San Francisco Schools

Charter lobby opposes law it first requested

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:51:00 +0000

The California Charter Schools Association asked a Southern California assemblywoman to sponsor a bill "that would address concerns about conflicts of interest on charter school boards, but still let those with a financial stake in a school serve on its board." But now the CCSA thinks the bill carried by Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City, is too tough, so they're fighting it, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Riverside Press-Enterprise May 6, 2008
Charter school bill now opposed by sponsoring group
By SHIRIN PARSAVAND
The Press-Enterprise

A group representing the state's charter schools was thrown for a loop when the bill it asked a legislator to carry ended up being much more restrictive than expected.

The California Charter Schools Association asked Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City, to carry a bill that would address concerns about conflicts of interest on charter school boards, but still let those with a financial stake in a school serve on its board.

Garcia heavily amended the bill last month to reflect the concerns of the Assembly Education Committee.

Now, the association is opposing the bill it had sponsored, and charter schools are writing letters to Garcia and other legislators against the bill.

The association's director of governmental affairs, Branche Jones, said Garcia was going against the group to push a bill through the Democrat-controlled Legislature.

"I think she caved, from our perspective," Jones said.

Garcia declined to comment on the legislation. An aide, Sharon Gonsalves, said Garcia is still open to changes.

The San Bernardino County superintendent of schools, Herbert Fischer, said in his annual address in January that new legislation was needed to address abuses such as those at the now-defunct California Charter Academy. The Victorville-based charter school network operated four schools and more than 50 satellite sites, including campuses in San Bernardino, Colton and Rialto, before it closed in 2004.

In September, a grand jury handed down a 117-count indictment against the school's founder, Charles Steven Cox, and Tad Theron Honeycutt, a Hesperia councilman who ran businesses connected to the schools.

They are accused of illegally transferring $5.5 million from the academy to private, for-profit management companies they created to sell supplies and services back to the school.

Honeycutt and Cox have pleaded not guilty to misappropriation of public funds, grand theft and failing to file tax returns.

Garcia's bill, AB 1772, originally would have required that no more than 49 percent of a charter school's board be made up of staff or those with a financial interest in the school.

The new version would prohibit charter school board members from holding any financial interest in the school. Charter schools would have to comply with the same conflict-of-interest laws affecting public schools.

Some charter schools are started by teachers, and those schools should be allowed to have staff on their boards, Jones said.

But the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools office and the California School Boards Association support holding charter school boards to the same standards as public school district boards.

"We think it's better for the school, better for the taxpayer," said Brian Rivas, senior legislative advocate for the California School Boards Association. He said employees who serve as board members could influence decisions on a school's contracts even if they recuse themselves from certain votes.

Kevin Gordon, a lobbyist for San Bernardino County's Superintendent of Schools office and for school districts around the state, said it's highly unusual for a sponsor to ask a legislator to carry a bill, then withdraw its support.

But, he said, a bill's sponsor must work closely with the legislator who carries a bill to address any concerns.

"In the Legislature, the sponsor of a bill doesn't own the process," Gordon said. "The legislator that authors the bill controls the bill."

Rainy Day Umbrella protects the teachers

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:44:00 +0000

Thanks to Amiano's Rainy Day fund, there will be no teacher layoffs this year. The Chron reports:

San Francisco school officials said today they will rescind all 535 teacher layoff notices they mailed in March based on a commitment from the Board of Supervisors to give up to $20 million to help fill the school district's budget gap.

The supervisors voted 11-0 Tuesday afternoon to approve a resolution promising the money from the city's rainy day fund. The official transfer of funds can't happen until the city passes its annual budget in June.

The city's promise allows the school district to crunch its own numbers with the knowledge that the city funds will be forthcoming - before the May 15 deadline to confirm teacher layoffs.

"That is just really music to our ears," said Superintendent Carlos Garcia at a press conference this morning. "We've been working all night to figure out the ramifications."

Garcia said the district faces a $40 million deficit based on the governor's current budget proposal. Even with the rainy day funds, there is still a big hole to fill still.

