'No child' lawsuit gets what it deserved
That's the headline of a Rocky Mountain News editorial on the dismissal of NEA's NCLB lawsuit. It includes the trenchant comment, "If the deal is bad, don't take it."
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
''Chinese Military Invades Okinawa"
No, it's not true, but a Japanese computer programmer received 66,000 hits on his phony Yahoo Japan web site when he published a fabricated story with that headline. I just wanted to see if I could benefit from the multiplier effect.
Hate NCLB? Turn Down the Money
* The New York Times editorial board calls the dismissal of NEA's No Child Left Behind Act lawsuit "A Victory for Education." The lawsuits will continue because states, districts and unions won't consider the one option that would free them from all NCLB mandates: Turning down Title I money.
If the mandates are so intrusive AND costing states and local districts billions of dollars, then they should just opt out. Three states had no qualms about doing so when the issue was abstinence education.
* The Los Angeles Daily News wallops the Los Angeles Unified School District for planning a PR campaign while the mayor plans to take over the district (see yesterday's Quote of the Week).
* Something to watch closely in Michigan: school districts forming a regional insurance pool to lower health care costs. More than half of the state's districts are currently covered by MESSA, which is the insurance arm of the Michigan Education Association, which negotiates the contracts that get MESSA selected as the insurance provider (neat, huh?).
Republican lawmakers want to break up this cozy little nest and they have some unusual allies: other unions. They evidently want more choice in the marketplace!
"If MESSA provides a quality product at a competitive price, MESSA will be alive and well,'' said David Hecker, president of AFT Michigan.
These businesses think so, too. The concept works with a lot of things.
If the mandates are so intrusive AND costing states and local districts billions of dollars, then they should just opt out. Three states had no qualms about doing so when the issue was abstinence education.
* The Los Angeles Daily News wallops the Los Angeles Unified School District for planning a PR campaign while the mayor plans to take over the district (see yesterday's Quote of the Week).
* Something to watch closely in Michigan: school districts forming a regional insurance pool to lower health care costs. More than half of the state's districts are currently covered by MESSA, which is the insurance arm of the Michigan Education Association, which negotiates the contracts that get MESSA selected as the insurance provider (neat, huh?).
Republican lawmakers want to break up this cozy little nest and they have some unusual allies: other unions. They evidently want more choice in the marketplace!
"If MESSA provides a quality product at a competitive price, MESSA will be alive and well,'' said David Hecker, president of AFT Michigan.
These businesses think so, too. The concept works with a lot of things.
Monday, November 28, 2005
The November 28 Communique' Is Up!
Click here to read:
1) NEA NCLB Lawsuit Dismissed
2) Parental Involvement: What Might Work
3) District Size an Issue Again
4) Pennsylvania Local Placed in Trusteeship
5) New York Union Merger Moves Along
6) Forspent With Toil, As Runners With a Race
7) Quote of the Week
1) NEA NCLB Lawsuit Dismissed
2) Parental Involvement: What Might Work
3) District Size an Issue Again
4) Pennsylvania Local Placed in Trusteeship
5) New York Union Merger Moves Along
6) Forspent With Toil, As Runners With a Race
7) Quote of the Week
Poll: 51% of Teachers Need a Nap
The Albuquerque Tribune reports:
"The online poll done by HarrisInteractive found that 51 percent of 1,350 kindergarten-through-12th grade teachers from around the country reported being drowsy or falling asleep while at work, and 43 percent said they've been so tired that they changed their lesson plan to show a movie or had the class do 'busy work' because they didn't feel they could handle the day's instruction."
Before you get too worked up about this one way or the other, the poll was sponsored by Sepracor, the company that manufactures Lunesta, a prescription sleeping aid.
"The online poll done by HarrisInteractive found that 51 percent of 1,350 kindergarten-through-12th grade teachers from around the country reported being drowsy or falling asleep while at work, and 43 percent said they've been so tired that they changed their lesson plan to show a movie or had the class do 'busy work' because they didn't feel they could handle the day's instruction."
Before you get too worked up about this one way or the other, the poll was sponsored by Sepracor, the company that manufactures Lunesta, a prescription sleeping aid.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Chanin Knows Best
"In point of fact, however, neither the parental notice requirement – nor, indeed, any of the other requirements in NCLB – are 'imposed' on the states in a legal sense. NCLB has been enacted on the basis of Congress' Spending Power, and states can avoid this and other statutory requirements simply by declining to accept federal Title I funds. If the states decide to accept such funds, however, then they must also accept the conditions that Congress has attached to them. To be sure, a legal argument can be made that this choice is not really 'voluntary' – states have no option but to comply inasmuch as they cannot adequately fund public education without the federal contribution – but the courts uniformly have rejected such an argument in the education context, as well as in connection with other federal aid programs." -- National Education Association General Counsel Robert Chanin, in a May 7, 2003 memo to NEA state affiliate officers and staff on the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), reported exclusively by the Education Intelligence Agency -- first on December 8, 2003, and again on April 25, 2005.
