Friday, January 30, 2009

NEW FILINGS OF EDUCATION-RELATED LEGISLATION

HOUSE BILL 404/SENATE BILL 613 would allow for the waiver of final examination requirement for students with at least an average grade of "B" for the semester and who has not had more than 3 days of unexcused absences during the semester.

 

HOUSE BILL 501 would abolish early learning coalitions and transfer most functions to the Agency for Workforce Innovation, which would administer school readiness programs and VPK. The bill would also abolish the Florida Early Learning Advisory Council, repeal subsidized child care program case management, and repeal subsidized child care transportation.

 

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 617/SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 232 would propose a constitutional amendment that would require the minimum salary for new full-time public school teacher to be national average salary for new full-time public school teachers and require the average salary for experienced full-time public school teachers to be no less than national average salary for full-time public school teachers. The law would also require that the resulting salary increases be independent of employee benefits and not alter, jeopardize, or decrease existing employee benefits, and would require the Legislature to fund the required salary increases.

 

SENATE BILL 610 would establish a means for state approval of "remedial" charter schools. This new system would replace the now-defunct Florida Schools of Excellence.

 

SENATE BILL 776 would require school districts to add conflict resolution to character education programs.

 

SENATE BILL 782 would amend certain requirements regarding tie votes of local school boards, and methods of elections of school board chairpersons.

 

SENATE BILL 804 would require the Legislature to allocate funds sufficient to reimburse school districts for the difference between the average federal reimbursement for free and reduced-price breakfasts and the average statewide cost for breakfasts.

GOVERNOR VETOES SOME FY09 FUNDING CUTS

The Governor did veto a portion of the multibillion cuts for FY09 enacted by Legislature during the special session earlier this month. The most notable veto regarding the education cuts had the effect of restoring the incentives for National Board certification to the original FY09 levels (but not to the higher FY08 levels).

See the full veto list at http://www.flgov.com/pdfs/20090127_vetolist.pdf

 

MAJOR INCREASE IN EDUCATION FUNDING APPROVED BY HOUSE; SENATE VERSION UP NEXT

The House version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1) was introduced on January 26th and approved on January 28th. This $816 billion dollar economic stimulus bill includes significant funding for educational programs, mostly but not entirely in the form of federal-through-state grant programs.

On the day of the vote, Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater send a letter to Florida's congressional delegation outlining his sense of what Florida most needed from the federal legislation. He asked for flexibility in education programs, citing teacher performance pay as an example where this is most needed.

See letter at http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/upload/2009/01/senate_stimulus_suggestion_sme/Federal_Stimulus.pdf

PRELIMINARY CALCULATIONS RELEASED

Before the actual legislation was approved, the Congressional Research Service calculated estimated of the amount of education funding that each school district will receive from certain aspects of the just-approved House version of American Recovery and Reinvestment bill. Specifically, this document estimates what each school district will receive under the bill’s program allocations (not including the $79 billion State Stabilization Fund) for Title I ($11 billion), IDEA ($13 billion), and K-12 School Modernization ($14 billion) over FYs 2009 and 2010.

Keep in mind that these CRS numbers are preliminary estimates only, and are based on information that may not have been reflected in the actual act, which may well change in conference, and even then will be subject to further calculations, adjustments, and rescissions. Although this document is authoritative, it will almost certainly not precisely reflect final allocations.

http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/FLORIDA2009Stimulus.pdf

SOME NEW INCENTIVES AND/OR GRANT OPPORTUNITIES WILL EMERGE

Other grant programs in this bill will require development by the U.S. Secretary of Education. He has already indicated his interest in using the authority and funding under these grant programs to promote the development and implementation of rigorous standards. It is likely that these will measures will seek to promote more consistency in standards among states, or to promote adoption of voluntary national standards as conditions for the federal assistance.

See Education Week article at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2009/01/duncan_incentive_grants_may_be.html

WHAT TO WATCH

The Senate has not yet voted on its own version (S. 1) of this bill. It is expected to do so by mid-February.

At $816 billion, this is an enormous commitment of funds even by Washington standards, with as much as $30 billion (for all areas) being directed to Florida over the next two federal budget years. It was also passed without any bipartisan votes whatsoever. The upcoming Senate debate will have to address both of these concerns. Public expectations are high, so the debate is likely to be both swift and intense.