About 50 layoff notices for paraprofessionals - paid teachers aides - will not be rescinded at this point, Garcia said, adding that they will have wait until they see the governor's newest budget proposal next week.

Nice to have some shelter from the storm.

SNS budget outlook worsens

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Wed, 07 May 2008 07:07:00 +0000

Before this year's California budget crisis, efforts to reform SFUSD's food service were limited by low federal reimbursement rates and inadequate budgets. Now the SNS faces a double whammy with the overall district budget deficit forcing belt tightening everywhere coupled with dramatic increases in food prices. Expect to hear a lot more about this issue. This could be painful. From CNN:

School kids feel the bite of high food prices
Administrators are cutting corners and considering lay-offs to make up for the price spike in milk, eggs and flour.
By Aaron Smith, CNNMoney.com staff writer

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Rising food prices are making it harder for schools to cook up ways to give kids the nutrition they need.

Right now, they're taking shortcuts and shuffling ingredients to make up the difference, but that's only a short-term solution with long-term consequences on the horizon.[...]

Food-price pain is especially sharp in California, which has some of the nation's strictest nutrition rules. "With all the food requirements we have [here], it's doubly difficult this year. There isn't enough money to go around," said Lynnelle Grumbles, food service director at Visalia Unified School District in central California.

Balancing school lunch with possible lay-offs
"The parents expect more fresh vegetables, but we're having to make a choice not to," Grumbles said. The only other solutions would be to lay off workers, charge parents more per plate, or convince Congress to increase its annual reimbursement rate, she said.

"If the general public expects school programs to provide quality food for their kids, then the reimbursement rates need to increase," she said. "The increase over the next two years needs to double, in order to survive."

Federal reimbursement programs cover all or part of school districts' lunch tabs. Congress lifts reimbursement rates every year, but Gasiorowski said it hasn't been enough: "We need to be looking at an increase of 12% to 15%, instead of our usual annual increase of 2 or 3%."

SF Chronicle Strongly Supports Prop A!

noreply@blogger.com (rpnorton) — Wed, 07 May 2008 04:21:00 +0000

The Chronicle published its endorsement of Proposition A this morning, and couldn't have been more positive. An excerpt:

Proposition A isn't an ordinary parcel tax; it's a well-crafted, sound investment. Instead of appealing to voters to just throw more money at "the schools," the school district developed a long-term strategy to improve school performance. It decided that focusing the parcel tax money on teacher retention and training would make the greatest amount of difference in students' education, a choice that is backed up by education experts and studies.

The money will boost salaries - making San Francisco more competitive with surrounding school districts - and offer additional bonuses to teachers who work in tough schools and teach much-needed subjects like math and science.

But that money won't come free or easy - teachers will also have to meet new accountability standards. Previously, a teacher could receive two annual unsatisfactory reviews before being nudged into professional development training. Now, SFUSD Superintendent Carlos Garcia insists that teachers will be pushed into development after just one unsatisfactory review - and that teachers who continue to fail at meeting standards will be encouraged to go into another line of work.

With four weeks to go, we need to find every YES vote to support our teachers and pass Proposition A.

Rainy Day Calculus

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Sat, 03 May 2008 18:43:00 +0000

The following excerpt comes from a recent UESF email by Dennis Kelly. It gives a reasonably clear explanation of where we stand with the rain day funds:

Report Back from UESF Delegation to SF Controller
=================================================
Yesterday [ed: April 28th] the San Francisco City Controller and his staff provided a briefing on the Rainy Day Fund to a delegation from UESF and representatives from several City Supervisors' offices.

The law states that the triggers for the Rainy Day Fund to be released to the school district are a reduction of inflation-reduced per-pupil revenues and the noticing of significant numbers of layoffs. The Controller certified that the appropriate conditions were met to release the funds.

The law also states that the district is entitled to 25% of the total amount in the fund, or the decline in inflation adjusted per pupil revenue, whichever is less. Currently the fund holds $117.6 million, 25% of which is $29.4 million.