"In short, 20 U.S.C. § 7907(a) 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, such as devising and administering tests, improving test scores, and training teachers." -- Chief U.S. District Judge Bernard A. Friedman (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division), in his ruling to dismiss Pontiac v. Spellings, the NEA-engineered lawsuit against the No Child Left Behind Act.
NEA announced it would appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
"In short, 20 U.S.C. § 7907(a) 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, such as devising and administering tests, improving test scores, and training teachers." -- Chief U.S. District Judge Bernard A. Friedman (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division), in his ruling to dismiss Pontiac v. Spellings, the NEA-engineered lawsuit against the No Child Left Behind Act.
NEA announced it would appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
State of Connecticut Sued by Its NCLB Lawsuit Allies
A coalition of mayors, community activists, school adminstrators and teachers' unions filed a school funding lawsuit against the state of Connecticut on behalf of a group of 15 students and their parents. The suit claims that the state's funding formula puts too heavy a burden on local governments to finance education.
The Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding is led by three mayors and John Yrchik, the executive director of the Connecticut Education Association (CEA). Sharon Palmer, president of AFT Connecticut, also sits on the coalition's board of directors.
In a press statement, CEA said the lawsuit "has greater potential to transform teachers’ classrooms than any finance litigation in Connecticut in the past 30 years."
The New York Times noted: "Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who recently filed a lawsuit against the federal government in which he claimed the No Child Left Behind education policy amounts to an unfunded mandate, is now in the position of having to defend the state against a claim that it, too, is providing inadequate money for education."
The Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding is led by three mayors and John Yrchik, the executive director of the Connecticut Education Association (CEA). Sharon Palmer, president of AFT Connecticut, also sits on the coalition's board of directors.
In a press statement, CEA said the lawsuit "has greater potential to transform teachers’ classrooms than any finance litigation in Connecticut in the past 30 years."
The New York Times noted: "Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who recently filed a lawsuit against the federal government in which he claimed the No Child Left Behind education policy amounts to an unfunded mandate, is now in the position of having to defend the state against a claim that it, too, is providing inadequate money for education."
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Better Fed Than Red
The early returns on The Cafeteria Manifesto: Some laughed, some cried, some didn't get it, some just associate the word "communist" not with Marx, but with McCarthy.
Let me state the obvious: I don't support barring the Communist Party from holding its meetings in the NEA cafeteria. Or the KKK. Or Satan worshippers. Or Elvis impersonators. Or the Monster Raving Loony Party. Everyone, no matter his or her political convictions, should be able to enjoy a nice hot lunch subsidized by the dues money of America's teachers.
Just to show there are no hard feelings, here's a link to the Communist Party USA gift ideas page. Support the workers' struggle against capitalist running dogs like myself, and get yourself a nifty CPUSA travel mug or baseball cap as well!
It's NEA's World on the Left Coast
Columnists Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee and Bill Virgin of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer both comment on the plans of the teachers' unions in their respective areas.
Monday, November 21, 2005
The Cafeteria Manifesto
Who knew that the NEA cafeteria (depicted on the left) would be the home of the next Communist revolution?
Read "The Cafeteria Manifesto" in the November 21 EIA Communique’.
Crime and Punishment
Adding insult to injury at the second-poorest school district in Cook County, Illinois.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Left Wing Sense
Morty Rosenfeld of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Congress of Teachers is back with Part II of his essay "Telling What We Know." A portion of Part I was EIA's "Quote of the Week" on October 31.
This time Morty discusses teacher professionalism. And he amusedly notes that Part I of his essay has made him a darling of the political right. "Not bad for a dues paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America," he writes.
I can't speak for others, but I'm usually a fan of anyone who doesn't have to consult NEA's talking points for his or her opinion -- even those who are much further to the left than Morty Rosenfeld (scroll down to "Labor and Unions").
We don't have to agree with each other to learn from each other.
This time Morty discusses teacher professionalism. And he amusedly notes that Part I of his essay has made him a darling of the political right. "Not bad for a dues paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America," he writes.
I can't speak for others, but I'm usually a fan of anyone who doesn't have to consult NEA's talking points for his or her opinion -- even those who are much further to the left than Morty Rosenfeld (scroll down to "Labor and Unions").
We don't have to agree with each other to learn from each other.
The NEA Response
The National Education Association took a different tone than that of the AFT in its response to the The New Teacher Project report, "Unintended Consequences: The Case for Reforming the Staffing Rules in Urban Teachers Union Contracts."
Calling the report a "diversion from real issues" like, oh, increased pay for teachers, NEA trots this out as an argument:
"Moreover, the report's language of 'union rules' to describe a contract is wholly inaccurate. A contract is an agreement between parties, mutually agreed to, and includes the school district. To classify it as including 'union rules' implies that the union unilaterally makes these decisions."
Let's see: An NEA local demands seniority, transfer and bumping provisions in the contract. The district says no. The union holds informational picketing, work-to-rule, "no confidence" votes, and finally authorizes a strike. In order to return students to class, the district agrees to binding arbitration. The arbitrator rules that the provisions must be included in the contract. The district abides by the arbitrator's decision. According to NEA, this means the district has now assumed at least half of the responsibility for the existence of those rules.
