Thursday, February 21, 2008

Help Protect Florida's National Board Certification Mentoring Program

Florida’s educators need your help. You can volunteer to contact your state legislator who is a member of Florida’s House Schools and Learning Council and help protect Florida’s National Board Certification mentoring program in the 2007-08 state budget. The program has already been cut by $14 million, and additional cuts are being considered by the House Schools and Learning Council as early as this week. (This is different from similar action in the Florida Senate last week.) Additional cuts could result in teachers who have already earned the bonuses losing some of their bonus money after the fact.

Should you desire to contact your legislator regarding this issue, the following points may be helpful in crafting an e-mail message or a phone call (Note: Contact information is listed at the end of this e-mail):

  • Thank your legislator for his or her steadfast support of teaching excellence in Florida—and specifically, for past support of the Dale Hickam Excellent Teacher Program.
  • Explain that:
    • The Dale Hickam Excellent Teacher Program is the only successful state-funded pay supplement based on excellence in the classroom.
    • The budget for the program has already been cut by $14M during the special session, which could result in reducing the mentoring bonuses that teachers earned by performing extra work – after they have already done the work.
    • You are concerned that the Dale Hickam program could be again in harm’s way because of the state’s need for additional budget cuts in the current fiscal year.
    • Further reducing the mentoring bonus provided by the Dale Hickman program could compromise the future of the entire program. Many teachers would likely be wary of future mentoring commitments if there is no reasonable assurance they will receive the promised compensation; and many teachers might not be paid for mentoring work that they have already done – which would be unfair.
    • You understand Florida is facing severe economic and budget challenges; however, teachers and the students they serve are critical to the future or our state and our nation. Thus, funding directed into classrooms and targeted to quality education should only be reduced as a last resort.
  • Reinforce your appreciation of his or her past support—and for doing the right thing now on behalf of education excellence in your state.

The phone numbers and email addresses of the members of Florida’s House Schools and Learning Council are listed below. To send an e-mail, simply:

1. Click on the e-mail link ("Contact via Web Form") that will connect you with your elected official (see below).

2. Prepare your personal e-mail using the above information to craft your own message.

3. Send it (and don’t forget to include your name and other information so your elected official will know you are a constituent).

Representative Joe Hill Pickens
District office: 3841 Reid St. Ste. 5, Palatka, FL 32177-2509
Ph: 386.312.2272
County: Bradford, Clay, Lake, Marion, Putnam, Volusia
E-mail: Contact via Web Form

Representative Trey Traviesa
District Office: 410 S. Ware Blvd. Ste. 105, Tampa, FL 33619
Ph: 813.740.7655
County: Hillsborough
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form.

Representative Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall
District Office: 1521 NW 54th Street, Ste. 1521 E. Miami, FL 33142
Ph: 305.694.2958
County: Miami-Dade
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form.

Representative Thad Altman
District Office: 7025 N. Wickham Road, Ste. 108, Melbourne, FL 32940
Ph: 321.752.3138
County: Brevard
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form.

Representative Marti Coley
District Office: 3094 Indian Cr. Bldg. L, Rm 108, Marianna, FL 32446
Ph: 850.718.0047
County: Bay, Calhoun, Gadsden, Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Wakulla, Walton
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form.

Representative Anitere Flores
District Office: 1405 SW 107th Avenue, Ste. 205-C, Miami, FL 33174
Ph: 305.227.7626
County: Miami-Dade
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form.

Representative Clay Ford
District Office: 1804 W. Garden Street, Pensacola, FL 32501
Ph: 850.595.5500
County: Escambia, Santa Rosa
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form

Representative Bill Heller
District Office: 400 4th Street N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Ph: 727.552.2573
County: Pinellas
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form.

Representative Martin Kiar
District Office: 6600 University Dr. Parkland, FL 33067
Ph: 954.346.2813
County: Broward
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form

Representative John Legg
District Office: 10014 Grove Dr. Ste. B, Port Richey, FL 34668
Ph: 727.869.8600
County: Pasco
Email: Contact Via Web Form.

Representative Janet Long
District Office: 5511 Park St. N, Ste. 101, Colonial Bank Bldg. St. Petersburg, FL 33709
Ph: 727.545.6421
County: Pinellas
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form.

Representative Charles McBurney
District Office: 76 S. Laura Street, Ste. 200, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Ph: 904.359.6090
County: Duval
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form

Representative Seth McKeel
District Office: 250 E. Highland Dr. Lakeland, FL 33813
Ph: 863.647.4896
County: Polk, Hillsborough
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form.

Representative Bill Proctor
District Office: 900 SR 16, Ste. 2, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Ph: 904.823.2550
County: Clay, St. Johns, Flagler
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form.

Representative David Simmons
District Office: 393 Center Pointe Cir. Ste. 1427, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
Ph: 407.262.7520
County: Orange, Seminole
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form.

