February 20, 2009: Stimulus May Avert Thousands Of Teacher Layoffs

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February 20, 2009: Stimulus May Avert Thousands Of Teacher Layoffs

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Customized Briefing for THERESA CAVANAUGHFebruary 20, 2009

Leading the News

In the Classroom

On the Job

Law & Policy

School Finance

Also in the News

NEA in the News

Leading the News

Stimulus Will Avert Thousands Of Teacher Layoffs, Duncan Says.

The AP (2/19, Quaid) reported that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan " said

the economic stimulus plan will help avert thousands of teacher layoffs, and

he released the first estimates of where the money will go. Duncan visited a

charter school Thursday in New York, where Mayor Bloomberg has said

state budget cuts might force layoffs of 14,000 teachers. Nationwide, nearly

600,000 teaching jobs are at risk. " According to the AP, the stimulus " will

spend about $100 billion on education. New York should get nearly $4.8

billion under the bill, and about $1.9 billion of that should go to New York

City. " Duncan also said " he also wants to use the money to press states for

more rigorous academic standards and tests. In states with low standards,

'we lie to children and tell them they are on track.' "

In the New York Times' (2/19) City Room blog, C.

wrote that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan " stressed the need to

establish common achievement standards for the nation's 14,000 school

districts and finance creative school reforms during a visit to " Explore

Charter School in Brooklyn on Thursday. added, " Calling current

economic challenges a 'perfect storm for reform,' Mr. Duncan unveiled how

the federal Department of Education would allocate the first dollops of the

$100 billion in emergency aid to public schools provided by the federal

stimulus bill. " He also " presented a doomsday portrait of education in the

United States if the stimulus money were not available, " saying that " up to

600,000 jobs could be lost and average class size could rise to 40 students

from 25. "

In the Classroom

Teachers At Elementary School In Georgia Impart Daily Environmental Lessons.

WTOC-TV Savannah, GA (2/19, Kelley) reported that " at White Bluff Elementary

school the students sing songs about " recycling, " they learn about it and

even create works of art out of it. " In keeping with the school's

environmental theme, White Bluff has a garden that students tend to, " and

teachers often use lessons plans that involve saving the environment. " The

school is also " on a waiting list with the City of Savannah to get a 30 foot

recycling bin, but that's not stopping them from collecting lots of items. "

Every classroom in the school has its own recycling bin. And, according to

WTOC, " the effort to save the environment is really catching on " with

students.

Four Teachers In Pennsylvania Teach Writing Lessons Through Music.

Pennsylvania's Patriot News (2/20, Gibson) reports on the Grammarheads, a

band " comprised of four Eastern Lebanon County School District teachers who

began writing songs and performing in 2005 as a way to musically teach

writing lessons to students. " On Thursday, the Grammarheads performed at

Silver Spring Elementary School and Hampden Elementary School. According to

the Patriot News, during the performance, students " waved their arms, sang,

and bounced in their seats to songs on forming sentences, replacing nouns

with pronouns, and punctuating sentences. "

Students Experiment With Smart Phones As Alternative To Computers.

The Dallas Morning News (2/20, Unmuth) reports that Keller Independent

School District's Trinity Meadows Intermediate School " and schools in North

Carolina and Singapore are among those experimenting with smart phones as a

replacement for computers. " For the experiment, " the 53 students taking part

in the Keller Mobile Initiative are unable to make phone calls or send text

messages. " They will, however, be able to " access the Internet, a

calculator, take photos and video, sketch drawings, beam information to one

another and enter data into Microsoft Excel or Word. " According to the

Dallas Morning News, " Keller's effort is part of a larger trend of school

districts that are seeking to equip every child with a computer, known as

1:1 computing. "

Virtual City-Building Project Helps ESL Students Polish Vocabulary.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch (2/20, Lizama) reports that students in Ashby

McNeil's " English as a second language at Falling Creek Middle School in

Chesterfield County " are designing " three-dimensional models of a city of

the future to help them learn English and to interact with other students. "

Working in teams, the students " used an interactive computer game, 'Sim

City,' to design their cities over time. And then they created a

three-dimensional model. " Principal Stephannie D. Crutchfield said that when

listening to the groups present their projects, it was obvious the students'

English was improving. " Just listening to them, you can see that working on

the project has helped them to develop their vocabulary, " she said.