By the same reasoning, how can teacher pay be too low? The union agreed to the pay the teachers received. It was a mutual agreement to pay teachers that much. Isn't the union at least half-responsible for low pay?
* The Fall River Educators Association in Massachusetts is grieving the implementation of a school breakfast program.
Calling the report a "diversion from real issues" like, oh, increased pay for teachers, NEA trots this out as an argument:
"Moreover, the report's language of 'union rules' to describe a contract is wholly inaccurate. A contract is an agreement between parties, mutually agreed to, and includes the school district. To classify it as including 'union rules' implies that the union unilaterally makes these decisions."
Let's see: An NEA local demands seniority, transfer and bumping provisions in the contract. The district says no. The union holds informational picketing, work-to-rule, "no confidence" votes, and finally authorizes a strike. In order to return students to class, the district agrees to binding arbitration. The arbitrator rules that the provisions must be included in the contract. The district abides by the arbitrator's decision. According to NEA, this means the district has now assumed at least half of the responsibility for the existence of those rules.
By the same reasoning, how can teacher pay be too low? The union agreed to the pay the teachers received. It was a mutual agreement to pay teachers that much. Isn't the union at least half-responsible for low pay?
* The Fall River Educators Association in Massachusetts is grieving the implementation of a school breakfast program.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Contracting an Illness
The final AFT criticism of the "Unintended Consequences" report (see item below) is that it failed to provide specific examples. I don't think AFT really wants to open that box.
While the The New Teacher Project report is pointedly critical of union contracts, it spends little time on seniority and layoff provisions. One of these is common to many teacher contracts, and it illustrates just how ridiculous these things can get.
EIA's Contract Hits page contains several instances (including a new one today) of contracts that spell out the rules of seniority, with an elaborate series of tiebreakers that would do justice to the National Football League playoffs. The worst of these is what happens when two or more teachers are hired on the same day, have the same amount of time in service, and therefore have equal amounts of seniority.
It is a rare occasion to find "all other things being equal" in a layoff or reduction-in-force in a public school district. So it's distressing to discover that contracts won't allow the exercise of judgment and discretion even in such rare circumstances. Indeed, the union would prefer that those decisions are made through a random drawing -- by lot -- rather than have an administrator, committee, or even a joint labor-management team decide which teachers are to keep their jobs on the basis of their performance, however defined.
Any system that enshrines random chance as a method of choosing one teacher over another cannot be rationally defended.
While the The New Teacher Project report is pointedly critical of union contracts, it spends little time on seniority and layoff provisions. One of these is common to many teacher contracts, and it illustrates just how ridiculous these things can get.
EIA's Contract Hits page contains several instances (including a new one today) of contracts that spell out the rules of seniority, with an elaborate series of tiebreakers that would do justice to the National Football League playoffs. The worst of these is what happens when two or more teachers are hired on the same day, have the same amount of time in service, and therefore have equal amounts of seniority.
It is a rare occasion to find "all other things being equal" in a layoff or reduction-in-force in a public school district. So it's distressing to discover that contracts won't allow the exercise of judgment and discretion even in such rare circumstances. Indeed, the union would prefer that those decisions are made through a random drawing -- by lot -- rather than have an administrator, committee, or even a joint labor-management team decide which teachers are to keep their jobs on the basis of their performance, however defined.
Any system that enshrines random chance as a method of choosing one teacher over another cannot be rationally defended.
The AFT Response
Here are the relevant words and phrases from the 276-word response by the American Federation of Teachers to the The New Teacher Project (TNTP) report, "Unintended Consequences: The Case for Reforming the Staffing Rules in Urban Teachers Union Contracts":
1) "outrage"
2) "meritless attacks"
3) "completely misses the mark"
4) "uninformed conclusions"
5) "vague"
6) "possibly outdated"
7) "wrongly implicates"
8) "short on constructive answers"
9) "lacks merit"
10) "flawed research"
11) "hazy reporting"
12) "glaring deficiencies"
13) "failures to provide specific examples"
Who had 13 in the office pool? I think it was Rotherham!
1) "outrage"
2) "meritless attacks"
3) "completely misses the mark"
4) "uninformed conclusions"
5) "vague"
6) "possibly outdated"
7) "wrongly implicates"
8) "short on constructive answers"
9) "lacks merit"
10) "flawed research"
11) "hazy reporting"
12) "glaring deficiencies"
13) "failures to provide specific examples"
Who had 13 in the office pool? I think it was Rotherham!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Would You Buy a Used Car from This Union?
NEA is having a few problems picking corporate partners. First there was Atkins Nutritionals (see "Coincidence or Bad Karma?"), now there's Volkswagen. Here's the latest special offer to NEA members from the auto manufacturer.
But I'm thinking it might have been a bad week to roll this out. Maybe because of this story, but almost certainly because of this one (with further details here).
But I'm thinking it might have been a bad week to roll this out. Maybe because of this story, but almost certainly because of this one (with further details here).
Batten Down the Hatches!