Representative Shelley Vana
District Office: 1280 N. Congress Ave. Ste. 100, West Palm Beach, FL 33409
Ph: 561.640.6120
County: Palm Beach
E-mail: Contact Via Web Form.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

ASCA Names Rep. Linda Sanchez Legislator of the Year

Due to her strong support of school counseling, Rep. Linda Sanchez
(D-Calif.) is ASCA's 2008 Legislator of the Year. Sanchez' work
spearheading the Put School Counselors Where They're Needed Act (H.R.
3439) is just one example of her commitment to the school counseling
profession. This act would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 to create a demonstration project to fund additional
secondary school counselors in troubled Title I schools to reduce the
dropout rate.

Additionally, Sanchez, along with Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.), helped
champion the National School Counseling Week Resolution, which passed in
the House of Representatives on Jan. 23. This marked the first time the
House has recognized National School Counseling Week.

ASCA will present Sanchez with the award in a special ceremony in
conjunction with its Advocacy and Public Policy Institute in March.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Committee on Education and Labor | School Construction - Hearing

http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/fc-2008-02-13.shtml

Full Committee Hearing: "Modern Public School Facilities: Investing in the Future"

 

Budget and Appropriations

Now that Congress has had a few weeks to digest the president's FY 2009 budget proposal, the process of developing a response appears well underway. As was reported in the press, many Democrats, upon reviewing the document, simply uttered "dead on arrival" or issued press releases highly critical of the president's emphasis on defense and lack of focus on pressing domestic priorities in education, healthcare and the workforce. Agency heads have started to appear before the Budget and Appropriations Committees in the House and Senate to defend the administration's priorities and have weathered tough questioning. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will appear before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education on Feb. 26 and before the same Senate panel on April 16. Given the strong negative statements about the president's proposed Department of Education budget from Appropriations chairmen David Obey (D-Wis.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the hearings are likely to be lively.

While the Budget and Appropriations committees readied themselves for public review of the president's plan, minority party leaders in the House and Senate continued their tirades against earmarking federal funds. A Republican working group to review the earmarking process has been established in the Senate, with participation from Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.). They have a few more weeks to come up with suggested revisions to the process. As a Republican proposal, it is not clear what, if any, impact their advice will have on the majority. In the House of Representatives, a Web site was launched revealing exactly how much in earmarked funds every member has requested. Press stories were abundant this week about the lion's share of earmarked funds secured by Appropriations Committee members in Congress, again emphasizing the "unfairness" of the process of distributing these dollars. President Bush continued to talk about the Executive Order he sent to the Office of Management and Budget and agency heads, directing them to ignore earmarks found in reports accompanying legislation rather than the legislation itself because the language "lacks the force of law." It is a conversation that that will likely continue until the November election, as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the near-certain Republican candidate for president has never supported an earmark for his state and Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barrack Obama (D-Ill.), one of whom will be the Democratic choice, strongly support the process.

 

Monday, February 11, 2008

Budget and Appropriations

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Budget and Appropriations

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President Bush sent his final budget to Congress this week, and the reception it received on Capitol Hill was rather chilly. Topping three trillion dollars, and bringing the federal deficit to a high of $410 billion, the FY 2009 budget proposal would freeze education spending at $59 billion and cut most other domestic agency spending. Two rare exceptions are the National Science Foundation and the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, which both would receive modest increases.

The delivery of the administration's FY 2009 proposal formally kicks off the budget and appropriations season. You will recall that last year this process turned into an 11-month, partisan slugfest. The Democratic majority was determined last year to exceed the president's overall spending level for priority programs in education, healthcare and the workforce but at the end of the day had to settle for his original proposal. Hoping to influence voters, Democrats are doing their best to lower expectations for budget watchers, claiming the need for better leadership in the White House and stronger majorities in both the House and Senate in order to increase spending. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has already announced his intention to produce appropriations bills that reflect the will of his party, send them to the president for near-certain vetoes, pass a continuing resolution and finish the job with a new Democratic president in the White House. It is a plan that is not without risk.

A budget proposal contains more than recommended spending levels. The president attaches legislative proposals to modify programs and rhetoric about consequences if the president's desires are not met. In the FY 2009 proposal, President Bush cautioned against the practice of members of Congress earmarking program funds and said he would veto any bill that does not reduce earmarks by 50 percent from the previous year. He also put Congress on notice that earmarks contained in report language do not have the force of law and will not be honored in the future.

Conversation about earmarks was not limited to President Bush. House Republicans continue to push for a one-year moratorium, and Senators appointed a committee to review earmark practices and come up with a new plan. It is a troublesome issue that refuses to go away. Members are clearly torn between their desire to help communities and programs they support and the bad press generated by the debate over this practice.

On a positive note, by week's end, Congress demonstrated to the public that in the face of extraordinary pressure it could get work done in a timely and bi-partisan fashion. The Senate agreed to a $150 billion economic stimulus package that had moved swiftly through the House last week. It is a proposal the president is sure to sign. This compromise measure marked the first instance of cooperation between the majority and minority leadership in the House, and although the Senate was reluctant to jump on board, growing public concern about the economy prevailed.

