum of
understanding to participate.
So far, 120 out of 187 school districts — including charter schools and
regional education centers — have signed up. To promote cooperation,
the application encourages each district's superintendent, school board
chairman and teacher union representative to sign the agreement.
Some school boards have been hesitant to sign, worried about whether
they will be able to withdraw from the project at any time and whether
local taxpayers will be saddled with extra costs to keep programs
running after the federal money dries up, said Robert Rader, executive
director of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, which
has been advising local boards.
"What we're doing is just telling them they should review details of
the state plan, figure how much they are eligible to receive and think
about whether the district will be able to support the work when the
funding ends in four years," Rader said.
Suffield's board of education, for example, opted not to sign the
memorandum of agreement last week, arguing that its estimated $33,000
allocation spread out over four years would not come close to helping
the board pay for changes it wants to make.
Connecticut is eligible to receive a maximum of $175 million spread
over four years, a small number compared to the $8.5 billion the state
spends on pre-kindergarten through Grade 12 public education each year.
Half the Race to the Top money would go directly to local participating
towns based on need. Hartford, for example, would get $14.8 million.
West Hartford would get a relatively small lump sum of $170,000 in each
of the four years.
"Big cities are in for millions of dollars and we're in for
diddly-squat. That's not the issue," said Terry Schmitt, vice chairman
of the West Hartford school board. The school board voted recently to
be a "good citizen" and respond to the commissioner's appeal to sign up
but also to take advantage of cutting-edge teacher training and
professional development.
The other half of the grant money would pay for state-run activities,
such as professional development for teachers, running a regional
teacher exchange, building data systems to track students from
kindergarten through the public university system, expanding advanced
placement courses and hiring more Department of Education employees to
run everything.
Along with getting towns to sign on, the board of education is
developing proposed legislation to allow for secondary school reform,
lift enrollment caps on charter schools and increase state per-pupil
grants to charter schools from $9,300 to $10,300.
•Staff writer Shawn Beals contributed
to this story.
Copyright © 2010, The Hartford Courant
State Board Of Education
Discourages
So-Called Tracking In Schools
Hartford Courant
By GRACE E. MERRITT
January 7, 2010
HARTFORD —
The State Board of Education voted Wednesday to oppose the longtime
practice of tracking students by academic ability, saying it funnels a
disproportionate number of low-income and minority students to less
challenging classes that hurt their chances to succeed.
The resolution is not binding on school systems, but is designed to
discourage the practice.
The board's resolution calls for schools that do track students to
inform parents if their child is on a low track and tell them that the
level of course work would not be rigorous enough to allow the child to
attend the state university system.
In addition, schools must file annual reports explaining their tracking
systems, describing the research that supports them and mapping out the
demographic characteristics of students assigned to each track level.
"The intent is not to take issue with instructional-level classes or
groups," board member Theresa Hopkins-Staten said. "It's to take issue
with the disproportionate number of students of color and low-income
students in low-track classes.
"This is something we, as a board, need to monitor ... to ensure high
quality education is available to all in this state."
The measure is not aimed at advanced placement courses or honors
courses or even just splitting up a classroom into different reading
groups, said Tom Murphy, spokesman for the state Department of
Education.
"That's not tracking," he said. "Tracking is when you have an A-team
and a B-team and maybe even a C-team and you never leave those teams.
You have a different curriculum, a different pace and a different set
of expectations."
Assistant Education Commissioner George Coleman said the resolution
approved unanimously Wednesday is designed to make sure parents realize
that their child has been placed in a non-college preparatory track and
give them an opportunity to see the data supporting that placement and
redress the decision.
Hopkins-Staten said she proposed the resolution after learning that
some school systems in Connecticut still adhere to rigid tracking. The
Department of Education doesn't know exactly how many school systems
still have tracking because schools systems are run and controlled by
local school boards.
For instance, the board learned that Danbury and Stamford still have
tracking systems — though they're dismantling them — when school
leaders presented the board with their school improvement plans
recently.
Tracking, which was popular in American schools in the 1970s, has
fallen out of favor in some education circles, Murphy said.
"We are trying to get away from it," Murphy said.
Instead, state school officials prefer a more heterogeneous approach in
which a wide range of students learn together in one classroom.
"Research says if you are in a heterogeneous classroom where you have
students of all levels and experiences, students, particularly students
who are struggling, can do better," Murphy said.
Critics, however, say that approach does a disservice to high-achieving
students who might become bored as extra time is spent with other
students. A group called Stamford Residents for Excellence in
Education, for example, has said that Stamford's plan to dismantle
tracking would "dumb down" instruction.
There is conflicting research on both sides of the issue.
A study by the Fordham Institute released last month on tracking in
Massachusetts middle schools found that more students at schools with
two or three levels of math scored near the top of state math tests
than those at schools with only one math track.
But Stamford Superintendent of Schools Joshua P. Starr firmly believes
in the benefits of "eradicating" the tracking system, which he says
serves only high-performing students.
"The kids at bottom stay at bottom and it hurts kids that are
traditionally lower performers," he said. "They are not being
challenged. They are not being asked to work at a higher level. The
evidence is overwhelming. It all leads to the same conclusion: Tracking
does not work for those kids."
Copyright © 2010, The Hartford Courant
Kan. Delays Aid Payments to Schools
for 3rd Month
NYTIMES
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
January 5, 2010 Filed at 1:52 p.m. ET
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Kansas is delaying $200 million in aid payments to
public schools this month so it can meet state government's payroll and
pay other bills on time, its top budget official confirmed Tuesday.
It will be the third consecutive month that an ongoing cash crunch has
led the state to postpone payments to its 295 school districts. State
officials expect nearly 100 districts will be forced to violate cash
management laws to pay their own bills.
The payments to schools, representing part of general aid to school
districts, were due Friday, the first day of the new year.
State Budget Director Duane Goossen said the state hopes to make half
the payments by the end of the week. But he said it doesn't expect to
pay the rest until the end of January because it won't collect enough
tax revenues in its main bank account until then.
''It depends on how fast money comes in,'' Goossen told The Associated
Press. ''These bills will be paid. It's just that we don't have the
cash right now to do it.''
The state's financial juggling comes as legislators, Gov. Mark
Parkinson and other officials wrestle with the state's ongoing budget
problems. Legislators are scheduled to open their 90-day annual session
Monday, and their biggest task will be heading off a projected budget
shortfall.
The state delayed general aid payments to schools in November, with
half the funds not arriving until early December. It also postponed
general aid payments and special education funding in December.
Deputy Education Commissioner Dale Dennis said a third of school
districts probably will be forced to violate state laws that govern how
they're supposed to manage various accounts.
''The state really needs to step up and honor its commitments,'' said
Mark Desetti, a lobbyist for the Kansas National Education Association,
the state's largest teachers union. ''This is shameful.''
But Goossen said delaying payments to public schools will allow state
government to cover $25 million in payroll expenses this week. Also, he
said, the state will make $35 million in aid payments to community
colleges on time and pay health care providers $24 million for services
to needy Kansans in the Medicaid program.
Meanwhile, state Sens. Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat, and John Vratil,
a Leawood Republican, planned to outline a bipartisan budget
initiative. Both are members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee,
which handles budget legislation.
Kansas
Governor Cuts Education Budget; Parkinson Reduces Spending By $259
Million
KMBC-TV
POSTED: 4:39 pm CST November 23, 2009
UPDATED: 7:52 pm CST November 23, 2009
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson announced $259 million worth
of spending cuts Monday, reducing funds for highway maintenance and
education to shore up a troubled state budget.
The cuts are the fifth such reduction for the state budget year, which
ends June 30. Parkinson said Kansas was in historic times, never before
seeing two consecutive years of revenue declines, let alone the
four-year trough it faces now.
"This has been particularly challenging for the 2010 budget, which has
been absolutely decimated by this decline in state revenue," Parkinson
said. "There are no longer any easy answers."
The Democrat's plan also calls for drawing down an additional $85.9
million in federal stimulus dollars given to states to prop up budgets.
That leaves $189.6 million remaining from Kansas's allocation.
Republicans said Parkinson was helpful in making the cuts, but thought
he could have gone deeper in cutting spending without borrowing from
transportation funds or federal funds that will be needed next year.
"I applaud the governor's effort to make what are some very difficult
decisions," said Rep. Kevin Yoder, chairman of the House budget
committee. "What we didn't see and hoped to see were real, significant
reductions in government spending."
Legislative budget analysts said Monday that even with the governor's
cuts, Kansas already is looking at a 2011 budget hole of as much as
$400 million.
Parkinson made the cuts in response to a Nov. 5 revenue estimate that
foretold a gap of $260 million between state revenues and approved
expenditures. Parkinson said he could not promise there wouldn't be
further cuts next spring when the next revenue forecast is given.
Policy-makers use the revenue forecast as the basis for setting the
state budget. Estimates are made twice a year, taking into account
trends in the economy.
Parkinson said every agency took a hit and will have to adjust
accordingly.
"I am genuinely sorry," he said. "There is no way to sugar coat this.
This will have negative affects across the state."
The governor promised legislative leaders earlier in the year that he
would balance the budget through cuts before the 2010 session begins in
January. He said Monday that work on the 2011 budget year begins
immediately, but wouldn't commit to pushing to raise taxes to cover
future revenue shortfalls.
Legislative action will be required to make permanent Parkinson's cuts,
which include a $50 million reduction to the Kansas Department of
Transportation for maintenance, $36 million for K-12 schools and $2
million for higher education. Medicaid reimbursements paid to
providers, such as doctors, nursing homes and services for the
disabled, were reduced 10 percent, or $22 million.
Parkinson said state agencies would have flexibility in responding to
the cuts, which may include layoffs or furloughing employees.
Yoder, an Overland Park Republican, said cutting wage costs was the way
the state could reduce spending, much like the private sector has been
forced to do when the economy slumped.
House Minority Leader Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat, said state
budget cuts could have been avoided over the past decade if not for tax
cuts enacted by Republicans while spending increased.
"This goes far beyond 'trimming the fat' from state agencies," Davis
said. "These cuts are now doing severe harm to our public schools,
community colleges and universities and the most vulnerable Kansans who
are relying on state services to survive this economic downturn."
Derrick Sontag, state director of Americans for Prosperity, which
favors smaller government and opposes tax increases, said Parkinson
should continue to look for ways to cut inefficiencies and for
long-term solutions to end the budget crisis.
Parkinson cautioned school districts not to consider suing the state
for additional funding, as they did in 1999. That suit resulted in a
2005 Kansas Supreme Court ruling and a spending increase of nearly $1
billion over the past four years.
The governor said districts should wait to see what state revenues do
once the economy rebounds. If education cuts are not restored, then a
lawsuit may be necessary, Parkinson said.
Budget Adjustments
An overview of the Governor’s budget reductions and adjustments:
Budget Adjustments: $258.9 Million
* Targeted, strategic budget reductions in
individual agencies as outlined on the attached list.
* Reduce highway maintenance funds by $50 million.
This is achieved by transferring $50 million from the State Highway
Fund to the State General Fund.
* Reduce the amount transferred from the State
General Fund to the Bioscience Authority by $5 million. This will still
allow $35 million to be transferred from the General Fund to the
Bioscience Authority.
* Reduce funding for K-12 by $36 million and Regents
by $2 million, leaving both at 2006 spending levels. Do not fund
recommended $155.8 million K-12 increase based on revised estimates of
property tax revenue and student enrollment.
* Move unspent funds from prior years from
individual agency budgets to the State General Fund. This includes the
Governor’s Office and the Legislature.
* Reduce Medicaid reimbursement rates by 10%. This
cannot be implemented immediately, so it is estimated it will result in
savings of $22 million during the last three months of the fiscal year.
Offset Budget Adjustments With Recovery Act Funds: $85.9 Million
* Reduce K-12 Supplemental General State Aid by
$85.9 million, but offset that reduction with $85.9 million of federal
Recovery Act funds that had been budgeted for the 2011 fiscal year.
This leaves the state with $189.6 million of Recovery Act funds (State
Fiscal Stabilization and Special Education funds) for use in the 2011
budget.
* States have discretion over when to draw down
these Recovery Act funds. At least 10 states plan to use all of their
Fiscal Stabilization Recovery Act funding by the end of FY 2010. A
large majority of states plan to use a greater portion of the funding
in FY 2010 and a smaller portion in FY 2011.
In
neighboring Westport...
Consultant Projects Drop Off in
Elementary Enrollment
WestportNow
Monday, Dec. 7, 2009
An education consultant told the Westport Board of Education tonight
that the town’s elementary enrollment could drop off sharply over the
next few years.
However, Donald G. Kennedy of the New England School Development
Council, known as NESDEC, said the pattern could reverse itself quickly
depending on a number of factors, especially the economy.
“Will you lose?’” he asked. “Maybe, maybe not…these are strange
economic times.”
Kennedy said based on his analysis, Westport’s middle school population
will likely remain the same while the high school population will
continue to increase.
The NESDEC official cautioned that because Westport was so different
from other towns, it “may not have drop off like other communities.”
“Westport usually recovers more quickly than other communities,”
Kennedy said referring to the economy.
He said given the pattern in place, Westport will probably “level off
and grow again in student population in a shorter amount of time” than
some other communities.
Kennedy said one result of the difficult economy is that Westport has
experienced a growth in school enrollment as parents have moved their
youngsters from private schools to public schools.
He said this pattern could be reversed quickly if there is an
improvement in the economy.
Donald O’Day, chairman of the board, said while the projections were
useful he noted that many assumptions used 2000 census numbers and that
these numbers were nine years old and likely very outdated.
Layoffs likely after Shelton schools find
themselves $700,000 short; Layoffs possible after teachers reject
furloughs
CTPOST
By Kate Ramunni, STAFF WRITER
Updated: 12/07/2009 10:43:51 PM EST
SHELTON -- Layoffs are likely as school officials grapple to close a
$700,000 gap in the current year's school budget as teachers reportedly
have turned back a request to take two furlough days.
The teachers met Monday afternoon with union representatives to vote on
a proposal to take two unpaid days -- the last school day of the year
and a teacher's development day -- in order to avoid layoffs, but
unconfirmed reports say they rejected that request.
Union representative Deb Keller couldn't be reached for comment after
the meeting but multiple sources reported that the teachers rejected
the furlough proposal. Now school officials say that the result will
likely be layoffs, as well as other measures to close the gap. A
combination of an increase in the number of students needing special
education services and a decrease in the amount of state special
education funds has led to the shortfall, Board of Education chairman
Tim Walsh said.
"The state didn't fund what they said they were going to fund," he
said. "They're only coming through with about 70 percent of what they
did last year."
Add to that a dramatic increase in need and you have a problem, he said.
"Our special education costs are getting away from us -- they're
astronomical," he said. There's been an increase of about 50 students
requiring special education services this year, he said, and a total of
about 200 over the last several years.
There has been more demand for tutors, which is hurting the district's
finances, he said, but the district is mandated to provide them. "The
mandates are killing us -- it has put quite a strain on us," he said.
There are some children who are placed outside the district, and their
costs can top $100,000 each, he said.
The problem has consumed school officials' time, he said. "We have been
meeting morning, noon and night," he said. And Tuesday night the board
will address the problem in open session at 7:15 p.m. in the Shelton
Intermediate School auditorium.
"Hopefully (administrators) are going to present plans for mitigation
for this year's budget," Walsh said.
Exactly how much is needed to close the gap hasn't been determined yet,
Walsh said. "Hopefully we will find out (Tuesday) night," he said.
On Wednesday, Superintendent of Schools Freeman Burr will present his
2010-11 proposed budget at another special meeting at 7:15 p.m. at the
Central Office on Long Hill Avenue.
Former board chairman Win Oppel, who still sits on the board, said the
figure is about $700,000, which school officials had hoped could be
filled in part with a two-day furlough that the teachers' union voted
on Monday afternoon.
"Originally it was just under $2 million, but we were able to cover all
but $700,000 in our existing budget," Oppel said.
Even if the union had agreed to the two furlough days, there would
still have been about a $290,000 gap, Oppel said.
"The furlough days are the least impactful as far as students and
classrooms are concerned," Oppel said. "Even with furlough days, the
potential for a reduction in staffing is probable, and without it, it
would become pretty much a certainty."
Approving the furlough days would have meant that certified staff would
likely have been immune from layoffs, Oppel said, which would have
fallen on uncertified staff. But rejecting the furlough days means
certified staff will likely be included in any layoffs, he said.
When the board approved its budget, it used the 2008-09 budget figures
regarding state special education funding, but when state legislators
got around to passing a budget months later, that number was
considerably less than that, Walsh said.
"Part of it is we assumed we would get from the state at least what we
got last year, but that didn't happen," he said. In addition, the board
received a zero increase from City Hall, he said.
The school board may return to the Board of Aldermen for help, Walsh
said. "Hopefully they will let us come back and appeal for help," he
said, "but I don't have great hope that is going to happen."
Aldermanic president John Anglace couldn't be reached Monday afternoon,
but Mayor Mark A. Lauretti said he doesn't see the city bailing out the
school board.
"Our budget is set and I'm not interested in any new appropriations,"
he said. "This is something they are going to have to work out for
themselves."
The mayor said he doesn't have much sympathy for the school board.
"It's the same old story -- more raises, hire more people, they never
have enough money, and meanwhile the test scores are the same," he
said. "They are going to have to do whatever they have to do."
When formulating the current school budget, the board's goal was to
allow everyone to keep their jobs, Walsh said.
"We did everything we could to avoid layoffs," he said.
E L E C T I O N I
N F O R M A T I O N
At the request of the FORUM, we are including a link to the CT Statutes.
This section explains why Board of Education candidates always seem to
get fewer votes and thus appear to be less popular that other
candidates for seats on other Boards and Commissions: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/pub/chap146.htm#Sec9-204.htm
EDUCATION: Board Discusses
Application For Funds; Teacher Evaluation Requirement Raises Concerns
The Hartford Courant
By GRACE E. MERRITT
October 8, 2009
HARTFORD —
Holding its breath and jumping right in, the State Board of Education
broached the controversial subject of connecting teacher evaluations to
student performance Wednesday as members discussed the state's
application for funding under a new federal competition.
To be eligible for the U.S. Department of Education's $5 billion Race
to the Top reform-driven competition, applicants must prove that
performance assessments for teachers and school administrators are
linked to student and school achievement.
The state Department of Education wants to revise legislation to allow
that linkage in order to meet a Dec. 30 application deadline.
>>
2009 CMT & CAPT Test Scores Search
The state is developing an ambitious proposal for Race to the Top money
that calls for dramatically improving 20 school districts, mostly
urban, through secondary school reform and other initiatives.
During Wednesday's meeting, the board discussed various approaches to
the teacher evaluation issue, such as linking teacher merit pay to
student achievement. The issue proved immediately divisive as board
Vice Chairwoman Janet Finneran and others said they could not support
merit pay. Teacher unions, which negotiate pay for members as a
group,
are generally skeptical of merit pay.
"I just don't want to see us sell our soul as we are racing to the top
and not making philosophical decisions along the way," Finneran said.
She also raised concerns about the possibility of setting different
salary levels for teachers based on market demand in their fields.
"How can you decide whether a high school math teacher gets more pay
than a kindergarten teacher? Teaching kindergarten is a more difficult
job," she said.
Board member Lynne Farrell said teachers go into the profession knowing
that they won't get rich, but will get satisfaction from the job.
Chairman Allan Taylor said the issue of whether some teachers get paid
more than others is separate from the merit pay issue. Taylor
noted
that there are various other teacher evaluation models the board can
consider.The board eventually agreed to explore models developed by
other states and agreed to discuss the issue more fully at a future
meeting.
Also during the meeting, state Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan
gave a presentation of the state's Race to the Top application, which
he is still refining.
Currently, the plan would target 20 districts: Hartford, East Hartford,
Manchester, Bloomfield, New Britain, Bristol, Middletown, Meriden,
Ansonia, Bridgeport, Danbury, Hamden, Naugatuck, New Haven, New London,
Norwalk, Stamford, Waterbury, West Haven and Windham, as well as the
state-run Connecticut Technical High School System. The goal is
to
make the Class of 2016 ready for college or work, lower the number of
students requiring remedial course work in college and lower high
school drop-out rates, among other measures.
Also during the meeting, McQuillan told board members he strongly
disagreed with recent criticism by the U.S. inspector general's office
that Connecticut used economic stimulus money to plug budget holes
rather than on education spending.
The inspector general's office said last week that Connecticut,
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania may not get Race to the Top money
because they misappropriated stimulus money set aside for education.But
Connecticut education officials said they used the money to shore up
education cost-sharing money funneled to towns. State Department of
Education spokesman Tom Murphy said the U.S. Department of Education
even complimented the state for its excellent application. Murphy said
the state is preparing an official response to "clarify and correct
misconceptions."
"We believe we will be treated fairly once he sees the response and
notes the compliance," he said.
Copyright © 2009, The Hartford Courant
Malloy To Give Charter Schools A Boost
CTNEWSJUNKIE
by Christine Stuart | Feb 6, 2012 11:33am
(Updated 3:10 p.m.) As part
of his education focused budget address, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy will
propose increasing charter, magnet, and vocational schools funding.
Malloy’s plan will increase funding for charters by $21.6 million. That
will bring the per-pupil funding for charter schools from $9,400 to
$11,000. And local districts will now be required to pay $1,000 for
each student it sends to a charter school. It also includes funding for
five new state charter schools.
The proposal was first reported by the CT Post Sunday and was confirmed
by a spokesman in the governor’s office Monday.
The proposal will also allow the number of charter schools to grow from
17 to 22 and will allow local school districts to start counting
charter school students standardized test scores with their own.
In exchange charter schools will have to demonstrate they are actively
recruiting students with special needs, English-language learners, and
other low performing students. Public school advocates have complained
charter schools avoid those types of students and that‘s why their test
scores are often better.
Patrick Riccards, CEO of ConnCAN, said he thinks the proposal is a
“positive step forward in bringing equity to all Connecticut school
children.”
However, he said it still doesn’t get charter school funding up to the
state per pupil average.
The state average per pupil cost is $14,551. In districts which
currently host charter schools it’s about $12,690. He said districts
which currently send students to charter schools get to keep all of the
per pupil funding the state sends them. He said he doesn’t believe
giving up $1,000 will be too much of a hardship for many of the
districts.
But there are others who will likely disagree.
Jim Finley, executive director and CEO of the Connecticut Conference of
Municipalities, said only 8 percent of students attend charter and
magnet schools, while 92 percent attend traditional public schools. He
said some of the lower performing school districts will likely have
trouble finding $1,000 per student to help send more students to
charter schools.
As it is right now the Education Cost Sharing formula is underfunded by
$800 million, Finley said.
The proposal was largely praised by the state’s two teacher unions for
increasing the per pupil funding for a variety of schools including
charters, magnets, vocational technical schools, vocational
agricultural schools, and CommPACT schools.
They were also heartened by the idea that charter schools would also
have to accept a larger segment of the student population.
“It appears we’re moving in the right direction,” Mary Loftus Levine,
executive director of the Connecticut Education Association, said
Monday.
But she said she knows there will be concern amongst some “cash
strapped districts” who may find it difficult to find the additional
funding.
She said the Education Cost Sharing Task Force of which she is a member
hasn’t reached any conclusions yet.
Sharon Palmer, president of AFT Connecticut, said she’s also pleased
the governor’s proposal requires new charter schools to include
students with special needs.
“If we are truly committed to improving education in Connecticut, it
must be for every child, not just a select few,“ Palmer said. “We would
like to see these requirements expanded to encompass all charter
schools in Connecticut. We think this is a good starting point for
discussion and look forward to seeing the legislation.”
Meanwhile, Malloy’s plan also offers incentives districts to open their
own charter schools with an offer of $3,000 per pupil in state funding
and a $500,000 start-up grant.
“Charter schools provide families with options within the public school
system, options that can be a real asset in targeting those students
who have had trouble achieving success in other schools,” Malloy said
Monday in a press release.
Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor, who helped found the Amistad
Academy in New Haven, said “The best charter school models help to
close the achievement gap, so it makes good sense that the governor’s
plan channels charter energy to the places it’s needed most – our
lowest performing districts – as well as to the students who need the
most attention and greatest opportunity.”
Malloy
Proposes 'Commissioner's Network' And $24.8 Million For
Lowest-Achieving Schools
Governor Also Calls For $21.6 Million
Boost For Charter And Magnet Schools
The Hartford Courant
By KATHLEEN MEGAN, kmegan@courant.com
2:45 PM EST, February 6, 2012
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced plans Monday to create a
"Commissioner's Network" and spend $24.8 million to bolster the
lowest-performing schools in the state. He also pledged to increase
funding for alternative schools — including charter and magnet schools
— by $21.6 million.
Malloy's proposal would increase the state's contribution for charter
schools from $9,400 to $11,000 per pupil, bringing it closer to the
share the state pays per student in traditional public schools. In
addition, local schools would be asked to contribute an additional
$1,000 per pupil.
"Charter schools provide families with options within the public school
system, options that can be a real asset in targeting those students
who have had trouble achieving success in other schools," Malloy said.
In recent days, Malloy has been releasing separate prongs of his
education reform agenda, which he has said will be a top priority for
his administration during the legislative session that starts Wednesday.
Turning Schools Around
Joined by Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra and Hartford Schools
Superintendent Christina Kishimoto at the SAND Elementary School in
Hartford, Malloy said the centerpiece of his effort on behalf of up to
25 chronically low-achieving schools would be a "Commissioner's
Network," a system of supports and interventions to help those schools.
In cities such as New York City, the school turnaround model has been
known as a "Chancellor's District."
Schools in the network would be administered by a partnership between
the home district and the state, or the state would administer the
school directly as a temporary trustee.
In some cases, according to the governor's office, the schools could be
operated by universities, Regional Educational Service Centers,
nonprofit organizations, charter school management organizations,
CommPACT "and other providers with proven school designs and track
records."
In some cases schools in the network could be significantly
restructured to provide more time for learning, with a longer school
day and a longer school year.
Schools would be selected for the Commissioner's Network based on low
student achievement and lack of progress.
Charter Schools
Malloy noted that when he was mayor of Stamford, two charter schools
were created there, and, he said, "the results were overwhelmingly
positive. We should assist in the ability of charter schools to reach
these high-need student populations while also implementing
requirements to ensure that those who can benefit most from this
schooling are targeted. This proposal will do just that."
Malloy's proposal also would increase accountability to ensure that
schools are focused on underserved student populations.
Stefan Pryor, state commissioner of education, said Malloy's proposal
will strengthen and increase the public school options, including
charters, magnets, CommPACT schools and more.
"The best charter school models help to close the achievement gap,"
Pryor said, "so it makes good sense that the governor's plan channels
charter energy to the places it's needed most — our lowest-performing
districts — as well as to the students who need the most attention and
greatest opportunity."
In the past, critics have said that charter schools drain funds away
from traditional public schools and serve only a small number of
students.
Patrick Riccards, CEO of ConnCAN, a nonprofit education reform group,
praised Malloy's proposal for broadening all students' access to
alternative schools. he said that for too long students at charter
schools "have been treated like second-class citizens."
"Requiring that municipalities contribute to their students' education
at charter schools is an important first step in the right direction,"
Riccards said in a statement.
However, he noted that students in nontraditional public schools are
not included in the state's Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula, which
sends state funds to municipalities for school districts.
"While the funding increase to make expenditures at schools of choice
more aligned with traditional school district expenditures is laudable,
these changes do not address the fundamental issue of funding inequity:
that public schools of choice are not included in ECS and their
students are therefore at risk of being treated differently under
challenging funding conditions," Riccards said.
Among the key aspects of Malloy's proposal for alternative schools:
Invest $5.5 million in new funding to create capacity for opening new
schools, including local charter schools, CommPACT schools, community
schools, and five new state charter schools.
Add $5 million in per-pupil spending for magnet schools across the
state.
Adopt legislation requiring any new charter schools to be created only
in high-needs districts.
Mary Loftus Levine, executive director of the Connecticut Education
Association, the state's largest teachers' union, could not be
immediately reached for comment.
Charter
School Battle Shifts to
Affluent Suburbs
NYTIMES
By WINNIE HU
July 16, 2011
MILLBURN, N.J. — Matthew Stewart believes there is a place for charter
schools. Just not in his schoolyard.
Mr. Stewart, a stay-at-home father of three boys, moved to this wealthy
township, about 20 miles from Midtown Manhattan, three years ago,
filling his life with class activities and soccer practices. But in
recent months, he has traded play dates for protests, enlisting more
than 200 families in a campaign to block two Mandarin-immersion charter
schools from opening in the area.
The group, Millburn Parents Against Charter Schools, argues that the
schools would siphon money from its children’s education for
unnecessarily specialized programs. The schools, to be based in nearby
Maplewood and Livingston, would draw students and resources from
Millburn and other area districts.
“I’m in favor of a quality education for everyone,” Mr. Stewart said.
“In suburban areas like Millburn, there’s no evidence whatsoever that
the local school district is not doing its job. So what’s the rationale
for a charter school?”
Suburbs like Millburn, renowned for educational excellence, have become
hotbeds in the nation’s charter school battles, raising fundamental
questions about the goals of a movement that began 20 years ago in
Minnesota.
Charter schools, which are publicly financed but independently
operated, have mostly been promoted as a way to give poor children an
alternative to underperforming urban schools — to provide options akin
to what those who can afford them have in the suburbs or in private
schools.
Now, educators and entrepreneurs are trying to bring the same
principles of choice to places where schools generally succeed,
typically by creating programs, called “boutique charters” by
detractors like Mr. Stewart, with intensive instruction in a particular
area.
In Montgomery County, Md., north of Washington, the school board is
moving toward its first charter, a Montessori elementary school, after
initially rejecting it and two others with global and environmental
themes because, as one official said, “we have a very high bar in terms
of performance.”
Imagine Schools, a large charter school operator, has held meetings in
Loudoun County, Va., west of Washington, to gauge parental interest in
charters marketed partly as an alternative to overcrowded schools.
In Illinois, where 103 of the current 116 charter schools are in
Chicago, an Evanston school board committee is considering opening the
district’s first charter school.
More than half of Americans live in suburbs, and about 1 in 5 of the
4,951 existing charter schools were located there in 2010, federal
statistics show. Advocates say many proposed suburban charters have
struggled because of a double standard that suggests charters are fine
for poor urban areas, but are not needed in well-off neighborhoods.
“I think it has to do with comfort level and assumptions based on real
estate and not reality,” said Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for
Education Reform in Washington, which studies and supports charter
schools. “The houses are nice, people have money, and therefore the
schools must be good.”
Ashley Del Sole, a founding member of one of the rejected charters in
Montgomery County, said that regardless of how well a district
performed, children benefited from choice because not everyone learned
the same way. She added that competitive pressure would invigorate
schools that had grown complacent.
“There’s sort of this notion that if it’s not broken, why fix it,” Ms.
Del Sole said. “But there are people who are not being served.”
With high test scores and graduation rates to flash around, suburban
school officials have had an easier time than their urban counterparts
arguing that charters are an unnecessary drain on their budgets. In
some states, including Virginia, where only local school boards
authorize charters, suburban boards have all but kept them out.
“It’s like you’re Burger King and you have to go to McDonald’s to get a
license — in most cases you won’t get a friendly reception,” said Roy
Gamse, executive vice president of Imagine Schools.
District school boards in Georgia have rejected so many charters that
lawmakers created a commission that approved 16 schools over local
objections. But after several boards sued, the law was overturned in
May, leaving in question the fate of some of those schools.
In New Jersey, where the State Education Department approves charters,
school boards and parents have been fighting a proposed school in
another suburb, Montclair, north of Millburn, and another
Mandarin-immersion school in the Princeton area that was approved last
year but has yet to open. Statewide, 15 of 73 charter schools are in
the suburbs.
The latest battle, over Hua Mei and Hanyu International — which would
start in 2012 with 200 kindergarten through second-grade students drawn
from Millburn, Maplewood, Livingston, South Orange, West Orange and
Union — has divided neighbors and has spurred calls for legislation to
require voter approval to open charters.
Jutta Gassner-Snyder, Hua Mei’s lead applicant, said some of the
school’s 12 founders had received threatening e-mails.
“This is not just about the education of my child,” said Ms.
Gassner-Snyder, who sends her daughter, Kayla, 4, to a private
Mandarin-immersion preschool. “If we just sit back and let school
districts decide what they want to do without taking into account
global economic trends, as a nation, we all lose.”
Millburn’s superintendent, James Crisfield, said he was caught off
guard by the plan for charters because “most of us thought of it as
another idea to help students in districts where achievement is not
what it should be.” He said the district could lose $270,000 — or
$13,500 for each of 20 charter students — and that would most likely
increase as the schools added a grade each year.
“We don’t have enough money to run the schools as it is,” Mr. Crisfield
said, adding that the district eliminated 18 positions and reduced bus
services this year.
Millburn offers Mandarin only in high school, fueling the arguments of
those seeking the new charters. “Kids are like sponges,” said Yanbin
Ma, a Hanyu founder. “There are so many things they can absorb and
become good at, and I feel that our public schools haven’t done enough
to take advantage of that.”
But to Mr. Stewart, a leader in a growing opposition that includes
Livingston mothers who have helped collect more than 800 petition
signatures, this sounds “selfish.”
“Public education is basically a social contract — we all pool our
money, so I don’t think I should be able to custom-design it to my
needs,” he said, noting that he pays $15,000 a year in property taxes.
“With these charter schools, people are trying to say, ‘I want a
custom-tailored education for my children, and I want you, as my
neighbor, to pay for it.’ ”
Behind the unions' shift on
charters
By THOMAS W. CARROLL
Last Updated: 11:20 AM, October 9, 2009
Posted: 1:14 AM, October 9, 2009
NEW York's teachers unions have recently abandoned their open hostility
to charter schools. To see whether the shift is real or merely
rhetorical, it helps to look at the reasons behind the change in tone.
Shifting politics: By far the biggest factor has been the enthusiastic
embrace of charters by President Obama, who was elected with strong
union support.
Dick Iannuzzi, president of the state teachers union (New York State
United Teachers, or NYSUT) admitted as much to The Albany Times Union
this week, when asked if Obama had forced a change in the union's
position. Although still unenthusiastic, he said: "I'll be the first to
admit I was one of the staunchest opponents [of charters] and waged a
real battle in my own school district in Central Islip. The world has
changed since then. Charter schools are established."
Mounting evidence: A recent independent evaluation by Stanford
Professor Caroline Hoxby has much undercut the union's historic
anti-charter position.
The study's most important finding: "A student who attended a New York
City charter school for all of grades kindergarten through eight would
close about 86 percent of the 'Scarsdale-Harlem achievement gap' in
math and 66 percent of the achievement gap in English." Students
attending for shorter periods would see "commensurately smaller" gains.
The study also showed that charter students were more likely to post
higher results on state Regents exams.
In response to the study, Jonathan Gyurko, the point man on charters
for the city teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers,
grudgingly conceded on the union's blog that "Hoxby's findings are
encouraging."
Blowback from union members in charter schools: Teachers at most
charters have opted to remain nonunion, but some have unionized. And
these union members aren't happy to see their schools facing layoffs
this year because their own union got the Legislature to freeze charter
funding.
The freeze prompted union members at the Charter School for Applied
Technology in Tonawanda to demonstrate outside NYSUT headquarters.
Here in the city, the UFT has had to compromise even at "union" charter
schools. For example, it agreed to a more flexible contract with the
Green Dot charter that does away with tenure and limits on the length
of the school day and permits faster removal of bad teachers than the
UFT's master contract with the city.
The union is well aware that Green Dot was the chief organizer of a
2,000-plus parent rally earlier this year at a Los Angeles Board of
Education meeting. The rally led the school board to defy the LA
teachers union and turn over up to 250 schools to new management by
nonprofit charter operators or others.
Green Dot's charismatic leader, Steve Barr, has long argued for
collective bargaining in a charter-school context -- a rarity among
charter leaders. But, at the same time, Barr is perhaps the fiercest
foe of union attempts to block charters or broader education reforms.
Losing the prestige press: Reporters and editors no longer
automatically buy the union line on charters. The New York Times has
called a national teachers union "aggressively hidebound." The
Washington Post recently ran an editorial with the blistering headline:
"Poor children learn. Teachers unions are not pleased."
The coming year will show whether the shift in union rhetoric is just
cosmetic. Watch three key charter-related issues:
* Will NYSUT again call for a freeze on charter funding?
* Will the unions oppose lifting the cap on the number of charters? The
current cap of 200 schools will likely be exhausted early next year.
* Will the unions support preserving SUNY's authority as one of the two
state authorizers of charter schools -- or instead push to reserve this
power exclusively to the state Board of Regents, which is widely viewed
as not especially charter-friendly?
Whether the teachers unions are sincerely shifting is one test that
will be easy to grade in the year ahead.
Thomas W. Carroll is president of the
Foundation for Education Reform and Accountability.
Charter-school
clincher
New York Post
Last Updated: 10:15 AM, September 28, 2009
Posted: 5:07 AM, September 28, 2009
A new study has just blown away any remaining doubts about the remark
able success of charter schools.
Maybe now Albany will stand up to the teachers union and finally give
more New York students access to these better schools -- by lifting the
state cap on them.
Already, charter schools (public schools that operate largely free of
union rules) have mounted much evidence, especially in the city, that
they out-perform their union-run, public-school counterparts.