The issue regarding the minimum threshold to receive federal funding will need to be addressed of Florida is to receive funds under this act.

It is worth noting that action regarding the emergency stimulus bills may delay Senate action on the regular nine federal budget bills, although these bills are expected to pass on time. This may have the peculiar and unintended consequence of delaying some interim budget planning, even for programs addressed in the stimulus bills.

In an unusual move, the Governor has indicated that he will include the expected revenue from this act in his budget proposal to the Legislature next month.

In another unusual move, the Florida Legislature borrowed $700 million from the state's Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund (arising from the tobacco settlements) with the promise to repay this amount from the expected revenues from this federal stimulus bill. This $700 million is being used to close gap in state current year (FY09) budget.

HOW MUCH DOES THIS REALLY HELP?

School districts may need to address local questions about how this federal package will ease local cutbacks. While this certainly does help, it's hard at this point to say how much. Unfortunately, authoritative answers to those questions may be some time coming. Although it seems clear that it was the intent of the House to help mitigate widespread loss of state and local funding for education, remember that all of the usual restrictions about the use of federal funds are still in place. For example, all of the "supplement, not supplant" rules are in full force, all of the allowability regulations are unchanged, and the requirements for maintenance of effort are still in effect.

POSSIBLE ELIGIBILITY PROBLEM FOR FLORIDA?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act limits availability to states that have funded education at the same level they did in FY06. However, Florida's current FY09 budget is already lower than that threshold. In fact, Florida's funding for FY08 is actually lower than in FY05.

As it stands now, Florida will be technically ineligible to receive these additional federal funds. Some attempts were made in the House to include waiver language that would have assisted Florida but this was not included in the final version. It may be added as the Senate addresses its version of the bill. The Florida School Boards Association, several Florida representatives, and both Florida Senators are working on solutions to this problem.

 

FLORIDA HOUSE LEADERSHIP CHANGES

Earlier today, Florida House of Representatives Speaker Ray Sansom resigned his leadership position. Speaker Pro Tempore Larry Cretul will lead the chamber as Speaker, at least temporarily.

See Miami Herald article at http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/story/879954.html

 

Sunday, January 25, 2009

ED Releases Report on NCLB Implementation

ED Releases Report on NCLB Implementation: Recently, the Department of Education released a new report on the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The new report, State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, Volume VI - Targeting and Uses of Federal Education Funds, presents findings on the targeting and uses of federal education funds for six federal education programs, based on data from the National Longitudinal Study (NLS) of NCLB. The six programs studied include: Title I, Part A; Reading First; Comprehensive School Reform (CSR); Title II, Part A; Title III, Part A; and Perkins Vocational Education State Grants. According to the department, the report describes how well federal funds are targeted to economically disadvantaged students, how Title I targeting has changed over the past seven years, how districts have spent federal funds and the base of state and local resources to which federal funds are added. The findings show that federal funds were more targeted to high-poverty districts than state and local funds but did not close the funding gap between high- and low-poverty districts. Read the full report.

Senate Confirms Education Secretary

Senate Confirms Education Secretary

On Jan. 20, after the congressional luncheon held for the inauguration of President Obama, a number of Cabinet appointees were confirmed, including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Duncan was unanimously confirmed by members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. There was enthusiasm for the nomination on both sides of the aisle, and his confirmation was smooth, as predicted.

At his confirmation hearing on Jan. 13, Duncan outlined his three major goals if confirmed as secretary of Education: 1) improving access to high-quality early childhood programs, 2) raising standards for K-12 schools and improving teacher quality and 3) improving access to and affordability of post-secondary education. He also urged a lengthening of the school day and the school year. Duncan pledged to expand opportunities for the extraordinary teachers across the country to become better leaders and to shine a bright light on the "pockets of excellence" that do exist. He shared that his experience has taught him that if better opportunities are offered, innovation is supported and excellence is rewarded, schools can be transformed. During the seven years he served as Chicag Public School's CEO he saw positive improvements among all indicators of success.

Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, congratulated Duncan on his confirmation. Miller stated, "As President Obama said yesterday, transforming our schools and colleges will be one of the most important things we can do to rebuild our economy and our country. This swift confirmation will allow Secretary Duncan to get started on this mission right away."