This new report by The New Teacher Project on staffing practices in urban schools has the usual suspects shrieking like banshees. Associated Press story here, and very soon, in a newspaper near you.
Business Explorers Prepare for the New World
A thought-provoking piece in the New York Times highlights the burgeoning interest in entrepreneurial skills over management skills, and the increasing efforts of America's colleges and universities to help teach those skills. We'll always have huge corporations operating according to the tried-and-true, but modern communications and technology make it possible for young capitalists to become -- in the words of a business professor at the University of Southern California -- "a little like Columbus, thinking effectually how to go into the unknown."
CSI AFL-CIO
Dateline – Gallup, New Mexico:
"An unknown hacker who managed to get into the Web site of the local teachers' union has forced the McKinley Federation of United School Employees to shut down that site. Brian Bernard, president of the union, said the FBI is now involved in the case, which centers on one or more hackers using the union's Web site to send out thousands and possibly tens of thousands of e-mails in an effort to scam people out of money."
Hmmmm... A teachers' union web site that sends out tens of thousands of e-mails in an effort to scam people out of money is the work of a hacker? The feds better check this page. It looks suspicious.
"An unknown hacker who managed to get into the Web site of the local teachers' union has forced the McKinley Federation of United School Employees to shut down that site. Brian Bernard, president of the union, said the FBI is now involved in the case, which centers on one or more hackers using the union's Web site to send out thousands and possibly tens of thousands of e-mails in an effort to scam people out of money."
Hmmmm... A teachers' union web site that sends out tens of thousands of e-mails in an effort to scam people out of money is the work of a hacker? The feds better check this page. It looks suspicious.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Tardy? What Does That Mean?
Today’s Cleveland Plain Dealer provides a helpful Q-and-A to explain the city's phony school attendance scandal (for background, see here). Here's one little tidbit you won't get from the district's PR department:
"Do most Cleveland schools take attendance later in the day because so many kids are late getting to school?
"The official policy is that attendance must be taken within the first 10 minutes of the first class, then filed with the district's computer system by noon each day. Some teachers and principals say that, in reality, students are counted as present if they are seen in the building at any time of day."
"Do most Cleveland schools take attendance later in the day because so many kids are late getting to school?
"The official policy is that attendance must be taken within the first 10 minutes of the first class, then filed with the district's computer system by noon each day. Some teachers and principals say that, in reality, students are counted as present if they are seen in the building at any time of day."
The Stickup Begins
United Teachers Los Angeles President A.J. Duffy is giving us a foreshadowing of the strategy the California Teachers Association is likely to use at the state level.
Monday, November 14, 2005
The November 8 Communique' Is Up!
Click here to read:
1) Reading the Post-Election Tea Leaves in California
2) It Went the Other Way in Ohio
3) Miami-Dade Union Drops Suit Against Whistleblower
4) Now Illinois Membership Numbers Add Up
5) Which Is It?
6) NEA VP Says "A Lot" of Conservatives Support NEA
7) Thanks for Your Responses
8) Quote of the Week
1) Reading the Post-Election Tea Leaves in California
2) It Went the Other Way in Ohio
3) Miami-Dade Union Drops Suit Against Whistleblower
4) Now Illinois Membership Numbers Add Up
5) Which Is It?
6) NEA VP Says "A Lot" of Conservatives Support NEA
7) Thanks for Your Responses
8) Quote of the Week
Friday, November 11, 2005
Honor the Fallen by Educating Their Children
There are many ways to honor our troops on Veterans' Day, but no way can be better than to do something for those our fallen soldiers have left behind. Founded in 1980 after the Desert One tragedy in Iran, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides college scholarships and counseling support to the children of special operations personnel killed in the line of duty. The foundation currently contributes to the education of more than 500 children -- the sons and daughters of over 400 special operations personnel.
These heroes will rest easier knowing their children's college education is assured. For more information, see the foundation's web site at http://www.specialops.org or contact them at PO Box 13483, Tampa FL 33681, 813-805-9400 or toll free 877-337-7693.
These heroes will rest easier knowing their children's college education is assured. For more information, see the foundation's web site at http://www.specialops.org or contact them at PO Box 13483, Tampa FL 33681, 813-805-9400 or toll free 877-337-7693.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Time for Your Year-End Thoughts
For the eighth consecutive year, EIA takes this mid-November opportunity to provide you, the reader, an opportunity to express your thoughts on the communiqué and the other works of the Education Intelligence Agency. This year was an unusual one, with major changes to the web page and the addition of this blog, Intercepts.
Most of you are not shy in expressing such thoughts everyday, but I solicit comments at this time each year to allow new readers, those who receive the newsletter through forwarding, and those who normally lurk quietly, the chance to say whatever is on their minds -- though veteran readers are also very welcome to respond.
Your remarks are for my edification and will not be published anywhere. You can respond via e-mail or anonymously on this blog page by clicking the comments button below.
Be as brief or verbose as you desire. Praise or damn as you please. Choose whatever topic or part of EIA you care to address.
Thank you in advance for taking the time.