However, according to the Controller's office, under his calculations the decline in the inflation adjusted per pupil revenue is projected to be somewhere between $18.0 million and 19.7 million.

Although SFUSD is expecting an approximately $40 million budget shortfall to the entire budget, much of those cuts will be made to categorical funds.

According to the Controller, the total shortfall in the discretionary budget (which he is interpreting as the decline in inflation adjusted per pupil revenue) is the number somewhere between $18.0 million and $19.7 million. The amount is a range because it depends on the calculation of the education Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) by the state of California. The COLA is not set yet for next year, but is expected to be between 4.9% and 5.4%.

Therefore he is authorizing the release of the lesser amount, unless conditions in the state budget change substantially. Governor Schwarzenegger announced yesterday that the state budget crisis is around $20 billion for next fiscal year, much higher than the original projections of $14-16 billion. The number may therefore be revised upwards as we move forward.

The Rainy Day Fund will be released when the San Francisco City budget is passed, which is typically in the end of July. However, we have been informed by SFUSD that they intend to rescind a certain number of layoffs based on the promise of the funds from the Controller's office. They have stated that on or around May 8th, a further list of rescinded layoffs will be sent out.

By law the SFUSD must send out final layoff notices by May 15th.

The same material was covered in the Chron in this article: Rainy day fund comes to rescue of S.F. teachers, but the UESF report goes into clearer detail on how the $19M figure was derived.

Again, we've been pretty lax about reporting on the budget issue, so we're catching up. More to come.

Crunch Time for Prop. A

noreply@blogger.com (rpnorton) — Sat, 03 May 2008 05:36:00 +0000

Four weeks until the election, and it's crunch time - a two-thirds majority is an extraordinarily high threshold to reach.

Hopefully by now, you have gotten your hands on a Prop A sign and hung it in your window, and asked a neighbor or a friend or two to hang a sign in their windows as well (if you don't have a sign, PPS has lots, and we have organized distribution points around the City where you can pick up a sign at a convenient location, posted below). Hopefully by now you have helped inform other parents at your school by distributing information about Proposition A on parent listserves and the Wednesday envelopes (PPS has a downloadable flyer that is suitable for distribution on school premises, in English, Spanish and Chinese).

Now, we need your time. Can you:
-PHONE BANK? UESF is running phone banks every Mon.-Thursday evening at their offices, 2310 Mason St., near Bay St., from 5p.m. to 8 p.m. Grab a friend and spend a few hours phoning voters to make sure they know about Prop A and will vote yes! PPS members are invited to come on special PPS nights, May 8 and May 12 -- contact ellie "at" ppssf.org to sign up. But anyone is welcome anytime.

-WALK PRECINCTS? Get some exercise and talk to voters about Prop A! Pick up precinct maps and campaign materials on Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m., at Civic Center Secondary (the old John Swett Elementary on Golden Gate Ave. between Gough and Franklin Sts.). Then hit the streets! We are focusing on Districts 2, 4 and 7, places where we most need to mobilize Yes votes. Many schools are hosting fundraisers and festivals in the next few weeks - we need to make it clear to all our parent communities that working to pass Prop A is as important to each school's future as raising funds for next year. Can you gather a group of parents at your school to walk precincts one weekend? Contact kpulaski.schools "at" whitehurstcampaigns.org to get precinct assignments and campaign materials for your group.

We need to contact over 10,000 voters before the election to approach a comfortable victory margin - we've barely reached half that number with the current number of volunteers. We need YOU! Remember that Proposition A benefits everyone, because recruiting and retaining great teachers is critical to a healthy school system.