Duncan has yet to announce permanent appointments for the top positions within the Department of Education, and until these appointments are made, several career ED employees have been filling these positions. Philip Link is currently serving as the acting deputy secretary; Joe Conaty is serving as the acting assistant secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; and Vickie Schray is serving as the ating under secretary and acting assistant secretary for the Office of Postsecondary Education.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

EDUCATION FEATURED HEAVILY IN ECONOMIC RECOVERY BILL

EDUCATION FEATURED HEAVILY IN ECONOMIC RECOVERY BILL

The House version of a proposed federal American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides more detail than the President's agenda document. The Senate's proposal for this bill is not yet available, but action is expected soon. The proposed House version of the bill (which has not been officially introduced) includes:

$41 billion to local school districts through Title I ($13 billion);
$13 billion to local school districts through IDEA;
$14 billion to local school districts through a new School Modernization and Repair Program;
$1 billion to local school districts through the Education Technology program;
$79 billion to states for fiscal relief to prevent cutbacks to key services, including $39 billion to schools and colleges through existing programs;

$15 billion to states as "bonus grants" as a reward for meeting key performance measures;
$25 billion to states for other high priority needs such as public safety and other critical services, which may include education.

Two key points to remember as you ponder these enormous numbers:

(1) The most critical factor in this bill may not be the amount of funding that comes to states, districts, and schools, but what kind of language is used to describe the "supplement, not supplant" principle. It does not appear that the proposed House version includes any revision or exemption to the existing legal requirements related to this issue.

(2) Remember that the Florida Legislature has already committed at least $700 million in expected federal funding from this bill to repay the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund for funds borrowed to complete the state's FY09 budget.

Full text at http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/RecoveryBill01-15-09.pdf

 

PRESIDENT'S EDUCATION AGENDA IN BRIEF

PRESIDENT'S EDUCATION AGENDA IN BRIEF

Only hardcore policy wonks may have noticed this, but as part of the January 20th presidential transition, an unprecedented revision of nearly all federal executive branch Web sites occurred almost simultaneously with the noon transition of presidential authority. The White House Web site now features a broad summary of the President's education agenda. The language is mostly general in nature, but a few of these statements are fairly specific. The initiatives include the following:

Create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state Zero to Five efforts and support voluntary UPK;
Quadruple Early Head Start funding;
Increase Head Start funding;
Double funding for the Federal Charter School Program in states that improve accountability for charter schools;
Provide funding for dropout prevention and intervention strategies in middle schools;
Double funding for the 21st Century Learning Centers grant program;
Support college-readiness outreach programs like GEAR UP, TRIO and Upward Bound;
Create new Teacher Service Scholarships;
Support performance pay and differential pay plans for teachers;
Increasing funding and enforcement if IDEA.

See full text at http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/education/

 

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

House Votes to Expand Children's Health Program

House Votes to Expand Children’s Health Program
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and pay for it by raising tobacco taxes—legislation that had been vetoed twice by President George W. Bush. The bill would increase the number of children enrolled in the program to about 11 million from 6.7 million. The Senate is expected to move quickly on its version, possibly making it the first piece of legislation Obama signs into law. Yahoo! News, 1/15/09

Monday, January 19, 2009

NGA, NCSL, CCSSO and NCSL Release Report on Improving High Schools

Building on the 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) joined together to release a new report on Thursday titled, "Accelerating the Agenda: Actions to Improve America's High Schools."

The report examines states' progress in improving America's high schools and highlights the challenges that remain in ensuring high school graduates are prepared for college and career success in the 21st-century global economy. Allthough many states have implemented reform efforts through a variety of initiatives, Gene Wilhoit, CCSSO executive director, stated, "We're not yet where we need to be. It is up to us as states to make the changes necessary to better prepare these students." To help in this effort, the four organizations have put forth new recommendations offering "fresh" ideas for state leaders on how to: 1) restore value to the high school diploma by elevating academic standards and high school graduation requirements and transforming career and technical education, 2) redesign high schools through alternative delivery mechanisms and re-engaging out-of-school youth through youth development programs, 3) improve schools by providing excellent teachers and principals by connecting teacher preparation, hiring and evaluation to students outcomes, 4) improve accountability by aligning postsecondary expectations to high school expectations and 5) improve education governance by bridging K-12 and post-secondary expectations gaps through P-16 councils.