Last year, for example, 87 percent of city charter students met math
standards, while only 68 percent did at regular schools. In English, 82
percent made the grade at the charters, but only 58 percent did so at
traditional schools.
But critics -- like those in the teachers union -- have pooh-poohed
such data, claiming that charter schools score better only because they
admit better students.
Families that apply to charters, they claim, are likely more interested
in education -- so their kids are more likely to do better, no matter
where they go to school.
But Stanford economist Caroline Hoxby's new study shatters that
argument.
She compared the scores of applicants who were accepted to New York
charter schools with those of students who were not. Turns out, the
ones who got in to the charters did better -- by about six percentage
points in math and five in English.
But the key here is that New York charters don't get to cherry-pick
students; kids are accepted strictly by lottery. So Hoxby's study
strongly suggests that it is the schools, not the students or their
families, that make the difference.
Only one question left: Will Albany let more of these better schools
open?
Two years ago, the Legislature raised the cap on charters to 200
statewide and 100 in the city. But why have a cap at all, except to
please the teachers union (which doesn't particularly like the
competition)?
Albany needs to do what Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wants every
state to do: Ditch the cap completely.
Lawmakers no longer have any honest excuse.
Regional Shift Seen in Education Gap
NYTIMES
By SAM DILLON
July 15, 2009
Historically, the achievement gap between America’s black and white
students was widest in Southern states, where the legacies of slavery
and segregation were reflected in extremely low math and reading scores
among poor African-American children.
But black students have made important gains in several Southern states
over two decades, while in some Northern states, black achievement has
improved more slowly than white achievement, or has even declined,
according to a study of the black-white achievement gap released by the
Department of Education this morning.
As a result, the nation’s most dramatic black-white gaps are no longer
seen in Southern states like Alabama or Mississippi, but rather in
Northern and Midwestern states like Wisconsin, Nebraska, Connecticut
and Illinois, according to the federal data.
The study plotted the evolution of average scores of black and white
students on the series of federal tests, known as the National
Assessment of Educational Progress, that were administered every two to
four years in both math and reading from 1992 through 2007.
Nationwide, the average math score in 1992 for fourth grade white
students on a 500-point scale was 227, compared to an average score of
192 for black students that year. Those scores resulted in a
black-white gap of 35 points.
By 2007, the most recent year included in the new study, average fourth
grade white math scores had risen to 248, but average black scores had
risen faster, to 222, thus narrowing the black-white gap to 26 points,
about the equivalent of two and a half years of schooling.
By 2007, the widest black-white gap in the nation on the fourth-grade
math test, (not counting the District of Columbia, which is not a
state) showed up not in the deep South but in Wisconsin.
White students in Wisconsin scored 250, slightly above the national
average, but blacks scored 212, producing a 38 point achievement gap.
That average black score in Wisconsin was lower than for blacks in
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, or in any other Southern state, and 10
points below the national average for black students, the study
indicates.
Wisconsin was the only state in which the black-white achievement gap
in 2007 was larger than the national average in both the fourth and
eighth grade tests of both math and reading, according the study.
“I was just in Wisconsin meeting with principals, and I showed them the
scores, and that they had the largest achievement gaps, and they were
just stunned,” said Kati Haycock, president of Education Trust, a
Washington-based nonprofit that works to close achievement gaps. “Black
kids in Wisconsin do worse than in all these Southern states and the
reason is that they haven’t been focusing on doing what’s necessary to
close these gaps.”
Nebraska is another Midwestern state where black student achievement is
lower than anywhere in the old South. In eighth-grade math, for
instance, the average score among Nebraska’s black students in 2007 was
240 on a 500-point scale, compared to the national average for blacks
of 259, according to the federal data. The average score for black
eighth-graders was 246 in Alabama, 251 in Mississippi, 258 in
Louisiana, and 261 in Georgia.
The average white eighth grade score in Nebraska in math was 291,
almost exactly the national average, resulting in a black-white gap
there of 51 points, far larger than in any other state.
Connecticut is another Northern state where achievement gaps are larger
than in states across the South, the federal study shows. That is
partly because white students in Connecticut score above the national
average, but also because blacks there, on average, score lower than
blacks elsewhere.
Stimulus Funds Are Wildcard In Local
Budgets
DAY
By Karin Crompton
Published on 5/25/2009
As legislators wrangle and bicker in Hartford over state budget
details, local towns and school districts are embarking upon their
annual ritual of drafting proposed municipal budgets without knowing
exactly how much state funding they will receive. This year's
guessing
game is more complex than in most years, however, as municipalities
also factor in federal economic stimulus funds and try to sift through
the regulations attached to the federal funds headed their way.
A large chunk of stimulus money that will directly influence local
budgets comes in the form of education funds. And while the federal
government released the money and sent out instructions for its use on
April 1, local and state officials are still maneuvering through the
details.
”I'm right in the middle of it right now,” Groton superintendent Paul
Kadri said during a phone interview on Friday. “It's so complicated I
don't even know where to begin.”
And that comes from someone who said he felt he had a good grasp of the
subject.
”I feel we're on top of it,” Kadri said, “but make no bones about it,
my desk is a mess.”
The stimulus funds for education are split into three categories: Title
I (typically for low-income districts); IDEA (special education); and
“fiscal stabilization” funds.
The first two pots of money are being doled out according to existing
formulas districts are already familiar with. With a few exceptions
about how the money can be used - qualifying districts can use up to
half of their special education funds for other purposes, for example -
these two categories are largely seen as the most straightforward of
the stimulus funds. Then there is the stabilization money.
A one-time appropriation of $48.6 billion nationally, the stabilization
funding, as the name indicates, is meant to “minimize and avoid
reductions in education and other essential services,” according to the
federal education department's Web site. Each state has to apply
for
its share, demonstrating in its application to the federal government
that it will use the funds according to the guidelines laid out.
Twenty-two states and Puerto Rico have already applied for the
stabilization funds, according to the federal education department's
Web site, with 13 already having received money. But Connecticut
has
not yet applied for its $541 million in stabilization funds.
Tom Murphy, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said the
department and the governor's budget office each has a role in putting
together the application. Murphy said Connecticut ran into some minor
technical issues regarding how the state funds its education grant
program and how that jibes with federal guidelines for the stimulus
funds. The spokesman in Gov. M. Jodi Rell's office who fields
stimulus
questions was off on Friday and unavailable to explain Connecticut's
delay in applying.
Meanwhile, local officials grapple with the unknowns in how the funds
can be used, some saying they're awaiting guidance from the state, some
pointing to the federal government.
”We have no idea yet what strings are going to be attached to another
2, 3, 4 million, whatever it's going to be, that the city's going to
get from ARRA (the stimulus package) and whether that is supplantable
or supplementable or what at this point in time,” said Donald Goodrich,
New London's interim director of finance.
Goodrich was referring to a key component of the stabilization funds:
the distinction between the terms “supplement” and “supplant.” Federal
guidelines indicate that the stabilization funds can only be used to
supplement a school district's budget, not be used in place of, or
supplant, other funds.
In other words, a municipality - and, apparently, the state - is not
supposed to “take” from education budgets and use stabilization funds
to fill in the gap. That point is still fuzzy to many, however.
Goodrich suggested the federal government re-examine the point “because
everyone is really getting hammered.”
”I think there's a lot of public misperception in how you can use the
money,” said Christine Carver, New London's assistant superintendent of
schools. “People think you can offset the local budget through the
stimulus money and you absolutely can't.”
However, Goodrich asked, what if the school district doesn't have a
perfect match for the funds?
”What if you cannot expend that (money) wisely; isn't it better to then
supplant and not just supplement to be spending money?” he asked. “Or
can we use it to, as we saw with the Board of Education adopting its
budget, (avoid) reductions in staff? Can we use it to bring some of the
staff back? Is that supplanting local dollars or supplementing it?”
It appears the state is considering the same issues. Connecticut is
currently considering cutting its state education grant money, known as
ECS funding, by 14 percent, then filling in the gap with stimulus
funds.
Murphy, the Department of Education spokesman, said one of the state's
technical issues was whether its pledge to flat-fund the state
education grant money would affect Connecticut's eligibility for the
stimulus funds. According to Murphy, the U.S. Department of
Education
“keeps saying in their guidance that dollars would be used to restore”
funding.
But the prospect of a 14 percent cut to a crucial piece of state
funding has many towns worried, local officials said.
A 14 percent cut in ECS funding means $4.5 million to Norwich, said
Joseph Ruffo, the city comptroller. Ruffo said officials who attended a
meeting of the Connecticut Council of Municipalities last week were
concerned that school districts could find themselves 14 percent over
budget already, and some went so far as to say the cut could bankrupt
their communities.
Ruffo was more measured, saying Norwich hasn't yet passed a budget and
still has a couple of weeks to receive clarification. Still, even if
the state intends to fill the gap with stimulus funds, it will pose
complications, he said.
”What we hear is (the state is) finding more information about how this
process will go forward, but this $4.5 million will be treated
separately, and there will be all sorts of requirements and
stipulations on how that money will be spent,” he said.
Conn. considers 'green cleaning'
in schools
DAY
Posted on May 5, 12:52 PM EDT
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- A coalition of lawmakers and health advocacy
groups are asking Connecticut's General Assembly to require all public
schools to use environmentally friendly cleaning products.
They gathered Tuesday to support a proposal that would bar school
districts from using products that contain various toxic substances and
are not certified as environmentally friendly.
Connecticut already requires crews to use certified green cleaning
products in all state-owned buildings, including its universities and
vocational-technical schools.
The legislation expanding the rules to public school buildings awaits
House action, and would give districts two years to start meeting the
new standards.
Op-Ed
Columnist: ‘No Picnic for Me
Either’
NYTIMES
By DAVID BROOKS
March 13, 2009
In his education speech this week, Barack Obama retold a
by-now familiar story. When he was a boy, his mother would wake him up
at 4:30 to tutor him for a few hours before he went off to school. When
young Barry complained about getting up so early, his mother responded:
“This is no picnic for me either, Buster.”
That experience was the perfect preparation for reforming American
education because it underlines the two traits necessary for academic
success: relationships and rigor. The young Obama had a loving
relationship with an adult passionate about his future. He also had at
least one teacher, his mom, disinclined to put up with any crap.
The reform vision Obama sketched out in his speech flows from that
experience. The Obama approach would make it more likely that young
Americans grow up in relationships with teaching adults. It would
expand nurse visits to disorganized homes. It would improve early
education. It would extend the school year. Most important, it would
increase merit pay for good teachers (the ones who develop emotional
bonds with students) and dismiss bad teachers (the ones who treat
students like cattle to be processed).
We’ve spent years working on ways to restructure schools, but what
matters most is the relationship between one student and one teacher.
You ask a kid who has graduated from high school to list the teachers
who mattered in his life, and he will reel off names. You ask a kid who
dropped out, and he will not even understand the question.
Relationships like that are beyond his experience.
In his speech, Obama actually put more emphasis on the other side of
the equation: rigor. In this context, that means testing and
accountability.
Thanks in part to No Child Left Behind, we’re a lot better at measuring
each student’s progress. Today, tests can tell you which students are
on track and which aren’t. They can tell you which teachers are
bringing their students’ achievement up by two grades in a single year
and which are bringing their students’ levels up by only half a grade.
They can tell you which education schools produce good teachers and
which do not.
New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein has data showing that
progress on tests between the third and eighth grades powerfully
predicts high school graduation rates years later — a clear
demonstration of the importance of these assessments.
The problem is that as our ability to get data has improved, the
education establishment’s ability to evade the consequences of data has
improved, too. Most districts don’t use data to reward good teachers.
States have watered down their proficiency standards so parents think
their own schools are much better than they are.
As Education Secretary Arne Duncan told me, “We’ve seen a race to the
bottom. States are lying to children. They are lying to parents.
They’re ignoring failure, and that’s unacceptable. We have to be
fierce.”
Obama’s goal is to make sure results have consequences. He praises data
sets that “tell us which students had which teachers so we can assess
what’s working and what’s not.” He also aims to reward states that use
data to make decisions. He will build on a Bush program that gives
states money for merit pay so long as they measure teachers based on
real results. He will reward states that expand charter schools, which
are drivers of innovation, so long as they use data to figure out which
charters are working.
The administration also will give money to states like Massachusetts
that have rigorous proficiency standards. The goal is to replace the
race to the bottom with a race to the top, as states are compelled to
raise their standards if they hope to get federal money.
In short, Obama hopes to change incentives so districts do the
effective and hard things instead of the easy and mediocre things. The
question is whether he has the courage to follow through. Many doubt he
does. They point to the way the president has already caved in on the
D.C. vouchers case.
Democrats in Congress just killed an experiment that gives 1,700 poor
Washington kids school vouchers. They even refused to grandfather in
the kids already in the program, so those children will be ripped away
from their mentors and friends. The idea was to cause maximum
suffering, and 58 Senators voted for it.
Obama has, in fact, been shamefully quiet about this. But in the next
weeks he’ll at least try to protect the kids now in the program. And
more broadly, there’s reason for hope. Education is close to his heart.
He has broken with liberal orthodoxy on school reform more than any
other policy. He’s naturally inclined to be data driven. There’s reason
to think that this week’s impressive speech will be followed by real
and potentially historic action.
Ariz. District Cuts
School Week to Save
Cash
NYTIMES
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 2:31 p.m. ET
February 14, 2009
SIERRA VISTA, Ariz.
(AP) -- A school
district has decided to shrink the school week from five days to four
in an effort to save cash because of the deepening recession and
falling enrollment.
The Bisbee Unified School District
board voted Thursday to close schools every Friday for the next two
school years. District Superintendent Gail Covington had recommended
the shortened school week as a way to save $500,000 each year in the
small southeastern Arizona town.
School days would be lengthened by
an hour to make up the lost instructional time.
Bisbee Unified had just under 1,000
students during the 2007-2008 school year at four schools: an
elementary, middle, junior high and high school. The superintendent has
proposed closing the middle school and moving some grades.
Covington said the Friday closures
are a more desirable alternative to laying off 13 teachers, but some
staff -- including principals, cafeteria and custodial workers -- would
lose their jobs.
She acknowledged that working
families would have a hard time finding child care on Fridays.
Rebecca Barten, mother of a
kindergartener in the district, said parents who attended the board
meeting weren't allowed to address the panel before the vote. ''I
wanted to hear about all the possible scenarios, not just what was
said,'' she said.
Other school districts have proposed
cutting school weeks to save on high fuel costs.
Stamford here, Montville here (in another part of CT)
Starr requests smaller school budget
hike
Stamford ADVOCATE
By Wynne Parry, STAFF WRITER
Posted: 02/10/2009 11:08:14 PM EST
STAMFORD -- Superintendent Joshua Starr said Tuesday night he hopes to
reduce his budget request hike from 4.6 percent to 3.8 percent, a
savings of $1.7 million.
He also proposed using $160,000 from the retirement of an assistant
superintendent to restore some of the cuts he proposed for high school
athletics, choral and debate programs.
Starr presented the changes to the Board of Education, which is
scheduled to vote on the budget Thursday.
"This is where I think it becomes really clear to folks the choices we
have to make in this economy," Starr said. "I still frankly don't know
if the Board of Ed will support (3.8 percent) or if the other board
will support it."
Assistant Superintendent Eileen Swerdlick, who heads the Office of
Family and Community Engagement, announced her retirement last week.
Meanwhile, the board is considering a proposal to cut new supplies for
sports, freshman sports and one semester of teacher stipends for choral
and debate programs at Westhill and Stamford high schools.
Debaters from both schools turned out to speak with board members
before the meeting and hand out letters supporting their programs.
Starr said principals and the athletic directors would decide where to
distribute the reduced cut.
Board members reacted warily to leaving Swerdlick's position unfilled
because the Office of Family and Community Engagement tries to get
parents involved in their children's schooling. A literacy workshop
sponsored by the office attracted nearly 10 times as many parents in
January as in previous years.
Board member Jackie Heftman suggested replacing that with a lower-level
position. But board member Robert King worried about making such a
change.
"I don't want to lose that visibility because of the changes we are
trying to do in the budget," he said.
The reduction in Starr's budget request was made possible by several
factors.
The city reduced the amount it charges the Board of Education for
services shared between the city and the schools by $1.5 million.
Locking in the cost of fuel for buses saved $50,000, and the projected
spending for oil heat dropped by $100,000.
Starr's proposal takes into account a reduction in the amount the board
can anticipate paying for certain post-employment benefits. And Starr
said he and other high-level central office administrators will give up
$21,000 in bonuses next year.
Board President Susan Nabel said the new increase of 3.8 percent is
below what is needed to maintain the schools.
"I am not willing to support any other cuts below this level," she said.
Weston
girls basketball reaches states
Posted on 02/14/2009
Staff reports
WESTON -- Brittany Swanson tied a season high with 27 points, including
three 3-pointers, to lead the Weston High girls basketball team to a
57-47 victory over New Milford on Senior Night Friday to clinch a state
tournament berth.
The Trojans raised their record 8-10 overall, 4-7 SWC and qualified for
the state playoffs for the first time since the 2004-2005 season.
"We're very happy," Weston first-year coach Pat Cole said. "It's
something we wanted and to do it on Senior Night for Marissa Diaz was
great. The kids worked so hard and adjusted to a new system and went
through the highs and lows. We're looking forward to the second
season."
Weston had the lead throughout and held off the Green Wave in the
second half. Hannah Hutchins aided the cause with 14 points and buried
two 3-pointers.
See what
happens when you have a track to practice on and a new gym?
Weston boys, girls sweep to SWC crowns
Norwalk HOUR
Posted on 02/08/2009
The Weston track and field teams swept both titles at the South-West
Conference Championships Saturday night at the New Haven Athletic
Center.
The girls scored 144.5 points to blow the field away and claim their
fourth consecutive conference championship. Masuk was a distant second
with 86 points.
Weston's boys had a closer battle but hung on to win their fifth title
in six years with 93 points, five points better than Masuk.
The Trojans were edged by a point for the top spot a year ago.
Steven Piscatelli (first in the 1,000 meters) and Danny Eldon (first in
the shot put) led the boys charge.
For the girls, pole vaulters Emily Ando and Julie Sitver put on a
two-person tutorial in taking the top two spots. Sitver tied the state
record of 11 feet, 6 inches, and Ando followed by clearing that same
height a few minutes later.
A little while after that Ando created new girls' state standard by
clearing 12 feet to win the event.
Weston also ran 1-2 in the 600 meters, with Rebecca Fine first and Meg
Sanborn second. In the 1,000 meters Emma Tobin finished first, followed
by Sarah Griffin.
Ando also took first in the hight jump at 4-10, Kathryn Bacher was best
in the long jump at 15-10, and the Trojans won the sprint-medley, 4x400
and 4x200 relays.
Cathy Roberts ran second in the 55-meter dash, while Callie Arlo was
runner-up in the 300.
"Obviously it was an outstanding job by everyone," head coach Matt
Medve said.
Next
Big Thing To Go Online Could Be
College Education
DAY
By Tamar Lewin , New York Times News Service
Published on 1/26/2009
An Israeli entrepreneur with decades of experience in international
education plans to start the first global, tuition-free Internet
university, a nonprofit venture he has named the University of the
People.
”The idea is to take social networking and apply it to academia,” said
the entrepreneur, Shai Reshef, founder of several Internet-based
educational businesses.
”The open-source courseware is there, from universities that have put
their courses online, available to the public, free,” Reshef said. “We
know that online peer-to-peer teaching works. Putting it all together,
we can make a free university for students all over the world, anyone
who speaks English and has an Internet connection.”
About 4 million students in the United States took at least one online
course in 2007, according to a survey by the Sloan Consortium, a
nonprofit group devoted to integrating online learning into mainstream
higher education.
Online learning is growing in many different contexts. Through the Open
Courseware Consortium, started in 2001 by the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, universities around the world have posted materials for
thousands of courses - as varied as Lambing and Sheep Management at
Utah State and Relativistic Quantum Field Theory at MIT - all free to
the public. Many universities now post their lectures on iTunes.
For-profit universities like the University of Phoenix and Kaplan
University have extensive online offerings. And increasingly, both
public and private universities offer at least some classes online.
Outside the United States, too, online learning is booming. Open
University in Britain, for example, enrolls about 160,000
undergraduates in distance-learning courses.
The University of the People, like other Internet-based universities,
would have online study communities, weekly discussion topics, homework
assignments and exams. But in lieu of tuition, students would pay only
nominal fees for enrollment ($15 to $50) and exams ($10 to $100), with
students from poorer countries paying the lower fees and those from
richer countries paying the higher ones.
Experts in online education say the idea raises many questions.
”We've chatted about doing something like this over the last decade but
decided the time wasn't yet right,” said John Bourne, executive
director of the Sloan Consortium. “It's true that the open courseware
movement is pretty robust, so there are a lot of high-quality course
materials out there, but there's no human backup behind them. I'd be
interested to know how you'd find and train faculty and ensure quality
without tuition money.”
Other educators question the logistics of such a plan.
”The more you get people around the world talking to each other, great,
and the more they talk about what they're learning, just wonderful,”
said Philip G. Altbach, director of the Center for International Higher
Education at Boston College. “But I'm not at all sure, when you start
attaching that to credits and degrees and courses, that it translates
so well.
”How will they test students? How much will the professors do? How well
does the American or British curriculum serve the needs of people in
Mali? How do they handle students whose English is not at college
level?”
Reshef said his new university would use active and retired professors
- some paid, some volunteers - along with librarians, master-level
students and professionals to develop and evaluate curriculums and
oversee assessments.
He plans to start small, limiting enrollment at 300 students when the
university goes online in the fall and offering only bachelor's degrees
in business administration and computer science. Reshef said the
university would apply for accreditation as soon as possible.
Reshef hopes to build enrollment to 10,000 over five years, the level
at which he said the enterprise should be self-sustaining. Startup
costs would be about $5 million, Reshef said, of which he plans to
provide $1 million.
Reshef is now chairman of Cramster.com, an online study community
offering homework help to college students.
”Cramster has thousands of students helping other students,” said
Reshef, who lives in Pasadena, Calif., where both Cramster and the new
university are based.
Boston still vexed by school busing
Justin A. Rice THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Sunday, November 1, 2009
BOSTON | More than three decades after a federal court order
forced Boston to desegregate schools by busing black students to white
neighborhoods and whites to black areas, the birthplace of public
education is still fighting the battle.
But the lines no longer pit race against race, with 87 percent of the
student body now minorities.
Now the city is wrestling with school-choice issues and an antiquated
busing system that can send a lone student on a bus ride across the
city. And the more the Boston Public Schools system assigns students to
neighborhood schools, rather than bus them across town, the more likely
it is that children in the poorest neighborhoods will go to the
worst-performing schools.
Boston schools still let parents pick schools, but only within three
enormous and controversial geographical zones. Buses carting only one
student often crisscross the city - contributing to next year's nearly
$80 million transportation budget at a time when the district faces a
projected $100 million budget shortfall.
Proposals to replace the 20-year-old school-assignment zones with five
smaller ones fizzled twice this decade, most recently in June. And
while the city secured federal funding this month to take another stab
at overhauling its busing system, the issue remains a political hot
potato that is not among the talking points of either mayoral candidate.
"And they won't talk about it because it's very divisive," said Myriam
Ortiz, executive director of Boston Parent Organizing Network, which
successfully argued that Boston Public Schools' recent proposal to
return to neighborhood schools drastically decreased access to quality
schools for the city's poorest students, "because communities where
better schools are located could care less about the communities where
the underperforming schools are located."
"I know this for a fact. A few months ago, we heard parents testifying
that their schools should not receive budget cuts because their schools
perform better. They said, 'The schools that are not performing, budget
cuts should be their punishment.' "
At a recent debate, Mayor Thomas M. Menino had his performance on
education graded by his opponent - City Council member Michael F.
Flaherty Jr., who gave him an "F" - and by himself. He said he'd grade
himself "maybe a B-plus, no, a B. I'll be generous."
The two men sparred over the mayor's record: "We boast of having the
best colleges and universities in the world, yet children who actually
do graduate from Boston Public Schools will never get an opportunity to
compete," the mayor's 40-year-old challenger said. Each man slung
around statistics on dropouts, but neither addressed the educational
elephant in the auditorium at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
and Museum: busing.
Mr. Menino, who called for the abolition of busing in his 2008 State of
the City Address, could not be reached for comment for this report.
During a phone interview, Mr. Flaherty, a proponent of neighborhood
schools who said he recently realized the need to focus initially on
improving school quality, did address busing frankly.
"The city has a long history with the subject; at the same time, things
have changed tremendously," said Mr. Flaherty, who was born five years
before the 1974 forced-busing ruling. "We need to be sensitive to the
issue and recognize the past. I've seen Boston at its best and at its
very worst. To dismiss and discount the past is shortsighted. We need
to put all the issues on the table.
"The discussion around school assignment can be polarizing already.
With that said, maybe we do need to have a frank discussion about race
in Boston, where we came from and where we are now before we embark on
this particular issue."
While Boston's third attempt to rewrite its school-assignment plan
since 2004 has gone untouched this political season, Washington has
taken notice.
On Oct. 1, 35 years after the now-deceased federal Judge W. Arthur
Garrity Jr. ruled that Boston Public Schools practiced de facto
segregation, the U.S. Department of Education awarded Boston a $241,680
grant.
The Technical Assistance for Student Assignment Plans grant is designed
to help school districts reconcile long-term effects of busing by
studying the practices of cities nationwide. The 11 districts awarded
the grant have 12 to 24 months to use the funds and cast wide nets in
reaching out to school-assignment experts and civil rights activists.
For the Boston Public Schools system - which has 72 percent of its
students eligible for subsidized free and reduced-price meals - the
challenge is deflating a bloated transportation budget without impeding
access to the city's best schools.
Superintendent Carol Johnson shelved her five-zone plan in June after
it was revealed that the majority of the district's underperforming
schools were concentrated in the two zones populated by the city's
poorest residents.
Parents in those two zones were irate after learning they wouldn't have
equal access to bilingual and special education.
"We are pleased about the grant; it will help propel us further and
faster," Ms. Johnson said by phone. "But even if we had not gotten the
grant, we are committed to making changes to improve the quality of
schools in Boston."
While BPS abolished race-based school assignment in 1999, the district
currently conducts a school-choice lottery, in which students apply to
elementary and middle schools within their zone of residence. They can
apply to schools outside their zone as long as they are within walking
distance of their home. High schools are accessible citywide.
Ms. Johnson was widely applauded for tossing out her five-zone plan
this summer. But even after she announced in August that she was
applying for federal money to aid her new efforts, skepticism remained
widespread.
"I don't believe they're going back to the drawing board," said Carlos
Henriquez, a City Council candidate who says 10 out of 11 elementary
schools in his predominantly black and Hispanic district chronically
underperform. "They are waiting until November 3 is over, then they'll
propose a plan that convinces nobody." Election Day is Nov. 3.
In 2004, before Ms. Johnson's tenure began, a similar school-assignment
proposal also failed. Just as they did this summer, community
organizers and parents argued that the district should improve
underperforming schools before addressing transportation woes.
While Ms. Johnson says BPS can simultaneously work toward improving
poor schools and ending busing, Mr. Henriquez said presenting a
school-assignment plan would be much easier once all schools performed
equally.
"They can quickly throw together a transportation plan," the
32-year-old said, "but no one can put together how to improve 10 of 11
schools."
In 2008, state officials deemed 100 of 143 schools "in need of
improvement" before Ms. Johnson closed or consolidated chronically
inadequate schools. About three-quarters of the city's 135 schools
underperform today, but Ms. Johnson has increased the number of seats
in well-performing schools.
"I think we have some evidence that we made some improvement," Ms.
Johnson said. "I also think that since some parents feel they didn't
get any of their top three [school choices], they still want us to make
sure we address that issue. Yes, some people will feel better about the
school their child is in, but not everyone is satisfied. That's why
it's important for us to have the grant. We need to think about all the
different ways to have a choice system."
While busing battles in Seattle and Louisville played out in the
Supreme Court two years ago, Boston has hashed out school-assignment
debates hyper-locally in church basements, school cafeterias and
auditoriums.
And while the Supreme Court ultimately limited the role race can play
in determining student assignment, in Boston the issue is not
especially racial, since only 9 percent of public-school students are
white, compared with 39 percent black and 37 percent Hispanic.
The battle in Boston pits those trying to preserve access to quality
schools, as well as the English language and special education, versus
those lobbying for a return to neighborhood schools.
East Boston resident Gloribell Mota wasn't satisfied with the middle
schools in her predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhood a few years
ago. So her son traveled 1 1/2 hours by bus each way to attend a better
school.
Ms. Mota credits that decision for helping him test into Boston Latin
School, the jewel of the district and the nation's oldest public
school, founded in 1635. But leaving the neighborhood to attend middle
school wasn't easy.
"It wasn't like he could stay after school with his friends hanging
out, it was straight home an hour and a half on the bus," said Ms.
Mota, whose daughter is in kindergarten. "I want to make sure she has
those options as well.
"Until BPS takes a structural look at some of the schools, parents will
continue to oppose [a new busing plan]. They want quality schools in
the neighborhoods."
Ms. Mota recently walked a few blocks from her home to attend her
daughter's parent-teacher conferences and acknowledged that
neighborhood schools can foster community and parent involvement.
When defending her school-assignment proposal last winter, Ms. Johnson
said the geographical districts reflected parents' desires to choose
schools closer to home.
Neighborhood schools, however, are not a silver bullet. The Orchard
Gardens Pilot School sets aside 75 percent of its seats for students
within walking distance of the school in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood,
but Mr. Henriquez notes that it still underperforms.
Ms. Johnson said she understands why parents are pushing so hard for
high quality, but added that the debate can sometimes get sidetracked
by focusing too much on transportation and school choice.
"I do sometimes think we lose track of what the core of our work in
schools is," Ms. Johnson said. "The core business of schools is about
student achievement. That is what this is about. We have to keep making
sure we ask questions that drive the agenda toward student achievement
and student success, as opposed to focusing solely on choice.
"Parents do want choice, but to what end?"
Chicago school chief Arne Duncan got the nod! And he's off
and running with a race to the...top?
Obama Offers 'Race to the Top' Contest
for Schools
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 2:23 p.m. ET
July 24, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Using money as bait, President Barack Obama
challenged states and school districts Friday to raise their academic
standards, improve teacher quality and allow more innovation if they
want a chance at roughly $5 billion in new grants.
Obama said the broad goals are to give every child a chance to succeed
and to boost the educational foundation of the nation's economy. Yet
the ''Race to the Top'' program is also specifically targeted at
expanding reforms the administration wants, such as linking teacher pay
to how well students do on tests.
''This competition will not be based on politics or ideology or the
preferences of a particular interest group,'' Obama said in an
appearance at the Education Department. ''Instead, it will be based on
a simple principle: whether a state is ready to do what works.''
The president added: ''Not every state will win and not every school
district will be happy with the results. But America's children,
America's economy, America itself will be better for it.''
Obama said the states and districts that apply for money will be
evaluated by clear criteria, with rewards going to those that adopt
strong standards and common tests; that get high-quality teachers in
the classroom; and that allow expansions of charter schools, which are
public schools that operate with more independence. He endorsed the
idea of linking student achievement to teacher pay -- a hotly debated
idea in education -- but said it should be just one factor in
compensation.
As he has with other domestic priorities, Obama said reforming
education has been talked about without enough action for years.
Speaking of the need to improve academics nationwide, he said: ''We
have no choice. And I'm absolutely confident that we can make it
happen.''
The $5 billion education fund, part of the economic stimulus law
enacted this year, is seen as Obama's shot at revamping schools over
the next couple of years.
A state will have to meet a series of conditions to earn points and
boost its chances. Some of those conditions are controversial,
especially among teachers' unions, which make up an influential segment
of Obama's Democratic base.
For example, the administration says it will not award money to states
that bar student performance data from being linked to teacher
evaluations. Several states, including California, New York and
Wisconsin, have such a prohibition.
But there are also elements the unions will embrace; states can earn
points by submitting letters of support from state union leaders.
The Obama administration is using the stimulus not only to help schools
ride out the recession but to try to transform the federal government's
role in education. Education Secretary Arne Duncan envisions the
dollars going to perhaps 10 to 20 states that can serve as models for
innovation.
The $5 billion fund might not seem like much, considering the stimulus
bill provided $100 billion for schools. But the fund is massive
compared with the $16 million in discretionary money Duncan's
predecessors got each year for their own priorities.
Moreover, the fund has taken on added importance because in many
states, the bulk of the stimulus money is being used to fill
increasingly larger budget holes, and not for the innovations Obama
wants.
A report from the Government Accountability Office earlier this month
said school districts are planning to use the money mostly to prevent
teacher layoffs.
''Most did not indicate they would use these funds to pursue
educational reform,'' the report said. The GAO is the investigative arm
of Congress.
Already, the promise of an extra $5 billion has helped Duncan prod
state legislatures to do the administration's bidding.
For example, he warned Tennessee lawmakers they could lose out on the
money if they kept blocking a bill to let more kids into charter
schools; within weeks, the bill was enacted and signed into law.
''It's amazing the amount of progress, literally, without us spending a
dime,'' Duncan said.
The Education Department will gather public comment on its rules for
the $5 billion fund for the next 30 days; applications will be
available in October, and the first round of money should be awarded
early next year.
Who Will He Choose?
NYTIMES OP-ED
By DAVID BROOKS
December 5, 2008
As in many other areas, the biggest education debates
are happening within the Democratic Party. On the one hand, there are
the reformers like Joel Klein and Michelle Rhee, who support merit pay
for good teachers, charter schools and tough accountability standards.
On the other hand, there are the teachers’ unions and the members of
the Ed School establishment, who emphasize greater funding, smaller
class sizes and superficial reforms.
During the presidential race, Barack Obama straddled the two camps. One
campaign adviser, John Schnur, represented the reform view in the
internal discussions. Another, Linda Darling-Hammond, was more likely
to represent the establishment view. Their disagreements were collegial
(this is Obamaland after all), but substantive.
In public, Obama shifted nimbly from camp to camp while education
experts studied his intonations with the intensity of Kremlinologists.
Sometimes, he flirted with the union positions. At other times, he
practiced dog-whistle politics, sending out reassuring signals that
only the reformers could hear.
Each camp was secretly convinced that at the end of the day, Obama
would come down on their side. The reformers were cheered when Obama
praised a Denver performance pay initiative. The unions could take
succor from the fact that though Obama would occasionally talk about
merit pay, none of his actual proposals contradicted their positions.
Obama never had to pick a side. That is, until now. There is only one
education secretary, and if you hang around these circles, the air is
thick with speculation, anticipation, anxiety, hope and misinformation.
Every day, new rumors are circulated and new front-runners declared.
It’s kind of like being in a Trollope novel as Lord So-and-So figures
out to whom he’s going to propose.
You can measure the anxiety in the reformist camp by the level of
nervous phone chatter each morning. Weeks ago, Obama announced that
Darling-Hammond would lead his transition team and reformist cellphones
around the country lit up. Darling-Hammond, a professor at Stanford, is
a sharp critic of Teach for America and promotes weaker reforms.
Anxieties cooled, but then one morning a few weeks ago, I got a flurry
of phone calls from reform leaders nervous that Obama was about to side
against them. I interviewed people in the president-elect’s inner
circle and was reassured that the reformers had nothing to worry about.
Obama had not gone native.
Obama’s aides point to his long record on merit pay, his sympathy for
charter schools and his tendency to highlight his commitment to serious
education reform.
But the union lobbying efforts are relentless and in the past week
prospects for a reforming education secretary are thought to have
dimmed. The candidates before Obama apparently include: Joel Klein, the
highly successful New York chancellor who has, nonetheless, been
blackballed by the unions; Arne Duncan, the reforming Chicago head who
is less controversial; Darling-Hammond herself; and some former
governor to be named later, with Darling-Hammond as the deputy
secretary.
In some sense, the final option would be the biggest setback for
reform. Education is one of those areas where implementation and the
details are more important than grand pronouncements. If the deputies
and assistants in the secretary’s office are not true reformers,
nothing will get done.
The stakes are huge. For the first time in decades, there is real
momentum for reform. It’s not only Rhee and Klein — the celebrities —
but also superintendents in cities across America who are getting
better teachers into the classrooms and producing measurable results.
There is an unprecedented political coalition building, among liberals
as well as conservatives, for radical reform.
No Child Left Behind is about to be reauthorized. Everyone has
reservations about that law, but it is the glaring spotlight that
reveals and pierces the complacency at mediocre schools. If
accountability standards are watered down, as the establishment wants,
then real reform will fade.
This will be a tough call for Obama, because it will mean offending
people, but he can either galvanize the cause of reform or demoralize
it. It’ll be one of the biggest choices of his presidency.
Many of the reformist hopes now hang on Obama’s friend, Arne Duncan. In
Chicago, he’s a successful reformer who has produced impressive results
in a huge and historically troubled system. He has the political skills
necessary to build a coalition on behalf of No Child Left Behind
reauthorization. Because he is close to both Obamas, he will ensure
that education doesn’t fall, as it usually does, into the ranks of the
second-tier issues.
If Obama picks a reformer like Duncan, Klein or one of the others, he
will be picking a fight with the status quo. But there’s never been a
better time to have that fight than right now.
Sound
familiar?