For more information about Proposition A, go to http://www.voteyesonpropa.com

Prop A sign distribution points -

BERNAL HTS
bensdad415 “at” yahoo.com

CASTRO
barrie.simpson “at” verigy.com

GLEN PARK
lmilvy “at” aol.com

MARINA
crystalsbrown “at” yahoo.com

MISSION
PPS offices - The Women's Building
3543 18th Street #1, San Francisco, CA 94110
Phone: 415-861-7077 (signs will be outside office door if no one is there)

MISSION/NOE VALLEY
coxson “at” speakeasy.net
zoochryss “at” yahoo.com

MISSION TERRACE/EXCELSIOR
staceyleyton “at” hotmail.com

RICHMOND
rachel “at” rachelnorton.com

SUNNYSIDE
lorraine “at” ppssf.org

SUNSET (INNER)
7th Ave – redfishantiques “at” gmail.com
18th Ave - vicmartinez77 “at” yahoo.com

SFUSD School Events THIS Week-end - May 2, 3, 4

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:15:00 +0000

Another weekend packed with school events.

Hi, everyone:

Here's my weekly report on the many activities going on at/for SFUSD schools this weekend. Once again, you can have another perfect "Support Schools and Students in the SFUSD" week-end AND IT DOESN'T INVOLVE A MEETING!!!! -
Car Washes and more this Saturday benefiting:
Balboa HS SGA Car Wash
Saturday, May 3 - 9:00am-1:00pm
Location: KRAGEN Auto Supplies Store, 1150 Ocean Avenue (by City College)
Suggested Minimum Donation: $7
Benefits activities for the sophomores - Class of 2010 activities.
International Studies Academy HS Rummage Sale
Saturday, May 3 - 9:00am-3:00pm
Location: Enola Maxwell Campus, 655 De Haro Street (at 18th St)
The funds raised will help cover costs associated with ISA's Prom and Graduation.
Beautify Hoover Day
Saturday, May 3 - 9:00am-3:00pm
Location: Herbert Hoover M.S. Campus, 2290 14th Avenue (at Santiago St)

Celebrate Earth Day and clean to the beat of KMEL! Meet District 7's Supervisor Sean Elsbernd! Breakfast and lunch provided. Bring your work gloves, cleaning tools and buckets, rakes and hoes. We will be organizing work parties for specific projects.

Sponsored by the 6th grade - Class of 2010 in collaboration with SFPD GREAT Program. Send an email to Niki Gibbons if you are interested in helping: gibbonsn1 @at sfusd.edu
..SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD..
Performances and Activities:
San Francisco School of the Arts [SOTA]
Vocal Music Department invites you to...
Senior Showcase
Friday, May 2, 7:30 PM
Main Stage, San Francisco School of the Arts, 555 Portola at O'Shaughnessy
Admission: $5.00 Students / $10.00 Adults

The seniors bring a collection of solo and ensemble selections to the Main Stage, as a farewell concert. Music styles vary from classical to popular, from folk to the theatre. The seniors will even sing their favorite choral selections from their SOTA experience.

Tickets, information, map and directions: www.sfsota-ptsa.org
Boswick the Clown
Performance benefiting West Portal E.S.
Friday, May 2 - 7:00pm
West Portal E.S. Auditorium
Admission: $5.00 Kids / $8.00 Adults

All Proceeds to Benefit West Portal E.S.
..SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD..

OR
If you'd prefer a different type of event [and you just received some extra $$$ from the I.R.S. or the Lottery], there's
New Traditions 2008 Carnival & Auction
Saturday, May 3 11:00am-3:00pm
2049 Grove Street [bet Clayton and Cole]
Games, Food, Entertainment, Raffle, Prizes
Hundreds of Auction Items, Great Deals
on-line bids
Proceeds benefit the Creative Arts Program.
James Lick FROLIC [Auction]
Saturday, May 3 6:00–10:00pm
Noe Valley Ministry
1021 Sanchez Street (bet 23rd and Elizabeth)
Admission: $15 in advance; $20 at the door

For more information visit: www.jameslickptsa.org
Happy May, May Day, Cinco de Mayo!
Shellie Wiener
VP-Communications, SFPTA

FInally, talking about tax increase

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:57:00 +0000

We have not been devoting a whole lot of space here to budget news, partly on the theory that it has been premature to get too excited about it. Back in March we saw the storm clouds brewing and knew it was looking bad, but too early to really see in clear detail.