Lastly, the report highlights the importance of emerging trends, such as: international benchmarking and an increased focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to increase student readiness; community partnerships and the impact of school drop-out prevention; and high-quality, comprehensive professional development. Wilhoit also noted that any concern about a shift in attention to early childhood as opposed to the secondary level is unnecessary because "college begins before kindergarten."

 

Click here to learn more.

 

Legislative Update

Last week was a busy one on Capitol Hill with many of President-elect Obama's cabinet nominees appearing before Senate Committees for their confirmation hearings. Arne Duncan, nominee for the post of Education Secretary, was warmly welcomed by all members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and is a sure bet for confirmation.

While Duncan wowed the Senate HELP Committee members, nominee Peter Orszag spoke to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about changes he would implement as director of the Office of Management and Budget. Education advocates were pleased to hear him speak unfavorably about the current administration's Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) evaluation system that has been the basis for many recommendations to eliminate funding for programs at the Department of Education. Orszag finds great fault with PART and clearly intends to develop an alternative for assessing quality and impact. He also made it clear that despite the spending spree outlined in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009 ($825 billion and counting), there will be cuts and program eliminations proposed in the first Obama federal budget, the outline of which will be released in early February. He gave no hint as to what agencies might be affected.

Negotiations on the stimulus package involving leadership in the House and Senate, key committee chairs and members of the Obama Transition Team, including the president-elect himself, also took place throughout the week. On Jan. 15 a plan combining tax cuts and spending increases at every government agency was in circulation. Education programs received generous treatment in the package with $140 billion directed to states for general relief and to prevent cuts in programs, as well as significant funding for construction and renovation of schools, technology upgrades and training, increases in Title I and IDEA funds and significant increases in Pell Grants, student loans and Work Study programs. If the bill released by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) makes it to the president's desk in February, it will provide welcome relief for school districts and colleges and universities throughout the nation.

 

Sunday, January 18, 2009

FLORIDA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

FLORIDA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

On January 14th, 2009, the Florida Legislature closed the expected $2.8 billion gap in the current FY08 budget by cutting education and social services programs, increasing traffic fines, and borrowing heavily from state trust funds and reserves. The final budget vote in the House 74-43, with the Senate voting 27-13.

Schools and social services programs took the biggest hit, with cuts of about $1.2 billion. This includes a cut in education funding of $140 per student and other education cuts of around $466 million). The cut is being described as a two percent decrease, but because local funds provide so much support for actual education costs, this cut actually represents a four percent reduction in state funding for education.

Although lawmakers approved a $10 increase on all fines for traffic infractions and a $25 increase for speeding fines, most other revenue increases were not considered. For example, no action was taken on a long-proposed $1-a-pack tax on cigarettes that supporters believe could yield $700 million per year. A currently-derailed gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida that could yield over $100 million a year was also set aside. Nor was any action taken on the numerous sales tax exemptions, including infamous exemptions for ostrich feed, bottled water, and college football skyboxes.

Instead, the Legislature borrowed heavily from trust funds and reserves (SB 4A), including $700 million from the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund, which the Legislature expects to be able to repay from a federal economic stimulus package. Another $400 million was borrowed from the Budget Stabilization Fund, which is a sort of state savings account used for short-term emergencies. This amount must be repaid starting in three years. An additional $190 million was reallocated from an affordable housing trust based on the argument that Florida already had a surplus of affordable housing available. This housing reallocation may bankrupt 36 current housing projects currently in progress, according to an industry lobbyist. For more information, see http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/01/14/ap5921344.html

The primary education spending bill (SB 6A) and the general appropriations bill included other measures of note:

* Contracts (such as for district school superintendents) may no longer include buy-out clauses with values exceeding one year's salary.

* Districts no longer need to certify their class size compliance in order to establish pre-kindergarten programs, and the summer school pre-k class size was increased from 10 to 12.

* Districts need not immediately purchase newly-adopted instructional materials due to a one-year waiver of this requirement.

* The Commissioner of Education now has power to appoint a financial emergency board for any school district with reserves less than two percent of projected revenues.

* Districts were provided with increased flexibility in the use of special 1.75 mil discretionary levies, from the equivalent of $65 per student to $100 per students. Enterprise resource software may be included in such levies.