State looks for $1.7M from city
By Elizabeth Benton, New Haven Register Staff
Friday, November 21,
2008 5:55 AM EST
NEW HAVEN — Thirteen years after High School in the Community opened on
Water Street, the state is now seeking $1.7 million from the city,
primarily due to a disagreement over the purchase price of the property.
New Haven paid $2.2 million for the property, which they then renovated
into an inter-district magnet school. While the state initially
reimbursed the city for that expense, in a 2007 audit of the $6 million
project, the state determined the property to be worth only $700,000,
according to School Construction Coordinator Susan Weisselberg.
The remaining expense was due to charges the state deemed to be not
reimbursable.
Weisselberg and Chief Operating Officer Will Clark appeared before the
Board of Aldermen’s Finance Committee Wednesday night seeking to
include the unexpected $1.7 million in bonds the city plans to issue in
March.
The committee approved the request, which will now appear before the
full board.
According to Weisselberg, the
state has 20 years to audit a project after its completion.
“It makes it really hard,” she said. “The project was done differently
than the way we do things now. People who worked on it are not people
who are here now. We were able to reconstruct a fair amount of it.
Ultimately what it came to was the auditors viewing the acquisition
price one way, we viewed it another way,” she said.
State education spokesman Tom Murphy said such reimbursement request
are “quite normal and quite prevalent.”
“Every school construction project is audited at close out,” he said.
“This is a common outcome in school construction. When you’re talking
about a 40, 60 or $100 million project, $1.5 million or even $5 million
is a real possibility.”
While the city and state differ over expenses for the older project,
the city also is considering $25 million worth of new upgrades to the
building, including window replacements, fa硤e improvements, energy
efficiency upgrades and expansion for a full-size gym and a
multipurpose space. Of that expense, all but $1.5 million would be paid
for by the state. The city plans to submit that project to the state in
2009, dependent on economic conditions.
No
Towns Willing To Take New London
Students; City required to ask under mandate of No Child Left
Behind
DAY
By Jenna Cho
Published on 10/6/2008
New London - To comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, New
London asked 18 school systems in the region last month whether they
would transport and educate New London students - for free.
So far, there are no takers.
New London was required to contact neighboring school districts because
its Harbor Elementary School this year became the fourth and last
elementary school in the district not to make adequate yearly progress
for two or more consecutive years under the law. That put Harbor on the
list of schools that are in need of improvement. Under NCLB,
school districts with an in-need school must offer parents of that
school the option to transfer to a different school within the
district. But all the elementary schools in New London are in need of
improvement, which means New London has no elementary school
alternatives to so-called failing schools.
So on Sept. 2, New London Assistant Superintendent Christine Carver
sent letters to school superintendents asking whether any of them would
be willing to educate some of New London's 1,600 elementary students if
a parent were to exercise his or her right to public school choice
under NCLB. New London Superintendent Christopher Clouet said no parent
has formally requested the school choice option this year.
”It doesn't say much about the quality of the teaching,” said Carver of
sending the letters. “It really is just about the requirement of No
Child Left Behind.”
Accepting New London's request would mean absorbing the cost of
educating and transporting the New London children. Griswold, Ledyard,
Lyme-Old Lyme, Montville, North Stonington, Norwich, Preston, Voluntown
and Waterford have all declined to enter into what Carver, in her
letter, called the “Inter-district School Choice Cooperative Agreement.”
Eight other districts have not replied, and Colchester is awaiting a
board of education discussion on the matter, according to Carver.
Most urban districts in the state are caught in the same predicament as
New London, said Susan Kennedy, chief of the state Department of
Education's Bureau of School and District Improvement.
”It is very difficult to get surrounding districts to participate in
taking kids,” Kennedy said. “Part of it is because there's no
transportation that's guaranteed there. Many of these districts have no
seats available. The timing is bad in terms of the economy; everybody's
struggling. And so to take kids that are not naturally theirs presents
some problems.”
Running out of schools able to serve as alternatives to failing schools
is a symptom of the fact that adequate yearly progress is a moving
target that keeps getting harder and harder to hit, said Kennedy. By
2013-14, 100 percent of students are expected to meet federal
proficiency levels in reading and math standardized tests, which means
most schools by then will be failing to make the yearly progress
standard.
”These schools are improving,” said Kennedy. “The problem, this year,
is that the threshold moved up.”
Kennedy said New London's request to other districts single-handedly
satisfies the NCLB requirement that school districts offer public
school choice, whether or not other districts agree to take on New
London's students. When all its schools are failing, a district can
offer supplemental services, such as tutoring to help struggling
students but isn't obligated to, said Kennedy. Michael Petrilli,
vice president for national programs and policy at the education think
tank Thomas B. Fordham Institute, called NCLB's provision for public
school choice “basically toothless.”
Only about 120,000 students nationwide exercised their right to public
school choice in 2006-07, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
”There's basically no way to force school districts to provide school
choice to parents if they don't want to,” Petrilli said, “and in this
case, if they don't have an ability to do so.”
Too expensive
For at least a couple of districts, cost was the main deciding factor
in declining New London's request. North Stonington's Board of
Education decided it could not foot the $13,747 annual cost of
educating out-of-district students, said the district's superintendent,
Natalie Pukas. Out-of-district tuition in Ledyard is $9,200 a
year for elementary students, and one school bus costs about $75,000 a
year, said Ledyard Superintendent Michael Graner.
”Given the nature of our budget this year and certainly for next year,”
said Graner, “it would've been a really substantial financial burden
for our school district.”
Graner acknowledged the difficulty New London faces in improving
student performance when the standards keep rising. He said New London
offers strong bilingual programs and has been adept at educating
English language learners.
”I have every confidence that New London Public Schools is providing
the programs to meet the needs of the children,” Graner said.
Stage is set for
new Weston
High School auditorium
Weston FORUM
Written by Kimberly Donnelly
Friday, August 08, 2008
The lights are dark and the stage is bare at the Weston High School
auditorium. That’s normal for this time of year; what’s not normal is
the fact that there are also no seats, no curtain, no floor tiles or
carpet, no walls in some places, and lots and lots of dust.
“The demolition part is done,” said Tom Landry, town administrator.
“Now they’re working on putting it back together.”
Renovation of the high school auditorium is the final piece in the
town’s $80-million school and athletic facilities project that voters
approved in 2001 and that broke ground in 2003. That project included
new playing fields at Morehouse Farm Park and Bisceglie-Scribner Park,
the new intermediate school, and renovation and additions at the high
school.
Refurbishing the high school auditorium was not originally a part of
the building project. However, when bids for a planned new auditorium
at Weston Middle School came in millions of dollars more than expected,
the focus shifted to making improvements to the existing high school
performance space instead.
Work on the auditorium includes adding air conditioning, replacing
antiquated rigging, lighting work, and floor replacement.
WestonArts, a nonprofit group, has raised about $300,000 in private
funds to help supplement the costs of the auditorium project,
specifically to replace the seats.
Mr. Landry said figuring out the cost of the project as a whole is
tricky because so many different contracts are involved. Carlson
Construction is the main contractor; Innovative Engineering Services of
North Haven is the main design engineer; William Warfel is the lighting
designer; Ducharme is responsible for the seating; two different fabric
companies, J.B. Martin and Designtex, are involved; and Theatre
Projects Consultancy is another designer.
In addition to the money raised by WestonArts, the money to pay for the
project — which Mr. Landry ultimately pins down at about $2.1 million —
comes from several different sources. Money that was originally bonded
to build the middle school auditorium was “transferred” to pay for the
high school roof replacement and auditorium renovation.
Mr. Landry said after the roof was completed, about $1.2 million was
left to apply toward the auditorium. At a special town meeting June 11
this year, voters approved an additional $586,585 appropriation from
the general fund, and there was money left in a capital account for the
roof replacement that will be applied toward the auditorium.
The auditorium will not be completed by the time school opens at the
end of this month. The building committee is pushing to have it ready
by mid-October, in time for the high school’s Company to stage its fall
performance.
No
surprises here...Weston rank in the state - #9 (math),#2
(science),#5 (reading),#7 (writing).
Sophomores Show Gains In CAPT Scores
By ARIELLE LEVIN BECKER | Courant Staff Writer
10:30 AM EDT, July 15, 2008
Connecticut high school sophomores showed gains in math, science and
writing on the state's annual achievement test, while performance in
reading was flat, according to figures released this morning.
Statewide, just over half of high school sophomores reached state goals
in math on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test this year, a 4.9
percentage-point increase from sophomores in 2007.
Writing performance was up 4.8 percentage points, with 57.8 percent of
10th graders reaching state goals.
In science, 46.5 percent of students reached state goals, a 2
percentage-point increase, while 45.5 percent of students achieved
goals in reading, the same as 2007.
State Education Commissioner Mark K. McQuillan described the scores as
promising, but noted that many challenges persist, including wide
achievement gaps between minority students and their white peers.
"We still have far to go, but this is a step forward for our state,"
McQuillan said in a written statement.
Overall, 35 school districts and the Connecticut Technical High School
system showed performance gains on all four subjects. Seven districts
recorded drops in performance for all four subjects.
The numbers varied widely by district.
In New Canaan, which topped the state in math and science performance,
more than 90 percent of students reached state goals in math and
writing, and more than 80 percent achieved goal in science and reading.
In Hartford, which posted the state's lowest reading performance, 11
percent of students reached state reading goals.
Still, Hartford, like several other poor and traditionally
low-performing districts, showed some gains. While the percent of
students reaching goals in reading was down in the capital city, math,
science, and writing achievement was up, though the district still
ranked among the bottom 10 districts statewide in reaching goal in each
category.
White, black and Hispanic students all showed gains in math, science
and writing, but wide gaps persist. While 63.1 percent of white
students achieved goal on the math exam, for example, only 14.6 percent
of black students and 18.2 percent of Hispanic students did.
The scores come amid an increased focus on high schools by state
education officials, who have proposed an ambitious plan to reshape
secondary school education. The proposal, a response to concerns that
students are increasingly graduating unprepared for college or the
workforce, calls for added credit and curriculum requirements,
including an independent project for seniors, end-of-course exams that
students would have to pass to graduate, and an increased emphasis on
students' connections with teachers and other school staff.
Fewer
students in years to come?
Study projects 17% enrollment
drop in Conn. schools
DAY
By Jenna Cho
Published on 7/5/2008
In the world of population projections, there are always peaks and
valleys that mark a cycle of population growth and decline.
But according to an analysis by the University of Connecticut's
Connecticut State Data Center, the state is starting to see a
“long-term decline in the school-age population.” The data center
serves as a liaison to the U.S. Census Bureau. The state uses the data
to create public policy and to decide where to spend money.
The study summary, released last month, projects a 17-percent decline
between 2004-05 and 2020-21 in the total number of public-school
students in grades 1 to 12 in the state. Public school enrollment in
those grades peaked at 523,100 in 2004-05 and is expected to drop to
about 432,300 in 2020-21, according to the study.
”Low fertility rates are the root cause of this decline,” the study
release reads. “The boomer generation, now approaching retirement, had
fewer children than their parents. … Each progressive generation is
failing to replace itself.”
The state Department of Education's own projections, through the
2016-17 school year, also reflect a decline in student enrollment in
preschool through 12th grade.
”The UConn study suggests that we may not recover from this decline,
that the students that are graduating from the high schools now … will
move out of state and not return,” said department spokesman Thomas
Murphy. “And in some ways, they may be right. We've seen in recent
years larger and larger percentages of high school graduates go to
college outside of Connecticut and then fail to return.”
But Murphy also cautioned that trends over the past 60 years have shown
recoveries from such declines. The state experienced a low of about
466,000 in public-school enrollment in 1988 but in 2006-07 saw the
numbers climb back up to about 574,000, according to department records.
The 2008 graduating class was, at about 38,400, the largest the state
has seen in the past 10 years, Murphy said. The decline in enrollment
is expected starting this year.
”We should be mindful of the projections of the study and consider it a
strong possibility, but there's nothing certain because these are
projections,” Murphy said.
Orlando Rodriguez, the data center's manager and demographer, said the
latest study was actually a re-emphasis of a study released in May 2007
showing enrollment projections in grades 1 to 12 between the years 2000
and 2030.
”In a sense, it's repackaged information,” Rodriguez said. “But the
reason we brought it out is because we've been waiting for the numbers
to start dropping.”
The data center saw that drop, of about 3,886 students, between 2006-07
and 2007-08. Rodriguez cited several factors as contributing to the
decline, including lower birth rates, more people leaving Connecticut
than staying and a stagnant job market.
The study projects enrollment to increase again somewhat after 2020,
with an estimated 458,900 students in grades 1 to 12 in the year 2030.
The data center and state education department both looked at birth
rates and factors such as migration and job opportunities. But
Rodriguez said the data center and state numbers differ because the two
used different methods of projection. The data center also tracked
enrollment trends for a longer period, starting in 1990, he said.
Rodriguez said school districts should be cautious to spend money on
construction projects when there may not be a need for larger school
facilities in the future. A declining public-school population will
have other social repercussions, he said.
”We're projecting that our elderly population is going to increase
dramatically,” Rodriguez said. “So in terms of social services, we're
going to have fewer children but more elderly.”
New London schools Superintendent Christopher Clouet said the data
center's projections did not affect the school district's plan to
convert two of its elementary schools into magnet schools because the
magnet schools would draw a percentage of its students from outside New
London.
Additionally, New London families already tend to have larger families
than suburban families, he said.
”When they say the state of Connecticut will have a relative decline in
students, I don't doubt that,” Clouet said. “I think the decline will
be experienced differently in different types of communities.”
Magnet
School Referendum Is Cause For
Jitters; NL Lawmakers Fear Negative Vote Could Hamper Future State
Funding
DAY
By Kevin Dale
Published on 4/5/2008
New London — In July, officials from the city, school district and
state gathered in the city's Science and Technology Magnet High School
to celebrate what was portrayed as a legislative triumph. In the
waning days of the summer session, the General Assembly, after
considerable lobbying from New London legislators, passed what has come
to be known as the “magnet plan.”
The legislation designated New London as the state's first
magnet-school district. But the true purpose behind the creative label
was to give the cash-strapped city $58 million — 95 percent of the $61
million estimate — to renovate Winthrop and Nathan Hale schools into
600-student magnet schools. But as the magnet plan heads to a
resident-triggered referendum Tuesday, members of the city's
legislative delegation nervously await the outcome of an election that
they are surprised is even occurring. The rejection of the plan, they
said, could harm their future efforts to secure state funds for the
city.
“I don't think anybody thought this largess wouldn't be accepted,” said
state Rep. Ted Moukawsher, D-Groton. “It's kind of inconceivable, but
here we are.”
Echoing local supporters, Moukawsher noted the plan awards the city $10
million. Under the reimbursement formula for nonmagnet schools,
the city would have to contribute $13 million to renovate the two,
roughly 40-year-old elementary schools; the magnet plan requires $3
million.
“It's astounding to me you want to prevent kids from having new schools
at basically no cost,” said Moukawsher, echoing the “no-brainer”
argument made by the plan's supporters. State Rep. Ernest Hewett,
D-New London, said he has been a little chagrined to have to inform the
heads of the assembly's education committees — who backed the plan —
that residents forced the referendum and could vote the plan down.
“Actually, I'm a little apologetic to them,” Hewett said. “I'm kind of
hoping that it's passed. We would look pretty bad going back up there
and making a pitch for New London.”
New London Superintendent Christopher Clouet has said the magnet plan
came about because school officials needed additional state money to
renovate the schools. He said the district couldn't ask the city to
contribute $13 million, a figure equal to 17 percent of its total
budget.
“There just wouldn't be any appetite for it,” Clouet said.
The city's legislators said the plan's rejection could complicate
future pitches for state money. The assumption underlying those
requests, they said, is that New London, as a tax-poor city
overburdened with needs, should receive extra help from Hartford.
“People are watching,” said state Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford.
“It has so much support. For the residents to reject what is really a
gift from the state in the form of this grant would be a very difficult
thing for us to explain.”
In addition to the legislators, the plan enjoys the substantial support
of the city's elected officials. The city's Democratic Town Committee
has endorsed the plan, as have the city's three Republican elected
officials: city Councilors Rob Pero and Adam Sprecace and school board
member James Pearce. But the city's Republican Town Committee
appears to be split on the plan. After debating the merits at its
meeting this week, the committee decided not to take a position.
Last week, Sprecace, the council's chief number cruncher, and
Democratic Councilor Mike Buscetto III held a “nonpartisan” forum to
persuade residents of the plan's financial upside. Armed with the
slogan “Pay Less, Vote Yes,” Buscetto has stepped forward as a major
backer of the plan.
Buscetto, a developer, has said he will be “intimately involved” with
the schools' construction. In his appearance Thursday on the
cable-access show “The Renshaw Report,” he pledged that the city's $3
million share would be covered through cost savings and wouldn't
increase taxes.
“Put it on tape,” Buscetto said after host Murray “the Eye” Renshaw
held him to the promise.
With the city's GOP taking a sideline role in the debate, it is
difficult to gauge the extent of the plan's opposition, which appears
to be led by Charles Frink, Bill Cornish and Evelyn and Demetrious
Louziotis. Those residents, who have been vocal critics of the
plan, sponsored the 409-signature petition that challenged the City
Council's Feb. 4 decision to approve the plan.
Cornish, a One New London party member and former city councilor, has
been the magnet plan's most outspoken critic. He objects to a
stipulation in the plan that requires the city's magnet schools,
whether they are district-run or not, to enroll a combined 15 percent
of students from outside New London. The city must meet the
target by June 2012 or facing having to repay the $10 million,
according to the magnet-plan legislation.
The plan's proponents say the goal can be reached, and they point to
the roughly 400 suburban students who already attend the city's magnet
schools, including 300 enrolled at the Regional Multicultural Magnet
School, which is not run by the district.
Cornish and his fellow opponents are skeptical that the elementary
magnet schools will attract the 100 or so suburban students needed to
meet the 2012 target. “Take the penalty off. Take the quota off for
suburban kids,” he said.
During his appearance on “The Renshaw Report” Thursday, Cornish
questioned the widely held belief that the Winthrop and Nathan Hale
schools are in desperate need of repair. “I don't think they're falling
down,” he said.
And Cornish took issue with the $61 million price, which school
officials admit is the best estimate that can be made at this point.
“They can take that 'no-brainer' label and stuff it. It doesn't do
anything for me,” Cornish said.
Supporters of the plan have been harshly critical of the opponents,
characterizing them as a small but noisy group of naysayers.
“There's a few people that are pretty much against everything, or
mostly everything,” Buscetto said. Clouet, in a January interview about
the plan, accused some critics of being “part of an organized,
generalized assault on the young.”
Moukawsher said, “There's an element in New London that seems to be
critical — it's just knee-jerk reaction.”
He suggested the critics' overriding motivation is to deal
school-district leaders what would be a bruising political defeat on a
cardinal policy initiative.
“They're anxious — and desperate almost — to find something negative to
say,” Moukawsher said. “The only way their politics or political
situation can be advanced is through failure.”
Cornish said he remains unfazed. “There's been a lot of name-calling in
this,” he said. “It doesn't bother me at all.”
How
do residency, voting controversy,
beach access policy relate to this issue?
Schools check students' residence
Greenwich TIME
By Andrew Shaw
Published February 2 2008
Reality or not, concerned taxpayers and parents believe there are many
nonresidents attending Greenwich Public Schools taking up tax dollars
and classroom seats.
But school officials hope that a proposed centralized residency
verification system, combined with a recently acquired software program
that tracks address changes with the post office, will help address the
perception that there are scores of New York children attending schools
on the western side of town.
"We're spending some money to address that perception," said John
Curtin, assistant superintendent of research and evaluation. Curtin
heads the residency verification process.
The Board of Education's budget includes $48,500 for a centralized
system that will change the verification process, starting in July.
Instead of a new student bringing in proof of residency to their
neighborhood school, under the new system they will have to go to the
Havemeyer Building to be verified with district staff. As part of the
change, a full-time staff member will be added to help Curtin and his
part-time staff member. The school budget still needs to be approved by
the town.
Board Vice Chairwoman Leslie Moriarty said non-residency isn't the
large issue some believe, but she added that the centralized system
should help the district with a more standardized approach.
"We do want to make sure our tax dollars are being used effectively,"
Moriarty said.
The district's existing verification system has been criticized by some
parents for not being effective, based on their anecdotal evidence of
seeing New York license plates on cars carrying students.
Deanne Biddle, a mother of Western Middle School and Greenwich High
School students, said she's seen the out-of-state plates and thinks the
district can do more to check addresses, just as Greenwich uses strict
guidelines when approving its beach passes for town residents.
"I have to wonder how many of the children really belong there," said
Biddle, 46, of the crowded high school.
But school officials say the out-of-state car often is owned by a
relative, or is registered to a business, or there can be a variety of
other reasons. However, if a school has cause to believe a student
doesn't live in town, an investigation is conducted.
Western principal Stacey Gross said she takes residency verification
seriously and that teachers listen for verbal cues that a child doesn't
live in town. The school also checks for returned mail, chronic
tardiness or an inability to reach parents as warning signs.
The district investigations rarely lead to a student withdrawal, Curtin
said. From 2001 to 2006, 78 nonresident students were forced to
withdraw. Curtin estimated there are about 10 such students this year.
It costs the town about $14,000 a year to educate a student, not
including extracurricular activities, the teachers' time and
opportunities taken away from legitimate Greenwich students.
Tesei
backs early start on GHS art
center
Greenwich TIME
By Andrew Shaw, Staff Writer
Published December 22 2007
First Selectman Peter Tesei broke with his predecessor yesterday and
said he would consider funding construction of a new high school
performing arts center three years earlier than former First Selectman
Jim Lash.
The Board of Education wants $2.1 million in architectural and
engineering money for the project in the 2008-09 budget year, and $23.4
million construction money in the following year.
Before leaving office, Lash proposed that the construction money be
withheld until the 2012-13 budget year. Supporters of the project
feared that plans for the project would be out of date by then, and
that students need new facilities as soon as possible.
Tesei said students would benefit from having the facility built sooner
rather than later, in an interview yesterday.
"One cannot ignore the importance of it," Tesei said of renovating the
space. "It's not just about the auditorium. It's about additional space
for musical instruction and programming that's needed."
But he cautioned that getting funds earlier would depend heavily on the
project clearing zoning hurdles, specifically parking concerns. Lash,
who was the head of the Capital Improvements Committee, which evaluates
and prioritizes projects for the town, had predicted the project will
encounter zoning issues during the architectural and engineering study,
pushing construction back.
"I think it's going to take a full and complete hearing," with the
Planning and Zoning board, Lash said in an interview earlier this
month. "I don't think construction is going to be the thing holding up
the phasing of the project."
Parents strongly opposed Lash's plan, though. PTA co-president Leslie
Cooper said yesterday, "If they move the construction back, that's
another 8,000 to 10,000 kids that won't have use of that new facility."
The performing arts space has been cited for lack of classroom,
rehearsal and storage space and poor acoustics, among other issues. A
study by Glastonbury architect Perkins and Will showed the auditorium
has about half the capacity of those at nearby high schools in other
towns.
Tesei said he's impressed with the work done so far by the architect
and the community advocacy group, the Friends of the High School
Performing Arts, who cleared a hurdle Thursday night when the Board of
Education unanimously approved preliminary designs for the project.
That clears the way for the board to ask the town to create a building
committee to oversee the project.
Day 4 In
Sheff Case Reveals Rift
By RACHEL GOTTLIEB FRANK | Courant Staff Writer
November 10, 2007
Testimony by the state's education commissioner on the fourth day of a
hearing on the Sheff vs. O'Neill desegregation lawsuit revealed a testy
relationship between Hartford's superintendent of schools and the state
Department of Education over state efforts to quicken the pace of
desegregation.
The Sheff lawsuit, filed in 1989, resulted in an order by the state
Supreme Court in 1996 to end the racial, ethnic and economic isolation
of Hartford's minority students. The court left it to the state and the
plaintiffs to decide how to do that. Now the plaintiffs say
desegregation efforts have fallen short, and they are in Superior Court
appealing for help.
State Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan on Friday summarized an
exchange of letters that began last summer between him and
Superintendent Steven Adamowski in which McQuillan asked Hartford to
submit documents showing why several of the city's magnet schools
didn't have enough white students and how the district intended to
remedy the problem.
"This was a repeated plea that went out," McQuillan testified, and the
state was threatening to withhold millions of dollars if those
documents weren't submitted by Oct. 1.
In letters back to McQuillan, the commissioner testified, Adamowski
challenged the state's authority to withhold funding.
"I wrote back to say we really do have the authority to withhold
funds," McQuillan said
In time, he said, Adamowski set conditions for the release of the
documents that the state was seeking. One condition was the reform of
the lottery system used to admit students to magnet schools. In
Adamowski's opinion, the lottery system for admission to interdistrict
magnet schools is illegal in the wake of recent U.S. Supreme Court
rulings on the use of race for the assignment of students to schools,
McQuillan said.
"He continued to come back to me to say it was the state's
responsibility to develop a new lottery system," McQuillan testified.
Finally, he said, Adamowski took the position that until he saw a new
lottery system he would not release enrollment plans sought by the
state.
McQuillan testified that he believes the lottery, which is run by the
Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), is fair.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision released in June forbids schools from
enrolling children strictly on the basis of race and threatened many
voluntary desegregation plans throughout the nation. But at the time of
the ruling,, experts said they believed it would have little effect on
school desegregation efforts in Hartford. The key difference, legal
experts said, is that the magnet schools and school choice plans that
are a central piece of the Sheff efforts do not single out students by
race. Rather, the plans attempt to achieve racial balance by selecting
students based on where they live.
In the dispute between McQuillan and Adamowski, the state ultimately
withheld $4.6 million from Hartford because the city did not submit the
enrollment plans that the state demanded.
Another point of tension between McQuillan and Adamowski is the
development of a joint office between the state, Hartford and the CREC
to implement desegregation programs.
Since he took office last January, McQuillan testified, he has
reorganized his office and created a special division to concentrate
exclusively on Sheff mandates. The joint office between the state,
Hartford and CREC is a separate office he is attempting to create. But
Adamowski made clear to McQuillan that he thought the state should take
the lead role in implementing integration efforts.
Throughout the hearing on the status of the desegregation projects
under the Sheff ruling, Hartford's lawyer has pushed the point that it
is the state - not Hartford - that is the defendant in the case, so the
state should be responsible for all costs and implementation.
Before McQuillan was called as a witness for the state, Robert
Genuario, secretary of the state Office of Policy and Management,
testified about some of the funding dedicated to desegregating
Hartford's schools, including $4.9 million in the state budget this
year and $9.9 million in next year's budget. The money is earmarked for
the development of new charter schools, expanding the Open Choice
program through which city students enroll in suburban schools, funding
interdistrict cooperative programs and operations of the joint office
between Hartford, the state and CREC.
John Rose, Hartford's lawyer, asked Genuario if there was money
dedicated to make up for lost taxes when the city buys private property
for use as a school and whether the state was paying for all the staff
in the magnet schools opened in Hartford as part of the integration
efforts.
Genuario said that the state assists with salaries for staff through
its main grant for education called the Education Cost Sharing Grant,
and he pointed out that schools never pay taxes.
Spotty Sheff Enforcement
By RACHEL GOTTLIEB FRANK | And MAGDALENE PEREZ Courant Staff Writers
November 9, 2007
Over the years the state has helped develop a comprehensive plan to
desegregate Hartford's schools, spent hundreds of millions of dollars
on the efforts, appealed to suburban districts to open their schools to
city students and offered training to suburban districts to help city
students succeed, state witnesses testified Thursday in the Sheff vs.
O'Neill desegregation case.
But cross-examination of those witnesses in Superior Court in Hartford
revealed that shifts in management have resulted in spotty results and
murky accountability since 2003, when the plaintiffs in the Sheff
lawsuit reached a compromise agreement with the state on integration
goals.
During those years, changes in oversight included five state education
commissioners, multiple reorganizations of the state Department of
Education, four Hartford superintendents, a transition from state
control over Hartford schools to local control and the creation and
disbanding of a magnet school office in Hartford.
The lawsuit, filed in 1989, resulted in an order by the state Supreme
Court in 1996 to end the racial, ethnic and economic isolation of
Hartford's minority students. The court left it to the state and the
plaintiffs to decide how to do that, and sent the case back to Superior
Court for monitoring. Now, 11 years later, the plaintiffs say
desegregation efforts have fallen short, and they are in Superior Court
appealing for help.
Marcus Rivera, a consultant for the state education department,
testified that he helped Hartford create a plan for integration that
included developing magnet schools, improving all of Hartford's schools
and sending city students to suburban schools. After Hartford's school
board approved the plan, the state left it to the city to implement it,
he said.
But during his cross-examination of state witnesses Thursday, the
city's lawyer, John Rose, pointed out that Hartford is not a defendant
in the Sheff lawsuit and therefore not responsible for carrying out its
mandate.
After his testimony, Rivera said he isn't sure how much of the plan he
helped create was carried out, though he believes some of it was.
Some of the testimony suggested the state is not entirely to blame for
failure to reach Sheff goals to enroll specific numbers of Hartford
minority students in suburban schools through the Open Choice program.
Rivera said that Hartford hasn't always cooperated.
For example, Rivera said, when there were openings in suburban schools
for kindergartners and first-graders, then-Education Commissioner Betty
Sternberg asked then-Hartford Superintendent Robert Henry to include
information about the vacancies in a letter to Hartford parents that
the district was required to send anyway as part of the federal No
Child Left Behind law.
Henry refused to include information about the vacancies, Rivera said,
telling the state, "We really would not like to have these letters go
out because we want to keep all Hartford students in Hartford."
Under cross-examination by Sheff lawyer Martha Stone, Rivera said the
state did not take it upon itself to send the letter to parents.
"What we were not able to do is get information into the hands of all
parents that this was a choice open to them," Rivera said.
Stone pressed the point that the state had repeatedly made
participation in desegregation efforts voluntary by asking districts to
help, but never setting benchmarks for individual districts to meet.
When the state realized it would fall short of its requirement to place
1,600 Hartford minority students in suburban schools - last year 1,070
students were enrolled in the Open Choice program - Sternberg wrote a
letter to superintendents "strongly encouraging" them to open more
seats, Rivera said.
The July 2006 letter said that 469 new students must be added to the
Open Choice program - a total of 18 in each of the 27 school districts
governed by the Sheff compromise - to reach the state's ordered
obligation of placing 1,600 students in the program by 2007.
Each district has decided to heed or ignore that recommendation on its
own terms, Rivera said. While some districts have renewed seats for
Hartford students, others have not opened a single new seat in years.
Schools:
A Shift Of Views On Sheff;
Case Returns To Court Amid New Skepticism
By RACHEL GOTTLIEB FRANK | Courant Staff Writer
November 5, 2007
A decade after the state Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of
schools across Greater Hartford in the landmark Sheff v. O'Neill case,
the goal of integration remains elusive.
Magnet schools, the cornerstone of the state's plan to bring together
white children and children of color using voluntary incentives, have
fallen short. Hartford's schools still have a population that is
predominantly black, Hispanic and poor.
Now, as the Sheff plaintiffs head back to court Tuesday to demand the
state make good on its assurances, advocates of integration are facing
increasing skepticism on the part of both state lawmakers and city
officials over both the cost - and value - of continuing down the same
path.
Tensions that have long remain hidden are now erupting, opening up a
new and potentially contentious chapter in the effort to desegregate
schools in and around Hartford.
"It's breaking out in the open now," said John Brittain, a former Sheff
lawyer. "The current spat with the Hartford school system exposes the
fragility of the infrastructure of the Sheff v. O'Neill process."
Lawyers for the Sheff plaintiffs declined to say what they will seek in
court. The latest effort at compromise between the state and the
plaintiffs - which failed to win legislative approval - called for the
state to spend $112 million over the next five years to expand the
array of magnet, charter and vocational-technical schools.
But one attorney said now that the issue is heading back to court, the
plaintiffs won't be constrained by the compromises that they have
agreed to in the past.
"There's new thinking we'll be presenting at the trial," said Matthew
Colangelo, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund who is
representing the plaintiffs in the Sheff v. O'Neill lawsuit.
"We're saying it's been 11 years and not enough progress has been made
and we think it's time for the court to get involved."
Forced Integration?
The question of whether the city's schools must be desegregated was
settled by a state Supreme Court order in 1996, though the court left
it to the Sheff plaintiffs and the state to figure out how to do it.
The state and the plaintiffs finally reached an agreement on a plan in
2003, and it was left largely to Hartford to implement its terms by
building magnet schools and sending students to suburban schools
through the state's "Open Choice" program.
The guiding principle of those efforts has been to make desegregation
voluntary - sidestepping the politically explosive prospect of forcibly
moving children from one school to another.
But the effectiveness of this approach is now being questioned.
"The notion that we're going to get a better result by voluntary
programs is ridiculous," said state Sen. Thomas Gaffey, D-Meriden,
co-chairman of the legislature's education committee. "We need to shift
away from the model of remedy that the state has been pursuing for
years. The district is as racially isolated today as it was 10 years
ago. It suggests you need to do something different."
Gaffey advocates giving the education commissioner more statutory
authority to enforce broad participation by area towns.
The best way to satisfy the court order, he said, probably would be to
expand the Open Choice program, through which Hartford students enroll
in suburban schools. This would give the commissioner power to order
reluctant towns to open their doors to more students from Hartford.
"How open Open Choice is, is really debatable," Gaffey said, conceding
that towns won't like being strong-armed into admitting more Hartford
kids and that getting any major changes through the General Assembly
would be difficult.
Hartford School Superintendent Steven Adamowski bluntly told the State
Board of Education recently that it isn't fair Hartford has borne the
brunt of making integration happen, while suburban participation
remains optional.
As it stands, the state is withholding $4.6 million from the city-run
magnet schools for failing to enroll enough white students, and won't
release that money until the city submits a plan outlining its plan for
a remedy. If the state doesn't release the money, Adamowski said, the
district will have to begin laying off staff at the four magnet schools
that don't meet the quota.
Adamowski told the State Board of Education and
the education commissioner that a regional approach is needed. He
strongly encouraged them to create a system of rewards and punishments
to get the region's many "fiefdoms" to work with Hartford in developing
models for integrated schools that are different from the traditional
magnet school model.
But while there are growing questions about the effectiveness of
voluntary solutions, the state will likely argue in court against
involuntary participation, said Education Commissioner Mark K.
McQuillan. "This state has historically and fervently relied on local
control," he said.
That devotion aside, he said, programs that are entered into
voluntarily are more likely to work.
"People will invest more of their energy and time to carry it out,"
McQuillan said. "Let's try voluntary measures now. If that fails then
we may have to take more drastic measures that people may not want."
McQuillan said he wants to expand the Open Choice program and to press
for the development of magnet schools in the suburbs.
He conceded that the assumption that suburban youngsters would be drawn
to magnet schools run by Hartford was mistaken. By locating schools in
the suburbs, officials said, the state could address the perception of
some parents that Hartford schools are not safe.
"Suburban parents have some trepidation about sending their children
into the inner city. Whether it's perceived or accurate, we are aware
of it," said Tom Murphy, spokesman for the state Department of
Education. "Having several schools in suburban communities as a choice
will give an opportunity to allay those concerns."
McQuillan said he thinks that six or seven magnet schools run by
suburban towns could work, focusing on young children in grades pre-K
through 3. Parents who would otherwise pay to send their preschool-aged
children to day care would find the offer of an all-day public
preschool school program particularly enticing, McQuillan said.
Hartford Pulls Back
Beyond the question of how to make desegregation happen is a broader
problem: Officials are growing more vocal about the burden Sheff
presents - and even questioning the value of its goals.
In a presentation to the State Board of Education on ways Hartford is
working to close the achievement gap between urban and suburban
children, Adamowski questioned the very premise of the Sheff lawsuit.
"There is no research to suggest that minority students will do better
by sitting next to a white student," he said.
The original lawsuit, filed in 1989, asserted that the racial
segregation of Hartford schools violates the state's constitution.
Adamowski's comment resonated with some, including Hartford school
board member Andrea Comer, who believes it is demeaning to assume that
children of color need to share a classroom with white students in
order to learn well.
But it drew a sharp response from some advocates of desegregation.
"We're disappointed that it's 2007 and the superintendent wants to
debate whether it is a bad thing for Hartford's minority children to be
taught in racially segregated schools," Colangelo said.
"As a social science matter, the answer has been clear for decades,"
Colangelo said. As a legal matter, he said, the case was settled years
ago.
In his presentation to the state board, Adamowski outlined a strategy
for improving the city's schools that does not specifically address the
court's order, although the Hartford school board's new policy for
redesigning failing schools directs the superintendent to "give
consideration" to the Sheff goals of reducing racial and economic
isolation.
"This is high stakes for the state," Murphy said. "The superintendent's
reform package has not connected Sheff with the strategies for
improvement. We've got to find some common ground."
In the past, Hartford's superintendents have publicly embraced the lead
position in fulfilling the requirements of the Sheff lawsuit, even if
they grumbled behind the scenes about cost. Adamowski's public
arm's-length posture from both the state and the tenets of the court
order represent a dramatic shift in the landscape.
Lawmakers are also asking questions about the direction of
desegregation efforts.
Legislative leaders this summer didn't put the $112 million plan to
expand magnets up for a vote in part because they questioned the
effectiveness of the approach, and in part because Hartford's mayor and
superintendent urged rejection until the state develops a more
comprehensive plan to integrate schools.