On the Job

Florida District Implements Volunteer Substitute Program.

Florida's News-Journal (2/20, Trimble) reports that Volusia County Schools'

volunteer substitute teacher program that was " announced this week grew out

of inquiries from parents and others in the community about how they could

help schools weather the financial storm, " according to Superintendent

Margaret . This year's " budget for substitutes has been slashed in half

due to $13.7 million in budget cuts. " The News-Journal notes that the " cut

had already led some principals to institute 'arena subbing' -- the practice

of having a couple of substitutes oversee as many as 200 students at a

time -- because they couldn't afford to hire subs for every teacher who was

absent. " Volunteer substitutes will be required to " have at least a high

school diploma, undergo criminal background and drug tests, and complete a

day of training on classroom management and other policies before being

placed in a classroom. "

Law & Policy

Florida Lawmakers Implore Duncan To Waive Eligibility Requirements For

Education Stimulus.

The Media General News Service (2/20) reports that on Thursday, " nine

Republican House members from Florida joined with nine Democratic House

members from the state...in writing to the U.S. Education Secretary for a

waiver so that the state may qualify for the $2.7 billion in a key funding

category of the bill. " The state does not currently " meet the requirements

to receive its share of a huge $54.4 billion pot of money in the $787

billion stimulus package signed into law by Obama this week. " In order to be

eligible to receive the money, a state " must be funding K-12 and higher

education at no less than 2006 levels. States that are not would forfeit

their share of the so-called 'State Fiscal Stabilization Fund' money to

other states. " With " 30,000 fewer students " now " than in 2006, " Florida

misses the requirement by about $600 million, according to Media General

News.

Virginia Adjusts Standards For High School Accreditation.

The AP (2/20) reports that " Virginia's public schools will soon be measured

by both test scores and graduation rates under an enhanced accountability

plan state education officials approved Thursday. " The new standards will

require high schools to " earn at least 85 points on the graduation and

completion index, as well as make the cutoff pass rates on state Standards

of Learning tests in mathematics, English, science and history/social

science. " Also " under the system, each diploma earned would be awarded the

same number of points. " The Richmond Times-Dispatch (2/20, Meola) adds that

the policy will go into effect " beginning with the 2010-11 academic year. "

School Board In Florida Approves Homework Guidelines.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (2/19, Bushouse) reported that " the Broward

County School Board is giving a new assignment to teachers for the upcoming

school year: Take care when you're handing out homework. " On Wednesday, the

board approved homework guidelines that " suggest 10 minutes of work for each

grade level. A first grader's assignment would take about 10 minutes to

finish, while a high school junior's total homework load would take 110

minutes. " The policy, however, does not " stipulate time limits for

homework. " Moreover, the policy, which " will take effect in the 2009-10

school year, " will require " teachers to provide 'timely and appropriate

feedback' on assignments, be sensitive about the costs of materials for

projects, and collaborate with other teachers so projects are not assigned

at the same time. "

Five " Empty Theories " About Education Reform Criticized.

Former Baltimore City School Board Commissioner Kalman R. Hettleman writes

in an op-ed for the Washington Post (2/20), " Even with the billions of

dollars in economic stimulus aid, public schools stand no chance of getting

better until we dispel some empty theories about how to help them. "

Hettleman cites what she calls 5 " empty theories, " including " We know how to

fix public schools; we just lack the political will to finish the job. ...

Teachers know best how to teach kids; policymakers should leave them alone.

.... The federal government meddles too much in the affairs of local schools.