* Merit awards (MAP) for teachers and administrations will be paid only if specifically funded, and bonuses for National Board teachers were cut again.

Full text at http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2009A/Senate/bills/billtext/pdf/s0006Aer.pdf

A version of this bill that approved 14-7 by the Senate Ways and Means committee but which did not come to a floor vote was to provide the Commissioner of Education with broad authority to cut the salaries of school district employees in the event of a state financial emergency.

See the committee report at http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2009A/Senate/bills/analysis/pdf/2009s0006A.wpsc.pdf

Amid concern over heavy borrowing by the Florida legislature and a stalled housing market, Standard & Poor's reduced the outlook for Florida's $13.4 billion of state-insured debt from “stable” to "negative," which may signal a reduction in the state's bond rating and make it more costly for the state to borrow in the future. In a message to clients, S&P criticized the Legislature's use of one-time revenues to postpone solving the state's revenue shortfall.

Orlando Sentinel article at http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2009/01/bloomberg-flori.html

 

Friday, January 16, 2009

Evaluation system will drill down on Florida's high school data

Evaluation system will drill down on Florida's high school data
A newer, more stringent evaluation system could make it easier to take an in-depth look at what's happening on the campuses of Florida's high schools, according to The Orlando Sentinel. The new system, still under consideration and subject to revision, relies less on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and more on graduation rates and student success in advanced courses or on college-admissions tests. Once in place, the evaluation would be the most sweeping change since Florida started grading public schools in 1998, but it would impact only high schools, with elementary and middle schools continuing to be graded only on how students do on FCAT's math, reading, science, and writing exams. In simulations run by the Florida Education Department, many schools, both high- and low-scoring, would drop in their standings somewhat in the first year, but the agency says it will proceed with the new system nonetheless. "It will bring high-school accountability to reflect more what the schools are truly doing," said Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith. Many educators now have reservations, however, including those who had earlier called for an improved assessment system.
Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-newgrades1109jan11%2C0%2C5473047.story

Monday, January 12, 2009

Legislative update

As we begin the New Year, Florida’s budget situation continues to look bleak. In January, there is going to be a special session to find a way to bridge a $1.1 billion dollar shortfall. This $1.1 billion is in addition to the 4% general revenue hold already applied. This means that in education takes its equal share of general revenue as a percentage cut of the total, it would amount to $400 million as a cut.

 

In the 2009-2010 school year, the state is looking at an additional $2.5 billion dollar shortfall. Also, it is believed that there is over $1 billion in “mandatory” spending required over the reduced budget to meet constitutional or federal requirements. This makes the budget short $3.5 billion. Additionally, local property taxes are expected to waver causing a $600 million in revenue cuts for public education.

 

Looking toward the positive possibilities, the Senate has shown a willingness to discuss developing new revenues to increase the budget size for the 2009-2010 school year. This would prevent the reduction in budgetary cuts.

 

As working professionals, we need to contact our legislators. Let them know that you are aware of the current financial crisis. Ask them to fight for ALL education funding programs. Encourage them to protect the rights under the constitution and keep an appropriate level of funding for education. Let them know you are willing to pay your fair share of taxes in order to support educational funding.

 

The full memberships for these committees can be found at the following links:

 

The House K-12 Appropriations Committee will chaired by Anitere Flores (R – Miami).  http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Committees/committeesdetail.aspx?SessionId=61&CommitteeId=2447

 

The Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee will be chaired again by Senator Steve Wise (R – Jacksonville):

http://www.flsenate.gov/cgi-bin/View_Page.pl?Tab=committees&Submenu=1&File=index.html&Directory=committees/senate/EA/

 

Calling Your Legislator

 

Ø Know or learn about your legislator. If you do not know them look at the online guide.

Ø Learn about the process. Being aware of what the legislator’s job is makes it easier for you to communicate and work with them.

Ø Plan your call carefully. Keep to the point and discuss only one issue. Organize your thoughts ahead of time and make notes to help you stay on track.

Ø Prepare a one-page fact sheet concerning your issue to give to your legislator upon their request (email). This will help him or her better retain what you present.

Ø Don’t be afraid to suggest a course of action and offer assistance. Do not ever threaten.