On the eve of the case's return to court, Mayor Eddie A. Perez,
chairman of the school board, lobbed his pitch into the arena, saying
that while the city remains committed to the Sheff goals, the state
shouldn't dump the burden on Hartford.
"The state wants to monitor us and have us implement Sheff. We want
them to implement Sheff and we will assist them," Perez said. "It can't
just be Hartford's burden."
Drug-Resistant Germ Nothing To
Lose Sleep Over, Experts Say
DAY
By Amy Renczkowski
Published on 10/19/2007
Local health officials are urging parents and students not to panic
about the potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant staph infection found
this week in some schools around the state.
“It's out there, but it's not something to be scared of,” said Sue
Congdon, epidemiologist at Ledge Light Health District.
At least three high school students — in Weston, Berlin and Newtown —
have been diagnosed with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
infection, or MRSA. Three students at Albertus Magnus College in New
Haven also were confirmed Thursday to have contracted the
infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in Atlanta, MRSA is a type of bacteria that causes staph
infections and is resistant to treatment with usual antibiotics.
A student from Virginia died from a similar infection earlier this
week.
The state Department of Public Health reported Thursday that about 900
cases of MRSA are reported in Connecticut each year, while hundreds of
other cases never become serious enough to require reporting.
Officials at the local Ledge Light and Uncas health districts said they
aren't aware of any cases of MRSA in the local high schools, so they
are concentrating on educating the community about prevention.
Congdon said Ledge Light sent out information about the infection to
school superintendents in areas the health district covers: East Lyme,
Groton, Ledyard, New London and Waterford. Some schools are taking it
upon themselves to notify parents and students about methods of
prevention.
Robert Bacewicz, principal of Robert E. Fitch High School in Groton,
said the school sent out a letter Thursday reminding students to be
mindful about washing their hands and keeping clean. He said there have
been no cases of the infection at the high school. High schools in
Montville and Stonington also reported no cases of MRSA.
“We're taking precautionary measures all the time,” said Thomas Amanti,
principal at Montville High School.
Amanti said the school nurse keeps administrators well informed about
the latest techniques in disease prevention. Deborah
Buxton-Morris, emergency preparedness coordinator and public health
nurse at Uncas Health District, said MRSA spreads through skin-to-skin
contact. Buxton-Morris said schools should be careful to sanitize
athletic mats and remind students about showering and changing their
clothing.
“We don't need to create a panic. Just focus on good hand washing and
good hygiene,” Buxton-Morris said.
Congdon added, “If you have a wound, clean it and cover it.”
The Centers for Disease Control reported that MRSA caused more than
94,000 life-threatening infections and nearly 19,000 deaths in the
United States in 2005, though these were associated with health-care
settings rather than community outbreaks. Most of the victims
were patients who underwent invasive medical procedures or had weakened
immune systems. MRSA in health-care settings commonly causes
serious and potentially life-threatening conditions, such as
bloodstream infections, surgical site infections or pneumonia.
Buxton-Morris said the infection also affects a lot of children and
those with weakened immune systems.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell said in a press release Thursday that her office is
working with the state Department of Education and the state Department
of Public Health to track cases of infection and to provide information
about MRSA to school districts and the public.
Deadly Germ, But It
Can Be Beaten
By WILLIAM HATHAWAY | Courant
Staff Writer
October 18, 2007
The antibiotic-resistant infection contracted by high school students
in Weston and Newtown is turning up more often in communities across
Connecticut as it sparks fear across the nation.
Doctors across Connecticut have been reporting more cases of
methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infection, or MRSA, that
have been contracted by people outside of hospitals. The number of
serious blood-borne MRSA infections acquired in the community has
increased from 38 in 2001, to 99 in 2006, state officials said.
But infectious disease experts also said that although the strain can
kill the elderly and others with underlying health issues, in otherwise
healthy people it is highly treatable and rarely life-threatening.
Weston High School officials alerted the community to the problem this
week, telling parents in a letter that one student had a confirmed case
of MRSA and that they were waiting for results of tests on a second
student. A similar letter was sent to parents of students at Newtown
High School. Officials also posted the letter on the school's Web site.
Although the Weston students were not seriously ill, the news came amid
widening concern about the growth and severity of such infections.
The letter from the high school began circulating Tuesday - the same
day a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association
documented the high toll of MRSA in hospitals and the day the death of
a Virginia high school student from the infection became national news.
Ashton Bonds, 17, a senior at Staunton River High School in Moneta,
died Monday after being diagnosed with MRSA, his mother said. Protests
after Bonds' death led officials in Virginia to shut down 21 schools.
As news of a similar infection in Weston spread Wednesday, officials
took several steps - including a press conference - to address
community concerns.
There are no protocols that require schools to publicly report MRSA
infections, but Weston school district officials said they wanted to be
proactive in order to ease fears.
"Yesterday's New York Times and CNN raised a lot of concern,"
Westport-Weston Community Health Director Monica Wheeler said. "The
coincidence of that tragedy in Virginia just made everybody say, `What
is going on?'"
Parents' reactions have been mixed, said interim Superintendent of
Schools John Reed in Weston.
"There certainly are parents very comfortable with the steps taken, and
there certainly are parents concerned," he said. "Some have asked if
we're closing the school, and some have said we should close it."
But the state health department has not recommended such steps, Reed
said. The district is following the state's advice. School officials
have taken some actions, including wiping down surfaces and switching
the type of cleaning agents used at the school. Students also are being
encouraged to wash their hands and use antimicrobial hand gel that is
already available in classrooms, Reed said.
The origin of the Weston High School student's infection has not been
confirmed, but school and health officials believe the student was
infected off school grounds. Weston school officials would not say
whether the infected student had returned to class, citing privacy laws.
As documented in the JAMA article, the MRSA strain kills thousands of
people in the nation's hospitals every year, usually elderly and those
with severe underlying health issues. The strain is responsible for
more than 94,000 serious infections and nearly 19,000 deaths a year
nationwide, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
But experts also say that when acquired by healthy people in the
community - as opposed to those infected at hospitals - the bacterial
infection only rarely causes serious illness and is treatable by other
classes of antibiotics.
As many as 40 percent of people may carry staphylococcus aureus
bacteria at any one time, according to some estimates.
When staph does appear, it is usually as a skin infection,
characterized by reddish skin surrounding a boil topped by a black
scab. The infection is often mistaken for a spider bite. Occasionally,
the bacteria can enter the blood stream, where it can become
life-threatening.
Ever since the introduction of penicillin in the 1940s, staphylococcus
and other bacterial infections have developed resistance to several
forms of antibiotics. As the JAMA study illustrates, these strains
continue to raise havoc in hospitals.
But while rates of hospital-acquired MRSA infections have been
relatively stable in recent years, community acquired infections have
been rising steadily in the state and across the country.
Connecticut reported 952 cases of MRSA infections in 2005, but Hadler
said the actual number could be much higher because many cases are not
particularly serious.
In fact, MRSA infections are so common in the community now that most
doctors who see such infections don't bother treating patients with the
class of antibiotics that include methicillin, said Dr. Kevin
Dieckhaus, chief of infectious diseases at the University of
Connecticut Health Center.
The bacteria often spread through contact with pus-filled boils. In
schools, athletes are often susceptible to infection.
"The infection is usually spread by person-to-person contact, and
sometimes we see outbreaks in sporting teams, such as wrestlers or
football players," said Dr. Robert Lyons, chief of infectious diseases
at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford.
Simple hygiene, such as washing hands, can help stop the spread of the
infection, said Monica Wheeler, community health director at Westport
Weston Heath District.
THE FULL REPORT
Report: Program Underused; Suburban
Schools Could Absorb More Hartford Children, Say Sheff Supporters
By ROBERT A. FRAHM | Courant Staff Writer
September 28, 2007
A long-running program allowing Hartford schoolchildren to enroll in
nearby suburban schools has been underused but could be a crucial means
of promoting school desegregation, says a report being released today.
Fewer than 1,100 black and Latino children from Hartford are enrolled
in predominantly white schools in nearby suburbs under Project Choice,
but those suburban schools appear to have the capacity to enroll
thousands more, the report says. Despite slow growth in recent
years, the program has produced encouraging academic results and has
potential to help meet goals established in the Sheff v. O'Neill school
desegregation legal case, says a report sponsored by a group of Sheff
supporters known as the Sheff Movement Coalition.
The report, called the "Project Choice Campaign," calls on the state to
take a more aggressive role in expanding the program and prodding
suburban schools to enroll more Hartford students.
Efforts to place Hartford children in desegregated schools have fallen
far short of goals established in a 2003 court-approved settlement in
the Sheff case. With the state spending millions of dollars
creating and supporting magnet schools as the centerpiece of its racial
integration efforts, the suburban school choice program has been
largely overshadowed, today's report says.
Unlike magnet schools, which can take years to develop fully, the
city-to-suburb program "is the most efficient means of placing students
in integrated school placements," says the report written by Erica
Frankenberg, a graduate student at Harvard University's Graduate School
of Education.
"The slow growth and low suburban participation rates in Hartford's
Project Choice program stand in sharp contrast to similar programs in
Boston, Minneapolis, and St. Louis," Frankenberg wrote.
If the program were to expand, "I'm sure many parents would benefit,"
said Norma Richards, whose son Cedane, a second-grader, has been part
of the choice program at Noah Wallace School in Farmington since
kindergarten.
"In kindergarten, he was the only black child in the classroom," she
said. "If he had two or three more children from the choice program,
he'd probably feel more comfortable."
Of 27 suburban districts in the program, 10 provide less than one
percent of their seats to Hartford students, and no district provides
more than 3 percent, the report said. A review of state data suggests
"there is significant room available in many suburban districts" for
additional Project Choice students, the report said. However, the
capacity of districts to take Hartford students "is a moving target,"
said Robert M. Villanova, superintendent of schools in Farmington. He
agreed there appears to be room to expand the program throughout the
Hartford region, but said, "Capacity is determined to some extent by
the will and desire of people who live in the community."
In Farmington, there has been strong support for Project Choice, he
said. According to the report, Farmington schools enrolled 95 Hartford
students last year, just over 2 percent of the town's overall
enrollment.
Project Choice is an outgrowth of a student transfer program that began
more than 40 years ago and was then known as Project Concern.
Project Concern survived financial problems in the 1980s and '90s and
nearly closed down after being hailed as one of the nation's first
voluntary school integration programs. The program started with 266
Hartford children bused to schools in Farmington, Manchester, Simsbury,
South Windsor and West Hartford.
Along with magnet schools, the suburban choice program was part of a
court settlement four years ago to comply with a 1996 state Supreme
Court ruling ordering the state to desegregate Hartford's schools.
However, enrollment in the choice program stagnated, and many of the
magnet schools failed to attract enough white students, causing the
settlement to fall far short of its goals. After the settlement
expired earlier this year, the two sides agreed on a new settlement
that calls on the state to speed the pace of integration, but the
legislature has balked at approving the agreement.
Still, lawmakers did approve a budget that includes additional money
for integration programs related to the Sheff case, including Project
Choice.
"What has to happen is Project Choice has to be marketed more
effectively," said state Sen. Thomas Gaffey, D-Meriden, co-chairman of
the legislature's education committee.
Suburban participation in the program is voluntary, but Gaffey said the
state Department of Education should be given authority to require
suburban districts to set aside a specific number of seats for Hartford
children. Today's report calls on the state education department
to "play a lead role as the champion for expansion ... of Project
Choice" and says the department should establish goals for the number
of Hartford children each suburban district is expected to enroll.
Although state financial support for Project Choice has increased, the
report said the extra funding is not enough to provide teacher
training, academic support and other services to assist students, the
report said.
George A. Coleman, deputy commissioner in the state Department of
Education, had not seen the report but agreed that "in many ways
[Project Choice] is underutilized."
He said the state hopes to begin discussions with local districts about
their level of participation in Project Choice, magnet school programs
and other efforts to promote integration.
'Where did kids go?' schools ask -
Numbers down for 10 districts
By Eric Stevick
Everett, WA Herald
November 23, 2007
An enrollment drop in 10 of 14 Snohomish County districts has school
leaders wondering where the students have gone.
Enrollment declined across the county by more than 300 students,
slipping to 107,445, according to head counts taken by the districts
last month.
What's most perplexing is the dip is occurring while hundreds of new
homes across the county are being built and moved into.
"We are all sort of in the same arena of scratching our heads," said
Arlene Hulten, a Lake Stevens School District spokeswoman.
The districts expect enrollment will rebound as families with
school-age children move into the new homes.
For now, it may be that some families are passing up Snohomish County
on their way to cheaper housing in surrounding areas.
"The general trend is that there is small growth in Whatcom and parts
of Skagit counties and there is a reduction in San Juan and Snohomish
counties," said Jerry Jenkins, director of the Northwest Educational
Service District. "I would suppose that the likely cause would be
housing costs and that young people with families can stretch their
dollars further."
Other factors are also suspected, including a slower birth rate in the
county five years ago. Ten of 14 districts had a smaller kindergarten
classes than a year ago.
Statistics kept by the U.S. Census Bureau showed a drop of more than
1,500 school-aged children between the ages of 5 and 9 in Snohomish
County between the years 2000 and 2006.
More students also are choosing online schools instead of the
traditional classroom.
The Edmonds School District surveyed families earlier this year and
found more than 40 students who said they were planning to enroll in an
online school this fall. Edmonds is now considering starting its own
online program.
"That has happened a little bit," said Nathan Olson, a spokesman for
the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. "In terms of
a percentage, it's probably not much, but it is happening."
The state does not have statewide enrollment numbers for fall.
Projecting enrollment accurately is key for each district as more than
70 percent of its budget is based on the number of students in
classrooms. Districts receive more than $5,000 from the state for each
full-time student.
Housing, birth rates, population trends and job losses all figure into
projections.
The Monroe School District was one of two districts to see enrollment
growth in large part because of its new online school for freshmen and
sophomores. The school is called Washington Virtual Academy. October
enrollment was 264 for the virtual school and the plan is to add a
grade each year until it is a ninth- through 12th-grade school.
Students have enrolled from across the state with most from outside of
the county, said Rosemary O'Neil, a school district spokeswoman.
The Monroe district also added 95 more students to its home-school
program this fall, increasing enrollment there to 727.
The district grew from 6,795 in 2006 to 7,174 in 2007, an increase of
379 students.
"The only growth was in the alternative programs," O'Neil said.
Similarly, the Marysville School District saw a slight increase in
enrollment only because of a fast-growing online program that also
attracts most of its students from outside the county.
"It was done out of a concern for recapturing some of the students who
were dropping out," said Larry Nyland, the district's superintendent.
Everett School District, which opened a new elementary school in its
fast-growing south end, saw enrollment increase since 2006.
In most districts, enrollment was flat with slight losses.
In Lakewood, for instance, the October head count was exactly the same
as last year.
The Edmonds School District experienced the most dramatic loss, dipping
from 20,725 to 20,352.
The loss of students can be costly. Edmonds estimates it lost about $1
million in state revenues because of declining enrollment. It won't
fill some vacant positions but won't have to make layoffs either,
according to a district memo.
Charter Schools
without a building?
Virtual schooling growing at K-12
level
By BILL KACZOR, Associated Press Writer
Fri Sep 7, 8:03 AM ET
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - As a seventh-grader, Kelsey-Anne Hizer was getting
mostly D's and F's and felt the teachers at her Ocala middle school
were not giving her the help she needed. But after switching to a
virtual school for eighth grade, Kelsey-Anne is receiving more
individual attention and making A's and B's. She's also enthusiastic
about learning, even though she has never been in the same room as her
teachers.
Kelsey-Anne became part of a growing national trend when she
transferred to Orlando-based Florida Virtual School. Students get their
lessons online and communicate with their teachers and each other
through chat rooms, e-mail, telephone and instant messaging.
"It's more one-on-one than regular school," Kelsey-Anne said. "It's
more they're there; they're listening."
Virtual learning is becoming ubiquitous at colleges and universities
but remains in its infancy at the elementary and secondary level, where
skeptics have questioned its cost and effect on children's
socialization.
However, virtual schools are growing fast — at an annual rate of about
25 percent. There are 25 statewide or state-led programs and more than
170 virtual charter schools across the nation, according to the North
American Council for Online Learning.
Estimates of elementary and secondary students taking virtual classes
range from 500,000 to 1 million nationally compared to total public
school enrollment of about 50 million.
Online learning is used as an alternative for summer school and for
students who need remedial help, are disabled, being home schooled or
suspended for behavioral problems. It also can help avoid overcrowding
in traditional classrooms and provide courses that local schools, often
rural or inner-city, do not offer.
Advocates say those niche functions are fine, but that virtual learning
has almost unlimited potential. Many envision a blending of virtual and
traditional learning.
"We hope that it becomes just another piece of our public schools' day
rather than still this thing over here that we're all trying to figure
out," said Julie Young, Florida Virtual's president and CEO.
Florida Virtual is one of the nation's oldest and largest online
schools, with more than 55,000 students in Florida and around the
world, most of them part-time. Its motto is "Any Time, Any Place, Any
Path, Any Pace."
Struggling students such as Kelsey-Anne, who suffers from attention
deficit disorder, can take more time to finish courses while those who
are gifted can go at a faster speed.
Casey Hutcheson, 17, finished English and geometry online in the time
it would have taken to complete just one of those courses at his
regular high school in Tallahassee.
"I like working by myself because of no distractions, and I can go at
my own pace rather than going at the teacher's pace," he said.
For all its potential, virtual schooling has its critics and skeptics.
"There is something to be said for having kids in a social situation
learning how to interact in society," said state Rep. Shelley Vana. "I
don't think you get that if you're at home."
But virtual students get a different kind of social experience that is
just as valuable, said Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the North
American Council for Online Learning in Vienna, Va.
"We should socialize them for the world that they live in," she said,
suggesting that people spend much of their time interacting via
computer these days.
Many policymakers approach virtual learning with dollar signs in their
eyes, expecting big savings from schools that do not need buildings,
buses and other traditional infrastructure.
"We should not, as stewards of public money, be automatically paying
the same or even close to the same amount of money for a virtual school
day as we pay for a conventional school day," said Florida Senate
Education Committee Chairman Don Gaetz.
Florida Virtual this year is slated to get $6,682 for every full-time
equivalent student, just slightly less than the average of $7,306 for
all of the state's public schools. Young said her school has expenses
that traditional schools do not.
"Our data infrastructure is our building," she said.
Teacher unions have opposed spending public dollars on some virtual
schools, mainly those that are privately operated or function as
charter schools. Indiana lawmakers this year refused to fund
virtual charter schools. Opponents argued they are unproven and would
have siphoned millions of dollars from traditional public schools.
Florida Virtual's Young said she plans to recommend that her state
follow the example of Michigan, which passed a requirement that
students complete some type of online experience to earn a high school
diploma.
If "we do not give them an opportunity to take an online course, we're
doing them a tremendous disservice," she said. "It's become the way of
the world."
Weston High
may soon switch to solar power
Norwalk HOUR
Jeremy Soulliere
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Weston High School could be going solar in the near future.
The town's Building Committee, together with the Hartford-based law
firm Shipman and Goodwin, is investigating the possible grant funds the
town could receive if it were to place a photovoltaic array, or solar
panels, on the roof of the school, said committee member Don Gary.
"They're experts in writing RFP's (request for proposals) and
evaluating where you can get the grant money," he said about the
newly-hired firm.
The grant money evaluation, along with the creation of an RFP for the
proposed project, were approved by the Board of Selectmen two weeks
ago, Gary said. The board had appropriated up to $5,000 for the
assessment, he said.
"At the end of this $5,000 we'll know what we can design for that
roof," Gary said.
Gary, who approached the selectmen with the solar panel idea, said the
high school's flat roofing could hold anywhere from 800 to 1,000 solar
panels, a photovoltaic array that would likely cut the school's
electricity bills by 50 percent.
"We'd be able to cut the electricity probably in half," said Gary, who
noted the school has no shading.
An 800- to 1,000-panel arrangement could cost the town anywhere from $7
million to $8 million, Gary said, but up to 85 percent of that cost
would likely be covered by grants. The panels, he said, would pay for
themselves in about five years.
"It just makes sense from a financial point of view," Gary said.
Beyond the financial savings, the town would be helping to combat
global warming with the new "clean" energy option, he said, which would
be generating roughly 1.25 million of the 2.6 million kilowatt-hours of
electricity used at the school per year.
"It's the right thing to do because every kilowatt-hour in Connecticut
causes a little less than a pound of carbon dioxide to be put in the
atmosphere," Gary said. "That would save over a million pounds going
into the atmosphere per year."
First Selectman Woody Bliss said the proposed project would need
approvals by the Building Committee, the Board of Education, the Board
of Selectmen and the Board of Finance. But, given the estimated cost
savings and the environmental advantages of going solar, he said, it
"looks very, very promising" that the town boards would give the solar
panels the green light.
"I think we need to be leaders in trying to break the mold in how we
get our energy," Bliss said. "Right now it's all about burning oil."
Bliss said Weston, which has already committed to a campaign calling
for municipalities to acquire 20 percent of their electricity from
clean energy sources by 2010, is looking to assess its energy options
wherever it can.
"We are committed to that," he said.
Healthy discourse: Area parent group
hopes engage others in exploring
school lunch reform
Greenwich TIME
By Christina Hennessy, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/28/2008 01:00:00 AM EDT
Given the choice of a snack for their next day's lunch, Emma and Abby
Straight were not opposed to some cucumber slices.
"Can I peel it?" Emma, 7, asked her mother, Nicole, who was spooning
pineapple chunks into reusable containers.
"Just be careful," her mom said, as she helped her other daughter,
Abby, 6, roll up a sandwich wrap around grilled strips of chicken.
It was a typical night in the Straight's Westport home, since the girls
often opt to bring lunch from home, rather than eat the lunch offered
by their school.
Straight and other Westport mothers who are concerned about the kinds
of meals students are eating in school will gather at the Westport
Public Library's McManus Room from 9:30-11:30 a.m. today for a
screening of "Two Angry Moms." The documentary, produced and largely
financed by Weston resident Amy Kalafa and her husband, Alex, examines
the food offered to children in school and the changes being made
around the country to create more nutritious school lunch programs.
Kalafa, 50, who has a daughter in high school and another who is a
college graduate, is expected to attend the screening.
A holistic health and nutrition counselor who has produced films and
television programs for the past 15 years, Kalafa also directed the
film, which was released a year ago. She worked with Susan Rubin, the
founder of Westchester (N.Y.) County-based Better School Food, a
coalition of educators, health professionals and parents. The group has
worked for many years to increase awareness about the link between food
and children's health and learning.
"The whole reason I made the film was because there I was in Weston,
feeling like a freak, wondering if I was the only parent who was
worrying about this," Kalafa says of the food being served in the
schools. "This was all very fringe when I started. I felt very
isolated."
Since then, she and Rubin have been profiled by leading national
publications, as well as featured on television news and radio
programs.
Their hope is to get the schools to replace foods loaded with
artificial ingredients and additives, such as sugary drinks, chicken
nuggets, chips and other snacks, with healthier foods, including fresh
fruit and vegetables. Kalafa says she also hopes communities will push
school officials to work with local and area farms and farmers' markets
to create sustainable agricultural communities.
Straight, 35, who owns Time to Eat, which offers cooking classes to
busy moms, says while she sees positives on the school lunch menu, such
as grilled chicken on a whole wheat bun and tossed salads, she thinks
there can be further improvement.
"We are not the food police," Straight says of Parents for Change, the
group organizing the screening. "When people hear lunch reform, they
think nuts and twigs."
Instead, she says she'd like to see fewer mozzarella sticks and french
fries and more healthful options. Further, she and others are urging
schools to purchase locally grown products and create school gardens,
so children gain a better understanding of food, from seed to table.
"It's not about withholding delicious food," she says, adding that it
is more about making nutritious food delicious and appealing.
The film highlights some school systems that have not only eliminated
junk food and processed snack options, but also have worked to create
these links with area food producers.
Attempts to reach Westport schools' lunch provider, Chartwells, were
unsuccessful, though the districts' Web site lists the elementary,
middle and high school menus nutritional values for such foods - at the
elementary level - as chicken nuggets made with whole-grain flour,
turkey and cheese on whole wheat wrap, French toast sticks, pizza
dippers, and a bologna and cheese sandwich. The Web site also provides
a link to the student wellness policy. That policy calls upon the
district to provide students with nutritious and affordable food
choices in school.
In recent years, the work to improve children's culinary choices has
been linked to growing obesity rates among the youngest U.S. residents.
And before that, health officials were looking to the link between a
high-fat diet and cardiovascular disease.
Fifteen years ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began working on
its School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children. Although school
lunches were meeting the recommended dietary allowance, there was
concern that too many calories were coming from saturated fat. As a
result of that initiative, schools had to limit the amounts of fat and
saturated fat in their menus.
The initiative was considered the largest change in the National School
Lunch and School Breakfast programs since their inception in the late
1940s, according to the department.
Straight and Kalafa see this time in history as a moment to push ahead
even further with reform.
Straight says she would love to see some of the items that make it to
her dinner table - couscous, edamame and hearty soups, for example -
reflected in school lunch menus. She says she does not want to "buck
the system," but rather work with school officials to make changes.
"The idea of kid food is a made up concept," she says. "We are assuming
what kids will or will not eat before asking them."
Kalafa sees opportunities to raise better food consumers, students who
understand what is in their food, where it comes from, how it is being
prepared and how their diets affect their ability to learn and play in
school. She also hopes area schools work on coming together to increase
their purchasing power and support the local and area farmers and
businesses attempting to make thriving local food systems.
Rather than being "angry," Kalafa is hopeful that this movement is
spreading across the country, empowering parents to take a better look
at what their children are eating.
"How do you get kids to eat healthier foods?" she asks, "By them not
knowing that the food (they are eating) is actually good for them.
Instead, they see food that is beautiful, tastes great, has texture,
has beauty and it has flavor."
Filmmaker hopes
documentary spurs
action on school lunches
Stamford ADVOCATE
By Lisa Chamoff, Staff Writer
Published August 20 2007
WESTON - In Amy Kalafa's ideal world, the processed pizzas and chicken
nuggets normally found in school cafeterias would be replaced with
meals made from scratch, and fruits and vegetables grown by local
farmers or students.
While working on a documentary, Kalafa, a Weston resident and veteran
independent filmmaker, learned it happens in some parts of the
country. But in most others, bags of chips, cookies and snack
cakes sit tantalizingly in bins at the end of the lunch line, and most
of the meals arrive frozen in the kitchens.
That's why she's angry.
Kalafa's recently completed film, "Two Angry Moms," chronicles how
school lunches became so unhealthy and what some districts are doing to
turn around their food programs. She hopes the film will mobilize
parents to take action this school year.
"We really want people to see the film in community groups, hold
discussions and formulate an action plan," said Kalafa, 48, who has two
daughters, including one who will enter Weston High School at the end
of the month.
The other "angry mom" is Susan Rubin, a nutritionist and mother of
three from Chappaqua, N.Y., who created the Westchester Coalition for
Better School Food, made up of parents, educators and health
professionals.
Kalafa decided to make the film and was introduced to Rubin. She
followed Rubin and the efforts of her coalition for more than a
year. The pair came up with the name "Two Angry Moms" one day
while tossing around ideas. It seemed to fit, especially when they
discovered that a former Texas secretary of agriculture once said it
would take 2 million angry moms to change school food programs
nationwide.
In the film, Kalafa visits five schools that have what she describes as
model food programs.
One of these, the Katonah-Lewisboro School District in New York,
employed a chef from the Culinary Institute of America, who had workers
creating some menu items from scratch. On one of the days that Kalafa
showed up, the cafeteria was serving baked chicken with olive oil and
herbs, cauliflower and roasted sweet potatoes.
"Kids were buying it and they were liking it," Kalafa said. "Surprise,
surprise."
Kalafa filmed at a school in California that began stocking its salad
bar with produce from local farmers. Another served kid-designed meals
with locally grown vegetables. Kalafa said she and Rubin have
heard criticism about the documentary from those in the food-service
industry.
"There's a perception the film is down on food service and that's
totally not true," Kalafa said. The idea is to "help them make it
better."
Holly Betts, the new food service director for Weston Public Schools,
said school food is becoming more nutritious. The district, which
contracts with Whitsons Culinary Group in Islandia, N.Y., is promoting
whole-wheat breads and pasta, and fresh vegetables, Betts said. They
limit most foods that are high in fat and offer fruit each day.
Betts recently attended a convention by the School Nutrition
Association in Alexandria, Va., where vendors showcased new products.
"Booth after booth after booth, it was trans fat-free and fat-free,"
Betts said. "Ultimately, we will see a whole-grain chocolate-chip
cookie."
But some low-fat and fat-free foods are far from nutritious, she said.
In one cafeteria she saw containers of low-fat yogurt sweetened with
high-fructose corn syrup and aspartame.
"I don't want my kid eating that," Kalafa said. "I don't think that's
healthy. Yogurt? Yes. Artificially sweetened yogurt? No."
Kalafa and Rubin are encouraging people to hold screenings of the film
to encourage discussion. They are selling screening kits with 10 DVDs
for $275, and single DVDs will be available for $25.
Rebecca Velasquez, a social worker at Springdale Elementary School in
Stamford, plans to show the film to the district's Wellness Committee,
of which she is a member. Velasquez saw the documentary last
spring and has been bringing up suggestions from it during meetings of
a nutrition subcommittee.
"I really feel the documentary has a lot of value," Velasquez said.
People may sign up to host a screening by visiting www.angrymoms.org.
Kalafa and Rubin are soliciting donations of "lunch money" to help fund
production of the film, which cost about $500,000 to make.
Kalafa said she hopes to get involved with the Weston School District's
Wellness Committee and make changes in her town. But so far the
committee has they have not asked the "angry mom" to join.
"I'm awaiting my invitation," Kalafa said.
A Ruling On Race: Court Rejects
Diversity Plans; Little Effect Seen In Hartford
By ROBERT A. FRAHM | Courant Staff Writer
June 29, 2007
A U.S. Supreme Court decision forbidding schools from enrolling
children strictly on the basis of race threatens many voluntary
desegregation plans throughout the nation, but experts believe that it
will have little effect on school desegregation efforts in Hartford.
That is because Hartford's court-approved desegregation plan in the
Sheff v. O'Neill case differs from the voluntary plans in Louisville
and Seattle that were overturned in Thursday's 5-4 Supreme Court ruling.
The key difference, legal experts said, is that the magnet schools and
school choice plans that are a central piece of the Sheff efforts do
not single out students by race. Rather, the plans attempt to achieve
racial balance by selecting students based on where they live.
That strategy "falls firmly within what is permitted" by the Supreme
Court, said Dennis D. Parker, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer
who is part of the legal team representing the plaintiffs in the
long-running Sheff case.
State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said that Thursday's ruling
"should have no impact on state programs to reduce racial isolation in
Hartford public schools." Under the Sheff plan, "no student is forced
to attend a particular school based on race."
The Supreme Court rejected voluntary plans in Louisville, Ky., and
Seattle, saying that assigning children to schools by race violates
constitutional guarantees of equal protection.
"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop
discriminating on the basis of race," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote
for the majority. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Antonin
Scalia joined the entirety of Roberts' 41-page opinion.
However, Justice Anthony Kennedy, who voted with the majority, left
open the door for schools to pursue racial balance as long as
individual students are not selected on the basis of race. He cited
alternatives such as strategic site selection of new schools or
attendance zones designed to tap into demographic patterns.
"A district may consider it a compelling interest to achieve a diverse
student population," Kennedy said. "Race may be one component of that
diversity."
Some civil rights leaders had feared that a ruling against the Seattle
and Louisville plans would mark the end of an era of school integration
efforts that began with the court's landmark Brown v. Board of
Education ruling in 1954 that outlawed deliberate school segregation.
However, Kennedy's opinion leaves open, with some restrictions,
opportunities for schools to pursue desegregation.
Although the ACLU's Parker called the decision "a significant step
backward," he said, "The bottom line is that five justices [counting
Kennedy] did agree that diversity and reduction of racial isolation is
a legitimate governmental interest."
Theodore M. Shaw, director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and
Educational Fund, said, "We got rained on today, but there's a silver
lining." He said that Kennedy, who joined only part of Roberts' lead
opinion, didn't go "as far as many people thought he might go."
Kennedy's assertion that racial balance remains a legitimate goal was
seen as pivotal by legal experts.
"What Kennedy essentially is saying was, `I don't have any problem with
race-conscious policies as long as they don't classify individual
students by race,'" said Jack Balkin, a Yale University law professor
and constitutional law expert. Still, the ruling strips school
boards of a tool to offset the impact of racially divided housing
patterns. Both sides say that the practices used in Louisville and
Seattle are common throughout the nation.
Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and
Stephen Breyer dissented. Breyer said that the ruling would "threaten
the promise" of the 1954 Brown decision.
Some, however, hailed Thursday's ruling. "There can't be a dual system
of school assignments based on race or ethnicity," said Edward Blum, a
visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.
"Racial quotas and preferences never produce diversity - they produce
animosity, bitterness and perpetuate the belief that minority students
just can't hack it."
The ruling reflects the influence on the high court of Alito and
Roberts, both of whom were appointed by President Bush. Three years
ago, before their appointments, the court ruled that universities could
consider race in making admissions decisions. Thursday's ruling
comes just as Connecticut has tentatively agreed to take aggressive new
measures to speed the pace of integration in Hartford's mostly black
and Hispanic public schools.
Under a proposed extension of a 2003 settlement in the Sheff case, the
state would spend millions of dollars more over the next five years to
subsidize magnet schools, charter schools and other programs designed
to bolster integration. The extension still must be approved by the
legislature. The original four-year settlement, due to expire
this week, fell far short of its goals, including targets to more fully
integrate magnet schools and to increase the number of Hartford
schoolchildren enrolled in predominantly white suburban schools.
Plaintiffs in the Sheff case in 1996 won a state Supreme Court ruling
ordering the state to desegregate Hartford's public schools, in which
more than nine of 10 students are black or Hispanic.
Because some towns have large minority or white populations, magnet
schools have tried to achieve racial balance by setting specific
enrollment quotas for individual towns. That approach has had mixed
success. Many recently established magnet schools in Hartford have had
difficulty attracting enough suburban white students but have been more
popular among minority students from both Hartford and its suburbs.
However, some older regional magnet schools - notably those operated by
the Capitol Region Education Council - have been able to attract
racially mixed student bodies.
"We've never had to use a lottery that was race-based," said Bruce
Douglas, the council's executive director. "We've been able to draw a
large number of suburban students to our schools. ... This court case
is not a significant concern to us."
In Seattle, the school system allows students to choose among high
schools and then relies on tiebreakers - including race - to decide who
gets into schools that have more applicants than openings.
In the Louisville case, a mother claimed that her son was denied
entrance to a neighborhood school because he is white. The metropolitan
district was under a court desegregation order until 2001, but since
then it has continued to use an assignment plan using racial guidelines.
In Connecticut, while most observers said that the ruling would have
little effect on the Sheff case, it was less clear what impact it would
have on schools under orders to comply with the state's long-standing
racial balance law. That law says that the racial makeup of any
public school must be within 25 percentage points of the overall racial
makeup of the local school district.
Since 1980, when the law's regulations took effect, the state has
required several towns to redistrict schools or adjust attendance
policies to comply with the law. Blumenthal, the attorney
general, said that Thursday's ruling raises questions about how the
state law might be applied, but that each case would have to be
evaluated individually.
"We know of no particular racial balance plan in the state that would
be invalid under the Supreme Court's ruling," he said.
Some towns, including Manchester and West Hartford, are under pressure
from the state to improve racial balance at some schools. In
light of Thursday's court ruling, "we will definitely re-examine the
entire racial balance plan we submitted to the state," said Margaret
Hackett, chairwoman of the board of education in Manchester, which was
cited two years ago because one of its 10 elementary schools was out of
compliance.
West Hartford officials said that plans to reduce the racial isolation
at two south end schools are based not on designating enrollment by
race, but by boosting achievement at the schools and drawing families
of all races from throughout West Hartford. The district will continue
to work on improving the schools with an eye on how the court ruling
will affect other integration efforts, said Jack Darcey, chairman of
West Hartford's board of education.
Note: the opinion expressed
below does not represent that of this website
We Keep
Succeeding At Failure
Hartford Courant
Rick Green
June 29, 2007
As we nod off again, give thanks to the Supreme Court for its 5-4
decision telling us not to bother with race when trying to create
equality in education.
No, this inequality isn't about "extreme" issues like race. It's not
about income either, since our cities are repositories of impoverished
minorities. So relax, there's no need to disrupt our antique
education
system, which preserves and enhances divisions based on race and class.
If you believe this hokum, then you probably think more money will
solve our education problems. These divided, inferior schools will be
our downfall, preventing us from having an educated, competitive
workforce.
Back in 1965, a team of Harvard researchers visited Hartford, warning
city officials that they "will have lost the ball game" if the region's
growing racial imbalance wasn't addressed. Now, it's the first-ring
suburbs that are up for grabs.
More recently, Trinity College researchers found that Connecticut's
efforts under the Sheff v. O'Neill decision to create racially mixed
magnet schools in the Hartford area have failed. In West
Hartford,
schools have grown more segregated. Neighboring Bloomfield, at 95
percent, has a higher percentage of minorities than Hartford. Windsor
and East Hartford will be there soon.