Well, now it is May. The budget gap is getting bigger. Layoff notices—which in most years never amount to much—are no joke. The gathering storm is breaking over our heads. The rainy day is here and it looks every bit as bad as predicted. Maybe worse.

Yet Sacramento continues to dither. Arnold and the legislature continue to play a game of chicken with our schools' future. Any fool can see the state needs to find more revenue, yet no one seems to be willing to be the first to stand up and propose the obvious—we need to raise taxes. So this LA Times article provides an interesting perspective:

Californians divided over new taxes for schools, poll finds:

Californians want their public schools protected from state budget cuts and are willing to tax the rich to make that happen. But despite the threat of schools taking a beating in next year's state budget, residents are sharply divided over whether they would support higher taxes for themselves, according to a statewide poll released late Wednesday.

Letting the axe fall on our kids' heads is not an option. Raising taxes will be difficult. It's time for the legislature and the governor to get serious about the hard work of hammering out this budget. Playing chicken is to no one's advantage.

Art attack! Performances in May-June

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 +0000

This is just the performance schedule for San Francisco School of the Arts! The districtwide Young at Art festival is happening too, and all kinds of stuff at other schools.

For updates and more information: www.sfsota-ptsa.org
SOTA is at 555 Portola Drive at O'Shaughnessy, just west of Twin Peaks/Diamond Heights.

Friday, May 2, 7:30 p.m. SOTA Main Stage
Vocal Music Department Senior Showcase
The seniors present a collection of solo and ensemble selections as their farewell concert.
Students $5, adults $10.

Thursday, May 8, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Third Floor Galleries, Main Building
Freshman Visual Art Show and Reception

Original art, as well as prints and catalogs, will be available for purchase. Refreshments will be served.
Proceeds from original art sales are shared between the student artist and the Visual Department.
Please support SOTA's Visual artists in the last Visual show of the school year.
Students $3, adults $5.

Thursday, May 8, 6:30 p.m., SOTA Drama Studio
(Yes, that's SIX-thirty.)
The Theater Department presents...
Snippets: Intermediate One Playwrights
SOTA New Play Festival 2007-08 -- Part Three
Introducing staged readings of short sections and pieces from our new Intermediate One Playwrights.
Students/senior citizens $5, adults $10.

Friday, May 8, 7:30 p.m., SOTA Main Stage
The Instrumental Music Department presents...
Band Concert

Friday, May 9, 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 10, 2 p.m.; Sunday, May 11, 2 p.m.
SOTA Drama Studio
The Theatre Department presents...
You Said a Mouthful: Intermediate One-Act Play Showcase
Students/senior citizens $5, adults $10.

Saturday, May 10, 7:30 p.m., SOTA Main Stage
The Instrumental Music Department presents...
Orchestra/Wind Ensemble concert

Thursday, May 15, 6-8 p.m.
Books Inc., 3515 California Street between Spruce and Laurel, Laurel Village, San Francisco
SOTA and the Academy of Arts & Sciences present...
Fundraiser for SOTA/AAS Library
Mention the fundraiser and a portion of all sales will be donated to the library. This is a great time to get those Summer Reading books, so you're not scrambling around town looking for them in August. While you're there, pick up some books to read while you're on vacation this summer.

Thursday, May 15, 7:30 p.m., SOTA Main Stage
The Piano Department presents...
Piano Recital

Friday, May 16, 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 17, 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 18, 2 p.m.
Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason (note offsite location and early matinee time)
The Dance Department presents...
Unfolding Light: SOTA Dance Project 2008
Students under 18 and seniors over 65 $13, adults $20.
For tickets call (415) 345-7575 or www.fortmason.org and click Box Office

Tuesday, May 20, 7:30 p.m., SOTA Main Stage
The Instrumental Music Department presents...
Jazz Concert

Thursday, May 22, 4:30 p.m., SOTA Main Stage
The Vocal Music Department annual showcase
including vocal jazz, music theatre, rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll, in two acts
Vocal Finale Act I

Thursday, May 22, 7:30 p.m., SOTA Main Stage
Vocal Finale Act II

Friday, May 23, 7:30 p.m; Saturday, May 24, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.;
Thursday, May 29, 4:30 p.m.; (no May 30) Saturday, May 31, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
SOTA Drama Studio
The Theatre Department presents...
Twelfth Night
Students and seniors $12, adults $15.