Sincerely,
Mike Antonucci
Director
Education Intelligence Agency
Most of you are not shy in expressing such thoughts everyday, but I solicit comments at this time each year to allow new readers, those who receive the newsletter through forwarding, and those who normally lurk quietly, the chance to say whatever is on their minds -- though veteran readers are also very welcome to respond.
Your remarks are for my edification and will not be published anywhere. You can respond via e-mail or anonymously on this blog page by clicking the comments button below.
Be as brief or verbose as you desire. Praise or damn as you please. Choose whatever topic or part of EIA you care to address.
Thank you in advance for taking the time.
Sincerely,
Mike Antonucci
Director
Education Intelligence Agency
Unusual Campaign Strategy Wins for School Board Candidate
* Randy Logan Hale didn't spend much time or money campaigning for a seat on the Romoland School District board in California, but he won anyway. It will be a while before he takes office though, because he is currently ensconced in the California Institute for Men in Chino for violating his parole from 1998 spousal-abuse and drug-possession convictions. He is due to be released February 15.
"This is wild, he'll be glad," said Hale's wife, Penny.
* Outpost of the Odd: No injuries from exploding laulau in Molokai (for the uninitiated, these are laulau).
* A new Contract Hits is up.
"This is wild, he'll be glad," said Hale's wife, Penny.
* Outpost of the Odd: No injuries from exploding laulau in Molokai (for the uninitiated, these are laulau).
* A new Contract Hits is up.
Don't Steal This Book! Buy It!
Joanne Jacobs is, and has been for a long time, one of the finest writers in the education field. But you don't have to take my word for it. She also writes the most widely read education blog in the country. Palgrave Macmillan has published her book about her experiences at the Downtown College Prep charter school in San Jose, California, called Our School: The Inspiring Story of Two Teachers, One Big Idea, and the School That Beat the Odds.
It's available now on Amazon (for an amazing low price!), so get over there and purchase this firsthand account of what it's like in a start-up charter. And while you're there, this book will also make a wonderful Christmas gift. Buy them both and you'll get free shipping!
It's available now on Amazon (for an amazing low price!), so get over there and purchase this firsthand account of what it's like in a start-up charter. And while you're there, this book will also make a wonderful Christmas gift. Buy them both and you'll get free shipping!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Mad Baker Defeated in Pennsylvania
* Here's the one election result you've been waiting for: Beverly Coon received only 1,240 votes (4.9%) in her bid for reelection to the Baldwin-Whitehall school board. Her board seat was not the only casualty of her indictment for attempted homicide. The victim of Ms. Coon's potent pastries, Dr. Ronald Grimm, resigned his position as superintendent of the Bethel Park school district.
* Quote of the Day: "My whole experience in math the last few years has been a struggle against the program. Whatever I've achieved, I've achieved in spite of it. Kids do not do better learning math themselves. There's a reason we go to school, which is that there's someone smarter than us with something to teach us." -- High school student Jim Munch, who credits his achievements in math to the tutoring in traditional methods his parents gave him after school. Munch has been in a constructivist math program at school for four years. (November 9 New York Times)
* Quote of the Day: "My whole experience in math the last few years has been a struggle against the program. Whatever I've achieved, I've achieved in spite of it. Kids do not do better learning math themselves. There's a reason we go to school, which is that there's someone smarter than us with something to teach us." -- High school student Jim Munch, who credits his achievements in math to the tutoring in traditional methods his parents gave him after school. Munch has been in a constructivist math program at school for four years. (November 9 New York Times)
California Post-Mortem
August 25 Intercepts on Prop 75: "Its ultimate fate depends entirely on whether campaign history repeats itself."
1998 Results for Prop 226 -- Yes: 46.7% No: 53.3%
2005 Results for Prop 75 -- Yes: 46.5% No: 53.5%
1998 Results for Los Angeles County -- Yes: 39.7% No: 60.3%
2005 Results for Los Angeles County -- Yes: 38.3% No: 61.7%
1998 Results for Orange County -- Yes: 59.5% No: 40.5%
2005 Results for Orange County -- Yes: 64.0% No: 36.0%
1998 Results for San Diego County -- Yes: 53.9% No: 46.1%
2005 Results for San Diego County -- Yes: 57.8% No: 42.2%
1998 Results for San Francisco County -- Yes: 34.2% No: 65.8%
2005 Results for San Francisco County -- Yes: 22.9% No: 77.1%
The now-standard "blue/red" map is posted here.
1998 Results for Prop 226 -- Yes: 46.7% No: 53.3%
2005 Results for Prop 75 -- Yes: 46.5% No: 53.5%
1998 Results for Los Angeles County -- Yes: 39.7% No: 60.3%
2005 Results for Los Angeles County -- Yes: 38.3% No: 61.7%
1998 Results for Orange County -- Yes: 59.5% No: 40.5%
2005 Results for Orange County -- Yes: 64.0% No: 36.0%
1998 Results for San Diego County -- Yes: 53.9% No: 46.1%
2005 Results for San Diego County -- Yes: 57.8% No: 42.2%
1998 Results for San Francisco County -- Yes: 34.2% No: 65.8%
2005 Results for San Francisco County -- Yes: 22.9% No: 77.1%
The now-standard "blue/red" map is posted here.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
The November 8 Communique' Is Up!