I heard Gov. M. Jodi Rell Thursday morning on the radio, touting a
budget that gives an additional $260 million for public schools. Sure,
let's just give Hartford - and what the heck, Greenwich and Avon, too -
more money. That might be useful, if most of it wasn't funding
preservation of the same old divide.
"Segregation is harmful," John C. Brittain said when I called. A lawyer
in the Sheff v. O'Neill lawsuit, Brittain was repeating - for the
zillionth, drowsy time - that racial and economic isolation are
destructive. Business leaders, worried about a nonexistent future
workforce, agree.
The problem is us, the way we run this ant farm of a state with all our
school boards, police departments, planning and zoning commissions and
accompanying political fiefdoms.
"Rather than continuing to try and make these separate schools for rich
and poor work well," Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at The
Century Foundation in Washington, D.C., told me, "we might try instead
to give every kid the chance to go to a middle class school."
Dozens of school districts around the country already choose to balance
enrollment based on income. St. Joseph College Professor Carlota
Schecter told me her research proves the point we continue to ignore:
Poor kids do better when they go to school with middle class kids. This
is dangerous, sleep-disruptive thinking.
Schecter looked at the vocabulary of preschoolers in West Hartford,
comparing children from different backgrounds, and found "children in
economically integrated programs made significantly greater gains."
Yawn. We're still building new schools in Hartford and the suburbs,
reinforcing racial and economic divisions, even as we pour additional
millions into special programs, including the governor's new initiative
dramatically expanding preschool.
"Racial segregation, particularly in education, leads to other
segregation and disadvantages in the broader community," Brittain said,
before I drifted off. "Look at Hartford."
No, look at West Hartford, Bloomfield or Windsor: They're Hartford back
in 1965. Take your pick - race or income - the divide remains. Or
listen to the Supreme Court. Nighty night.
In Weston schools District's staff may
enroll their children
Weston FORUM
by TERRY CASTELLANO
Apr 21, 2007
Children of non-resident Weston Public School certified staff may once
again attend schools here if they satisfy tuition requirements. The
step is seen by school officials as one that would help the school
system recruit new teachers and other professionals and keep them on
staffs here.
At the April 9 school board meeting the board unanimously approved
reinstating a suspended policy permitting qualified children of
non-resident certified staff to enroll in established programs within
the school district.
This policy had been suspended before the new school buildings
construction projects because of the lack of classroom space.
According to the revised policy, presented by the assistant
superintendent, Jeremy Belair, admission is contingent on an assessment
of class size limitations and the availability of school resources, and
is based on the premise that additional staff will not be required.
Tuition will be determined at a rate established by the board before
the students are admitted.
This adopted policy states that the board will not be obligated to
provide special education programs or services to non-resident
students. However, should a non-resident student receive special or
additional services, the actual costs associated with providing these
services will be in addition to the tuition fee.
Tuition is to be paid in semi-annual installments, due Aug. 15, before
the beginning of the school year, and Jan. 15.
Parents or guardians will be responsible for transportation for the
non-resident students.
“This is very satisfying,” Ellen Uzenoff, board chair, said, after the
unanimous vote of approval. “We are very happy to see this in place.”
Last month, during the first reading of the draft of this policy, Ms.
Uzenoff told the board and the public that she believes this reinstated
policy will help with recruitment and retention of teachers.
Decision
on schools could impact home
sales
Greenwich TIME
By Andrew Shaw, Staff Writer
Published April 16 2007
Greenwich real estate agents will be listening carefully when the Board
of Education's task force gives its recommendations to fix racial
imbalance and declining enrollment in September. Prospective
buyers aren't showing signs of caution yet, agents say, but the housing
market will benefit once a decision is made on how to address the
problems.
"Any change, like a closure or redistricting, can definitely affect
people's decisions on purchasing real estate," said Russell Pruner, a
partner at Shore and Country Properties in Greenwich.
Real estate agents will be glad when a decision is made, he said,
because uncertainty doesn't help. "The perception is worse than what
the reality is, and perception can really drive the market."
George Crossman, a member of the task force as the Greenwich Board of
Realtors representative, said that when a family moves, they usually
are bound to sending children to the school closest to their home.
"That's your one time to choose where your kid goes to school," said
Crossman, a Riverside resident and father of two. But one option
expected to be examined by the task force -- making more schools
available to the entire town using a lottery admission process -- would
open up housing possibilities by no longer linking families to the
neighborhood school. "It's the first time in Greenwich they've really
given them a choice after they've moved into their property."
Real estate agent Doug Fainelli, a member of the task force, has
witnessed what the town's reaction was like the last time a school's
status was in flux. Before the International School at Dundee opened,
residents were anxious to find out its status, recalls Fainelli, a
retired Dundee principal. Once the decision was made, people came to
accept it.
Fainelli, who now also is with Shore and Country Properties, expects
much of the same with prospective owners as they await the board's
decision, expected at the end of the year.
The buyers aren't overly worried now because they believe Greenwich
will make a sound decision, he said, but it will help to have a clearer
picture of what the school system will look like.
"There's a high confidence level in the school system in town," said
Fainelli, a liaison with the selectmen's office. A decision will help
in easing uncertainty, he added.
Pruner believes changes to the housing market will be more of a blip
than a transformation, citing the example of the closing and reopening
of Cos Cob School after the fire in 1990. "All of this is short lived,"
Pruner said. "Once the decision has been made, people go forward. Going
through the process is the hard part."
Carolyn Anderson, president of the Greenwich Association of Realtors,
is optimistic that the recommendations will strengthen the district
and, as a result, make Greenwich more attractive for prospective owners.
"A committee examining this is a good thing. This could be a great
help," said Anderson, of Anderson Associates of Greenwich. Real estate
agents are aware of the task force's work, she said, because the
success of the school system reflects on the success of the housing
market. "We all really care about the schools."
School
enrollment hard to predict
Greenwich TIME
By Andrew Shaw, Staff Writer
Published April 9 2007
Three decades ago, the number of public school students in town
plummeted. Three schools were closed and those children distributed
among the remaining schools.
Over time, enrollment rose, though, and the three schools were
re-opened. Now, officials have projected a steady decline in
enrollment that they believe will continue for another decade. Since
2003, their projections have been correct. The projected decline
has parents worried their children's schools might be closed. The
importance of enrollment projections, therefore, is not lost on
assistant superintendent of curriculum, research and evaluation, John
Curtin, who calculates enrollment.
"The stakes are certainly higher now that we're in a period of
declining enrollment," Curtin said recently.
He has produced volumes of enrollment data for the Board of Education's
task force that is recommending options to fix declining enrollment and
space use issues, as well as racial imbalance. The district's
enrollment projections, he often reminds the committee, are best
guesses, not hard facts. For example, the projection for the
2012-2013 school year is 8,358 students, but, with a 6.2 percent margin
of error, that could still mean as many as 8,876 or as few as 7,840
will show up.
That's why, Curtin said, "the art of enrollment projections" will never
be an exact science. But in this case inexact science is still useful.
"It's not like the variation (on projections) has been so far above or
below that it's not a usable number," he said.
It would be better in the future to use a range for long-term
projections to show the margin of error better, Curtin said. Trends in
town can be unpredictable and add difficulty to projecting enrollment,
he added. Housing development, birth rates and economic changes that
could bring new families to town all have to be considered.
"Greenwich is changing. It's really hard to anticipate what those
changes are going to be," he said.
Even a one-year projection, with a margin of error at plus or minus 0.7
percent, can be off. The district's projection of 8,905 students for
this school year was under by 49 students, causing operating budget
constraints.
"That makes our budget a lot tighter," Curtin said. "There's no way to
adjust things once school starts."
Peter Prowda, an education consultant with the state Department of
Education who does projections for Greenwich, said the numbers will
never be entirely accurate. I don't expect to hit it on the number,"
Prowda said. "You make an assumption that the patterns we observe will
continue."
Prowda said that after gathering data, there still can be discrepancies
on what the calculations mean. "Numbers speak to us, but sometimes
we're not sure what they're saying," he said. "Now you have to figure
out what it is, whether it's a temporary phenomenon or not."
No experts are disputing the claim that Greenwich is in a state of
declining enrollment. The question is if the projected decline will
continue as predicted. By 2016-2017, Greenwich will have only 8,007
students, down from the 2003-2004 peak of 9,113, according to a chart
provided by the district.
As Curtin pointed out to the enrollment and space use task force,
there's always the chance enrollment could drop dramatically again, as
it did in the late 1970s and 1980s. Or it could do just the opposite.
Experts say Greenwich usually is a stable town with its economy and
housing, so the projections stay accurate. At least, that's how recent
history unfolded. If a major change happens in Greenwich, all bets are
off with projections, Prowda said.
"Most people can't adjust for future things," he said. "We're going to
guess based on past history."
Westporter
files suit vs. town, school
officials; cites racial bias
By JEREMY SOULLIERE, Hour Staff Writer
March 13, 2007
WESTPORT — A Westport woman has filed a civil suit against the town of
Westport and school officials, contending the town's school district
has fostered "a pattern of racial discrimination" that has caused her
family emotional distress.
Carla Karlen, a black Westport resident who has brought forward the
federal suit, claims school officials have tolerated and encouraged
race discrimination in Westport's "educational environment," neglected
her child's need for proper special education services, and failed to
protect the Karlen children from bullying.
The suit, which was filed with the town on March 8, names the town,
Superintendent of Schools Elliott Landon, Director of Pupil Services
Cynthia Gilchrist, and Kay Maye, the former principal at Coleytown
Elementary School.
Neither Landon or Gilchrist returned calls concerning the suit Monday.
Karlen's spouse is white, the legal documents state, and her two
children are biracial.
When the couple's oldest child was in the first grade at Coleytown
Elementary School in the fall of 1998, the suit papers state, Karlen
noticed there were no "students of color" in her daughter's classroom
despite there being "children of color" in other classes. After parents
had been asked by school officials if they had any suggestions
concerning class placement in the next school year, Karlen had written
back to the school, stating "she would like to see other children of
color in the classroom with her daughter."
In September of 1999, she was "alarmed" to learn there were still no
students "of color" in her daughter's classroom at Coleytown
Elementary, the suit papers state. Karlen then approached the school's
assistant principal about the matter, who told her that "'because (your
daughter's) skin is so fair, we don't think of her as black.'" The
assistant principal also told Karlen that the minority students who
were bused in from Bridgeport to Coleytown Elementary were kept
separate "for obvious reasons," the documents state.
"Outraged at what she was hearing," she met with then-First Selectwoman
Diane Farrell "to discuss what the town was doing to promote racial
diversity," the suit papers state. Karlen quickly thereafter became
"persona non grata" at Coleytown Elementary and in town, with school
administrators suddenly being "antagonistic" towards her family, and
school personnel following her when she was at the school.
"(School) staff members would openly stare and whisper," the documents
state. "Parent Teacher Association ... members became hostile and
treated (Karlen) as if she were invisible, (and the Karlen children)
suddenly had difficulty getting play-dates."
When the Karlens' oldest child — whose learning disabilities include
Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Auditory Integration Disorder and Erlin Syndrome
— was in the second grade, she still could not read, the documents
state. The Karlens approached the school's educators about their
daughter possibly having a learning disability, but "their concerns
were met with hostility," the suit papers state.
"The administrators and educators insinuated that a dysfunctional home
life could be a factor in her inability to read," the documents state.
After an "outside evaluation" determined their daughter had Dyslexia,
the school decided to assess the child, the suit papers state,
resulting in a contradicting analysis that stated the child was not
Dyslexic.
"(The schools' tests determined she) was not Dyslexic or learning
disabled in any way — that her delays are 'developmental' and that,
while she does not qualify for special services, they do intend to give
her some support," the documents state.
The Karlen's oldest child was also "physically harmed by different
children throughout" her third grade year, the documents state, but the
school's administration failed to help her.
"The principal finds for the other child each time, regardless of the
circumstances," the suit papers state.
After the Karlens requested both their children be transferred to
another district school in 2001, their children were transferred to
Long Lots Elementary School, the documents state, where the older
Karlen child's Dyslexia and Dysgraphia was confirmed. But, despite
being classified as special needs at Long Lots, the Karlens' oldest
child still "had difficulty getting the special services she needed,"
the suit papers state.
Karlen, who is being represented by Middletown Attorney Dawne
Westbrook, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages the court
"shall consider to be just, reasonable and fair" in this case,
according to the suit papers.
The federal case, which has been assigned to U.S. District Court Judge
Christopher F. Droney in Hartford, has no set court date as of yet,
according to the U.S. District court clerk in Hartford, and the
defendants named in the suit have to respond to the allegations within
20 days of when the notification had been received.
BOE begins discussion on
addressing racial balance
Lisa Chamoff, Greenwich TIME
Updated 10:54 p.m., Tuesday, October 16, 2012
After a meeting with the state education commissioner, Greenwich
Superintendent of Schools William McKersie will kick off a discussion
with the Board of Education on the district's response to racial
imbalances at two town elementary schools. McKersie, who met with
state Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor on Oct. 5, said they had
worked out a timeline that would have the district submit a plan to
address racial imbalance at Hamilton Avenue and New Lebanon schools to
the state by February or March of next year, and present it to the
state Board of Education in March or April. The district would then
start implementing the plan by next fall.
The time frame is similar for other districts also grappling with
racial imbalance, including Fairfield and West Hartford, McKersie said.
McKersie said that during Thursday's meeting at Eastern Middle School,
51 Hendrie Ave., he plans to give the board an overview of the range of
options Greenwich has to address the issue, which include modifying the
district's existing magnet schools, created to address the imbalances,
and "various types of new school formations," McKersie said. The
district can also redistrict, bus kids to other schools or create a
charter school.
"It's a complete universe of what might be the options," McKersie said.
McKersie stressed that the state cannot force a solution, and the
commissioner agrees that the district should work a solution into plans
to address student achievement.
"It was very clear from the state that solutions are for us to
determine," McKersie said. "The state is adamant that they're not going
to come in and tell us how to do this."
Under state law, a school is considered racially imbalanced if its
proportion of minority students varies more than 25 percentage points
from the district average. In Greenwich, the district average is about
33 percent.
At Hamilton Avenue, about 61 percent of the school's 412 students are
minorities, and at New Lebanon, about 67 percent of 261 students are
minorities, according to data from the state. School board
Chairman Leslie Moriarty said the board will be taking the first step
Thursday night in exploring the district's response.
"The purpose of Thursday's discussion is to start getting a little bit
more clarity for the administration about the direction in which we
would like to proceed," Moriarty said.
Moriarty did not say how she might suggest narrowing the options.
"I think that we have to allow the conversation to occur with all eight
board members participating," Moriarty said.
McKersie and school board members said they will make sure to gather
input from parents before making any decisions, including narrowing the
options.
"This a fairly broad, far-reaching issue for us, and we clearly need to
be deliberate and careful about the process," Moriarty said. "We do
want to include parents and community members as we develop the plans."
Board member Adriana Ospina said the board will also have to discuss
and decide how it will ultimately collect input from parents.
"We want to hear from the community," Ospina said. "Whatever plan we
implement is going to affect probably more than just the schools that
have been cited."
Also at Thursday's meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., the board will hear
from Assistant Superintendent Ellen Flanagan about the effect of
supplemental programs, used to help students who are not performing
well on standardized tests.
The board will also vote on the district's $10 million capital budget
for 2013-14. At the last meeting, the school board discussed the
importance of fully funding school maintenance after the Board of
Estimate and Taxation Budget Committee's draft budget guidelines
recommended the district spend no more than $8 million on capital
improvements.
That's "Freund" not "Freud"
Budget woes, vacancies await Freund
Greenwich TIME
By Colin Gustafson, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/16/2009 09:11:31 PM EDT
From working with a tight budget and making critical hiring
choices, to restoring public confidence in the district and monitoring
a high-stakes construction project, Sidney Freund will have his work
cut out for him when he takes over as head of Greenwich Public Schools
on July 1.
One of the most immediate challenges, according to outgoing schools
chief Betty Sternberg, will be dealing with the district's budget
difficulties. Because of town revenue shortfalls, school
officials have shaved nearly $4 million out of next school year's
spending plan, which totals nearly $126 million and includes cuts to
more than two dozen staff positions. With more revenue shortfalls
forecast next year, Freund's administration could be forced to make
more cuts from the 2010-11 budget and seek more union concessions, she
said.
"When you have a budget that was already $4 million less than what you
started, there will be some tremendously difficult decisions to make,"
said Sternberg.
Freund is also expected to work closely with school officials to fill
top administrator spots, including the high school headmaster position
being vacated Al Capasso.
"I think that's the real challenge, because his decision will leave a
lasting imprint," said former school board member Bill Kelly. "The
budget is important, but you have to pick the right people to work
within a budget."
Additionally, officials said, Freund will have to jump into a
hodgepodge of different initiatives, programs and school projects,
including implementation of a new teacher-evaluation system and leading
the district's review of its secondary schools. He'll also have
to keep a close eye on the progress of Glenville School's
reconstruction this summer. Students and staff will move first into
temporary modular classrooms this fall and then into their new school
in January 2010, pending an on-time completion of work.
The Hamilton Avenue School rebuilding debacle could also re-emerge if
Freund's administrators are required to testify in the town's
anticipated legal action against the project's general contractor,
Sternberg said.
Another challenge will be boosting the public's confidence in the
school system, which has dwindled for many over the past two years,
according to survey results, said Board of Estimate and Taxation
Chairman Steve Walko. Between 2006-08, community satisfaction
with the district declined on the 2008 Harris poll, with teachers
saying they didn't feel they could influence policy and parents saying
their schools weren't doing enough to communicate with them.
"He needs to be able to communicate with constituents. He needs to be
transparent. He needs to understand the fabric of the community," Walko
said. "People will have confidence if he, in fact, recognizes and
addresses their issues with solutions that are consistent."
For Freund, the adjustment to a larger school district may also pose a
challenge. His first three superintendent posts were in small districts
-- Herricks schools in New Hyde Park, N.Y. (4,077 students); Oyster
Bay-East Norwich schools in Oyster Bay, N.Y. (1,628); and Valley
Stream, N.Y., schools (4,583).
And in Dobbs Ferry, he was responsible for a district totaling roughly
1,450 students in just three schools -- an elementary, middle and high
school -- with an operating budget of about $38 million budget this
year. By comparison, in Greenwich, he'll be managing a school system of
nearly 9,000 students in 11 elementary schools, three middle schools
and a high school, with a nearly $126 million operating budget.
"It's a larger community and a larger school district (in Greenwich),
and it takes some time to get to know all of the players, learn the
names, meet the parents," Sternberg said.
The school board will evaluate Freund's performance in an annual report
that considers a variety of factors, including community satisfaction
and his progress at boosting student achievement, among others, said
board Chairwoman Nancy Weissler. He will not be subject to a pay-based
critique of his efforts, however, since the school board eliminated a
performance pay component from his contract that had existed in
Sternberg's contract. However, under a new provision, board members
will be able to vote on whether to renew his contract at the end of his
second year.
Meantime, community members say they'll be watching his moves closely.
"I have trust in the (selection) process that got us this
superintendent," said Bob Brady, chairman of the Representative Town
Meeting Education Committee. "But whether or not we got the right
person, only time will tell -- as it always does."
Former Commissioner for Education in CT Betty Sternberg - link to other article here.
Racial imbalance in 2012
--------------
Ed Board races to replace Sternberg
Greenwich TIME
By Colin Gustafson, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/17/2008 07:19:10 AM EDT
School board members say they are intent on having a replacement for
departing Superintendent Betty Sternberg when she leaves in June.
With Sternberg's three-year contract expiring on June 30, 2009, the
Board of Education will have to complete the search in eight months or
appoint an interim superintendent - an outcome several members said
they were determined to avoid.
"I personally have no desire for that, because it just prolongs the
outcome," said board member Steven Anderson. "We really need to keep
our eye on the ball and make sure we find somebody who can hit the
ground running by next June."
Sternberg, the town's highest paid employee, will earn more than
$290,000 this year.
Sternberg announced Wednesday that she plans to step down in June. Her
decision comes amid mounting concerns from some parents, teachers and
board members that the initiatives implemented by Sternberg during the
first two years of her tenure have failed to produce satisfactory
improvements in student achievement.
Board Chairwoman Nancy Weissler said next week she plans to appoint a
four-person search committee, which will hire a consulting firm to
identify poetntial candidates; host focus groups of parents, school
staff and administrators to help develop a "profile" for the new
superintendent; and finally begin actively being recruiting and
interviewing candidates, she said.
"We'll very much be looking for public feedback when this gets started"
following the board's Oct. 23 meeting, said Weissler, who served on the
previous search committee that selected Sternberg for the position in
June 2006.
In choosing a successor, Democratic Selectman Lin Lavery said the board
should seek out someone likely to remain with the district for some
time. She said she was concerned that turnover in recent
administrations could raise red flags for candidates and deter some
from applying.
"We have had two different superintendents step down in three years,"
she said. "At some point, people are going to look at this and start
asking 'what are they stepping into? What is happening with our
community?' "
North Mianus parent Tom Pastore said the school board should focus its
search on candidates who have already amassed years of experience as
administrators in the school district and are more familiar with the
concerns of parents.
As a former state commissioner, "Sternberg was like this big-name free
agent that the board went out and decided it had to have," he said.
Next time, "we need somebody local and homegrown, who has already been
here a while, and knows the politics of what people like and dislike."
Sternberg
to step down
Greenwich TIME
By Colin Gustafson, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/16/2008 01:00:00 AM EDT
Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg will step down as chief
administrator of the town's public school system when her contract
expires next summer, she said, citing a desire to be "responsive to the
interests of the community."
With a Board of Education vote looming next week on whether to renew
her contract with the school system, Sternberg said she decided on
Monday night to not seek renewal of her employment agreement, which
expires June 30, 2009.
"I wanted the district to know sooner rather than later," she said of
her decision to announce her resignation prior to the board's vote on
Oct. 23.
Sternberg's decision comes nearly two weeks after the board voted to
give her a $3,500 salary bonus - out of a potential $15,000 for which
she was eligible - based on its evaluation of her management of the
district last school year. Over the past two months, the
superintendent has faced heavy criticism from some board members over
what they have called the lackluster progress of students since she
took over the schools two years ago.
She also came under fire last spring for blocking Boy Scouts from
recruiting during class time in Greenwich schools, and has endured
intense scrutiny from some parents over the district's handling of the
delay-mired Hamilton Avenue School project. In making the decision to
step down, Sternberg took into account "the context in the education
community and the community at large," she said. "My sense is that it
would be in everyone's interest for a new person to take this mantle
and continue with it."
Sternberg, who returned in August from a three-month medical leave of
absence, said health concerns had not played a role in her
decision. Several school board members described Sternberg's
decision Wednesday night as a surprise, and said the superintendent had
not faced internal pressure from individual members to step down.
"This was her own decision," said Board Chairwoman Nancy Weissler, who
was on the four-person search committee that recommended Sternberg for
the position in 2006. The others were current member Steven Anderson
and two former members, Ginny Gwynn and Bill Kelly.
Weissler said she will begin selecting members for a new search
committee to find Sternberg's successor following the body's Oct. 23
meeting. Sternberg will remain in the district through the end of
her contract. At a meeting Wednesday night on the Hamilton Avenue
School reconstruction project, parents reacted to the news of
Sternberg's future departure.
"PTA Council has a very good working relationship with Dr. Sternberg.
We wish her well in all of her future endeavors," said Julie Faryniarz,
the PTA Council president.
Alex Capozza, a vice president of the Hamilton Avenue School PTA
Executive Board, said Sternberg had big shoes to fill in and inherited
a number of complex issues.
"She came into very tough territory," Capozza said.
Sternberg's departure, Capozza said, creates an opening for the next
superintendent to improve academics across the school district.
Sternberg waiting for OK from
docs
Greenwich TIME
By Colin Gustafson
Staff writer
Article Launched: 08/05/2008 02:30:20 AM EDT
Her doctors will tell Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg this
Friday whether she can return full-time to being the town's chief
school administrator, a position that she temporarily vacated two
months due to an undisclosed illness. Sternberg said yesterday
that while she's eager to jump back into being superintendent of the
town's public school system by a target date of Aug. 11, it's up to the
doctors to give her a clean bill of health to go back to work.
"I cannot tell you with 100 percent certainty what will happen," she
noted. "But I do know I'm feeling better and can't wait to get back."
Sternberg, 58, started a leave of absence June 16 citing undisclosed
medical issues. Last year, she wrote an opinion editorial in which she
discussed living cancer-free since being diagnosed with breast cancer
in 2001. While declining to discuss her medical issues with
Greenwich Time Monday, Sternberg said she felt "more than ready" to
take on a full slate of responsibilities in the 2008-09 school year.
One goal Sternberg hopes to pursue upon her return, she said, is
expanding the teacher evaluation system she implemented last year at
several schools. Sternberg would like to turn her pilot program
into a district-wide program that uses a standardized set of criteria
to judge performance. Administrators under the program are also
encouraged to take a more active, hands-on role in observing how
teachers interact with students before completing their
evaluations. However, topping her list of priorities is finding a
resolution to the facility issues with Hamilton Avenue and Glenville
schools, Sternberg said.
The Board of Education last week agreed on a plan to delay the start of
Hamilton Avenue's year to give a contractor extra time to finish work
on its rebuilding project, while shifting Glenville students to modular
classrooms to allow restoration to begin on their own building.
Both projects have been mired in delays for years, and despite the
school board's recent approval of a plan to expedite work, another
projected delay in the Hamilton Avenue project has thrown the fate of
both schools next year into doubt.
If the Hamilton Avenue project isn't done by August 15, Glenville
students will be forced to attend class in as many as four different
schools across the district, while Hamilton Avenue students occupy the
modulars instead. While she hopes the situation won't come to
that, Sternberg said she'll be prepared to deal with such a dispersion
scenario by drawing on her experience of re-assigning Hamilton Avenue
students to other schools after mold was discovered in their modulars
last year.
"It was painful, but we've learned a lot from the decisions we made
with Hamilton Avenue," she said. "That was an emergency situation - so
not only having that prior experience, but being able to brace for it
as a possibility will make things go smoother next year with
Glenville."
Sternberg added that she's been closely watching the situation as it
unfolds, even while undergoing treatment for her illness. As such,
she's well aware of "all the nuances" of the situation and plans to be
able to approach the issues with a fresh perspective, she said.
"There is a positive aspect to having being removed from everything,"
she said, "because you come back and understand what's important in a
big picture - and what you need to do help children meet the vagaries
of life, when not everything goes as planned."
Sternberg
unveiling budget
proposal
Greenwich TIME
By Andrew Shaw, Staff Writer
Published November 8 2007
Communicating with native Spanish speakers, increasing technology and
improving specialty programs are focal points for Superintendent of
Schools Betty Sternberg's presentation tonight on her 2008-09 budget
proposal to the Board of Education.
Sternberg's budget proposal is for $125 million, a 5 percent increase
over the 2007-08 budget. That marks a slight drop compared with the 5.4
percent increase she sought for the 2007-08 budget over the 2006-07
budget. Sternberg will make her presentation at 7 p.m. at Cos Cob
School.
One of the highlights of the budget, Sternberg said, is the $300,000
marked for adding computerized whiteboards, known as Smartboards, to
more classrooms around the district as part of a multiyear plan to
eliminate the disparity in the number of Smartboards per school.
The western end of town, especially at the underperforming New Lebanon
School area, is a focus of the budget as well. Money is targeted to pay
for a part-time bilingual parent liaison to talk to Spanish-speaking
parents, and more brochures and letters will be translated.
"If you have a liaison who speaks the language and is able to connect
with people É that whole issue of (parent involvement) is
addressed," Sternberg said.
Western Middle School seeks money to offset field trip costs for
students in need, while Hamilton Avenue School seeks money to expand
its Suzuki violin program down to the second grade.
Consultant Ed Linehan, who was hired to help the board's task force in
its research of magnet schools addressing racial imbalance problems,
will be retained to help the review process of Hamilton Avenue School
and the other two magnet programs, as well as the development of New
Lebanon's magnet program.
Inside the classroom, after recent overhauls in math and literacy
curricula, Sternberg wants to spend money reviewing the effectiveness
of science curriculum to find improvements for instruction. Science is
under more scrutiny by the state because more students are tested now
in science on state exams.
Sternberg also wants funding for her new secondary education review
committee, set to begin meeting this January as they consider major
changes in how the middle schools and high school operate. For
teachers, Sternberg wants to pay for more training in using student
test scores and other data to drive their instruction, part of the
district's goal to give teachers more insight into their students'
academic performance history.
In last year's budget approval, the Board of Estimate and Taxation
lopped $500,000 off the Board of Education's final proposal and advised
school officials to look for ways to reduce costs where possible
instead of seeking more money than the BET believes is necessary.
Sternberg ended up evenly spreading the budget cut over all the
departments.
The BET sets a spending guideline based on how many students are in the
district. In 2008-09, the district predicts there will be 8,929
students, slightly less than the 8,974 this school year.
Sternberg said the district found ways to cut back elsewhere, such as
by not making any major textbook purchases for the district, which can
cost about $300,000. And, instead of giving departments a dollar amount
they can expect to receive each year, now all departments have to
explain every item they request. This year, Sternberg said the budget
should be more accurate and not leave money unspent at the end of the
year, as has happened in the past.
"There should not be an expectation we'll return money," Sternberg said.
After tonight's presentation, there will be a public hearing Nov. 20,
also at Cos Cob School. The board will vote on the budget on Dec. 20,
and then submit it to the town for approval.
Diversity
dilemma Parents, RISE
committee disagree over influence of race on options
Greenwich TIME
By Andrew Shaw, Staff Writer
Published September 23 2007
As Greenwich considers adding magnet programs they hope will scatter
children of different races across the district, some white parents
have spoken out against underperforming, non-English speaking students
coming to their child's school and taking attention away from their
child. They also have questioned school officials about why
students at
schools with many underachieving, minority students would get more
money for a magnet program compared to their child's school.
Supporters of the Board of Education's task force, which is examining
racial imbalance, say that the comments of those parents are actually
bigoted remarks veiled in the language of requests to preserve a
neighborhood school system the state says is racially segregated.
Natalie Queen, who is set to become the first black woman to be elected
to the Board of Education, said that when people oppose opening up
their neighborhood schools to other parts of town, it's akin to
"structural racism."
"All kids should be educated equally regardless of what they look like
and where they came from," said Queen, a mother of a middle school
student.
The state said New Lebanon and Hamilton Avenue Schools have too high a
percentage of minority students, and warned that Old Greenwich soon
will have too many white students. The law is intended to create a
diverse classroom so that students of all races have time
together. As of Oct. 1, 2006, 168 minority students attended
Hamilton Avenue and
119 attended New Lebanon, compared to Old Greenwich, which had 19
minority students last year, according to the most recent data
available.
Since the beginning of the task force on racial imbalance, space use
and declining enrollment, or RISE, in February, some parents have
worried that the district would close a school to create better racial
balance and maximize space. Now that that option is considered off the
table, the focus has been on magnet programs, which school officials
say will draw white students from other parts of town to a mostly
minority-populated school, and vice versa.
Other than redistricting, magnet schools are thought to be the only
option available to make the district more evenly diverse. In response,
opponents ask why the district is focusing on racial diversity, saying
they want the schools to focus solely on achievement. A few
parents have questioned whether the state's diversity mandate is
valid in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling that said Seattle and
Louisville schools can't assign students to schools based on race;
lawyers consulted by Greenwich officials believe the Connecticut law
will be upheld.
Supporters of the RISE task force's efforts say diversity is a measure
of achievement and it's not a "tangential issue," as described by one
parent at a task force public forum earlier this month.
The forum included comments from both sides of the issue -- those
supporting the task force's search for a solution for racial imbalance,
and those saying the district isn't looking at the bigger picture of
student achievement for all students, not just minority students at a
few schools.
Craig Bibb, who called the work of the task force a "social policy
experiment," said people would be wrong to think that those speaking
against the task force are narrow-minded parents who want to maintain a
system that sustains racial isolation.
"I didn't hear anyone speak against diversity. It's about reducing
(racial imbalance) at the cost of losing a school," said Bibb, a North
Street parent. On a list of options, North Street was listed as a
school that had the greatest projected cost savings if it was closed,
although school officials said school closure is not being seriously
considered. Some parents, however, see turning their neighborhood
school into a magnet school as a closure.
"What people are saying is that they love their neighborhood school and
they want their neighborhood school to become even better. I don't
think anyone's saying they don't want children from other ethnic
backgrounds in their schools. They just don't want their child bused to
another school," Bibb said.
But some supporters of the committee's work interpret recent public
comments of opponents as being close-minded and ignorant.
"It's hard for people to talk about racial imbalance when they are the
majority. They never had to deal with being the minority. But I can see
the imbalance," said Queen, a task force member.
Angelique Bell, a task force member who is Hispanic, said "some people
just don't want to see change," but on the other side, worries that too
much is being made of diversity for diversity's sake.
"I'm offended by the thought that just putting a Hispanic kid next to a
white kid is going to raise the Hispanic kid's scores," said Bell, a
Parkway School mother. "I don't care who sits next to my child, as long
as the education is stellar."
Administrators have touted increased diversity as a way to help
wealthy, white students be immersed with poor students and other
cultures. Sternberg said the cultural development of students, not the
mandate, is the driving reason behind the committee's work, which will
be reviewed by the board Sept. 27. Some parents who commented at
the public forum said Sternberg was just
performing a "social experiment" and trying to be a "social engineer"
by arbitrarily mixing races through an open choice school system.
Sternberg emphatically disagrees.
"It's about teaching children to work and play together with children
who may not necessarily look like them or represent cultures of their
own. I'm not the social engineer," Sternberg said.
Those who feel she is overemphasizing racial diversity at the cost of
achievement should think about the racially charged fight at the high
school in 2006, she said. Achievement is more than just test scores,
Sternberg believes, and people should not be satisfied with students
who do well in class but don't embrace diversity.
"I don't think anyone's achievement has been addressed," if there are
racially charged fights, Sternberg said.
Early on in the committee process, Sternberg said she was angered after
she received e-mails with "a hateful, bullying tone," by those opposing
the focus on racial imbalance. She wrote a letter in March to parents
and as an op-ed to newspapers chiding parents for being narrow-minded.
In her letter, Sternberg wrote, "I am distraught to read e-mails
written with a hateful, bullying tone from parent to parent and from
citizen to town official which say, among other things, 'The children
are exposed to racial diversity in middle school and high school and in
their extracurricular activities. We don't want our elementary
school-age children used to neutralize the makeup of another part of
town.' "
Since that time, Sternberg said there are parents she believes haven't
changed their minds.
"There will be some people who will never embrace this as an important
goal," she said.
Representative Town Meeting member Peter Sherr remembers the letter
well.
"She was implying that people who were not supportive of her point of
view of racial balance might be racist or bigoted. That's
Hartford-style politics," said Sherr, referring to Sternberg's former
job as state Commissioner of Education. "Greenwich is a much more
generous and open-minded place."
Sherr, a North Mianus parent, said that a lack of interest in diversity
is not the problem.
"I know there are lots of parents who want a diverse environment. But I
don't think they want it preached to or dictated to on that subject,"
Sherr said. "I don't believe people in Greenwich are bigots or that
they don't believe diversity in Greenwich is a good thing."
Instead, Sherr said that it may be the board and top administrators,
who are white, that are being racist by trying to come up with a
solution for increasing diversity. School officials believe "we
think we know what's best for them. If that isn't racism, I don't know
what is," Sherr said.
However, board chairwoman Colleen Giambo said the idea to address
racial imbalance is about embracing the fact that that Greenwich is
racially diverse.
"This is not a social experiment that's just out there for the world.
This is Greenwich. We're a diverse community," Giambo said.
While some parents told the district they believe adding magnet
programs and busing children to new schools for the purpose of
diversity will take away money from achievement measures, Giambo said
there won't be "huge, extra expenses" and that all children will get
the attention needed. A magnet program can cost about $75,000 in
start-up fees, plus $50,000 in recurring costs.
"This is not an exercise of taking from this one and giving to that
one," Giambo said.
She also addressed the concern that moving English as a Second Language
children to a mostly white school will hurt the achievement of students
already there, since the teacher may need to give extra attention to
the ESL child.
"They are always concerned there will be a remedial aspect and then
their kid won't get as much attention. But you have to have classrooms
that can manage differentiation," Giambo said. The International School
at Dundee, which is culturally diverse and has a magnet program,
handles different cultures and learning abilities well, Giambo said.
Parents should embrace the idea of a racially balanced district, Giambo
said.
"You can't really argue with the concept," Giambo said. "We need to do
it."
Parents
slam RISE options
Greenwich TIME
By Hoa Nguyen, Staff Writer
Published September 12 2007
Some parents blasted the effort to achieve racial balance in Greenwich
schools as a "social policy experiment" that puts their children's
education at risk.
"We want great neighborhood schools," parent Craig Bibb said to wide
applause last night at Greenwich High School during a public forum to
discuss seven options school administrators are proposing for next year
to address racial imbalance, declining enrollment and space utilization
identified at some Greenwich schools.
"Greenwich citizens do not want to put our community's great assets at
risk to conduct a social policy experiment," Bibb said to thunderous
applause. "The performance gap Greenwich parents are most concerned
with is the gap between public and private schools. The gap É
between students of different ethnic backgrounds is a tangential issue."