Thursday, May 29, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, May 30, 7:30 p.m., SOTA Main Stage
The Media Department presents...
Media Night

Monday, June 2, 7:30 p.m., SOTA Main Stage
Musical Theatre Showcase
A SOTA interdisciplinary performance

Friday, June 6, 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 7, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., SOTA Drama Studio
The Theatre Department presents...
"A Year in Revue" -- Basic Theatre Showcase

Friday, June 6, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 7, 7:30 p.m., SOTA Main Stage
The Vocal Music Department presents...
"Hot Mikado"

Friday, June 13: Last day of school

Charter brouhaha rages in LAUSD

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Thu, 01 May 2008 23:20:00 +0000

The battle in LAUSD over finding space for charter schools continues. I'm posting this article from the L.A. Daily News because SFUSD has the same issues, luckily on a smaller scale. Note that Ramon "Ray" Cortines was SFUSD superintendent in the early '90s.

Los Angeles Daily News
4/30/08
Charter-school battle unfolds
District pulls offers of campus space to schools
By Naush Boghossian, Staff Writer

Just one month after Los Angeles Unified offered space on its campuses for nearly 40 charter schools, district officials said Wednesday they have withdrawn seven of the offers and are considering yanking five more.

The withdrawals come amid a growing outcry by the teachers union as well as charter schools and traditional schools unhappy with the prospect of sharing dozens of campuses.

In a letter outlining the plan, Senior Deputy Superintendent Ray Cortines said he decided to withdraw the offers based on the "instructional impacts the charter co-location would impose."

But the move drew immediate outrage Wednesday from charter leaders who said the district is reneging on its deal and may be in defiance of Proposition 39 - a statewide ballot measure passed in 2000 that requires LAUSD and other districts to share facilities fairly among all students.

Click to read the rest of the article.

A dirty secret about philanthropists

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:16:00 +0000

I'm reposting this commentary with permission from the Perimeter Primate blog, which focuses on Oakland schools. The trend of billionaire philanthropists dabbling in education reform as a hobby impacts schools nationwide.

Monday, April 28, 2008
A dirty secret about philanthropists

An article published by the New York Times on March 9, 2008 did a very good job of revealing some of what is going on in the minds of the millionaire and billionaire educational philanthropists today.¹

The article explained that the educational philanthropists donate their money because 1) they need a tax break and 2) educational issues are currently a popular cause. Unlike educational philanthropists of the old days like Carnegie and Rockefeller who were satisfied by providing supplemental help to the system, this new breed wants to see evidence that their money has produced specific types of output. To control this, they actively seek to have a strategic influence over the school districts which are the recipients of their largess. It is crystal clear that their gifts come with quite a few strings attached.

The first thing the educational philanthropists do is to deploy a “disruptive force.” Once the established school system is destroyed, they are poised to insert whatever model they think is better. Aren’t they nice?

For a number of years now, these philanthropists have been playing a huge role in changing school districts in many cities, including my own. Of course, they don’t send their kids to those public schools, nor live among the many members of those communities. They have no experience as educators of the masses, and certainly have not had significant personal contact with schools for the commoners, i.e. the public ones. But these qualifiers which would restrain the cockiness of a normal individual don't seem to carry weight for those arrogant and wealthy individuals with an urge to “fix" the problems, undoubtedly driven to do so for various personal reasons.

The educational philanthropists hunt for weak districts because they need a place to test their ideas. Oakland was one such district. Once it was cleanly obtained, with help from California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, the “disruptive force” was installed.

The force arrived as graduates from billionaire Eli Broad’s training ground, headed by the first State Administrator Randy Ward. They set up shop quickly and went to work creating their own special system for managing our large, urban school district. Some members have left, but others have replaced them. As an organized force from the outside, they have been applying their system for nearly five years now (the “Expect Success” program). The whole operation was paid for by the foundations of Gates, Broad, Rogers, and others. Oakland Unified still isn't “fixed” and with their approach it will never be.