Click here to read:
1) Illinois NEA Retreats From Dealing with Chicago Teachers Union Dissidents
2) EIA Blog Under Scrutiny by Tribal Charter School Board
3) Judge Rules District Can Pay More Than Union Scale
4) Denver Pay Model Will Be Left in Dust
5) Why Not "$100K Since Others Must Pay?"
6) Former Michigan Union Treasurer Accused of Stealing $40,000 in Dues
7) Busy Signal
8) Quote of the Week
1) Illinois NEA Retreats From Dealing with Chicago Teachers Union Dissidents
2) EIA Blog Under Scrutiny by Tribal Charter School Board
3) Judge Rules District Can Pay More Than Union Scale
4) Denver Pay Model Will Be Left in Dust
5) Why Not "$100K Since Others Must Pay?"
6) Former Michigan Union Treasurer Accused of Stealing $40,000 in Dues
7) Busy Signal
8) Quote of the Week
Four Teachers Sign Up for Performance Pay in Denver
Don’t expect a big conversion rate. Part of the reason the teachers approved the plan was because most of them would never have to be part of it. The key will be the reaction of new teachers and those who transfer in, knowing they will have to enroll in ProComp.
Friday, November 04, 2005
The Big Red (Ink) Machine
* An eight-member task force appointed by Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken studied the Cincinnati Public Schools' (CPS) finances for a year and came to the conclusion that they're a mess. You don't have to be a forensic accountant to label this as "bad":
"CPS' actual expenditures have exceeded actual revenues in three of the last four years. Despite a projected decline in enrollment, expenditures are projected to increase over the next several years."
November 22, 2004 EIA Communique': "Deficit Tap Dance in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Public Schools find themselves more than $20 million short this year. District officials have a host of reasons for this: declining enrollment, a loss of state funding and increased competition from charter schools, according to a report in the Cincinnati Enquirer. They seem less eager to discuss one glaring statistic.
"Cincinnati has 8,400 fewer students than it had five years ago, but it has 100 more classroom teachers. EIA won't bore you with all the math, but if Cincinnati had simply maintained the same pupil-teacher ratio for the last five years, it would be -- at the very least -- $4 million in the black right now. Trading clients for employees is a losing economic formula."
The task force report (in Acrobat format) is located here.
* More details on the Beverly Coon and Ronald Grimm case.
* Outpost of the Odd: Convict commits suicide by hardboiled egg.
* Scheduling note: Intercepts will be next updated on Tuesday, November 8.
"CPS' actual expenditures have exceeded actual revenues in three of the last four years. Despite a projected decline in enrollment, expenditures are projected to increase over the next several years."
November 22, 2004 EIA Communique': "Deficit Tap Dance in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Public Schools find themselves more than $20 million short this year. District officials have a host of reasons for this: declining enrollment, a loss of state funding and increased competition from charter schools, according to a report in the Cincinnati Enquirer. They seem less eager to discuss one glaring statistic.
"Cincinnati has 8,400 fewer students than it had five years ago, but it has 100 more classroom teachers. EIA won't bore you with all the math, but if Cincinnati had simply maintained the same pupil-teacher ratio for the last five years, it would be -- at the very least -- $4 million in the black right now. Trading clients for employees is a losing economic formula."
The task force report (in Acrobat format) is located here.
* More details on the Beverly Coon and Ronald Grimm case.
* Outpost of the Odd: Convict commits suicide by hardboiled egg.
* Scheduling note: Intercepts will be next updated on Tuesday, November 8.
A Bad Gamble
The North Carolina Association of Educators lobbied very hard to get a state lottery passed. Now union officials have to answer a lot of uncomfortable questions about the guy they hired to produce their radio ads in support of the lottery -- who later was named to the lottery commission -- who later resigned because he had been paid $24,500 by a potential gambling vendor for communications work -- including the production costs on a radio ad.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Members Approve New York City Teachers Contract
Gibbon's Warning
"[T]he use of letters is the principal circumstance that distinguishes a civilised people from a herd of savages incapable of knowledge or reflection. Without that artificial help, the human memory soon dissipates or corrupts the ideas intrusted to her charge; and the nobler faculties of the mind, no longer supplied with models or with materials, gradually forget their powers; the judgment becomes feeble and lethargic, the imagination languid or irregular." -- The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume 1, Chapter 9.
"This semester, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is giving its best scholarly treatment to a slice of popular culture each Tuesday evening when 24 undergraduates gather to ponder HBO'S 'Sex and the City.'" -- November 3, 2005 Boston Globe.
"This semester, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is giving its best scholarly treatment to a slice of popular culture each Tuesday evening when 24 undergraduates gather to ponder HBO'S 'Sex and the City.'" -- November 3, 2005 Boston Globe.