A few weeks ago, administrators gave seven options to a task force
called the RISE committee to consider. The group, which was organized
in February, is expected to issue its recommendations to the Board of
Education later this month.
With three of the options requiring the closing of a school -- an
unpopular choice among parents and administrators -- task force members
said last night that they will not recommend any of those options to
the education board. That leaves the other four options, which include
some variation of transforming one or more so-called neighborhood
schools into magnet schools. In all four cases, New Lebanon School
would be one of those schools.
Last night's forum attracted nearly 100 parents, some of whom directed
their attacks at Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg.
One parent said the superintendent and a consultant she hired to help
the district sort out the options send their own children to private or
charter schools rather than public ones.
"Apparently, magnet schools are not good enough for their children,"
Parkway School parent Anna Saras said.
Sternberg acknowledged that her children, who are in their 20s, did
attend private high school but up until eighth grade were enrolled in
public school.
Another parent, Peter Sherr, who is a Representative Town Meeting
member, also derided Sternberg's "overemphasis" on racial balance.
"It's the height of bigotry, actually, that white wealthy educated
people are thinking what's best for the African American and Latino
communities," he said. "I think what we need to do is not go further
with building a system of haves and have-nots. We should not be going
any further with figuring out racial balance until we have a clear
answer from the legal authority in the state."
Marianna Ponns Cohen, who is running for a spot on the education board,
said magnet schools are ineffective and costly.
"We should educate our children to the highest standards and spend
money on academic programs and not busing," she said. "Magnet schools
are just a fancier way to legitimate the busing of students under an
illusory promise of choice."
Some parents objected to the objections, saying they want schools such
as New Lebanon to become a magnet school so that it is not subject "to
the segregation that this country has been trying to fight for a long
time," Byram native Ted Flinn said.
"New Lebanon is a racially imbalanced school," he said. "I'm faced with
a decision of sending them to a racially imbalanced school or sending
them to a private school É Your ideas of trying to change the
system that currently exists and to improve it is very noteworthy."
Other parents said those who opposed magnet schools are too hung up on
details.
"It seems to me that you are more worried about driving or busing your
child than you are about your child's education," parent Claudia Velez
said.
Still other parents with children in existing magnet schools such as
the International School at Dundee and Julian Curtiss said they have
had success with those programs and would recommend it to other parents.
The task force is expected to hold its final meeting Tuesday at Cos Cob
School where the group will vote to prioritize the seven options. The
Board of Education will then review the choices during its Sept. 27
meeting at Old Greenwich School.
Sternberg grades her year
Greenwich TIME
By Andrew Shaw, Staff Writer
Published August 19 2007
As she sat in her office last week, Betty Sternberg, superintendent of
schools and amateur photographer, gestured toward three photographs she
took in Mexico that are now displayed beside her desk.
"These two got awards, but this is the one I like the best. Of course,
that's the one that didn't get an award," Sternberg said, pointing
toward the center photo that captures the image of a solitary stone
statue on a run-down street in San Miguel D'Allende. Sternberg, 57,
laughs about receiving honors for two photos, but not for the artwork
of which she is most proud.
The same may be said of Sternberg's first year on the job, which began
last August when she left her position as state commissioner of
education. Since she arrived, the Board of Education's task force on
racial imbalance, space use and declining enrollment, which Sternberg
serves on as a co-chair, has become the most recognizable and perhaps
most divisive work during Sternberg's tenure.
But Sternberg said the RISE task force often overshadows all of her
other projects aimed at raising the achievement of all students. It's a
topic she describes with emphatic hand gestures, such as when she
slants her hands upward as she discusses how "youngsters" who are
underperforming need to have accelerated growth.
"You can see we're making progress," said Sternberg, the district's
first permanent female superintendent.
The statistics illustrate that statement. The Connecticut Mastery Test
scores showed general improvement in math scores this past school year
compared to 2005-2006, although reading and writing scores slightly
dipped. Some of the schools with the most economically and racially
diverse students, New Lebanon and Hamilton Avenue, made strong gains in
all categories.
To accomplish this, Sternberg continued the work of her predecessor,
Larry Leverett, in implementing new math and literacy curricula. She
also brought in new cabinet members, including Kathy Greider, deputy
superintendent of teaching and learning, and Chris Winters, assistant
superintendent of curriculum, learning and staff development, and she
oversaw a push to coordinate the work of all the principals.
Sternberg said she's also proud of developing the Success System, which
gives the board tangible, defined benchmarks to evaluate how well the
district is doing in all areas, including student performance and
professional development.
Still, it has been the task force, which has been meeting since March
and has taken a considerable chunk of her staff's time doing research,
that garners much of the attention, good and bad.
Sternberg said the issues being addressed by the task force are "the
most difficult issues I've had to grapple with" in her 26 years as an
educator and policy maker.
In December, before the task force was assembled, Sternberg faced one
of her biggest challenges of the past year. First Selectman Jim Lash
said publicly in a speech to a community group in December that the
town either had to "lop off some schools" because of declining
enrollment or the cost of public education in town would go up
significantly. His comments set off a wave of worry among parents
concerned that the district already had their child's school
preselected for closure, and a short war of words between Parkway and
Glenville school parents over whether the scheduled renovation at the
latter would guarantee the closure of the former.
"Parents perceived (that Lash's comments) directly affected their kids,
and understandably so," Sternberg said.
Sternberg had to spend several months attending PTA meetings and
speaking individually to parents to reassure them that closing a school
was a last resort, not the first option.
"That took a lot of focus away from the instructional aspect," said
Colleen Giambo, chairwoman of the board, whose members have been
eye-to-eye with Sternberg throughout her tenure.
To address racial imbalance and declining enrollment in the schools,
the Board of Education created the RISE task force, which Sternberg
assembled. But the public relations work for Sternberg was only just
starting.
Once the task force began to meet, Sternberg was criticized by some in
the community who questioned the motives of the group. At a string of
public meetings in February and March, parents, including some from a
newly formed group that calls itself Friends of Parkway School, chided
the district for what they perceived to be a hidden agenda to push for
more magnet schools or close certain schools.
Parent Marianna Ponns Cohen, who is running for the board this year,
has been one of the most vocal critics of the process. Ponns Cohen made
a massive Freedom of Information Act request for e-mail correspondence
among Sternberg and some of her cabinet regarding Parkway School,
Glenville School and the task force. The request, which is still being
fulfilled, came after weeks of Ponns Cohen making comments in public
meetings against Sternberg's administration.
"You're cooking the outcome," Ponns Cohen said to Sternberg at a
January Parkway School PTA meeting with the superintendent and other
school officials.
Ponns Cohen declined to comment for this story.
Sternberg continued to appeal for calm, writing a letter to the public
in March in which she said her critics were using inaccurate facts in
their arguments and pitting schools against each other.
Public reaction to the task force's work has settled
during the summer, though when the group reports its findings to the
board next month things could heat up. Sternberg said the people who
have spoken out against the work of the task force aren't looking at
the big picture.
"It's important that the community understands that it's a great
educational system if it educates all children well, not just some
children well. It isn't just about 'my kid,' " Sternberg said. However,
she added, "I respect that not everyone agrees."
Beginning in April, Sternberg had to face another crisis when her staff
was informed by the Hamilton Avenue building committee that the
rebuilding project scheduled to be finished in time for the first day
of school was several months behind schedule. The committee first
became aware of potential delays around February but thought they could
make up for lost time.
Laura DiBella, the Hamilton Avenue PTA president during the past school
year, said she wished Sternberg had acted faster, but she was satisfied
with Sternberg's effort once she became aware of the delay.
"I think it would have been more helpful had she closely monitored the
situation earlier," DiBella said. "But it's difficult coming in
midproject."
The delay also pushed back Glenville School's plans for renovation,
angering parents who said the school was already overdue for an upgrade
and that their children have been receiving a substandard education
because of the antiquated building.
Celia Fernandez and Lisa Harkness, Glenville PTA co-presidents could
not be reached for comment about Sternberg's performance.
Giambo said Sternberg ably handled the delays.
"There's no fault to her on that. The whole point of a building
committee is to take away attention from the superintendent and the
board," Giambo said. The project is now scheduled to be finished in
December.
Sternberg said she wished she would have known earlier about the
delays, but she said the district has learned from the experience. In
the upcoming Glenville School renovation, a construction manager will
be used instead of a general contractor, which is used for the Hamilton
Avenue project. A construction manager gives the district more control
over subcontractors and the construction process, Sternberg said.
Despite the hurdles, Sternberg said she's already made progress in
accomplishing many of her goals as superintendent. She still would like
to make preschool more available to all children and she wants to
continue developing programs for parents who need to learn English.
Adding more technology in the classroom and reforming secondary
education are on her agenda as well.
Sternberg said she would like to be around to see her initiatives
through.
"I expect to be here," Sternberg said.
Giambo said the board has long-term hopes for Sternberg, too, after
only having Leverett around for about three years, and fairly quick
turnover before him.
"It's very disruptive when there's a change of leadership," Giambo
said. "We're really hoping we can get good years in so we can make a
lot of progress."
Sternberg
letter to
critics hits chord
Greenwich TIME
By Andrew Shaw, Staff Writer
Published March 10 2007
A letter to the public by Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg has
many in the school community saying they are glad to see a clear
message directed at critics of the Board of Education's task force:
Stop fighting with each other and join our cause to improve overall
student achievement.
Sternberg said she wrote the letter to make it clear what the mission
of the Board of Education's task force is -- to better the education of
all children, regardless of wealth or location, by fixing declining
enrollment, racial balance and space use problems in the district.
"She's doing the right thing by rallying the troops," said Nicki
Barret-Lennard, co-president of the Old Greenwich PTA. "We're all
better off together than fighting with each other."
In Sternberg's letter, available on the school Web site and printed as
an op-ed piece in Thursday's Greenwich Time, she writes about her anger
and disappointment at what she describes as bullying by some.
"I am so upset, so disappointed -- even angry -- about the nasty,
mean-spirited talk and e-mails that are coming from some sectors of
Greenwich É," she wrote. "I am distraught to read e-mails
written with a hateful, bullying tone from parent to parent and from
citizen to town official."
She says the e-mail she has seen expresses outrage over redistricting
to achieve racial balance, and the possibility of closing schools
because of declining enrollment. She refers obliquely to the perception
among some parents that if the Glenville School renovation project goes
forward, then the Parkway School will certainly be closed -- an idea
which she has repeatedly said is false.
Janice Richards, PTA Council president, said she thinks the letter
reiterates the PTA Council's mission to get all schools to work
together, especially as the district faces uncertainty.
"It serves no purpose to pit schools against each other," Richards said.
Some in Greenwich, including members of the newly formed group Friends
for Parkway School, have questioned the financial and statistical data
provided by the school administration, especially in regard to the
proposed $23 million Glenville School project. Sternberg writes that
there is "ill-informed, misinformation that pits one school against
another."
"There's a small group of people who present numbers as fact, and, in
fact, it is not fact," she said in an interview yesterday. "Everybody
is entitled to their opinion. But it's just a concern of
misrepresentation of data as if it were fact."
Sternberg also chides in her op-ed piece those who have written letters
of criticism without signing their names, going instead under the
moniker "Friends of Parkway School." The group also has put an ad in
the papers under that name. Sternberg's words also may be directed at
members of the Concerned Citizens of Greenwich group, which asked for
the postponement of the Glenville project until the task force made
recommendations. The group members have remained anonymous.
"When people hold important views, you'd hope they'd be willing to
stand up and put their name to the view of others," Sternberg said. She
added she is upset with the way people are presenting their case, not
the fact that they disagree. "It is done in a very mean-spirited
fashion."
Anna Saras, a member of the Friends for Parkway School group, said that
she and those around Greenwich who share her views are similarly
frustrated.
"We're trying to get facts out. We're trying to keep emotion out of it,
but, yes, you do get emotion into it when you're trying to get out a
logical message but people aren't listening," Saras said. Friends for
Parkway School's main goal is to keep Parkway open and keep town
officials fiscally responsible.
"We represent at least half the school," Saras said, adding that their
passion has been misconstrued. "We're not bullies."
Sternberg and the Parkway PTA dispute this. Abby Pillari, Parkway PTA
secretary, said there has been a false view that there is a Glenville
School versus Parkway School attitude.
"I hope they see we are not pinning a school against a school," Pillari
said of the community opinion. "We are one school system. We need to
work together."
Sternberg concludes the letter by reminding the community that the
point of the task force is to create opportunities for all of its
children.
"We should operate as if each child in Greenwich is our own child ..."
she writes. "Let's get to it. Our children are watching. And waiting."
Celia Fernandez, co-president of Glenville PTA, said Sternberg drove
home an important point with that message, and that she's glad the
superintendent took a public stance.
"This kind of clears the air," she said. "She's on the money. At the
end of the day, it's about the kids."
Did you know that Yale's colors are pale blue, baby blue, or in this
case, just blue?
Steamy
Shower Has Yale Students In A Bit Of Hot Water
DAY
By John Christoffersen , Associated Press Writer
Published on 2/3/2007
New Haven — Sex is not a taboo subject at Yale, home to Sex Week, a
biennial celebration that's one of the most provocative campus events
in the nation.
But a randy couple's frolic in a shower at one of Yale's undergraduate
residential colleges prompted a professor to issue an e-mail of
protest, which in turn has sparked debate on the Internet.
With the subject line “Shower Stalls are for Showering,” the e-mail
begins “OK, well THIS is the most awkward college-wide e-mail I've ever
had to send.”
Yale officials told The Associated Press on Friday that the e-mail was
sent Jan. 30 by Professor Jonathan Holloway, master of Calhoun College,
one of 12 residential colleges at the Ivy League university.
About 330 students received the e-mail from Holloway, who runs Calhoun
as master. He referred comment to Yale's public affairs department.
His e-mail warns against “intimate activity” in the showers,
“especially that kind of activity that leaves the showers in a
decidedly less hygienic state.
“Several times since the start of the spring term some Hounies have
come across a couple having the time of their lives in a shower stall,”
the e-mail stated, referring to the nickname for college residents.
“Last night, the shower flooded and the bathroom could not be used for
over 90 minutes. To the as yet unidentified couple, this may be
pleasurable and exciting for you, but it is a violation of community
standards. Please stop.”
The note, first reported Friday by the New Haven Register, ended with a
warning to the frolicking couple: “I really don't want to explore this
matter any further, as I respect your individual privacy. But such
continued brazen public displays of affection will only invite public
embarrassment. I beg of you, let's not go there.”
One Calhoun resident made his views clear on another blog,
criticalmassblog.com. Dan Gelernter, class of 2009, is co-editor of
Critical Mass, aimed at “collegiate conservatives,” and called the
episode “a new chapter in the story of Yale's continuing descent into
the depths of moral degradation.”
“It is not merely unfortunate, but pathetic and disgusting that the
Master needed to send such a note to us but in the moral vacuum that
has been created by Yale intellectuals, students seem to be left
without even the most basic guidelines for proper and decent behavior,”
Gelernter wrote.
Soda
ban hitting some schools in
pocketbook
DAY
Posted on Dec 23, 1:46 PM EST
EAST LYME, Conn. (AP) -- Four soda machines at East Lyme High School
generated more than $20,000 in revenues last year. Much of that
money was used to buy new athletic equipment and send students to
athletic banquets and awards dinners. But those machines are now
stocked with juice and water because of a new law banning soda and
sugary drinks from schools. Since the beginning of this school year,
the machines have pulled in only $500.
"It's affecting us big-time," Scott Mahon, the school's athletic
director said of the legislation.
"That (revenue) really has been part of the (athletic department's)
budget," Mahon told The Day of New London in Saturday's edition. "As
budgets get tougher and tougher, we kind of rely on other things. If we
can't get sponsorships and other things, we have to rely on soda."
Earlier this year, state lawmakers voted to ban all public schools from
selling regular or diet soda and sports drinks in vending machines or
school stores in hopes of combatting childhood obesity in Connecticut
and sending a message about good nutrition. The bill, which Gov. M.
Jodi Rell signed into law, includes a narrow exception for sales at
concession stands at school-sponsored events on weekends or after
school.
Only milk, soy and rice milk, water and 100 percent fruit and vegetable
drinks can be stocked in the machines. Students are still allowed to
bring their own sodas and sports drinks to school.
The new law does not ban junk food, but does provide extra money for
school lunch programs at schools that offer healthy snacks.
Groton Public Schools signed up for the reimbursement program. It pays
schools an extra 10 cents per meal served that complies both with the
federal school lunch program and state nutritional standards. Contents
of school vending machines in Groton have changed to healthier items,
such as baked rather than fried potato chips.
"It's the only thing that has saved us from total decimation," said
Fitch Senior High School Principal Robert Bacewicz of the state
reimbursement program.
Cliff Still, the school's food services director, estimates revenue at
Fitch is down $150 to $200 a day on the beverage machines.
"We used to have a student council machine in the cafeteria, with all
sodas, on a timer that didn't kick in until 2:30," he said. "That
machine is gone, and they're hurting."
In Waterford, the cost of yearbooks and some school events are expected
to rise because of the drop in revenues from the machines. But student
groups are making the most of the situation.
Waterford High School Principal Donald Macrino said the school store
switched to selling water and school spirit items, such as logo sweat
shirts and jackets. With higher student dues and more car wash
fundraisers, he said students are now close to generating the same
amount of money raised by the soda machines last year.
School-Aid
Boost Recommended
By ROBERT A. FRAHM, Courant Staff Writer
December 21, 2006
Connecticut's heavy reliance on local property taxes to pay for schools
fuels a well-documented array of stark inequities. But what to do?
On Wednesday, a state commission on education finance made a bold
recommendation: boost the state's major school-aid grant 75 percent by
pumping an extra $1.2 billion a year into the public schools. The
hefty price tag will be a daunting political challenge
to Gov. M. Jodi Rell and state lawmakers as they consider how to revise
a 17-year-old school finance formula that critics say is underfunded
and unfair.
After nearly a year of work, a study commission created by Rell
outlined a proposal that would simplify some aspects of the complex
formula and - over a period of years - increase state school aid
dramatically, affecting virtually every school district in the state.
"This proposal is financially a very, very large undertaking," said
Robert Genuario, Rell's budget director and the chairman of the
25-member commission. But the recommendations would go a long way
toward making the formula more equitable, he said.
Other school funding reports in the past have produced mixed results.
The most recent one, in 1999, made similar recommendations that would
have produced big increases in state funding, but those recommendations
were largely ignored. The first signs of how the new report will
fare
should occur in February, when Rell outlines her state budget proposal,
which then will go to the legislature. Lawmakers will have to weigh
educational needs against a host of other budget demands.
"I think the governor is going to take [these] recommendations very
seriously," Genuario said. "She's the one who called for the
commission. She, however, is fully aware the state has limited
resources, and this needs to be adopted in a fashion consistent with
taxpayers' ability to pay for it."
Still, some are hopeful that Wednesday's recommendations, along with
another report to Rell earlier this month calling for a major expansion
of preschool programs, will provide a welcome boost to public schools
across the state.
"This could be the year of education all around," said Patrice
McCarthy, deputy director of the Connecticut Association of Boards of
Education. "We've never [fully] funded any formula in the past, so
there is a bit of skepticism, but I do think the governor will support
these recommendations in her budget."
Along with the proposals to phase in more state school aid, the panel
recommended broad authority for the state Department of Education to
order changes in curriculum, staffing and management in school
districts that consistently fail to show progress in students'
performance. The panel also called for significant increases in
funding for charter schools, magnet schools and a voluntary school
choice program that allows students to transfer to schools outside
their home districts.
Critics say the existing method of funding schools has strained school
budgets and placed too much of the burden of school costs on local
property taxpayers, leading in some cases to tax revolts.
In the small, rural town of Canterbury in eastern Connecticut, for
example, voters have rejected school budgets each of the past two
years, prompting officials to cut foreign language classes and reading
programs and reduce custodial help at the town's middle school. Sandra
Suplicki, the school superintendent, is hopeful the state will provide
more help. "We'd also like to provide additional math and reading
assistance to our students," she said, "but at this point we can't
afford to do that."
The state's school funding formula underwent a major change after the
state Supreme Court in 1977 ordered the state, in a case known as
Horton vs. Meskill, to close a large funding gap between the state's
wealthiest and poorest communities. As a result, lawmakers
redistributed money, sending millions of dollars to the state's poorest
cities.
In 1989, the legislature revised the school aid formula again,
introducing the Education Cost Sharing grant, but lawmakers have
imposed limits on the formula under the strain of tight state
budgets.
This year, that grant will distribute more than $1.6 billion to cities
and towns, but it is only part of a complex series of programs and
grants adding up to about $3.5 billion in annual state spending on
education.
Whatever Rell recommends in her budget, the issue is certain to be
intensely debated by lawmakers. At stake are billions of dollars and
the way those dollars are distributed to the state's school
districts.
The debate will be watched closely by a coalition of municipal
officials and educators that filed a lawsuit a year ago seeking to
force the state to dramatically increase spending on education and
revamp its education funding formula.
Dianne Kaplan deVries, a consultant working with the coalition, said
Wednesday's report does not fully address what she called funding
inadequacies among school districts, but if all the recommendations
were adopted, "I think it would be a tremendous step forward."
Although there is support in the legislature for increased spending on
education, the challenge will be to satisfy taxpayers that their towns
are getting their fair share of state money, said state Sen. Thomas J.
Herlihy, R-Avon.
Herlihy, whose district consists mainly of suburban and rural areas,
said, "The cities tend to get ... two or three dollars back on every
dollar they send, whereas many suburban and rural communities get only
pennies back on that dollar."
However, state Sen. Thomas P. Gaffey, D-Meriden, said, "What you hear a
lot about are complaints from towns that feel they're entitled to get
more." Despite those complaints, the legislature must focus on helping
the neediest school districts, including major cities, first, as
required under the Horton vs. Meskill court ruling, said Gaffey,
co-chairman of the legislature's education committee.
"It's going to be a difficult chore, as it always is, trying to
allocate education funds under any formula and make everybody happy,"
he said.
School
Residency Cases Tracked
By ANN MARIE SOMMA, Courant Staff Writer
December
2, 2006
WETHERSFIELD -- The school district is cracking down on parents from
bordering towns who illegally enroll their children in district schools
by providing a false address.
Since March 2005, 49 students have been removed from district schools
because they did not live in town, and 50 more cases are under
investigation.
"They are just trying to make a better life for their children, but
we have a state statute that is reasonably clear on what constitutes
residency," said schools Superintendent Patrick Proctor.
To deal with the problem, the district last year instituted a central
registration process to replace on-site enrollment at schools. Parents
must now provide a mortgage or rental lease as well as a long-form
birth certificate for students entering grades 1 through 12.
Students who are suspected of being illegally enrolled are investigated
by John Ryan, the district's security officer. Ryan, a retired
probation officer, said he uses every investigative tool available -
including staking out homes - to weed out the nonresidents. He said his
investigations usually begin with a hunch or a tip.
Ryan said the problem is serious. Wethersfield residents get stuck with
the cost of educating the nonresident students - $10,000 a year for
each one - because their parents don't pay local taxes.
"It's not fair to taxpayers," Ryan said.
It's a common problem for suburban school districts bordered by poorer
urban cities where test scores and graduation rates are low. West
Hartford has hired an additional investigator and is investing in
high-tech software to keep track of where families live. Bloomfield is
dealing with illegally enrolled students from East Hartford,
Manchester, South Windsor and Windsor.
Ryan said many of the cases involve parents giving a false address.
Some cases involve students living with a friend or relative in
Wethersfield. The students come from Hartford, West Hartford, New
Britain, Rocky Hill, Manchester, and as far as way as Ledyard.
Ryan said the 49 students removed from the district since March 2005
had been in school for as little as a few months to a couple of years.
Proctor said the central registration process has been effective in
deterring out-of-district parents from trying to enroll their students
in Wethersfield schools.
From July 2005 to June 2006, 51 out of 412 parents who requested
registration materials chose not register their children after learning
of residency requirements, according to a school district report.
Another report states that from July to Oct. 20 this year, 18 out of
209 parents chose not to complete the registration process after being
advised of the residency requirements.
"This isn't an attempt to be punitive," Proctor said.
"It's not our decision. It's a statutory requirement."
Former
Norwich Superintendent To Lead
Hartford School District; Adamowski is credited with major
changes here
Norwich Bulletin
By Associated Press
Published on 11/27/2006
Hartford (AP) — A new superintendent of schools starts work
today in Hartford, one of Connecticut's largest and most challenging
school districts.
Steven Adamowski, 55, a former superintendent of the Norwich school
system, and an education consultant with the American Institutes for
Research in Washington, will head the 24,000-student district with a
mandate from city leaders to boost achievement.
He worked in Norwich from 1983 to 1987 before leaving to head a newly
formed school district in New Jersey. While in Norwich he developed a
new curriculum, made sweeping staff and administrative changes,
retrained teachers and started new programs. Test scores rose, and the
number of remedial students declined. School officials at the time said
that he had broken the network of nepotism and cronyism in the district.
Hartford and Bridgeport are the state's two largest school districts,
and both have struggled to reach the standards set by the federal No
Child Left Behind Act.
In Hartford, more than two-thirds of the city's elementary and middle
schools fell short last year of benchmarks set in the law.
A native of Ansonia, Adamowski has said his experience in reforming
Cincinnati's public schools as that city's school superintendent will
be helpful as he takes on Hartford's challenges.
Adamowski attended Trinity College and Southern Connecticut State
University, was the associate secretary of education for the state of
Delaware, and also worked in the New Haven and Farmington school
districts. His annual salary in Hartford will be $205,000
New
York's Highest Court Cuts Aid
Sought By
City Schools In Landmark Decision
By David Herszenhorn, New York Times News Service
Published on 11/21/2006
New York state's highest court ended a landmark legal fight over
education financing on Monday, ruling that at least $1.93 billion more
must be spent each year on New York City's public schools — far less
than the $4.7 billion that a lower court called the minimum needed to
give city children the chance for a sound basic education.
In its 4-2 ruling, the Court of Appeals noted that a commission
appointed by Gov. George E. Pataki in 2004 had contemplated a range of
spending options for the state to fulfill its constitutional obligation
to New York City's nearly 1.1 million schoolchildren, with $1.93
billion at the low end of the scale. The court endorsed the $1.93
billion as “reasonable.”
The amount is to be updated for inflation and other factors, which will
bring the total to more than $2 billion a year.
The judges said that lower courts had erred by proposing their own
sums, treading on the turf of the governor and the state Legislature.
“In fashioning specific remedies for constitutional violations, we must
avoid intrusion on the primary domain of another branch of government,”
Judge Eugene F. Pigott Jr. wrote for the majority.
The New York case, brought by a coalition of education groups called
the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, has been among the most closely watched
of dozens of lawsuits over school financing filed across the country
that seek to direct more money to needy school districts. The ruling
cannot be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court because it is based on the
state constitution.
The financing issue has divided Albany for years. But for all of the
predictions over 13 years of litigation that the suit would reshape
education financing in the state, the ruling did not do so. The court
did not touch New York's arcane formulas for education financing and
refused to impose new oversight mechanisms.
The decision came as an immense blow to New York City, which, based on
prior court rulings, had anticipated up to $5.63 billion a year in
additional education aid. New York state now pays about $7.1 billion,
or roughly 45 percent, of the city's total education budget of $15.4
billion, the largest local school budget in the country. The
court-ordered increase would be on top of this, but the ruling left
open the possibility that the state would press the city to contribute
to the added financing.
The decision on Monday also vacated lower courts' rulings mandating
more than $9 billion in capital aid for new schools, libraries and
other amenities, saying that the state had met its obligation last
spring by authorizing $11.1 billion for the city's schools.
School
enrollment projections: Estimate is off by just nine kids
WESTON FORUM
by TERRY CASTELLANO
Oct 25, 2006
With 2,575 students attending the Weston Public Schools this year, the
New England School Development Council (NESDEC) underestimated the
total actual enrollment by nine students. This is a less than a
half-percent variance, noted Arvid Anderson, the school district’s
human resources director, during his presentation to the school board
this past Monday.
“This is the third consecutive year that NESDEC’s projections have been
at or under 1% of actual (enrollment), which is helpful in relying on
future enrollment forecasts,” Mr. Anderson said.
Nineteen students more than were projected entered Hurlbutt Elementary
School this year, for a total enrollment of 604 children.
The major increase occurred in kindergarten, with the district
enrolling 17 students more than projected, necessitating the addition
of one section of kindergarten. Hurlbutt is a pre-kindergarten through
grade two school; however, the enrollment figures do not include the
pre-kindergarten program.
The pre-kindergarten program has an enrollment of 36 students, seven
more children than projected. Of these, 17 students are non-special
education tuition paying students.
The intermediate school saw a drop in enrollment versus projection with
570 students, grades three through five, compared to NESDEC’s
projection of 584 students.
At the middle school, which houses grades six through eight, 600
students are enrolled. NESDEC had projected 603.
Seven students more than the projection are now attending Weston High
School for a total of 801 students. NESDEC had projected 794.
Enrollment projections, which are developed annually, provide the
school district with data for program and budget planning as well as
future staffing.
NESDEC takes the following factors into consideration when making
enrollment projections: migration, in or out of the schools; retention
in the same grade; drop outs and transfers; births and deaths; new
house construction; and economic conditions.
Projections for 2007-08
NESDEC projects a decrease in student enrollment for the 2007-08 year.
NESDEC’s forecast is for 2,527 students to attend Weston schools next
fall, which would be a decrease of 48 students when compared to this
year’s enrollment.
Much of this expected decrease can be attributed to a projected drop in
the kindergarten population.
Mr. Anderson noted in his report that the “in-migration/growth rate”
between the year of birth and kindergarten eligibility five years later
has been on a general decline for the past 10 years with the exception
of this present school year.
Hurlbutt is projected to have a decrease in enrollment by 61 students.
The middle school also expects to see a decrease in enrollment when
compared to the present school year; 21 fewer students are expected to
pass through the doors of the middle school in the fall of 2007.
However, NESDEC projects an increase of 17 students at the intermediate
school and 17 more at the high school.
Monitoring kindergarten
Cautioning the board that the kindergarten enrollment must be carefully
monitored, particularly in light of low birth rate reports for the
years 2002 and 2003, Mr. Anderson said the district will be undertaking
the following steps to help ensure as accurate a kindergarten
projection as possible:
• Conduct a district survey of parents of
kindergarten students to determine factors that played a role in the
large increase in the 2006-07 kindergarten enrollment
• Launch an earlier pre-registration for kindergarten
to help with planning the number of sections needed for the fall of 2007
• Continue to work closely with NESDEC to identify
strategies and methods to identify more accurately three- to
five-year-old children who may have moved into the community
• Schedule the process of contacting all area
pre-school programs to obtain an earlier update on the number and ages
of children enrolled in these programs
Board member Dick Bochinski asked if the decrease in birth rate during
2002 and 2003 is seen nationally or an anomaly to Weston.
“Weston seems to be the only area town to be showing a depressed birth
rate,” Mr. Anderson said.
“It is a challenge when trying to determine how many families are
moving to Weston between the birth of a child and (the child’s)
entrance into school,” Lynne Pierson, superintendent of schools, said
as she reflected on the difficulty of accurately projecting
kindergarten enrollment.
Mr. Anderson will present an updated enrollment report, reflecting
additional data and information, at the Nov. 20 school board meeting.
Vouchers
coming around again?
On another subject...
New Leb to adjust racial balance
Greenwich TIME
By Keach Hagey, Staff Writer
Published October 17 2006
New Lebanon's School's minority population has increased so much that
the school will be cited for racial imbalance by the state Department
of Education, according to a school district report.
"There has been a gradual shift in the demographics and enrollment of
the students here, so it's not a surprise," Principal Gene Nyitray
said. "We have a significantly larger Spanish-speaking population, but
we take that as a given, and we make our best efforts to involve
parents, educate parents."
State law prohibits any school from having a minority population that
is 25 percentage points above or below the district average. A recent
report of enrollment figures measured on Oct. 1 revealed the district
had several schools either out of compliance or approaching imbalance
and said the district expected a citation from the state.
According to enrollment figures measured Oct. 1, New Lebanon School's
population is 43 percent Hispanic, 6 percent Asian and 4 percent black.
Its 53 percent minority population is 29 percentage points above the
district's average of 24 percent.
Hamilton Avenue Magnet School, which is 59 percent minority, according
to the Oct. 1 data, also will be cited by the state, as it has been in
previous years. Old Greenwich and Julian Curtiss Schools will be cited
for having impending racial imbalances, meaning they have minority
populations that are 15 percentage points off the district average,
according to the report.
If a school violates the state statute, the district is required to
file plans with the state that explain how the district plans to come
into compliance. In Hamilton Avenue school's case, those plans involved
the development of a magnet program to attract students from throughout
the district.
After it was cited by the state in 2001, the district filed plans with
the state stating its intention to turn the school into a magnet
school. During the 2002-03 and 2003-04 school years, some progress was
made toward reducing its racial imbalance, but it never reached the
state's goals for racial balance.
Facilities issues at the school have temporarily curtailed the magnet
program, but committees are now working on developing a revamped magnet
program that will attract students from around the district with
special programs when the school opens its renovated doors in the fall
of 2007.
Now officials are beginning to consider a similar solution for New
Lebanon School, although they say it is too early to say just how they
plan to solve the racial imbalance problem.
"In order to get people to move around, you need some draw," Board of
Education Chairman Colleen Giambo said. "We would like to address it in
that way, as we did at Hamilton Avenue School."
However, New Lebanon School may present some unique challenges, she
said, because the school building, which now holds 225 students, may be
too small to accommodate enough extra students to bring the school into
balance.
"It's possible that we need to attract both ways," she said, meaning
attracting minority students out of Hamilton Avenue to other Greenwich
public schools and draw non-minority students into the school.
While New Lebanon, Hamilton Avenue and Julian Curtiss appeared on lists
because they had more minority students than the district average, Old
Greenwich appeared on the list because it had too few.
The school is 95 percent white, making it 19 percentage points below
the district average.
Father
Gets Probation In Coach Assault Case
Courant Staff Reports
5:20 PM EDT, September 20, 2006
MERIDEN -- A 16-month ordeal came to an end Wednesday when Mark Picard,
48, of North Branford avoided jail time when he was given a five-year
suspended sentence and five years probation for the May 2005 attack of
his daughter's softball coach with a bat.
Picard received his sentence from Judge Nicola Rubinow as the victim,
John Crovo, watched. Crovo had asked, through his attorney, that Picard
not receive jail time.
Picard assaulted Crovo, then softball coach at Sacred Heart Academy in
Hamden, after Crovo had suspended Picard's daughter for three games
after she missed a game to attend a prom.
Picard, a former art teacher at Notre Dame High School in West Haven,
attacked Crovo at a May 17, 2005 practice, hitting him several times
with a bat. He then called police and admitted he had attacked the
coach.
Over the next five years Picard must serve 750 hours of community
service and adhere to a number of conditions, including not attending
any sporting event for the next five years.
Weston experience here...
Panel looks at sports
complex idea
TONY SPINELLI tspinelli@ctpost.com
Article created: 09/05/2006 04:43:56 AM EDT
REDDING — The Region 9 Board of Education is impaneling a special
committee to scrutinize the concept for a sports stadium complex at
Joel Barlow High School.The ad hoc committee will include a member of
Falcon Pride, the private nonprofit group proposing to raise the $3
million to build the twin-field complex. A member of Barlow Neighbors,
the opposition group that presented a petition with 260 signatures at a
board meeting last week, will also participate.
The group will include board members and representatives from Redding
and Easton as well. Region 9 serves students of Redding and Easton.
The objective is to finish the study within six weeks, said Region 9
Supt. of Schools Allen Fossbender.
The study is needed because there are impassioned arguments for and
against building a new athletic facility at Barlow.
The group wants to build the facility because the school board has
financial constraints that would delay such improvements for years, if
the board were to try to pay for the project itself. But some Barlow
parents want students to have an updated facility as soon as possible.
Julia Pemberton, the Region 9 board chairwoman, could not be reached
for comment Friday, but had said earlier in the week the board needs
more time to discuss the proposal.
The board owns the land so it must agree to be the applicant for the
project when reviewed by land-use boards.
Opponents view the study as an opportunity to have their views heard,
and perhaps achieve a compromise.
"Instead of the single vision Falcon Pride had proposed, we are hoping
that using the needs of the school as a basis that we can emerge from
the committee after a few weeks with a new plan that is amenable to all
of us," said Susanne Krivit, co-founder of the neighbors' group, in a
prepared statement.
The neighbors hope to offer a compromise before the issue reaches the
zoning, planning and conservation board levels, Krivit said.
"We want to get this done in six weeks," said Jay Contessa, president
of Falcon Pride. "We don't want it to stall."
The group proposes a lighted competition field for football and soccer
with bleachers to accommodate 1,600 people and a press box, plus an
adjoining all-purpose field.
There would be no cost to taxpayers, according to the project's
boosters.
Barlow athletic officials support the concept because they say the high
school's fields are aging and in disrepair.
WESTON HIGH SCHOOL
HAS ONE OF 9 IN CT...238 IN THE USA!
A Few Students Get The SAT Just Right
By ROBERT A. FRAHM, Courant Staff Writer
August 30, 2006
A new writing test on the SAT college entrance exam made the exam
longer and, some believe, more difficult, but that didn't stop
Connecticut high school graduates from posting strong writing scores in
results released Tuesday.
An elite few, such as Tiffany Yuh, were letter-perfect.