Of course, assisting us with our fiscal recovery was never their primary goal.

This undertaking was quite easy to do because the conduit for public input had been completely eliminated. Information to the public about what was really going on was scant. It was sometimes alluded to in the promotional materials for “Expect Success.” Many experienced and savvy administrators who questioned features of this new program, or showed resistance, either gave up in disgust and left, or were pressured out.

With the return of our local control, the powers of the “disruptive force” will be diminished, or lost – but not if the educational philanthropists can get a toe-hold by becoming a part of the publicly elected power body. Currently, Brian Rogers is running for a School Board seat in Oakland's District One.²

¹ “How Many Billionaires Does It Take to Fix a School System” at http://tinyurl.com/5jxnv2

² “Family foundations maximize impact,” SF Business Times, October 13, 2006, http://www.cityfieldsfoundation.org/SFBusinessTimes101306.pdf

“Gary Rogers was the chief executive of Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream in June 2003 when the company signed a $2.8 billion deal with Nestle SA, giving the Swiss food giant majority control. Rogers had bought the Oakland company 26 years before with his business partner, William Cronk, taken it public in 1981 and grown it into a $1 5 billion business.

The deal created what those in philanthropic circles call an “economic event” in Rogers’ life. Rogers realized he could either fill the IRS coffers that year or pour the money into the community in which he had raised his family and take a tax break of roughly 40 percent.

‘It's not the only reason people set up a family foundation, but it's one of the benefits of doing it,’ said Brian Rogers, who is one of Gary's three sons and executive director of the Rogers Gary Rogers Family Foundation. ‘For us, there was a large transaction for my father's business and at that point, he decided to bring together all of his goals for philanthropic giving.’

The result was a $90 million contribution to the Bay Area. Divided between two organizations - the family foundation that Brian runs and a supporting organization through the East Bay Community Foundation - the funds are backing desperately needed projects, large and small, including Oakland's $43 million Expect Success program in its public schools.”

More progress at Daniel Webster

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:47:00 +0000

Efforts to revitalize Daniel Webster ES took another step forward recently, as reported in this Chron article: Volunteers give S.F. school a fresh look

Enrollment is on the decline and budgets are tight, but a Potrero Hill elementary school received a major face-lift Saturday, as more than 100 volunteers painted its walls and planted flowers in hopes of wooing new students and their parents.

"A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for the community," said Stacey Bartlett with the Potrero Residents Education Fund, a group that supports Daniel Webster Elementary School. "The school district does not have money for the improvement, and it takes the community to help them out."

The Rebuilding Together project at Webster that the article highlights is not the only news at Webster. Their blog chronicles the continuing efforts to get the new preschool up and running. I've been watching this story develop for years now. Nice to see the hard work of volunteers start to bear fruit. Congratulations and good luck to all involved

Defending all the school board members

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:51:00 +0000

There's a string of anguished parents posting right now on TheSFKFiles blog about their frustration with the SFUSD school assignment process, now that results of Round 2 of the lottery have just arrived. Amid the angst, one commenter posted scathingly that only two of the current Board of Ed members has kids currently in SFUSD schools, implying that for that reason the other members wouldn't care.

Well, I do feel I have to defend the current school board commissioners — all of them, whether or not I'm philosophically in line with them at all times. And that's despite the fact that I'm supporting Rachel Norton for school board and she too is making that point, since she's a current SFUSD parent.

That's a really tough job with long, long, late-night hours, for a token stipend ($500 a month). With kids at home, I simply couldn't do it without seriously shortchanging my family, and I think most parents are in the same situation. I mean, not just in a small way; my ability to parent my kids would be absolutely devastated.

I'd like to get more involved in the PTA at the state level because of its vital role in political advocacy for children and education — but that is simply off the table until my kids are grown.