.... Teacher unions are the enemy, " and there's " no place in education for

politics. " According to Hettleman, mayors R. Bloomberg (I) in New

York City and M. Fenty (D) in Washington " are getting good marks for

overturning the status quo. That's the first step toward replacing myths

about school reform with real success stories. "

School Finance

Some DC Area Districts Altering Athletic Programs To Fit Budgets.

The Washington Post (2/20, E1, ) reports on the front page of its

Sports section that " at least three school jurisdictions in the Washington

[DC] area are considering eliminating certain sports or reducing the number

of athletic contests for the upcoming school year, and others are rethinking

how they transport athletes to competitions as they adjust to a shortage of

state funding. " According to the Post, " Fairfax County will likely eliminate

gymnastics and also is considering cutting indoor track. Frederick County,

which has three schools with pools, has discussed eliminating swimming. " And

" Loudoun County is mulling doing away with some sub-varsity sports. "

Meanwhile, Montgomery County's " budget calls for $452,156 less in stipends

for extracurricular activities, including sports, but county athletics

supervisor Duke Beattie said he does not foresee any major changes in how

school sports programs operate. "

Superintendent Of Florida District Seeks To Reduce Work Schedule By One Day.

The St. sburg Times (2/20, Solochek) reports that Pasco County Public

Schools Superintendent Fiorentino has " floated the idea of reducing

employees' work schedule by one planning day next year as one of several

ways to slash spending by as much as $37 million. " To implement the plan,

lawmakers would have to grant the district " a one-year, one-day waiver to

the law that defines full-time teacher employment as 196 days. " Fiorentino

said that the plan is better " than negotiating a pay cut, which could become

permanent. "

Also in the News

Elementary School In Illinois Hosts Game Show To Help Prepare Students For

State Tests.

The Chicago Daily Herald (2/20, Lester) reports that " for the second year in

a row, Harriet Gifford Elementary school in Elgin will host 'Are You Smarter

Than an ISAT Student?' a spinoff of Fox TV's 'Are You Smarter Than a

Fifth-Grader?' " The goal is " to give Gifford parents an idea of the kinds of

questions their children will be exposed to on the upcoming Illinois

Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), " and to " get students excited -- not

stressed -- for the test. " For the game, " teams of parents and teams of

students will face off and answer mock questions that students in third

through eighth grades will see on the ISAT. " The teams will consist of

" students with special learning needs, English learners, black and Hispanic

students, and students from low-income families. "

Denver School Board Agrees To Change High School's Controversial Insignia.

The Denver Post (2/20, Meyer) reports that " a controversial Denver high

school insignia that looks like a Confederate soldier will be replaced by a

mythological beast after a student presentation to the school board

Thursday. " South High School Principal Kohut also came to the

meeting to ask the board " to drop the 'ny Rebel' logo that has

represented the school for decades. " According to the Post, " the school's

presentation featured a sophomore's impassioned speech, a petition signed by

scores of students and a mockup of a new professionally designed insignia. "

Superintendent Tom Boasberg agreed to the change, saying, " I understand the

power and the meaning of these symbols. " Denver Public Schools (DPS) will

now change the " insignias posted in every DPS high school gymnasium, " paint

" the new logo on South's walls, " produce " two nylon flags with the new

image, " and use " carpets with the new insignia to cover up the old mascot

that is ingrained in the floor. "

NEA in the News

Teachers In Columbia, Missouri, Ask Officials To Fully Fund Step-Pay

Schedule.

The Columbia (MO) Daily Tribune (2/20, Braden) reports that " two Columbia

Public Schools teacher groups asked the school district's finance committee

yesterday afternoon to restore the 2008-09 salary schedule and fully operate

it for the 2009-10 budget, even as the district prepares to cut $4.4 million

from its operating budget. " Columbia Board of Education funded the

educational steps of the schedule " last year, " a cost of $800,000. " In order

to " fully operate the schedule, " CPS would need to dedicate up to $2.8

million. The Columbia Missouri National Education Association and the

Columbia Public Schools Employee Organization argue that " that operating the

salary schedule would improve teacher morale and help teachers financially. "

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