The New Milford High School graduate was one of only nine students in
Connecticut and 238 throughout the nation to score 2400 on the SAT,
getting perfect 800s on the math and reading portions of the test and
on the newly added writing section, which includes an essay.
Nationwide, there were less than one-fourth the number of perfect
scores this year, compared with a year ago, when the SAT included only
the reading and math sections, and 1600 constituted a perfect mark.
Nearly 1.5 million students took the test this year, and overall they
recorded the sharpest one-year scoring decline in three decades, making
Yuh's accomplishment even more notable.
"I just couldn't believe it," Yuh, 17, said Tuesday from the campus of
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she is a freshman. The
test "wasn't too hard, but I didn't expect to get a 2400, that's for
sure."
Yuh got the perfect score after compiling a sparkling record at New
Milford High, where educators described her as a soft-spoken,
hardworking student with an exceptional talent in mathematics. After
taking her high school's most advanced mathematics course, she enrolled
in a graduate level statistics class at Western Connecticut State
University.
"I used to grade her paper first to find any mistakes in my answer
key," said David Shaffer, Yuh's calculus teacher and head of the math
department at New Milford High.
"Her work ethic is unbelievable," he said. But, he added, she was
involved in much more than just academics.
Yuh, who was her class valedictorian, also tutored others in Chinese,
played in various musical groups and volunteered at a local hospital,
Shaffer said.
Yuh chose MIT but also was accepted by colleges such as Dartmouth,
Cornell and Brandeis. She has not decided on a career but is thinking
about medical school. "Since I was young, my parents have encouraged me
to do well in school," she said. "That really instilled the motivation
in me to really work hard."
Throughout the nation, 8,862 students got perfect scores on the reading
portion of the SAT and 8,057 were perfect on the math portion, but a
much smaller number, 4,102, got perfect scores on the new writing
portion, according to the College Board, which produces the test.
The writing test - which includes a series of multiple-choice questions
on standard English usage, structure and organization - is the first
major change in the SAT in more than a decade.
Among states in which more than half of graduating seniors took the
test, Connecticut had the highest writing score, averaging 511, 14
points higher than the national average. In part, that might be the
result of students' familiarity with timed writing exams, which have
been part of the annual Connecticut Mastery Test for many years.
"We have had long and consistent experience teaching high-quality
writing. ... It's one of the national areas we're leading in," said
acting state Education Commissioner George A. Coleman.
Connecticut students, however, posted a 1-point decline in mathematics
and a 5-point drop in critical reading since last year. State averages
were 512 in reading and 516 in math. U.S. students had a similar
5-point decline in reading, dropping to 503, and fell 2 points in math
to 518.
Connecticut had the third-highest participation rate in the nation,
with 84 percent of high school seniors taking the SAT, compared with a
48 percent average nationwide. Generally, higher participation rates
result in lower scores.
Although Connecticut's scores have risen in the past decade, Coleman
said, "I'm particularly concerned when I see the curve going the wrong
way, even if it's just for one year."
He said he is frustrated by the chronic gaps that show black and
Hispanic students trailing white and Asian students by large margins.
Coleman praised the handful of students with perfect scores, including
six from public schools. In addition to Yuh, the other public school
top scorers came from Cheshire, East Lyme, Granby, Weston and Wilton,
Coleman said. "I'm very impressed with them," he said.
The latest SAT results come several months after numerous colleges
reported surprisingly low scores on the exam for this year's incoming
freshmen.
The College Board said that the scores declined partly because some
students took the new, longer test only once instead of twice.
Although Yuh had no trouble with the SAT, she described it as "really
long" and said it is possible that the length of the test had something
to do with the overall decline in scores.
"It's easy to get kind of tired and lose your concentration," she said.
College Board officials, however, insisted that fatigue did not
contribute to the lower scores even though the new test runs about
three hours and 45 minutes. Others, however, said that the test's
length was a factor.
"The kids found the test such an excruciating marathon that they didn't
want to take it again," said Bob Schaeffer of FairTest, a
Massachusetts-based watchdog organization that is critical of
standardized tests such as the SAT.
"Everything we've heard anecdotally ... has students reporting they are
drained by the test," he said.
Education Chief
Greenwich-Bound; After Spotlighting Needs Of Poorest
Students, Sternberg Expected To Take Post In One Of State's Wealthiest
Towns
By ROBERT A. FRAHM, Courant Staff Writer
June 13, 2006
State Education Commissioner Betty J. Sternberg, who has made the
state's poorest schoolchildren a priority in her administration, is
expected to be named today as superintendent of one of Connecticut's
wealthiest school systems.
The Greenwich Board of Education is scheduled to vote this morning to
pick a new superintendent, and Sternberg told members of the State
Board of Education in a closed meeting last week that she will take the
job.
Her resignation after less than three years as commissioner comes as a
surprise. Sternberg is a veteran administrator who rose through the
ranks of the state bureaucracy to become the first woman to hold
Connecticut's top education job.
Sternberg did not return repeated phone calls Monday.
Virginia Gwynn, a member of the Greenwich Board of Education and head
of a search committee for a new superintendent, would not comment
Monday, saying only that the board is scheduled to vote and make an
announcement today.
Sternberg would replace Larry Leverett, who has announced he will step
down June 30.
Among Sternberg's biggest challenges as commissioner has been the
chronic achievement gap for low-income and minority children, a problem
far more acute in urban centers such as Hartford or Bridgeport than in
Greenwich.
According to state figures, slightly less than 8 percent of Greenwich's
student body qualifies as low-income. The largest minority groups
include Hispanics, accounting for 12 percent of the 9,100-student
district; Asian Americans, 8 percent; and blacks, 3 percent.
Of Connecticut's 166 school districts, Greenwich ranked fourth in
financing its schools, spending $14,431 per pupil last year, compared
with the state average of $10,677. Its test results on annual state
tests are well above the state average but not as high as those in
several other affluent school systems. About three-fourths of the
town's fourth-graders, for example, met the state goal in reading last
year on the Connecticut Mastery Test, ranking behind 18 other districts.
Sternberg, 56, became education commissioner in 2003 after working for
more than two decades in the state education department as a key player
in some of the state's major school reforms.
She was a controversial choice for the job when the State Board of
Education, in an unusual split vote, appointed her even though she had
no experience as a principal or superintendent. At the time, some board
members openly questioned whether the soft-spoken, behind-the-scenes
bureaucrat could handle the politics and high visibility of the
commissioner's job.
Sternberg, however, soon gained attention in a standoff with the U.S.
Department of Education over the federal school reform law known as the
No Child Left Behind Act.
She emerged as one of the nation's most outspoken critics of the law,
taking issue with its heavy emphasis on testing and questioning its
methods for measuring groups such as special education students and
non-English-speaking children.
Frustrated by a failure to get waivers from the federal government on
the law's requirements for a broad expansion of testing, she supported
a lawsuit filed last year by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal
challenging the federal act.
She engaged in a high-profile spat last year with U.S. Education
Secretary Margaret Spellings over No Child Left Behind. When Spellings
suggested Connecticut doesn't expect success from urban black
schoolchildren and characterized that attitude as "un-American" and the
"soft bigotry of low expectations," Sternberg demanded an apology.
She never got the apology, but she did wind up in the spotlight,
appearing in television interviews, newspaper commentaries and other
public appearances to criticize the federal law.
Aside from taking on the No Child Left Behind controversy, Sternberg
has called for efforts to bolster preschool education, reform high
schools, revamp the state's technical high schools and close an
achievement gap between poor and middle-class children that remains
among the largest in the nation. She has also had to confront a decline
in fourth-grade reading results on state and national tests.
Easton
votes down budget hike.
Officials to cut proposal after narrow defeat
VIN MORAN vmoran@ctpost.com
Article created: 05/03/2006 04:30:24 AM EDT
EASTON — Town officials must begin the budget process anew after voters
rejected a proposed $35.5 million spending plan in a referendum Tuesday
that failed by 19 votes. The low, 30 percent voter turnout and
razor-thin margin of defeat, 960-941, frustrated town officials, who
have to go back and find reductions without cutting too deeply.
"We are going to have to put an adjusted package together," Board of
Finance Chairman Andy Kachele said.
If approved, the $35.5 million budget would have raised property taxes
6.61 percent, from 25.12 mills to 26.75 mills. A mill is equal to $1
for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value. Bud Jennings said he
voted against the spending proposal because property taxes are already
too high and the town could stand additional cuts.
"I really think they have a lot of room to play with," he said.
Jennings added that further mill rate increases could force longtime
residents to move. "We're being driven out by taxes," he said.
On the other side of the fiscal divide, Parent-Teacher Association
member Robin Pantalena disagreed with Jenning's financial forecast,
saying Easton couldn't afford to skimp on education. "I don't believe
there is a lot of fat in this budget," she said, adding that Easton
residents would feel the loss of services to the schools and town if
the proposal gets cut further.
In a separate ballot question, Easton taxpayers voted 955-876 to reject
the $17.7 million budget requested by the Region 9 Board of Education
to run Joel Barlow High School, which it shares with Redding. However,
the Region 9 budget was approved Tuesday when Redding residents
supported it overwhelmingly, 927-689, helping to pass the proposal by a
vote of 1,803-1,644.
Despite Tuesday's victory for the Region 9 budget, the troubled school
district is not out of danger.
Region 9 officials are seeking another $1.3 million from district
voters in a May 23 referendum to pay construction and legal bills
pending from the problems that plagued the project over five years.
The project has gone through four referendums, and the cost has
skyrocketed to nearly $39 million with the latest request.
With the Region 9 budget passing Tuesday, education officials think the
district may be willing to move on and approve the $1.3 million funding
request.
"I think all residents in both towns are ready to put this project
behind us," Region 9 Board of Education Vice Chairman Paul Coppinger
said. "And we are close."
The Board of Finance will discuss further cuts to the budget when it
meets tonight at 7:30 at Helen Keller Middle School. The finance
board's recommendations will then be forwarded to the Board of
Selectman, which is scheduled to meet Thursday at a time and place to
be determined.
The selectmen are required to set up a town meeting for residents'
input before setting a new referendum date.
State tries new school measure; Performance check to be removed
from economic considerations
LINDA CONNER LAMBECK lclambeck@ctpost.com
Article created: 04/08/2006 4:42 AM EDT
HARTFORD — Four months after the state Board of Education dropped ERGs
from its vocabulary, it has a new way to compare school districts: DRGs.
The state's 166 school districts are being reshuffled into district
reference groups based on demographic information, similar to the way
economic reference groups were categorized under the discarded
system. However, the state will no longer measure districts'
performance directly against others in their reference groups; instead,
the benchmarks will be the state average and the best- and
worst-performing districts.
The move comes after officials in some districts complained that the
basis for determining ERGs was flawed, and the system forced them to
pit their schools' performance against other districts within their
groups. Supt. Allen Fossbender, in charge of the Easton, Redding
and Region 9 school districts, said the state's decision this week to
create district reference groups that disassociate themselves with
academic performance comparisons is a positive step.
"I'm delighted," he said.
Under the new system, Redding and Region 9 will remain with Easton in
the top reference group. Reference groups were introduced 16
years ago as a way to compare districts of similar economic
composition. They are grouped based on income, education, occupations,
poverty, single-parent families and non-English-speaking families. The
state and others use the categories in doling out grant money and
comparing everything from preschool slots to school computers.
Under the ERG system, there were nine groups. ERG A represented the
wealthiest; ERG I the poorest.
Last year, state officials set about reshuffling ERGs based on the 2000
census. Officials in 23 districts weren't happy with the proposed
realignment — especially districts that would have slipped in the
rankings. They blamed inflated housing prices —
particularly in lower Fairfield County — for skewing the formula.
So the board decided in January to scrap ERGs.
Commissioner of Education Betty J. Sternberg agreed the groupings
shouldn't be used to limit expectations of students. It should be
expected that all students do well, not just as well as students in the
same economic group, she added. Yet Sternberg returned to the
board this month with a list of other reasons why grouping like
districts was important.
"It really has permeated our state as a way of reporting information
about the education, health and well-being of children," she said. "As
district reference groups, it will not be about performance."
As such, Connecticut Mastery Test scores and Strategic School Profiles
will no longer compare scores to the reference group average. Instead,
Sternberg said they would be compared to the state average and a high
and low score range. Fossbender said that's a good thing. "Nine
ERG's meant nine expectations. Student performance was related to
relative affluence. That, in my opinion, was poor public policy," he
said.
He is also happy that under DRGs, Redding and Region 9 will remain in
the top category. With data provided to the state in February, the
district successfully argued that DRG A was the appropriate
classification for the two districts, Sternberg said.
Man pleads not guilty to assaulting girl he met on Internet
Norwalk HOUR
Associated Press
April 9, 2006
BRIDGEPORT — A Pennsylvania man has pleaded not guilty to traveling
across state lines to have sexual contact with a 14-year-old
Connecticut girl he met through the social networking site
MySpace.com. Stephen Letavec, 39, of Elrama, Pa., entered the
tearful plea Friday in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, the
Connecticut Post reported.
His wife and two children traveled nine hours from Pennsylvania, but
Magistrate Judge William Garfinkel granted a prosecution request to
delay a bond hearing.
"This is a very, very difficult case for release," Garfinkel said.
Letavec has been held without bond since he was arrested in
Pennsylvania in February. He's accused of molesting an Oxford
girl in his car. The FBI said Letavec made several visits to see the
girl between last summer and January.
"I showed you what love is and how it feels," Letavec wrote in an
e-mail found in the girl's school locker, according to the FBI report.
"I want to show you how making love feels too, not just sex because
there is a difference."
The girl signed onto MySpace as an 18-year-old, but told Letavec she
was 14 before he visited, the FBI said. He is charged with one
count of using the Internet to persuade a minor to engage in sexual
activity and three counts of traveling in interstate commerce for the
purpose of attempting to have and having illicit sexual contact with a
minor.
MySpace, a division of NewsCorp., offers a free way for users to meet
any of more than 60 million members. Searching by hometown, alma mater
or interest, old friends can reconnect, musicians and filmmakers can
find audiences and donors can find causes.
But authorities nationwide have expressed concern that the searching
options that make the site popular also put children at risk for abuse.
Police in Middletown are investigating recent reports that as many as
seven local girls were sexually assaulted by men in their 20s who
contacted them through MySpace pretending to be teenagers.
Teens at Risk on Web
Sites, Experts Say
By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer
Sun Feb 19, 11:20 PM ET
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - On
MySpace.com, teenagers can find kindred spirits who share their love of
sports, their passion for photography or their crush on a Hollywood
star. They can also find out where their online friends live, where
they attend school, even what they look like.
And so can adults.
Parents, school administrators and police are increasingly worried that
teens are finding trouble online at sites like MySpace, the leader of
the social-networking sites that encourage users to build larger and
larger circles of friends. Police in Middletown, Conn., are
investigating recent reports that as many as seven local girls were
sexually assaulted by men in their 20s who contacted them through
MySpace pretending to be teenagers.
One girl allowed a man into her room while her parents were home,
police said, underscoring just how in the dark parents often are about
one of the most popular Web activities for teens today.
There are other reports like these scattered around the country,
prompting some parents and schools to equate the likes of MySpace with
the Internet's red-light district, even as many experts believe that
the worries are greater than the actual dangers.
Joseph Dooley is among those who has heard it all before. A retired FBI
agent who supervised the agency's first undercover Internet task force
in New England, Dooley remembers when America Online chat rooms were
the rage. Teens posted detailed profiles of themselves and chatted with
any of AOL's subscribers.
Chat rooms soon gave way to services like MySpace, but Dooley said the
rules haven't changed and parents need to become more engaged.
"Let the kids know, on the Internet, you don't know who you're talking
to," Dooley said. "Parents aren't the friends of their kids. Parents
needs to know and observe what their kids are doing."
That can be daunting for working parents. Keeping tabs on the kids used
to mean knowing where they went after school, not whom they talked to
in their bedrooms.
So when they hear of a new fad among teens, their instinct is to
worry. And the horror stories are indeed terrifying.
Last month, for example, 14-year-old Judy Cajuste was found strangled
and naked in a Newark, N.J., garbage bin. Police seized a computer from
her bedroom after friends said she told them of a man in his 20s she
met on MySpace. The death remains unsolved. Beyond the threat of
abduction, bullies who once made the rounds on playgrounds are using
Web logs and home pages to spread rumors and lies faster than the
schoolyard grapevine ever could.
MySpace profiles have been used to threaten classmates and in at least
one case, to mock a school principal.
Many schools have responded by restricting Internet access from school
computers. One private school in Newark, N.J., ordered students to
remove all personal blogs from the Internet, even if accessed from
home, to protect them from online predators. Some parents, like
Ululani Stauffacher of Eureka, Calif., forbid their children from using
MySpace. Stauffacher said her 17-year-old daughter ran off for two days
with a 19-year-old man she met online.
"I was going crazy," Stauffacher said. "I was just hearing things about
MySpace and incidents of girls missing and some don't get returned to
their families. All that I was thinking about was that my daughter was
going to be another statistic."
The concerns aren't limited to MySpace, but the News Corp. unit gets
the attention because of its sheer size — 54 million users, a quarter
of them registered as teens.
MySpace forbids minors 13 and under from joining and provides special
protections for those 14 and 15 — only those on their friends' list can
view their profiles. Nonetheless, kids lie when they sign up, and many
of their profiles carry photos of themselves in suggestive poses, along
with personal information against the site's recommendations.
"They're licking their lips and arching their back for the camera
because they can, and they have no idea of the consequences," said
Parry Aftab, an Internet safety expert. But Aftab said most
MySpace users aren't getting themselves in trouble. Experts say
that banning children from using social-networking sites is akin to
forbidding them from going to the mall or the movie theater for fear
they'll be abducted.
"I wish I could hover over my children 24-7, but the best I can do is
teach them that there are ways to keep themselves safe," said Steve
Jones, a communications professor who studies new media at the
University of Illinois at Chicago.
In a statement, MySpace said it has developed safety tips for parents
and children and devotes scores of employees to monitoring the site
around the clock. The site also has ways for users to report
inappropriate behavior. The company says it removes inappropriate
images and closes accounts that violate its rules. Chris DeWolfe,
MySpace's chief executive, encourages parents to talk to their kids
about Internet safety, but Aftab said many parents ignore advice until
it is too late.
Connecticut Chief State's Attorney Christopher Morano, who has strictly
limited the information his 10- and 12-year-old children put on the
Internet, said he was surprised to learn that they had been contacted
by strangers they believed were pedophiles. His kids ignored it, Morano
said, but parents need to closely monitor Internet activity.
"You wouldn't leave your kid on the side of the highway without
supervision," Morano said. "You shouldn't put them on the Internet
highway without the same type of supervision."
Blunder by test's
contractor hits 15 students
Greenwich TIME
By Keach Hagey
Published February 18, 2006
Because of a processing error, about 15 Greenwich High School students
received incorrect scores on the state test they must pass to graduate,
the state's education commissioner announced yesterday.
They were among 355 students across the state affected by a processing
error in the reading portion of the 2005 Connecticut Academic
Performance Test, administered to sophomores each spring.
Harcourt, the Orlando, Fla.-based contractor that administers the CAPT
for the state, reported that members of its staff used incorrect data
files to generate reports and thus reported incorrect scores for the
students.
"This situation is inexcusable," State Education Commis-sioner Betty
Sternberg said. "I have directed that Harcourt be fined the maximum
amount allowable under our contract."
State education officials are imposing an $80,000 fine on Harcourt. The
fine is the maximum allowed under the state's contract with Harcourt
Assess-ment Inc., which will be replaced after administering the 2006
CAPT starting March 1.
Terry Turner, a Harcourt senior vice president, said in a letter to
Sternberg that the company takes full responsibility for the errors and
has added safeguards to prevent similar problems with the 2006
tests. The company also assured Connecticut officials that it has
verified the scores for all students in the math, science and writing
portions of the test, state officials said yesterday.
Of the 355 students whose reading scores were reported incorrectly, 130
will see their proficiency levels changed, with 110 moving into higher
performance brackets. Twenty students dropped into lower proficiency
brackets, and the remaining 225 students were unaffected.
There are five performance levels reported for CAPT: Below basic,
proficient, goal and advanced. Of the GHS students affected, only three
changed from one level to another, going from proficient to goal,
according to John Curtin, assistant superintendent for curriculum,
research and evaluation. None of the errors affected the student's
graduation qualifications, he said.
"We will go back and amend our record and make corrections in our
database," he said.
CAPT scores were first reported last summer. Harcourt has taken full
responsibility for the error, according to state officials. The company
is the contractor for the state through 2006.
The mistakes caused some worry among education officials, because they
occurred during a normal testing cycle. Next month, the state will
significantly increase its volume of standardized testing, as it begins
to follow federal No Child Left Behind requirements that students be
tested every year, rather than every other year.
"The concern is, with the extension of that program, a lot of the
vendors that are designing and scoring these tests are dealing with
volumes of tests that they have not experienced before, as the testing
program in essence doubles this spring across the country," Curtin
said. "It's a high-stakes test, and accuracy is so important."
CAPT scores are one component used to determine whether schools and
districts have made adequate yearly progress under NCLB. The
Connecticut Mastery Test is another component, used for elementary and
middle school students. The state's vendor for that test is the Durham,
N.C.-based Measurement Incorporated , which will be the state's vendor
for the CAPT beginning in 2007.
This is the second major testing problem in Connecticut in two years.
Last year, delays and scoring problems on the Connecticut Mastery Test
prompted state officials to cancel a contract with
CTB/McGraw-Hill. Measurement Inc., a North Carolina company hired
to replace CTB/McGraw-Hill in scoring the Mastery Tests, also will
start administering and scoring the CAPT test in 2007. That decision
was made before Harcourt's recent errors were discovered.
About 41,400 students in Connecticut took the CAPT in 2005, and the
scores on about 800 reading tests were changed after a standard
post-scoring review, Harcourt company officials said in a letter to
state education officials. State education officials said the
errors will not affect the districts' annual progress reports for the
federal No Child Left Behind law.
Sternberg said some districts may have to retest some of the 20
students whose scores dropped, if the lower proficiency bracket
jeopardizes their chance to graduate. She also said she is
concerned about the federal government's stepped-up focus on annual
mandatory testing, and whether errors will result from the increased
load on the small number of national academic-testing companies.
"There are a finite number of vendors who are now having to issue and
score exams for every single state in the nation," she said. "In this
coming year, I would not be surprised if many other states see the same
situations arising with their tests."
The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law mandates that, by next
year, public school children in grades three to eight nationwide must
be tested annually, and high school students must be tested at least
once.
The Connecticut Academic Performance Test already is administered each
year to all high school sophomores in the state's public schools. A
small number of juniors also take the test, usually if they need to
improve their scores to meet their district's graduation requirements.
School districts use the results to track the progress of individual
students and also to assess whether the schools are meeting state and
federal performance goals, including compliance with the federal No
Child Left Behind Act.
The test is separate from the Connecticut Mastery Test, exams given
each year to students in 4th, 6th and 8th grades to test their
proficiency in reading, writing and math.
CHECK OUT LWV OF WESTON "SPEAK UP 2006" HERE...
Perez
May Step Into Sheff Case; Says Neighborhood Schools Key To
Equality
By EDMUND H. MAHONY, Courant Staff Writer
January 29, 2006
Mayor Eddie A. Perez said Saturday he might expand the city's role in
trying to reduce inequalities between Hartford's school system and
those in the suburbs, perhaps by intervening in the landmark Sheff vs.
O'Neill school desegregation case.
"It may have been a mistake for the city to sit on the sideline while
the state and the plaintiffs worked out an agreement," Perez said. "I
certainly am not someone who will sit on the sideline."
In an interview after a three-hour meeting of the Sheff Movement at
city hall, Perez said he was considering an attempt to become a party
in the case.
The Sheff Movement is committed to ameliorating racial, financial and
learning inequalities between urban school systems such as Hartford's
and those in wealthier suburban and rural towns.
Although there was discussion about school reform in New Haven and
Bridgeport, the movement's meeting Saturday focused on Hartford, ground
zero in the landmark 1989 lawsuit. Hartford City Councilwoman Elizabeth
Horton Sheff - mother of Milo Sheff, the lead plaintiff in the
desegregation suit - was one of the organizers of the meeting, which
she said was called to keep educational reformers focused on the suit's
goals.
Horton Sheff said the United States is becoming a nation "of color,"
and unless there is an equalization of educational opportunity "we will
become in effect the new old South Africa."
"What is at stake is the future of our nation," Horton Sheff said.
Martha Stone of the Center for Children's Advocacy and one of the
plaintiff's lawyers in the suit, told the gathering that a legal
milestone in the Sheff litigation is approaching in 2007 and the
plaintiffs will have to think about the improvements they hope to force
the state to finance in coming years.
She said the plaintiffs are now in the third year of a four-year
agreement with the state to improve educational opportunities for
Hartford public school students. Stone and other speakers said many of
those new opportunities negotiated in the agreement with the state
involve the establishment of themed magnet schools. Stone called
progress on the agreement "frustrating."
The Sheff agreement calls for Hartford to open two new magnet schools a
year, each with a racially integrated student body of about 600
students. Under the agreement, the city is supposed to have eight new
magnet schools and enroll at least 30 percent of its schoolchildren in
integrated magnet schools or in suburban schools under a parental
choice program by 2007.
But Stone said that in year three of the agreement, Hartford's magnet
schools have achieved slightly less than half the target student body
figure. What's more, comments by other speakers - supported by research
- show that Hartford magnet schools are not meeting goals in attracting
white students.
Stone said the Sheff plaintiffs are now talking with state educators
about how to pursue the suit's educational goals when the four-year
legal agreement expires.
Perez said he wants to focus on "quality" at existing city neighborhood
schools as well as continuing to augment the school system with magnet
schools. Parents of school-aged Hartford children, as well as
educators, said there is intense competition among minority children in
Hartford for places at integrated magnet schools. Lotteries typically
determine who gets to enroll.
"There is no way that we ought to continue to promote magnet schools
when you are walking by a neighborhood school," Perez said.
Horton Sheff said negotiations between Sheff plaintiffs and the state
have moved the city toward magnet schools. But she said the goal of the
suit has always been to provide equitable educational opportunities -
not solely through magnet schools - to the children of poor Hartford
families.
After the meeting, Perez, who recently orchestrated his appointment as
chairman of the Hartford Board of Education, said he will become more
aggressive in trying to make Hartford children's education as good as
their suburban counterparts'.
He said he is considering another attack on the state's educational
funding formula, as well as efforts to regionalize school funding.
"I'm not going to wait for the state and the Sheff plaintiffs to come
up with a solution and then say, `OK, Mr. Mayor. Now you go and figure
it out,'" Perez said.
Other speakers sounded as frustrated.
Sam Saylor, a member of the president's council of the Hartford Parent
Teacher Organization, said Hartford parents should be allowed to enroll
their children in wealthy and predominantly white suburban towns such
as Avon and West Hartford. He compared his experience with black
families in Little Rock, Ark., who tried to enroll children in
cross-city white schools in the period leading to the U.S. Supreme
Court's desegregation decision in Brown vs. Board of Education.
"Our children, like children of 50 years ago, have a right to cross the
boundary, to cross the color line," Saylor said.
Lawsuit Seeks More State Funds For
Schools; Coalition
calls for change in current funding system
By DAN PEARSON
Day Staff
Writer, Education Reporter
Published on 11/23/2005
Hartford - A broad coalition of Connecticut towns and
cities sued the state Tuesday, claiming it violates its constitution by
failing to provide adequate educational resources.
The Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding
wants to force the state to replace its current education funding
system with one that would make schools less dependent on local
property taxes.
If successful, the suit could cost the state an additional
$2.1 billion a year, more than doubling its current annual contribution
of $1.6 billion to public education.
"This is a response to the annual season of diatribe and
division, when municipal budgets are crafted, which is too often a time
of negativity and mean-spirited finger-waving when it comes to the
well-being of children," said New London Superintendent Christopher
Clouet, a coalition member.
"Too often, folds with legitmate grievances regarding the
burden of local property taxes on their family, or business, or
budgets, take aim at schools and children,” Clouet said. “Maligning
schools and bad-mouthing kids does not solve the problem of inadequate
funding.”
Joining a growing number of groups nationwide that are filing
“adequacy” suits, the coalition filed CCJEF V. Rell in Hartford
Superior Court. The suit names as plaintiffs 15 students and their
families from diverse communities. The Jerome N. Frank Legal Services
Organization at Yale University Law School will represent the
plaintiffs.
Adequacy lawsuits date back to the 1977 Connecticut State
Supreme Court ruling in Horton v. Meskill, which found that public
education is a state responsibility; children have an equal right to
education; and a system that relies on local property tax without
regard to varying municipal wealth is unconstitutional. Twenty-three
adequacy suits have been filed nationwide.
The state's current system, the Education Cost Sharing Grant
(ECS), grew out of this ruling. The suit claims ECS fails to enable
students to meet the state's and federal government's learning
standards and sets children up for “economic, social and intellectual
failure.” The suit also claims a disproportionate impact on minority
students.
The state's contribution to school funding through ECS has
decreased from 46 percent in 1989 to 38 percent in 2003-04, forcing
towns' increasingly to rely on property taxes to fund education.
This year ECS will total $1.6 billion, with a base rate, or
“foundation” amount, per student of $6,068. If funded as originally
devised, the ECS foundation level would be $9,560. The difference
between that and what it does provide is about $780 million a year.
The coalition wants to replace ECS with a system based on
calculating what it costs to ensure that any student under any
circumstances could meet state and federal performance levels,
particularly those required by the No Child Left Behind law.
Maria Santiago of New London is a plaintiff in the case along
with her daughter, Carimarie Colon, 6, a student at Edgerton Elementary
School. Santiago, who formerly taught in Pueto Rico, now teaches at
Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School. She said she has seen how annual
budget cuts have reduced art, music and technology offerings, increased
class sizes, and eliminated or threatened programs essential to
teaching English.
Santiage said she was compelled to advocate for the growing
immigrant population, particularly in cities. She noted that the
federal No Child Left Behind law subjects new arrivals, just learning
English, to take standardized tests in English. At the same time, the
under-funding of state and federal mandates forces districts to cut
language programs.
As an example, she cited Edgerton's dual-language preschool
program, which introduces 3- and 4-year-olds to English. The program
was cut earlier this year, but restored after parents and educators
said it was integral in preparing students for testing under NCLB.
"(NCLB) requires increasing proficiency on exams, so they are
demanding more and more, but every year they are cutting more and more
from the budget," she said. "It's crazy. What are they going to do?
Close the district? It just doesn't make sense. We have to do
something."
Coalition members called on Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Tuesday to
acknowledge that ECS is unconstitutional, refuse to fight the lawsuit
and agree to work with them on a new system.
Rell said the "best approach" to study school funding resides
in the bipartisan Commission on Education Finance she recently formed.
"I hope this lawsuit does not become a distraction to the
important work of this commission. The governor and General Assembly
are in the best position to address ECS issues, not judges," she said.
"It's premature to talk about an absolute dollar amount for funding,
and the best way to distribute those funds to cities and towns. That is
precisely what the commission will examine."
Rober Solomon, director of the Education Adequacy Clinic at
Yale Law School and CCJEF legal counsel, said Tuesday the coalition can
show legislators how to craft a new system because of the coalition's
recent "adequacy studies." Released this spring and summer, the studies
established new foundation figures for adequately educating all
students."
Looking at a district of 4,970 students, for example, the
study established a base cost of $10,037 per pupil, then set standards
for special situations, such as $44,776 for a student who has severe
learning disabilities, such as autism, and $7,005 for a student
requiring English instruction.
The studies found the state would need to pay up to $2.1
billion more annually for 95 percent of students to achieve performance
standards by 2013, a target required by NCLB.
Connecticut has a suit pending against the federal government
over NCLB. The suit says state law makes it illegal for the state to be
required to pay to comply with the unfunded mandates of NCLB.
Hamden Mayor Carl Amento, a coalition member, said the
coalition would not expect the legislature to immediately grant the
entire increase, but would seek it in increments.
"We know we can afford this. It's a question of political
will," said Solomon.
Nekita Carroll-Hall, aparent of two elementary school
stduents in Bridgeport, and a plaintiff in the suit, said legislators
must understand that an increased investment in education is the "key
to a healthy community" with less crime and more economic activity.
State
Education Funding Challenged In Court
Hartford Courant
Associated Press
12:47 PM EST, November 22, 2005
HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Connecticut Coalition for Justice
in Education Funding planned to file a lawsuit today charging that
Connecticut has failed to meet its obligations to provide students with
a good public school education. Fifteen students and families
from eight communities are also part of the lawsuit. The
plaintiffs said they want to show state legislators that the suit is
being brought on behalf of students who attend all types of schools,
including large urban, suburban and rural schools.
"There's a huge discrepancy between the idea of a decent education and
the everyday realities that students, parents and teachers face in
Connecticut classrooms," said Rosemary Coyle, president of the state's
largest teachers union, the Connecticut Education Association.
CEA is supporting the lawsuit. The union argues that Connecticut needs
a new school financing system that better matches the amount of state
education funding to the actual cost of educating students.
Plaintiffs in the case planned a noon news conference to discuss the
lawsuit.
The complaint alleges that the state has failed to adequately and
equitably fund public schools, and that has irreparably harmed
schoolchildren. Also, the complaint alleges that inadequate school
funding has disproportionately affected minority students.
Public schools rely on funding from both local property taxes and state
grants, namely the Education Cost Sharing grant. ECS funds are doled
out to cities and towns using a complicated equation that takes into
account poverty, tax bases and other factors.
The formula was created in 1988 after a judge ruled that Connecticut
has a a constitutional obligation to adequately fund public schools.
But the state has been unable to fully fund the grant, forcing school
districts to rely more heavily on local revenues.
ERGs may be obsolete: State school board will
discuss the idea at November meeting
Oct
20, 2005
REDDING PILOT:
Redding, Region 9 and all the other school districts in the state may
all be in the same boat, so to speak, in that none of them would have
an Education Reference Group (ERG) classification.
In a turn of events, the discussion of the proposed reclassification of
school districts in ERGs has been eliminated from the state Board of
Education’s November meeting. Instead, a discussion about whether or
not the concept of ERGs are a practice worth continuing is on the
agenda, said Schools Superintendent Allen Fossbender. The state
education department is working on reclassifying school
districts in ERGs for the first time in 10 years. Among the proposed
changes is moving Redding and Region 9 (Joel Barlow High School, which
serves students from Redding and Easton) from ERG A, the top
classification in the state, to ERG B.
However, Easton is not being considered for reclassification. Redding
and Easton’s K-8 schools are in separate districts, but they, along
with Region 9, share administrators, including the
superintendent.
The state department’s proposed changes in ERG A, which also include
moving Avon, Simsbury and Woodbridge out of ERG A and into ERG B, also
remain. If the changes were adopted, it would leave seven schools in
ERG A — Darien, Easton, New Canaan, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport and
Wilton.
Building a case
When Dr. Fossbender learned of the possible reclassification of the
Redding and Region 9 school districts from ERG A to ERG B, he built his
case for the districts to remain in ERG A. At last week’s Redding
school board meeting, Dr. Fossbender announced the districts’ appeal
had been denied by the state, and the recommendation of moving both
Redding and Region 9 to ERG B is moving forward.
First Selectman Natalie Ketcham said she is in the process of asking
state legislators to intervene in this issue. The driving force
for the possible change may be based on the
socioeconomic component of the formula, which takes into account the
median family income of parents of students enrolled in the school
districts, not the income of all people in Redding.
According to the state education department, the median family income
for parents of students enrolled in the Redding school district is
$110,376, and $120,375 for parents of students enrolled in the Region 9
district. For Easton, it is $163,072, and neighboring towns in ERG A in
Fairfield County, such as Ridgefield ($139,772), Wilton ($169,201), and
Weston ($186,915) have a higher median family income of parents of
students enrolled in the districts, according to the state education
department’s numbers.
Although the income level sets Redding and Region 9 districts apart
from other ERG A school districts, Dr. Fossbender has said he believes
the difference among high median income, $110,000 and above, doesn’t
warrant different expectations for student performance, especially on
state-mandated criterion reference tests.
“I believe that parents of Redding and Region 9 students can afford,
and do provide, the same education, opportunities and enrichment that
parents even in the wealthiest districts in proposed ERG A provide
their children with,” Dr. Fossbender has previously said.
Besides building a case for not changing Redding’s and Region 9’s ERG
status, he also proposed that the whole concept of ERGs be abolished or
at least reviewed. “I believe it’s an artifact of outdated thinking.
When one considers that in 2013 that all school districts in the nation
must meet the universal standards of performance mandated by the
federal government, the explicit perpetuation of the different
levels of student performance, is, in my opinion, illogical,” Dr.
Fossbender, told The Pilot last week.
Components of an ERG
ERGs were created by the state education department in order to compare
school district data. They were designed to compare groups of districts
that have similar characteristics, and are used in reports to place
district resources and district-level student achievement into
perspective, according to the education department. Because both the
socioeconomic status and needs of people in neighborhoods or schools
within a district may vary significantly, ERGs are used only to compare
data that are aggregated to the district level, according to the
education department.
The formula behind an ERG includes three measures — socioeconomic
status, indicators of need and enrollment. There are nine ERGs, ERG A
being the highest and including the most affluent towns in the state,
through ERG H, which includes the large cities in the state.