Ø Be polite. At times, you may not agree with them but for them to listen they must respect you.

 

Education Cuts

The Florida Legislature is meeting in Tallahassee this week to cut another $2.5 billion from our state's education budget during the January special session. Right now they are proposing to cut another $500,000,000 from the education budget for THIS YEAR.

 

As bad as it's been the last two years; it could get much worse if we don't act now!

 

The legislative leadership needs to hear from you now. Please take just a moment to let the following members know what these cuts mean for your students and how badly further cuts will harm our schools. You can email them by clicking the links below.

 

President of the Senate, Jeff Atwater

atwater.jeff.web@flsenate.gov

 

Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Ray Sansom

ray.sansom@myfloridahouse.gov

 

Senate PreK-12 Appropriations Committee (Chair), Stephen Wise
wise.stephen.web@flsenate.gov

 

Senate PreK-12 Appropriations Committee (Vice Chair) Gary Siplin
siplin.gary.web@flsenate.gov

 

Senate PreK-12 Policy Committee (Chair), Nancy Detert
detert.nancy.web@flsenate.gov

 

Senate PreK-12 Policy Committee (Vice Chair), Frederica Wilson
wilson.frederica.web@flsenate.gov

 

Florida House Of Representatives  PreK-12 Appropriations and Policy Committee, Anitere Flores
anitere.flores@myfloridahouse.gov

 

Florida House Of Representatives PreK-12 Appropriations and Policy Committee , John Legg
john.legg@myfloridahouse.gov

 

 

 

Senate Majority Leader Signals Education Priorities

Senate Majority Leader Signals Education Priorities

On Tuesday, Jan. 6, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) introduced a series of 10 bills conveying the Democratic majority's priorities for the 111th Congress. One of these bills, S.7, is a "Sense of the Congress," which urges the 111th Congress to consider and pass education legislation that reflects much of President-elect Obama's broad education priorities. Titled the Education Opportunity Act of 2009, the bill urges Congress to enact legislation that expands educational opportunities for Americans by: (1) increasing access to high-quality early childhood education and expanding child care, after school and extended learning opportunities; (2) improving accountability and assessment measures for elementary and secondary school students, increasing secondary school graduation rates and supporting elementary and secondary school improvement efforts; (3) strengthening teacher preparation, induction and support to recruit and retain qualified and effective teachers in high-need schools; (4) enhancing the rigor and relevance of state academic standards and encouraging innovative reform at the middle and high school levels; (5) strengthening mathematics and science curricula and instruction; and (6) increasing federal grant aid for students and the families of students, improving the rate of post-secondary degree completion and providing tax incentives to make higher education more affordable.

The legislation is a "message bill," with no details or specifics, although upon its introduction, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Democratic Conference Secretary, said, "For the first time in a long time, we have an opportunity to make a real difference in the way we treat health care and education. Our nation's economy and the strength of our communities depend on an effective and responsive education system. Reforming and improving these two critical systems will not be easy, but we stand ready to work with all of our colleagues to make the improvements our country deserves." The bill has 20 co-sponsors, all Democrats, and has been placed on the Senate calendar for consideration.

Education Week Releases Quality Counts 2009 Report

Education Week Releases Quality Counts 2009 Report

On Jan. 7, Education Week released its 13th annual Quality Counts report, "Portrait of a Population: How English-Language Learners are Putting Schools to the Test." The report used in-depth journalism and multiple data sources to investigate and present conclusions on the diverse and growing English language learner (ELL) population in the U.S. Education Week's Virginia Edwards welcomed the audience to the event and noted that Quality Counts 2009 contains data, journalistic research and explanatory articles on the growing population of ELLs in the United States. Christopher Swanson and Amy Hightower, with the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, highlighted the content of the report, including a portrait of this diverse population and the academic challenges these students present to public schools. Also discussed in the report is the role of certified English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teachers, the assessment and accountability standards for ELLs and state funding for ELL programs.