The Green Monster
The New York State United Teachers describes a proposed charter school in Albany this way:
"The proposed Green Tech High would be the first charter high school in the city. The environmentally themed school for boys is slated to open in 2007 with 75 ninth-graders, eventually growing to 300 students in grades 9-12.
"Similar in concept to a magnet school, Green Tech High's curricula would focus on the region's natural resources, such as the Pine Bush preserve, Adirondack Mountains and Hudson River. The school would offer an Advanced Placement course in environmental studies, as well as two hours of English and 90 minutes of math per day. The school day would run from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a 200-day year.
"If approved, it would be the ninth charter school in the city of 94,000. Six are already operating; two more are slated to open next year. Like many Albany charter schools, Green Tech High has strong ties to the Brighter Choice Foundation, which was founded by Tom Carroll and receives millions from conservative education foundations and the federal government to promote charter schools.
"M. Christian Bender, who is heading the Green Tech board of directors, is executive director of the Brighter Choice Foundation, which operates two single-sex schools for elementary-level students in Albany. Brighter Choice Foundation, which is using a five-year $3.4 million federal grant to promote parental choice and launch charter schools, is under contract to buy the land for Green Tech High near a city nature preserve and help finance construction of the school."
OK. The first charter high school in the city, an environmental theme, AP courses, lots of English and math, extended day and year, plenty of financial backing, plus construction in an appropriate area for the school's mission.
The obvious conclusion for NYSUT: "Citing the cumulative financial strain of another charter school, the union and Albany city schools officials are urging the State University of New York Board of Trustees to deny the Green Tech application."
"They're siphoning off nearly 20 percent of our kids and our funding," said Albany Public Schools Teachers Association President Bill Ritchie. "We're at the saturation point where someone has to say enough is enough."
The basis of the union's opposition? "Our fixed costs remain the same. It's not like we can eliminate a fourth-grade class and achieve savings," Ritchie said.
Ah yes, the marginal per-pupil spending argument rears its head again. But, as EIA highlighted back in November 2003 (item #4), if marginal costs are so low that regular public schools don't save the full per-pupil amount when a single student leaves, why do we give regular public schools the full per-pupil amount when a single student enrolls? You can't have it both ways.
It's difficult to take NYSUT's arguments seriously. Especially when, in a different article, NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi inadvertently reveals his standards for what constitutes a good charter school.
"With almost 100 charter schools established in New York state, there are very few success stories," he wrote. "The United Federation of Teachers Elementary Charter School in Brooklyn , however, is one that shows great potential. The school is run by the UFT, NYSUT's largest affiliate. It opened in September with 150 students in kindergarten and first grade and will eventually add grades two through five. Early indications are that the school, with its staff 100 percent UFT members, is off to a good start."
The position of the teachers' unions on charter schools has been incoherent for at least the last 10 years. Maybe they should figure out what they think, before they try to persuade us to think the same way.
"The proposed Green Tech High would be the first charter high school in the city. The environmentally themed school for boys is slated to open in 2007 with 75 ninth-graders, eventually growing to 300 students in grades 9-12.
"Similar in concept to a magnet school, Green Tech High's curricula would focus on the region's natural resources, such as the Pine Bush preserve, Adirondack Mountains and Hudson River. The school would offer an Advanced Placement course in environmental studies, as well as two hours of English and 90 minutes of math per day. The school day would run from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a 200-day year.
"If approved, it would be the ninth charter school in the city of 94,000. Six are already operating; two more are slated to open next year. Like many Albany charter schools, Green Tech High has strong ties to the Brighter Choice Foundation, which was founded by Tom Carroll and receives millions from conservative education foundations and the federal government to promote charter schools.
"M. Christian Bender, who is heading the Green Tech board of directors, is executive director of the Brighter Choice Foundation, which operates two single-sex schools for elementary-level students in Albany. Brighter Choice Foundation, which is using a five-year $3.4 million federal grant to promote parental choice and launch charter schools, is under contract to buy the land for Green Tech High near a city nature preserve and help finance construction of the school."
OK. The first charter high school in the city, an environmental theme, AP courses, lots of English and math, extended day and year, plenty of financial backing, plus construction in an appropriate area for the school's mission.
The obvious conclusion for NYSUT: "Citing the cumulative financial strain of another charter school, the union and Albany city schools officials are urging the State University of New York Board of Trustees to deny the Green Tech application."
"They're siphoning off nearly 20 percent of our kids and our funding," said Albany Public Schools Teachers Association President Bill Ritchie. "We're at the saturation point where someone has to say enough is enough."
The basis of the union's opposition? "Our fixed costs remain the same. It's not like we can eliminate a fourth-grade class and achieve savings," Ritchie said.
Ah yes, the marginal per-pupil spending argument rears its head again. But, as EIA highlighted back in November 2003 (item #4), if marginal costs are so low that regular public schools don't save the full per-pupil amount when a single student leaves, why do we give regular public schools the full per-pupil amount when a single student enrolls? You can't have it both ways.
It's difficult to take NYSUT's arguments seriously. Especially when, in a different article, NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi inadvertently reveals his standards for what constitutes a good charter school.