There are seven components in the formula to come up with rankings for
towns in ERGs.
The measures of socioeconomic status are median family income,
percentage of children with at least one parent with a bachelor’s
degree or higher, and percentage of children’s parents holding jobs in
executive, managerial or professional occupations.
Indicator of need is another component, which includes three parts;
percentage of children living in families with a single parent or
non-family household, poverty level, and percentage of children
whose families speak a language other than English at home.
Lastly, there is also the size of the district, or student enrollment
to consider.
Using these criteria and weighting each component produces a ranking
that determines which ERG classification a school district will fall
under, said Mr. Goranson.
The current ERG classifications were updated in 1996 when the 1990
Census data was available and analyzed. The department will be using
information from the latest Census in 2000 and additional information
from the school districts.
School Districts Feel Sting Of
B-Status: Soaring Gold Coast Incomes Lower
Some Towns' Rankings
By ROBERT A. FRAHM,
Courant Staff Writer
October 18, 2005
In the upscale suburbs of Avon and
Simsbury,
where public education is a matter of civic pride, schools soon could
lose their status among the state's elite. They were once
mentioned in the same breath with some of the nation's
wealthiest school systems - such as Darien, Westport and New Canaan
along Connecticut's Gold Coast - but schools in Avon, Simsbury and
three other districts are tentatively slated to be dropped one notch in
a state classification.
At issue is a state Department of Education proposal
to reclassify all 169 of Connecticut's public school districts based on
new census and demographic data - placing school districts in nine
separate categories known among educators as Education Reference
Groups, or ERGs. Aside from bragging rights, does it really make
a difference?
Not everyone agrees, but some educators think it does - contending the
standards schools set can be influenced by the company they keep.
The reclassification, the first in nine years, has prompted so many
questions that officials are debating whether to scrap the system
altogether.
"It has raised a lot of angst," said Frances Rabinowitz, an associate
commissioner in the education department.
A draft plan for reshuffling the districts drew appeals from some,
including the five - Avon, Simsbury, Woodbridge, Redding and the Joel
Barlow High School district in Easton - that were removed from the
A-list of the state's most affluent school systems. The chief reason
they were placed on the B-list was that their median family income had
not kept pace with that of the A-list towns.
"It's a hot issue here right now," said James A. Connelly, interim
superintendent in Woodbridge, where the median family income of
$106,506 was well below the median of $175,479 for towns in ERG
A. Though the classification carries no official weight, it
matters,
Connelly said, because educators use it as a gauge to set standards for
everything from school budgets to teacher salaries to student
achievement. Even some real estate agents pay attention to it, he said.
"If we go to [a new classification], the bar is going to be lowered,"
he said. Some believe the debate is largely confined to the
education bureaucracy.
"I hadn't heard of ERG A and ERG B" until recently, said Pam Callahan,
the PTO president and mother of a second-grader at Simsbury's Latimer
Lane School. Callahan's family moved to the area a year ago and "did a
lot of research through our Realtor" but did not discuss the ERG
ratings of various school districts. "We basically compared test scores
and the percentage [of graduates] that went on to college," she said.
The classification system was first used by state officials in 1989 as
a means of comparing student performance on the Connecticut Mastery
Test by placing school systems in categories with other districts of
roughly similar demographic characteristics. At the time,
educators complained it was unfair to compare test scores
of a wealthy district such as Westport with those of high poverty
districts such as Hartford or Bridgeport. Research has shown a strong
link between socioeconomic status and school achievement.
The ERG classifications are based on seven characteristics, including
family income, parents' occupation and education levels, and percentage
of single-parent households. Although the classifications are
used as a guide in interpreting
performance on the Mastery Test, the SAT college entrance exam and
other exams, they also appear to be viewed in some cases as a measure
of status, said
Peter Prowda, a state education department researcher
who is reworking the classification system.
"It has become a substitute for excellence - and it's not," he said.
"It's just a composite measure of the background of kids. ... It's a
good way to put data into perspective."
The numbers are plugged into a formula, but there is room for
subjective judgments in assigning districts to a specific
category. Towns such as West Hartford, Mansfield and Windsor, for
example, defy
easy categorization because they include wide ranges of family income
and structure - from wealthy, two-parent households to poor,
single-parent homes.
Connelly, the Woodbridge superintendent, said his town received a lower
classification even though it is comparable to those on the A-list in
every way except for family income - a factor he says is misleading
because of the high cost of housing in A-list towns, which are part of
the New York housing market.
"Most of the [income] differential is eaten up in housing costs," he
said.
In Simsbury, Superintendent Diane Ullman lost her appeal to remain in
category A but said the district's test scores remain among the highest
in the state. "I don't care what letter is next to our name," she said.
"We know who we're going to compare ourselves to."
Avon officials, too, had appealed to stay on the A-list, but
Superintendent Richard W. Kisiel said he has had a change of heart
about the entire system and that districts can draw conclusions without
it. "I think we should eliminate [it]. I think it's a useless
classification."
Officials at the state education department have postponed a
decision on the new classifications and are debating whether to keep
the system. "The thought bothers me," said Rabinowitz, the
associate commissioner,
"that we could put out anything that could lead to different
[performance] expectations for different kids."
Oxford
school over budget;
$2m pool may be removed to bring numbers in line
ANTHONY SPINELLI tspinelli@ctpost.com
Article created: 07/12/2005 04:25:14
AM
OXFORD
— The swimming pool that voters
approved for Oxford High School appears to be pushing the project's
budget
into the deep end.
It would cost roughly $2 million
to build the pool, and that could be better used to help bring the
overgrown
budget back into line, according to Brian Holmes of O&G Industries.
Holmes,
the project's construction
manager, addressed members of the High School Building Committee Monday
night at Town Hall.
"Right
now, cutting out the pool
is the only way to get this project within its budget without going
back
to the voters for more money," Holmes said. He estimated that the
total cost of the project as envisioned more than a year ago is now
$7.9
million higher, including $2 million for the pool and $5.9 million in
amenities
that have already been placed on an alternates list.
The
alternates, such as an industrial
arts class and athletic field fixtures, would only be built if it is
affordable
after construction bids are received. The Board of Education must
prioritize
the running list of alternates by Sept. 12.
The
total $43.9 million project off
Quaker Farms Road — scheduled to break ground in November and open in
September
2007 with features including a 670-seat auditorium — has been hit by
rapidly
rising steel and petroleum-based building materials costs.
Numerous
school projects around the country face the same problem, and some have
gone back to the voters for more money.
Before
that could happen in Oxford,
the school board and building committee must work together to trim the
project as much as possible, said First Selectman August Palmer
III.
It would ultimately be up to the voters in a referendum early next
year,
if need be, to deduct the pool or spend more money.
"We
have to work together," Palmer
said. The prospect of a high school without a swimming pool was
scary
to some committee members and observers at the Town Hall meeting.
"We'd
like to have the pool," Samuelson
said. "We need a high school. If we don't get the pool, we'll still
have
a high school."
Voters
approved a 145,000-square-foot
academic space, with a 10,000-square-foot pool building.
CT DEP Commissioner Gina
McCarthy
New program - "no child left inside" (and if the kids are in
good shape, they won't be left behind, either).
The
great outdoors
Stamford ADVOCATE
By Mark Ginocchio, Staff Writer
Published November 30 2006
STAMFORD - Gina McCarthy believes one way a child may be left behind is
if they're left inside.
Since March, McCarthy, 52, commissioner of the state Department of
Environmental Protection, has spearheaded an initiative called "No
Child Left Inside," geared toward encouraging Connecticut families and
visitors to enjoy the state's outdoor resources like its parks and
forests.
The effort has garnered national attention, especially from neighboring
states looking to start similar programs. It will be the featured
topic when McCarthy addresses SoundWaters members today at their annual
meeting in Stamford.
"Getting children outside again will make them happier and healthier,"
McCarthy said during a telephone interview. "We can try and teach them
about the outdoors."
The meeting is open to the public and will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at the
SoundWaters center in Cove Island Park. Finishing her second year
at the DEP, McCarthy called the effort to get children and families
outdoors an "international challenge." With indoor diversions such as
television, computers and video games on the rise, and state park
attendance on the decline, the need for "No Child Left Inside," has
never been more prevalent, she said.
"Families are not outside as much as they used to be," she said. "There
are a lot of cultural differences . . . and not everyone knows about
our state parks and forests."
McCarthy said she is thrilled to talk about the initiative with
SoundWaters, an organization that educates children about Long Island
Sound, including taking them aboard the SoundWaters schooner.
"SoundWaters is a great organization that does a lot of environmental
education," she said. "It appeals to me because they fit in with our
initiative."
McCarthy also has been active working with other projects that
coordinate with "No Child Left Inside." Earlier this year, the state
launched the "Great Park Pursuit," an eight-week game that took
families to eight state parks. At each location, teams were asked
to complete various activities such as scavenger hunts, hikes and
fishing contests. At the end of each task, families received a clue to
the following week's park or forest.
More than 400 teams and 1,000 people signed up for the event.
The activities help create a society that cares more about the
environment and their health, McCarthy said.
"If we really want people to care about the environment, they have to
be outside to make that connection," she said.
Election
Outcome Leaves Education Officials Optimistic
DAY
By Karin Crompton
Published on 11/12/2006
A day after the election, amid talk of Iraq and future presidential
candidates and congressional change, another buzz was also emerging.
“Dems' victory could be good for schools,” proclaimed a midweek article
from eSchool News online.
The conversation and articles focused on potential changes to the
federal No Child Left Behind Act, which is up for reauthorization next
year.
But publications like eSchool News also pointed to interest rates on
college loans, work-force preparedness and funding for educational
technology.
Others hoped the federal education department took personally the
so-called message sent to Congress in Tuesday's election.
“I think for public education, it's a positive that this shift has
taken place, and we're certainly hopeful,” said David Larson, executive
director of the Connecticut Association of Public School
Superintendents. “And we hope that the people in the (federal)
education department take note of this, because, frankly, I haven't
seen much coming out of that department that has been helpful to
schools in Connecticut.”
With a new House and Senate, many hope for changes in the No Child Left
Behind law — first in funding and eventually in its
punishment-as-incentive approach.
“President Bush has indicated that he would like to see it reauthorized
before the end of his administration,” said John Yrchik, executive
director of the Connecticut Education Association. “Whether that
happens or not, there will be active discussion and dialogue about how
to properly fix the law right now. So this is a very critical moment
for the shift in power to have occurred.”
Democrats will take over as chairmen of all committees, meaning that
the Education and the Workforce panel, the Subcommittee on 21st Century
Competitiveness, and the Appropriations Committee will have new
leadership.
Many in education feel Democrats will be more responsive to educational
issues.
“I think it was no secret that, as a body, the Republicans were very
conservative,” said David Larson, executive director of the Connecticut
Association of Public School Superintendents. “As a body, the
Republicans felt that they were looking toward vouchers and
privatization of public schools. And consequently, they were not giving
public schools the resources they needed to do the job.
“As a body, a Democratic Congress is going to be much more amenable and
socially conscious with what should be done with education and
providing the funding necessary for funding public education.”
That could be good news, Larson and others said, for Connecticut's
schools — and, by extension, for property tax reform.
Larson offered some figures:
• By law, the federal government is supposed to fund approximately 40
percent of the cost of special education but has never paid for more
than 18 percent. Connecticut alone is entitled to $365 million more per
year, he said.
•Connecticut spent $500 million on special education in 1989-90; by
2003-04, that figure had climbed to $1.2 billion.
• Even with that increase, the state had dropped its own contribution
toward special education funding to 30 percent — and then also closed
the Mansfield and Salisbury training schools, which meant those
students instead went to public schools, with the cost shouldered by
municipalities.
•Connecticut has also lost $13 million in federal Title I funds, Larson
said.
“The administration has reduced the amount it was going to fund
education, and Congress went along with it,” he said.
Those in higher education were also mulling the shift in power this
week.
Their issues include the renewal of the Higher Education Act,
legislation that authorizes the federal government's major student-aid
programs; and how Democratic control would influence the 19-member
Commission on the Future of Higher Education, created in September by
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.
An article in InsideHigherEducation.com also questioned what will
happen to a Democratic plan that calls for cutting in half the interest
rates for many student loans; making permanent a tax deduction for
college costs borne by middle-income families; and significant
increases in the maximum amount that can be awarded through the federal
Pell Grants to students.
“The changes would be hugely expensive, estimated as much as $100
billion in total over five years,” the article read, “and it is not at
all clear that the Democratically controlled Congress would be able to
find the discretionary funds to pay for them.”
----------------------------
Potential Impact
- Rep George Miller, D-Calif., a senior member of the House
Committee on
Education and the Workforce, is likely to become chairman of the
Education and the Workforce panel
- Rep Robert Andrews, D-New Jersey, is considered in line to
head the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness
- Rep David Obey, D-Wis., is in line to become chairman of
the
Appropriations Committee. According to InsideHigherEd.com, Obey is “a
staunch advocate for the Pell Grant and other need-based aid”
- Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., is expected to lead the
Senate's Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee — though Kennedy's effect is
said to be less apparent on this committee, which has already seen
Democrats and Republicans working together
- Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is expected to become chairman of
the Senate
Appropriations subcommittee, which sets funding for the Education
Department and the National Institutes of Health — a move that Inside
Higher Education considers a “wash” because Harkin and Republican Arlen
Specter, whom Harkin would replace, each “strongly support student aid
and biomedical research.”
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., expected to become the House
speaker,
pledged to introduce legislation to reduce interest rates on college
loans.
Sources: “Inside Higher Ed”; “eSchool News online”; “Education Week”
State Test Scores
Decline
By ROBERT A. FRAHM, The Hartford Courant
3:03 PM EST, March 2, 2006
Connecticut's opposition to a federal school reform law may be one
reason it is among the only states to report recent declines in reading
and math scores, according to sponsors of a national study released
today.
Most states reported gains between 2003 and 2005 on statewide
elementary and middle school tests under the demands of the federal No
Child Left Behind Act, but Connecticut did not, said a study by
Education Trust. Connecticut was the only state to report a
decline in performance in mathematics at both the elementary and middle
school levels and one of only a handful of states showing declines in
reading.
"They're trying to get out from under the federal law," said Kati
Haycock, director of Education Trust, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy
group. "That kind of public opposition … is often interpreted by local
educators as permission not to try."
Last summer, Connecticut officials filed a lawsuit against the federal
government, contending that the expansion of testing required under No
Child Left Behind is an unfunded mandate that will cost state and local
taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. The case is pending.
The claim that the lawsuit may be linked to a decline in test scores
"is just incorrect," state Education Commissioner Betty J. Sternberg
said.
"We've had a downhill trend," she said. "We've been concerned about it
and are probing more deeply to try to understand what's happening," she
said. But, she added, "I don't think it's for lack of anybody trying to
work very hard for these kids."
Connecticut lost ground between 2003 and 2005 in the proportion of
fourth-graders deemed proficient in reading and mathematics on the
annual Connecticut Mastery Test. In reading, 79 percent were
judged as proficient or better, and in math 67 percent -- a 2
percentage point decline in each subject. Similar declines
occurred in eighth grade, where 76 percent met the state's proficiency
standard in reading, a 1 percentage point drop, and 75 percent met the
math standard, a 3 point drop.
Several states were excluded from the Education Trust's analysis
because of incomplete or unavailable data.
In states where data could be analyzed, nearly all showed progress, and
several states posted large gains. In elementary school reading, for
example, the proportion of students meeting proficiency standards grew
by 10 percentage points or more in Florida, Hawaii and Idaho. In
elementary math, seven states posted double-digit gains.
"The news in elementary schools is very good," Haycock said.
"Achievement is up in almost every state." Middle schools generally
reported encouraging improvement, but the results at high schools were
mixed, she said. In Connecticut, high schools reported modest
overall improvement, including gains by black and Latino students that
helped them close the performance gap with white students.
Across the nation, however, high schools generally made little progress
in closing the achievement gap that finds many minority and low-income
students lagging behind white or more well-to-do classmates, Haycock
said.
Closing those gaps is a key goal of the No Child Left Behind Act, the
centerpiece of President Bush's school reform agenda. The law calls for
a broad expansion of testing and a shake-up of schools that fail to
make adequate progress with all students, including low-income
children, special education students and members of minority
groups. At the elementary level, 22 of the 29 states in the
Education Trust analysis narrowed the reading achievement gap between
white and black children. Connecticut was among the states where the
gap narrowed even though the test scores of both white and black
students declined.
"It's just that white students fell faster than black students," said
Daria Hall, one of the authors of the report. "This is absolutely the
wrong kind of gap closing."
The study also found that many states, including Connecticut, set a
much lower proficiency standard than the standard on the National
Assessment of Educational Progress, a nationwide test given in all
states. For example, 67 percent of Connecticut's fourth-graders
met the state's reading proficiency standard but only 38 percent met
the national proficiency mark on the most recent tests.
In states where many fewer students reach the national standard than
are able to reach the state standard, "It's a sign that something is
wrong," Haycock said. "It's a reason for people to ask questions
whether their state standards are rigorous enough."
8 Schools Given
Lowest Grades; Persistent Problems Cited In State's Three Largest
Cities
December 8, 2005
By ROBERT A. FRAHM, Courant
Staff Writer
Despite extensive reforms, eight of the
state's most troubled public schools still have too many ineffective
teachers, weak academic standards and low expectations of students, a
new state report says. The
eight schools - three each in Hartford and New Haven and two in
Bridgeport - were the first in the state to be identified as needing
improvement under the federal school reform law known as the No Child
Left Behind Act.
The independent review was conducted last spring, when
all eight were in their fourth consecutive year on the government's
warning list, meaning they were required to develop plans for a
complete overhaul. The reviews were unusually blunt, with some of
the sharpest criticism directed at teachers and curriculum.
"There
is a significant number of teachers who lack the skills necessary to
provide quality instruction to the degree necessary. ... Further, many
teachers are unable to manage student behavior appropriately," said a
review of Hartford's Milner School. Details of the review were
issued Wednesday to the State Board of Education, but local school
officials questioned the report's timing, saying many of the schools,
including Milner, have made significant changes since the review was
conducted in May.
The No Child Left Behind Act, the centerpiece
of President Bush's school reform agenda, calls for a broad expansion
of testing and a shake-up of schools that fail to make sufficient
progress with all students, including low-income children, special
education students and members of minority groups.
The eight schools under review all have large numbers of low-income,
minority and special education students.
In
addition to Milner, the other schools were Roberto Clemente Leadership
Academy, Jackie Robinson School and Hill Central Music Academy in New
Haven; Moylan and Kinsella schools in Hartford; and Beardsley and
Columbus schools in Bridgeport. Six of the eight were required to begin
a major overhaul this fall under the No Child Left Behind law while the
other two - Moylan and Clemente - made sufficient academic progress to
avoid a full overhaul, at least temporarily.
All eight schools,
including Moylan and Clemente, have made major changes. At some, that
includes the replacement of principals and significant numbers of
teachers.
"I think [the report is] so untimely in terms of what
has taken place since then," said Reginald Mayo, superintendent of
schools in New Haven. "There were some things we didn't agree with, and
many of the [recommendations] we had in place to do anyway over the
summer." Robinson School, for example, replaced its entire
administration, and Clemente replaced two assistant principals, Mayo
said. In Bridgeport and Hartford, too, schools have adopted many
of the report's recommendations, officials said.
"We've
got a new administrative team," said Sheryle Jackson, the new principal
at Hartford's Milner School, where 19 of the 33 teachers also are new
to the school this fall. The report cited serious discipline
problems at Milner, but Jackson said the administration is not
overwhelmed, as the report suggests. "We do have discipline problems,
but it's not all-consuming," she said.
Some of the schools drew
praise for their decorum. At Kinsella School in Hartford, for example,
"Students and staff were quite polite, respectful and accommodating,"
the review said. Nevertheless, students at the eight schools, on
average, still score well below state averages on reading and
mathematics tests, and the reviews suggested that part of the problem
is the ineffective use of curriculum.
"The key features
underlying the poor overall quality of teaching lie in the
inappropriate way in which the curriculum is used," said the review of
New Haven's Clemente Academy. "Too often, teachers slavishly follow the
written curriculum with little or no regard as to the way it is matched
to students' needs." State officials have made efforts to help
the eight schools, including a new series of online computer quizzes,
based on the state Mastery Test, which will be available in January and
can be used to take frequent measures of student progress.
"There
needs to be a more directed focus on curriculum and instruction" in
those schools, said state Education Commissioner Betty J. Sternberg.
"We need assurance the curriculum is actually being used."
Standards
under the No Child Left Behind law will gradually become more rigorous
until 2014, when all students are expected to reach a level of
proficiency on state tests. As the standards become more rigorous, more
schools will be required to undergo restructuring. The report to the
state board projects that another 110 schools in Connecticut could
require restructuring within three years.
U.S. Acts To Dismiss
School Funding Suit; Response Says
State Took Money But Wants To Forsake Obligations
By
ROBERT A. FRAHM, Courant Staff Writer
December 3, 2005
The U.S. Department of Education filed a motion in federal court late
Friday to dismiss Connecticut's lawsuit against President Bush's school
reform law, contending the state has no grounds to sue for additional
money to pay for the reforms. The
motion comes a week after another court in Michigan dismissed a similar
lawsuit by the nation's largest teachers' union, the National Education
Association, which had sought to block the federal No Child Left Behind
Act on the argument that the law was insufficiently funded.
Although
many states have raised objections to portions of the federal law,
Connecticut is the only state to challenge the law in court. Attorney
General Richard Blumenthal filed a lawsuit in August against U.S.
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, contending the law's
requirement for additional testing of students will unfairly cost state
and local taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
In their motion for dismissal, U.S.
officials said Connecticut has already accepted more than $750 million
since 2002 based on its pledge to comply with the law but now is
seeking "to keep the funds while jettisoning the accompanying
obligations."
According to the motion, the state
seeks "not a mutual release from the federal state partnership ... but
a one-sided release wherein the federal government continues to provide
the same level of federal assistance to Connecticut regardless of
whether the state meets the [law's] conditions."
Because the motion to dismiss was
filed shortly before Friday's midnight deadline, Blumenthal said he had
not had a chance to review it and would withhold comment until Monday.
Educators and politicians across the
nation are watching the case closely to gauge its impact on the most
sweeping federal education law in 30 years. The law calls for a broad
expansion of testing and a shake-up of schools that fail to make
sufficient progress with all students, including low-income children,
special education students and members of minority groups.
Blumenthal based the lawsuit on
legal provisions, including a clause in the No Child Left Behind law
itself, that prohibit the government from ordering new programs without
providing enough money to support them. However,
the U.S. Department of Education's motion Friday said Blumenthal's
argument amounts to "a fundamental misreading of the statute," which,
the motion says, was not intended "to excuse states from their
voluntary decision to comply with Congress's conditions in exchange for
federal funds."
For 20 years, Connecticut has tested
children in grades four, six and eight, but No Child Left Behind also
requires testing in grades three, five and seven - an expansion that
state Education Commissioner Betty J. Sternberg contends will cost
millions of dollars more with little additional benefit.
The federal government, however,
says the additional expenses incurred by Connecticut are the result of
the state's own decision to reject a less expensive form of testing.
Friday's motion says, for example, that some of the expenses stem from
the state's decision to modify tests for disabled students and to
translate tests for non-English speaking children into other languages.
State officials also plan to include
a section on writing in the new tests as well as other questions
requiring written answers even though the federal government only
requires tests of reading and mathematics. Like
other states, Connecticut has seen a sharp increase in federal
education funding under the Bush administration, but state officials
contend the extra money does not cover the full cost of improvements
required by the No Child Left Behind Act.
The state will get about $178
million this school year in federal grants related to No Child Left
Behind, about one-fourth more than the $142 million it received in
2002, the year the federal law was signed. Still,
even with the increased funding, a study by the state education
department estimates that the additional testing alone will cost
Connecticut taxpayers another $8 million over the next two years.
In addition, local school districts
will have to spend millions of dollars more to restructure schools,
train teachers and provide required extra help for students, another
state study says.
"I don't question that they gave us
more money," Sternberg said. "They just didn't give us enough."
In Michigan last week, a judge threw
out a lawsuit by the National Education Association after the union,
along with several of its state affiliates and local school districts,
had argued that the law cost more than schools received in federal
funds. Judge Bernard
A. Friedman said Congress appropriated significant funding and has the
power to require states to set educational standards in exchange for
federal money. The union said it will appeal.
Blumenthal last week called the
decision wrong and said it is not binding on the Connecticut case.
Federal Judge
Tosses Out No-Child Suit; Blumenthal Says State Will Pursue
Its Own School-Accountability Action `Vigorously'
COURANT Staff And Wire Report
November 24, 2005
WASHINGTON -- A judge threw out a lawsuit Wednesday that sought to
block the No Child Left Behind law, President Bush's signature
education policy. The National Education Association said it would
appeal. The NEA and school districts in three states had argued
that
schools should not have to comply with requirements that were not paid
for by the federal government.
Chief U.S. District Judge Bernard A. Friedman, based in eastern
Michigan, said, "Congress has appropriated significant funding" and has
the power to require states to set educational standards in exchange
for federal money. The NEA, a union of 2.7 million members and
often a
political adversary of the administration, had filed the suit along
with districts in Michigan, Vermont and Bush's home state of Texas,
plus 10 NEA chapters in those states and Connecticut, Illinois,
Indiana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah.
The school districts had argued that the law is costing them more than
they are receiving in federal funding. The law requires states to
revise academic standards and develop tests to measure students'
progress annually. If students fail to make progress, the law requires
states to take action against school districts.
"Parents in communities where school districts are financially strained
were promised that this law would close the achievement gaps," said NEA
President Reg Weaver. "Instead, their tax dollars are being used to
cover unpaid bills sent from Washington for costly regulations that do
not help improve education."
In August, the state of Connecticut filed its own lawsuit against the
U.S. Department of Education, claiming that the 2001 No Child Left
Behind law is illegal because the Bush administration has not provided
enough money to pay for the testing and programs the law
requires.
State Education Commissioner Betty J. Sternberg has argued that
Connecticut already tests students in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10 and that
adding tests in grades 3, 5 and 7 would provide little new information
about student performance in the state while costing an additional $8
million to administer. The state applied for a waiver but was rebuffed.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Wednesday that the
decision by the federal district judge in Michigan is "wrong and in no
way legally binding on our lawsuit in Connecticut." Blumenthal
also
said Wednesday's ruling "creates a preposterous loophole, holding that
federal officials purportedly do not impose unfunded mandates, but
Congress does."
Blumenthal said Connecticut will continue to pursue its own claims
"vigorously. We await a response to our complaint by the government,
which has already sought two extensions of time and now is due Dec. 2."
The lawsuit in Michigan alleged that there was a gap between federal
funding and the cost of complying with the law. Illinois, for example,
will spend $15.4 million annually to meet the law's requirements on
curriculum and testing but will receive $13 million a year, the lawsuit
said. Friedman said the law "cannot reasonably be interpreted to
prohibit Congress itself from offering federal funds on the condition
that states and school districts comply with the many statutory
requirements."
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said, "This is a victory for
children and parents all across the country. Chief Judge Friedman's
decision validates our partnership with states to close the achievement
gap, hold schools accountable and to ensure all students are reading
and doing math at grade-level by 2014."
State's Lawsuit Called `Red Herring' - Education Secretary
Criticizes Challenge To No Child Left Behind Act
By DOUG GROSS, Associated
Press
August 25, 2005
ATLANTA
-- U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings on Wednesday called
complaints that the federal No Child Left Behind Act isn't fully funded
a "red herring" contrived by states such as Connecticut, which filed a
lawsuit this week challenging the program.
Connecticut's lawsuit, filed Monday
in U.S. District Court, claims the law is illegal because the Bush
administration has not provided enough money to pay for the testing and
programs associated with the 2001 law. Spellings,
speaking to the Atlanta Press Club, said the lawsuit "does trouble me a
little bit" and, afterward, suggested states balking at the law simply
fear the results of its accountability measures.
"I just see that as a red herring,"
she said of Connecticut's claim this year's federal funds will fall
$41.6 million short of paying for staffing, training and testing for No
Child Left Behind.
"What are they afraid of knowing, I
guess, is one of the things I'd like to know." Connecticut
was the first state to challenge the law. But lawmakers in other states
have complained about its funding and expect that other states could
join Connecticut's lawsuit or file their own. Connecticut
tests students in grades four, six, eight and 10. State officials say
they don't believe there is added benefit in expanding testing to
grades three, five and seven. Education Commissioner Betty Sternberg
said the state already knows where its problem areas are, and it is
working aggressively to fix them. Spellings
said annual testing is a cornerstone of the federal program and needed
to assess student achievement and help struggling students catch up
with their peers.
"Parents want to know where their
children stand," she said. "That's a reasonable expectation for
Connecticut and Georgia and Texas and every other state in the land."
Sternberg disputed that.
"I'm a parent myself," she said.
"And in fact, in my whole career here in Connecticut in 25 years, I
have never heard nor been asked by any parent to provide more of that
kind of testing information." Wednesday's comments renewed months of
sometimes-bitter dialogue between Spellings and Connecticut
officials. In
April, Spellings called the state's attitude toward its minority
students "un-American" and repeated a Bush line, accusing the state of
"soft bigotry of low expectations" for not supporting the plan.
Sternberg called the comments outrageous and cited her Jewish heritage
when demanding an apology.
Connecticut estimates it will have
to spend $41.6 million of its own money to comply with the law through
2008. Spellings said the federal government has already sent $750
million, but the state says the costs of implementing the law are much
higher. Attorney
General Richard Blumenthal said the law itself says that the government
must pay for extra expenses.
"Three words for federal officials:
Read the law," he said. "Under the law, the federal government must pay
for any additional testing. They have not done so." Spellings
toured an Atlanta elementary school before the speech. She plans to
visit several cities promoting national test results she said have
improved since the inception of No Child Left Behind.
No Child Lawsuit Disputed
By ROBERT A. FRAHM, Courant Staff Writer
August 23, 2005
As some of
the state's leading educators and politicians hailed
Connecticut's filing of a lawsuit against a controversial federal
education law Monday, two national civil rights leaders called the
action ill-advised.
The criticism from civil rights advocates, including former Connecticut
lawyer John C. Brittain, came as Connecticut became the first state to
go to court challenging the No Child Left Behind Act, the centerpiece
of President Bush's education agenda.
The disagreement reflects a national debate over the
most sweeping federal education law in 30 years. The law calls for a
broad expansion of testing and a shake-up of schools that fail to make
sufficient progress with all students, including low-income children,
special education students and members of minority groups.
The state filed suit in federal district court in Hartford against U.S.
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, contending the law will
unfairly cost state and local taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
"Our message today is: Give up the unfunded mandates or give us the
money," said state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, flanked by
about a dozen politicians and representatives of the state's education
establishment.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education said the lawsuit
"sends the wrong message to students, educators and parents."
"The funds have been provided for testing," said Susan Aspey, "but
Connecticut apparently wants to keep those funds without using them as
intended."
A key goal of No Child Left Behind is to close the achievement gap that
finds many low-income and minority students lagging academically behind
white, middle-class children.
Although educators across the nation have complained that the law does
not provide enough money for schools to make the necessary
improvements, some observers, such as Brittain, believe it has focused
long overdue attention on low-income and minority children, whose
academic performance generally has lagged behind that of other students.
"We believe poor children will suffer if the state of Connecticut
wins" its lawsuit, said Brittain, who for years was a central figure in
the Sheff vs. O'Neill school desegregation case that sought to improve
racial balance in Hartford's public schools.
"No Child Left Behind keeps the accountability on the states, where it
belongs," said Brittain, chief counsel and senior deputy director of
the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington, D.C.
In a letter to Blumenthal, Brittain and noted civil rights lawyer
William Taylor took no position on whether No Child Left Behind has
been funded properly but alleged that Connecticut has failed to comply
with the law's requirements to help local school districts meet
academic standards.
That failure, the letter said, cannot be excused by the state's claims
that the law is under-funded.
Taylor, chairman of the Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights,
questioned the strategy of basing a lawsuit on claims of unfunded
mandates. "There is no basis for thinking those lawsuits have been
successful," he said. "I'm afraid lawsuits of this kind ... may
encourage other states to resist. That cannot help this major effort to
help poor kids."
Blumenthal said the state doesn't object to the goals of No Child Left
Behind, but "with the failed implementation."
The federal government has repeatedly rejected Connecticut's requests
for flexibility in interpreting the law, including waiving a
requirement to add three grades to Connecticut's annual testing program
at a cost to the state of nearly $8 million over the next two years.
The state - which for years has tested children in fourth, sixth,
eighth and 10th grades - will add tests in third, fifth and seventh
grades in the spring to meet federal requirements even though the
additional tests "have questionable merit," said state Education
Commissioner Betty J. Sternberg. She rejected the contention by
Brittain and Taylor that the state had failed to help local school
districts comply with the law.
Sternberg also has disagreed with the federal government over how to
test special education students and children who speak little or no
English.
Connecticut is one of many states that have clashed with the U.S.
Department of Education over No Child Left Behind. Nevertheless,
Blumenthal, despite months of effort, was unable to persuade other
states to join the lawsuit.
"That's because almost every other state is in the process of asking
the U.S. Department of Education for changes" in the interpretation of
the law, said Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education
Policy in Washington, D.C., a private nonprofit group that monitors
education policy. "I think they're afraid that if they file suit they
won't get the changes they're asking for."
As for Connecticut officials, "I think they're fed up," he said. The
lawsuit "is a clear signal there is a great deal of discontent with the
law."
That discontent was evident at Blumenthal's press conference, where
educators and politicians blasted the federal law.
State Rep. Andrew Fleischmann, D-West Hartford, compared the federal
education department to a playground bully.
"While there are not other states that are currently joining us in this
litigation, they are cheering us on because we are taking on the
bully," he said.
One official noticeably absent from the press conference was Gov. M.
Jodi Rell. The Republican governor has expressed reservations about
challenging Bush's chief education program in court, but she did
recently sign a bill authorizing Blumenthal to file the lawsuit.
Judd Everhart, a spokesman for the governor, said Rell was not invited
to attend Monday's press conference.
The governor, however, issued a statement supporting Connecticut's
existing school testing program.
"We need accountability. Our children deserve it," she said, "but we in
Connecticut do a lot of testing already, far more than most other
states. Our taxpayers are sagging under the crushing costs of local
education. What we don't need is a new laundry list of things to do -
with no new money to do them."
Rell Backs Lawsuit By State;
Agrees To Challenge Federal School Law
July
26, 2005
By ROBERT A. FRAHM, Courant Staff
Writer
Despite
some reservations, Gov. M.
Jodi Rell has signed a law authorizing a legal challenge to a
controversial
federal school reform law that is the centerpiece of President Bush's
education
agenda. Until now, Rell, a Republican, had been noncommittal
about
signing a bill challenging the President's No Child Left Behind Act,
saying
that she prefers negotiating with federal officials instead of suing
them.
"I
know this was difficult for her
to do because, after all, she's a Republican governor, and the
President
believes [No Child Left Behind] is the right thing," said state
Education
Commissioner Betty J. Sternberg. Rell's decision to sign a bill
passed
by the legislature in a special session last month gives added weight
to
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's threat to sue the U.S. Department
of Education.
Blumenthal
said Monday he plans to
file the suit by the time schools open next month. Even though
the
proposed lawsuit has not won the endorsement of the State Board of
Education,
the governor took into account Blumenthal's assessment "that it was
extremely
and profoundly important that this bill be passed in special session,"
according to a statement from Rell's press office.
"While
the Governor feels fighting
the Act is better left in the hands of the state's congressional
delegation,
she fully understands the attorney general's motivation and is
interested
in the outcome," said spokesman Adam Liegeot. A spokesman at the
U.S. Department of Education said Monday the department would not
comment
on the matter. Blumenthal continues to seek support from other
states
after pledging three months ago to make Connecticut the first state to
file a lawsuit challenging the federal law, contending it will unfairly
cost state and local taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
"I
am enormously pleased and thankful
to the governor and the legislature for this measure strengthening our
planned lawsuit against the illegal unfunded federal mandates," said
Blumenthal,
a Democrat. "The stakes for Connecticut are huge."
The
State Board of Education, however,
last month refused to support the planned lawsuit, postponing a vote on
the matter after some members said they were opposed to legal
action.
Connecticut is one of many states that have clashed with the U.S.
Department
of Education over No Child Left Behind. The law calls for a broad
expansion
of testing and a shake-up of schools that fail to make sufficient
progress,
including low-income children, special education students and members
of
minority groups.
The
federal government has repeatedly
rejected Connecticut's requests for flexibility in interpreting the
law,
including Commissioner Sternberg's appeal for a waiver of a requirement
to test three additional grades in the state's annual testing program
next
spring. She said the additional testing will cost millions of dollars
but
will produce little benefit.
Sternberg
praised Rell's decision
to sign the law authorizing a lawsuit. "Rather than taking a
political
stance, I think she considers what's right for the citizens," Sternberg
said.
"I,
too, shared her concern about
jumping in too quickly, but ... I think we have no recourse. We're
really
being asked to spend a tremendous amount of money on programs that ...
I don't think are in the best interest of students."
Blumenthal
said he plans to file
the suit "before the first day of school." About half the state's
public
schools start on Aug. 31, according to the state Department of
Education.
The earliest starting date is Aug. 24 in Groton. Blumenthal said
he remains ho