The event included a panel discussion with Ana Sol Gutierrez, a Maryland House Delegate; Kris Gutierrez with the University of California, Los Angeles (also on the Obama Education Policy Transition Team); Maria Santos with the New York City Department of Education; and Deborah Short with the Center for Applied Linguistics. The panelists discussed the greatest challenges facing ELLs in the United States, with the consensus that these students do not receive enough attention from policy makers. Citing their experiences with even high-quality public school systems failing ELLs, panelists believe the public education system has yet to fully embrace and adapt to these students. The topic of the panelists' Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization "wish list" arose, which included required ELL training for all teachers in a district with ELLs, five- and six- year high school graduation plans, a language threshold test administered before NAEP tests and federal guidelines for funding ELL programs in states. Of special note are Gutierrez' recommendations because of her role on the Education Policy Presidential Transition Team. Specifically, she asserted that ESEA reauthorization should yield a national definition of ELLs, longitudinal tracking data for ELLs and allowance of native language academic achievement tests, where appropriate.

More info:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2009/01/08/index.html

Legislative Update: Budget and Appropriations

Newly elected and re-elected senators and representatives took the oath of office for the 111th Congress, which convened on Jan. 6, 2008. While most of the press focused on those who were not sworn in for one reason or another - Roland Burris (D) of Illinois and Al Franken (D) and/or Norm Coleman (R) from Minnesota - there were celebrations all over Capitol Hill to mark the occasion.

Those off the Hill were busy planning for the unprecedented crowds that will arrive in the capital city for the historic swearing in Barack Obama. Those not engaged in party planning were busy having conversations about the fragile state of the American economy. Hearings were held before many committees on both sides of the Capitol. Obama met with House and Senate leaders and also gave his first major policy speech in several months on the topic of the economy and the actions his government will be prepared to take to address the crisis. Though Congress had hoped to have a stimulus bill on his desk on inauguration day, it now appears that the target for completion of what is likely to be a trillion-dollar package will be President's Day. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) were both quoted this week saying Congress would not take another recess until work on what is now called the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" is complete.

The promise of such an enormous tax-cutting and spending package has prompted every advocacy and interest group imaginable to promote a "vital piece" to include in the plan. A group of governors called on Congress to include $250 billion for general education support to the states. This could pay for everything from early childhood education to full funding for IDEA. College and university presidents are looking for a $6 billion campus infrastructure package plus another $6 billion to increase the size of the maximum Pell Grant award. K-12 advocates, beyond the large block grant, want to see a large portion of the overall infrastructure plan targeted to school construction and renovation. And the list goes on. The needs are enormous, and Nobel Prize-winning economists have convinced a large percentage of legislators that the government must spend its way out of this recession. This debate will dominate congressional activity for the next few weeks.

It is hoped that also during the next few weeks Congress will take final action on the FY 2009 budget, which has been folded into one omnibus spending bill. The $60 billion contained in that legislation for education sounds like a pittance in the context of the current debate about economic recovery.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Obama pledges schools upgrade in stimulus plan - USATODAY.com

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama probably cannot fix every leaky roof and busted boiler in the nation's schools. But educators say his sweeping school modernization program — if he spends enough — could jump-start student achievement.

More kids than ever are crammed into aging, run-down schools that need an estimated $255 billion in repairs, renovations or construction. While the president-elect is likely to ask Congress for only a fraction of that, education experts say it still could make a big difference.

Read more:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-12-31-obama-schools_N.htm

NCLB architect has second thoughts

NCLB architect has second thoughts
In an article in The National Review, Michael J. Petrilli, former associate assistant deputy secretary in the Office of Innovation and Improvement in the Bush Department of Education and co-author of "No Child Left Behind: A Primer," writes that he's "gradually and reluctantly come to the conclusion that NCLB as enacted is fundamentally flawed and probably beyond repair." A self-professed "True Believer" in the law during his years in the Bush administration, Petrilli now concedes problems that he had foreseen -- that the "highly qualified teacher" mandate was a "huge overreach," and that requiring all states to reach proficiency by 2014 but allowing them to define proficiency would spur a "race to the bottom" -- but he also admits other problems that took him longer to recognize. These include the conversion of schools into "test-prep factories," and the fact that school-choice laws are meaningless when there are too few good schools for parents to choose. Petrilli says he remains a supporter of the ideas underlying the law, which he enumerates, but no longer believes in "the machinery of the law itself." "The way forward," he writes, "starts with a more realistic assessment of what the federal government can reasonably hope to achieve in education," and includes weighted student funding and nationalization of standards.
Read more: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZGNiNTJhZjM5NmE5MDQ1NmViMjNjN2MxYWU5MzAyNjg


Student Participation in Acceleration Programs Has Increased;

    Student Participation in Acceleration Programs Has Increased; Legislature Has Taken Steps to Reduce Program Costs
http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/reports/educ/r08-70s.html        

A growing number of Florida’s high school students are taking advantage of acceleration courses and programs. Compared to the 2002 high school graduates examined in our prior report, a larger percentage of 2007 graduates participated in at least one acceleration course. Most of this growth resulted from a large increase in the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses. While more high school students are participating in Advanced Placement courses, the percentage of these students qualifying for college credit has decreased slightly since 2002.