"With almost 100 charter schools established in New York state, there are very few success stories," he wrote. "The United Federation of Teachers Elementary Charter School in Brooklyn , however, is one that shows great potential. The school is run by the UFT, NYSUT's largest affiliate. It opened in September with 150 students in kindergarten and first grade and will eventually add grades two through five. Early indications are that the school, with its staff 100 percent UFT members, is off to a good start."
The position of the teachers' unions on charter schools has been incoherent for at least the last 10 years. Maybe they should figure out what they think, before they try to persuade us to think the same way.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
You Can Have My Steamer When You Pry It From My Warm Toasty Fingers
The next target of the school nutrition police could be -- jumpin' java! -- the coffee cup. The Des Moines Register is on the cutting edge of this simmering trend -- or is it a tempest in a... (must... stop... fingers... typing... awful... gag).
Pungent Quotes for Today
* "Today marks the first day in a new age for Denver Public Schools," said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper after voters approved a tax increase to pay for the school district's much-debated performance pay plan. Will it lead to salary experiments elsewhere? It took six years to bring this modest plan to fruition, which is likely to put off others who might want to emulate the Denver campaign.
* "About half of California's 1,056 school districts are losing students." District officials made a lot of bad enrollment predictions this year, even though the flattening of enrollment growth was utterly predictable (see "Teacher Shortage: Fight the Future" in the August 20, 2001 EIA Communique').
* "Too much preschool harmful, studies say" -- Sure to cause a lot of uproar among those who want kids in school at younger ages and for more time.
* "About half of California's 1,056 school districts are losing students." District officials made a lot of bad enrollment predictions this year, even though the flattening of enrollment growth was utterly predictable (see "Teacher Shortage: Fight the Future" in the August 20, 2001 EIA Communique').
* "Too much preschool harmful, studies say" -- Sure to cause a lot of uproar among those who want kids in school at younger ages and for more time.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
How Teachers Can Make Millions of Dollars
Mary Shaw, the Philadelphia Area Coordinator for Amnesty International, decided to lead off her unoriginal web editorial with an unoriginal observation:
"Consider the following:
"Movie star Brad Pitt gets $17 million per film.
"Basketball star Allen Iverson makes over $16 million per season.
"Hip-hop mogul Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs scored $3 million just to endorse a brand of spot cream.
"And - get this - Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen are each worth more than $150 million.
"We are paying these people millions of dollars to entertain our kids.
"Meanwhile, according to the American Federation of Teachers, public school teachers (elementary and secondary) make an average of $44,367 per year."
Why do athletes and entertainers make so much more than teachers?
Simple. Allen Iverson is an elite player among the more than 400 players in the National Basketball Association. Those 400 players are an elite group, chosen from among the thousands -- hundreds of thousands -- of college athletes who never made it to the NBA. And the college athletes are an elite group, chosen from a group of high school athletes who weren't good enough to make their college teams. And the high school athletes were selected over a group of regular kids who tried out for the team.
Pitt, Iverson, Combs and yes, even the Olsen twins are rated by box office, attendance figures, CD sales, and a host of other measures of their ability to earn money for the products they represent. When they stop producing, they stop earning those big bucks.
When we have a system for teachers that differentiates the Iversons from the guys playing pickup hoops in the schoolyard, or the Brad Pitts from the actor/waiters in Hollywood bistros, we'll see some teachers making stratospheric salaries. Will they ever make $16 million a year? Only when people will pay just to watch them at work, and follow their statistics in the morning newspaper.
"Consider the following:
"Movie star Brad Pitt gets $17 million per film.
"Basketball star Allen Iverson makes over $16 million per season.
"Hip-hop mogul Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs scored $3 million just to endorse a brand of spot cream.
"And - get this - Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen are each worth more than $150 million.
"We are paying these people millions of dollars to entertain our kids.
"Meanwhile, according to the American Federation of Teachers, public school teachers (elementary and secondary) make an average of $44,367 per year."
Why do athletes and entertainers make so much more than teachers?
Simple. Allen Iverson is an elite player among the more than 400 players in the National Basketball Association. Those 400 players are an elite group, chosen from among the thousands -- hundreds of thousands -- of college athletes who never made it to the NBA. And the college athletes are an elite group, chosen from a group of high school athletes who weren't good enough to make their college teams. And the high school athletes were selected over a group of regular kids who tried out for the team.
Pitt, Iverson, Combs and yes, even the Olsen twins are rated by box office, attendance figures, CD sales, and a host of other measures of their ability to earn money for the products they represent. When they stop producing, they stop earning those big bucks.
When we have a system for teachers that differentiates the Iversons from the guys playing pickup hoops in the schoolyard, or the Brad Pitts from the actor/waiters in Hollywood bistros, we'll see some teachers making stratospheric salaries. Will they ever make $16 million a year? Only when people will pay just to watch them at work, and follow their statistics in the morning newspaper.
About me
- I'm Mike Antonucci
- Writer, consultant, Air Force veteran, marathoner, specialist in military history, intelligence, cryptanalysis and the Byzantine Empire. Some small reputation for writing about public education and teachers' unions.
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