State seeking comment on draft teacher standards

By Meghan E. Murphy | Published: July 22, 2010 | 0 Comments

The Board of Regents last week released a draft of new teaching standards that will be the foundation for teacher preparation programs, certification assessments, annual professional performance reviews, and career development plans for New York teachers.

The Preliminary Draft of New York State Teaching Standards and a Web Response Form are posted online for comment. If you are unable to access the draft online, please contact Jenese Gaston at jgaston@mail.nysed.gov.

The deadline to submit comments will be August 16, 2010. Written comments may be E-mailed to Patricia Oleaga at poleaga@mail.nysed.gov.

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Education jobs bill could be bundled with war funding

By Meghan E. Murphy | Published: May 14, 2010 | 0 Comments

Education Sec. Arne Duncan and President Barack Obama are encouraging Congress to package an education jobs bill with a war funding measure set to go to the Senate floor soon.

In the Hudson Valley, more than 500 jobs will be lost next year because of education revenue shortfalls. The state school boards association expects about 15,000 teacher jobs lost statewide. And it’s not just a New York issues, it’s nationwide, according to The New York Times.

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer have are co-sponsoring the bill.

Packing the bill with war funding could speed its passage, according to Education Week.

Read the Keep Our Educators Working Act here.

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Another fed. bailout for schools?

By Meghan E. Murphy | Published: April 15, 2010 | 0 Comments

With districts facing job and program cuts, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is co-sponsoring a bill that would give $23 billion to schools nationwide. The funds could be used to retain or hire employees and education training. Districts in the MidHudson region have estimated cuts to more than 500 jobs for next school year, according to a Times Herald-Record survey.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, introduced the bill, which could mean about $36 million for Orange County, $7 million for Sullivan and $15 million for Ulster, according to estimates. A similar bill has already passed the House of Representatives.
The senate is facing a narrow window to impact jobs for the 2010-11 school year. Districts in New York are restricted on increasing spending once budgets, which are due April 23, are submitted to the state. Gillibrand hopes to move the bill through quickly or at least provide districts with an assurance of whether it will pass before that deadline, Spokeswoman Bethany Lesser said.

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Say goodbye to No Child Left Behind

By Meghan E. Murphy | Published: March 15, 2010 | 0 Comments

The Department of Education Friday released its proposals for reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which under the Bush Administration was called No Child Left Behind.

The education reform will have a new name, as promised by education secretary Arne Duncan. The feds are also seeking feedback on the draft proposal.

Read the document here.

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Comment on common standards for schools

By Meghan E. Murphy | Published: March 10, 2010 | 0 Comments

The first draft of common standards that could change the approach to educatton nationwide was made public today by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers.

Called the Common Core Standards, the initiative has been working with teachers, administrators and public officials to create a framework to prepare children for college and the workforce.

Education secretary Arne Duncan has proposed making the adoption of the final standards as part of a requirement for states receiving Title I federal funds.

The groups are accepting feedback on the evidence-based standards through April 2. Check the standards out here.

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Another study shows charter schools closing gap

By Meghan E. Murphy | Published: February 22, 2010 | 0 Comments

A study of Massachusetts students finds that charter schools close the achievement gap, the first such study in an area with a large Hispanic population.

Similar results came out of a 2009 study of New York City schools.

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Cahill calls for effective education commission

By Meghan E. Murphy | Published: February 22, 2010 | 0 Comments

Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (D-Kingston) is criticizing the governor’s plans and floating one of his own.

Saying the governor’s cuts to shared services fund will hurt opportunities to make education more efficient, Cahill introduced legislation to require school districts to come up with consolidation plans.

The 21st Century Schools Act (A.9510) aims to maximize BOCES role and increase regional approaches totransportation and special education.

The act would also create a panel to study this issues.

“This is not another powerless blue ribbon panel,” said Assemblymember Cahill. “My plan calls for input from local activists, parents, teachers, administrators, taxpayers and other education advocates and actually puts their ideas to work. The Commission’s report would automatically go into effect unless voted down in the entirety by the Legislature.”

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Will Gov. withhold school aid again in March?

By Meghan E. Murphy | Published: February 2, 2010 | 0 Comments

The superintendent grapevine is talking about whether Gov. David Paterson will withhold state aid payments again in March.

Paterson withheld school aid and STAR rebate money in December citing a state cash flow problem. He repaid the money in mid-January.

Although education advocacy groups sued the governor over the issue, they stalled in court last month to give him the chance to pay the money back.

The education groups have waffled as to whether the suit is about the money or the principal. In December, Tim Kremer, executive director of the New York State School Boards Association, thought the suit would go forward whether or not the governor paid the money back. Educators wanted a legal opinion that would bar the governor from delaying payments again, he said.

Yet the suit is still in a holding pattern. There’s a hearing next week, and NYSUT spokesman Carl Korn said talks about what to do are ongoing. The options: continue, drop the suit or suspend it on the condition that the state does not delay payments again.

As for the validity of superintendent worries, state budget office spokesman Matt Anderson neither confirmed nor denied them. He wrote in an email any “actions that will be necessary in March have not yet been determined.” He also noted that the still has a projected $500 million current-year deficit and March is the state’s largest month for expenditures.

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Feds emphasize transparency, state posts Race application

By Meghan E. Murphy | Published: January 29, 2010 | 0 Comments

The state education department posted the state’s Race to the Top application on the web Friday.

New York was one of only five states that initially failed to make its application publicly available after submitting it Jan. 19, according to the Education Writers Association. Officials said they would not release the application until after the winners were announced, saying that it would hurt the state’s competitiveness.

However, in a media call on the State of the Union, education secretary Arne Duncan dismissed that notion. He emphasized that the process should be transparent to the public and leaders nationwide should learn from each others’ proposals

The state then posted its application Friday. The Race to the Top is a competive program among states for $4 billion in stimulus money that aims to change approaches to education  nationwide.

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Will the feds bail out local schools?

By Meghan E. Murphy | Published: January 28, 2010 | 0 Comments

Many states, including New York, are using federal stimulus money to close holes in budget gaps.

Originally, our state planned to use its $7.2 billion over two years, but in December Gov. David Paterson pointed out that the state was running out of cash. Instead of cutting overpromised school aid mid-year, the legislature voted to use $391 million in stimulus for the 2009-2010 school year.

What was left?  Paterson is proposing using the remaining $726 million to close a $2.1 billion education budget hole.

What does that mean? The $1.4 million in cuts proposed by the governor, including $49 million to mid-Hudson districts, come after the stimulus money was exhausted.

Some hopefully speculated that more bailout money would be on the way. But in Wednesday’s State of the Union speech, Obama announced an additional $1.3 billion for Race to the Top, which will benefit only selected states. Another $1 billion proposed increase would come only if Congress reauthorizes the Elementary and Seconday Education Act.

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