Acceleration programs are relatively expensive to provide at high schools and the state’s costs of generating college credit hours through these programs exceeds the cost of providing comparable courses at postsecondary institutions. Consistent with our prior recommendations, the 2008 Legislature took steps to address this issue and control program costs by reducing the rate of incentive funding for accelerated programs. This change should save the state $34 million.

Monday, January 05, 2009

Sen. Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island

This morning, former President Clinton and Vice-President-Elect Biden eulogized former Sen. Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island, who served six terms in the U.S. Senate from 1961 to 1997. He was well-known as the primary sponsor and most vigorous advocate of a number of major grant programs, including the student financial aid grants which now bear his name but also the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

NYT Obituary: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/02/us/politics/02pell.html

 

NEW JUSTICE OF THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT NAMED

Last Friday, the Governor named Jorge Labarga of Wellington to serve as the newest justice on the Florida Supreme Court. Labarga, 56, is a Florida Gator and a native of Cuba who was just recently elevated from the 15th Circuit Court in Palm Beach County to the 4th District Court of Appeal. This appointment is Crist's third to the state Supreme Court.

Jorge Labarga biography at 15th Circuit: http://15thcircuit.co.palm-beach.fl.us/web/guest/judges/labarga

(Note to Buckeyes, Noles, Vols, Dawgs, Canes, and Sooners: the Gator Nation is everywhere, especially on the bench. Conduct yourselves accordingly.)

 

Legislative Update

Today's biggest news in education policy and program development, of course, is the opening of the special session of the Florida Legislature, which was called to make a number of budget cuts for the current fiscal year to help offset the state's continued revenue shortfalls. This session will be swift and somber: The full Appropriations Council on Education and Economic Development and the Full Appropriations Council on General Government and Health Care will meet all day on Wednesday, and then the House and Senate will hold the all-important budget conferences Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Next week will be spent in the required readings, final conferences, then the final votes, and that will be that.

The Governor's budget proposals called for around $100 million in cuts to PK-20 education, with about half related to elementary and secondary schools. However, the general consensus is that the Legislature will make much steeper cuts in spending and make fewer reserve transfers than the Governor proposed. Neither chamber is expected to address the Governor's now-invalidated gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe, leaving that revenue issue for regular session.

This session is highlighted in the "Quick Study" section below, along with a few other items of note.

* * * * *

QUICK STUDY: FOR WHOM THE BELL CURVES (Sources provided below)

1. Number of Florida Legislators called to special session today: 40 senators and 120 representatives

2. Number of days the special session will last: 12

3. Amount of budget shortfall to be accounted for in the special session beginning today: $2.3 billion

4. Amount of additional budget shortfall to be accounted for in the regular session beginning in March: $4 billion

5. Decrease in Florida FY09 budget from FY09 budget: $6 billion

6. Number of previous years in which Florida's revenues have dropped this far in one year: 0

7. Number of Floridians who are jobless: 680,000

8. Rate per $1,000 of personal income of combined federal, state, and local taxes allocated to PK-12 education in Florida: $33.51

9. Number of states in which this combined tax rate is higher: 49

SOURCES

1. Constitution of the State of Florida, Article III, Section 16 http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes#A03S16

2. Florida Legislature Joint Proclamation http://www.flsenate.gov/data/welcome/senate/2009A_proclamation.pdf

3, 4, 5, 6. Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/florida/story/836787.html

7. South Florida Sun-Sentinel http://www.sun-sentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/monday/nationworld/sfl-flfspecialbox0105sbjan05,0,4053440.story

8, 9. U.S. Census Bureau http://ftp2.census.gov/govs/school/06f33pub.pdf