 

Monday, February 04, 2008

HEA Scheduled for House Floor Action Next Week


Even by congressional standards, it is an understatement to say that the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) has been long and complicated. HEA reauthorization has been a pending issue for more than four years, over multiple sessions of Congress. A number of bills have been drafted and considered, but to date, no comprehensive bill has won approval from the House and Senate. This week, it looks as though an HEA reauthorization bill will get closer to enactment when the House debates its bill, HR 4137.

George Miller (D-Calif.), House Education and Labor Committee chairman, unveiled a comprehensive bill that would reauthorize the Higher Education Act, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007 (HR 4137), last November. The bill, which is close to 800 pages in length, was subsequently marked up by the House Education and Labor Committee and approved by a vote of 45-0. The measure makes thousands of changes to current law.

The bill's supporters portray it as an effort to control college costs and make it easier for more people to attend college. It would increase the authorized maximum Pell grant award to $9,000 from the current level of $5,800 and creates a number of new initiatives that would ostensibly bring transparency to college costs and value, including an effort to encourage states to maintain their investments in college financing. It also would impose new disclosure and reporting requirements on student loan lenders to address what some consider an industry with insufficient oversight.

The measure would make changes to federal investments in teacher preparation programs, streamlining the current grant program in Title II and increasing accountability for participating colleges of education. The bill also proposes various new programs, including one to create a new early childhood education professional development and career task force. New college access programs are authorized, as are new student safety and campus emergency management proposals, databases to share information with students on available financial resources and efforts meant to promote environmentally friendly practices on campuses.

Although the bill is broadly supported, floor debate could be lengthy, particularly if an "open rule" is adopted that would allow numerous amendments to be considered. Since this could be the only major piece of education legislation considered by this Congress, many members may seek the opportunity to discuss their particular education priorities.

HR 4137 is scheduled to be on the floor of the House on Thursday. Members hoping to have amendments debated have been told to have those amendments to the Rules Committee by Tuesday.

Recognition & Response

NCLD hosts discussion on RTI and school readiness: On Wednesday, the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) hosted a panel discussion titled, "RTI Goes to Pre-K: A Comprehensive System for Early Intervention to Promote School Readiness." Participants discussed the most recent data that supports the need for universal early literacy screening and supportive services before children enter kindergarten and the impact of a new program-Recognition and Response. Adapted from RTI (Response to Intervention), Recognition and Response is a pre-K early intervening system that integrates universal screening and progress-monitoring with research-based interventions to improve academic instruction for all children. Recognition and Response and RTI emphasize collecting information about how children are performing across specific areas of learning and behavior and intervening with intentional instruction and support rather than waiting until children fail. Both of these approaches presume that early intervening can prevent academic failure and frustration for many students. They also presume to identify which students, at the earliest possible points in time, actually have or may be at risk for learning disabilities vs. those whose underachievement can be attributed to other factors.

Read more

http://www.recognitionandresponse.org/

Congressional Briefing Held On Youth PROMISES Act


On Jan. 29, a Capitol Hill event was held to discuss HR 3846, the Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support and Education Act (Youth PROMISES Act) introduced last fall by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), and to generate increased support for the measure from the community.

This bill's goal is to put an end to what some have dubbed the "cradle to prison pipeline" by reducing gang violence and crime through focusing resources on preventative programs and the needs identified by local communities. Carol Chodroff from Human Rights Watch opened the briefing by describing the Youth PROMISES Act as "good" gang prevention legislation, versus other introduced bills which focus on increased mandatory minimum sentences for juvenile offenders and expanding the definition of "gang activities," resulting in the arrest of more juveniles. Instead, she argues, Representative Scott's legislation focuses on prevention, early education and increased resources that reach youth early enough to be successful in eliminating increased delinquency.

The Youth PROMISES Act aims to put research-based programs into legislative practice and mobilizes community leaders to identify specific strengths, as well as gaps, that need to be addressed. These local "councils" are then able to apply for funding to implement programs that meet these needs. Lynn White from the Children's Defense Fund stated that the intersection of race and poverty in this country are the biggest predictors of incarceration. She shared staggering statistics that demonstrate this point.

According to CDF's "Cradle to Pipeline" report, African males have a one in three chance of going to prison; Hispanic males have a one in six chance; and Caucasian boys have a one in 17 chance. Miriam Rollin shared highlights from a recent report published by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California, which looked at the link between drop-out prevention programs and a reduction in the crime rate. Rollin stated that five approaches to reducing the drop-out rate have been identified as highly effective: smaller learning communities, effective pre-school programs, targeted drop-out programs, effective class-size reduction and increased investments in quality teachers. In her view, the Youth PROMISES Act would help communities implement these strategies and ultimately reduce crime.

For more information on this legislation and to sign on to an organizational support letter contact Tara Andrews at the Coalition for Juvenile Justice at (202) 467-0864 or Angela Arboleda at the National Council of La Raza at (202) 776-1789.