How tough the Board of Ed job is was driven home to me by something veteran Commissioner Jill Wynns mentioned in passing. During a painful round of school closures, an enraged parade of speakers was at the microphone at a packed, heated BOE meeting. One furious speaker reached into her purse. Jill — and the other board members, I'm sure — had to seriously make a split-second decision whether to dive under the desk (no one did). The speaker turned out to be reaching for a pencil.

Jill, for one, was elected to the BOE when she still had kids in SFUSD schools, and has continued to serve as her three kids grew up and went off on their own, as does happen.

What about the other BOE members?

— Jane Kim — no kids nor prior direct SFUSD involvement, but she has been deeply involved in nonprofits working with many SFUSD high-schoolers. (She was the top vote-getter in the election in which she won her seat, with an army of SFUSD teens out campaigning for her.)
— Eric Mar — current SFUSD parent.
— Kim-Shree Maufas — grown child who attended SFUSD schools.
— Hydra Mendoza — current SFUSD parent.
— Mark Sanchez — no kids, but a former SFUSD teacher. (State law bars teachers from sitting on Boards of Ed in the districts where they teach, so he is not legally allowed to teach in SFUSD currently.)
— Jill Wynns — as noted, grown kids who attended SFUSD schools, and were still in school when she was originally elected. And as the longest-serving BOE member (again, essentially as a volunteer), she has lived and breathed school issues for years.
— Norman Yee — grown kids who attended SFUSD schools.

Just for this one moment, I'm defending ALL the BOE members against the implication that they're too removed from SFUSD schools to be concerned about how the enrollment process impacts families. I honestly don't think that's fair or accurate.

Weekend event wrap-up

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:22:00 +0000

Another jam packed Saturday is upon us. Sorry for the late notice:

Hi, everyone:

The events are pouring in. Here's some suggestions for another perfect "Support Schools in the SFUSD and Their Students" week-end AND IT DOESN'T INVOLVE A MEETING!!!! -

If you're not planning to attend the PPSSF Annual meeting this morning, then treat your car to a car wash [and more] this Saturday [today] benefiting either:
Balboa HS - 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Location: KRAGEN Auto Supplies Store 1150 Ocean Avenue (by City College) Suggested Minimum Donation: $7 Benefits the activities of the Balboa Student Government.
James Lick MS - 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Garage Sale, Breakfast and Car Wash Location: 1220 Noe St (@ 25th Street) Breakfast is only $5 - Served 9am-11am Blowout garage sale - All Day 9am-4pm Car wash - Cars $5, SUV $8 - All Day 9am-4pm Help us send 103 sixth graders to visit the UFW center in the Central Valley. All proceeds go to support student scholarships.
Starr King ES - 10:00 am - 2:00 pm 3rd Annual Car Wash & BBQ Location: Wisconsin (bet 23rd & 25th) Prices - $10 Basic Wash, $15 Deluxe Wash Free BBQ with every wash! AND... There's also a bake sale - the proceed from which will support the cost of sending two Starr King 5th graders on a trip to Washington DC to attend a leadership program.
..SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD..
Then get in that shiny car & drive over (unless you can just walk over which is MUCH better) to see:

SFUSD Elementary Music Festival 2008

The Visual and Performing Arts Department of the San Francisco Unified School District is presenting our annual Elementary Music Festival Concert.

This special concert will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, April 26th, 2008, in the Lincoln High School Auditorium located at 2162 24th Ave.

Each year approximately 700 instrumental music students participate in the San Francisco Unified School District's Elementary Music Festival to represent the 7,000 instrumental music students from our 71 elementary schools. This performance will include musical selections played by violins, clarinets, trumpets, flutes, recorders and our Festival Choir.

..SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD...SFUSD..

OR
If you'd prefer a different type of event [and money is burning a hole in your pocket], there's
Alice Fong Yu Spring Gala Satruday, April 26 6:00-11:00pm St. Anne's Church
Lafayette ES Silent Auction Saturday, April 26 6:30-10:30pm The Club House @ Lincoln Park Golf Course (34th Ave & Clement Street) $10 Cover Charge, Cash Bar, Killer Appetizers & Desserts - Adults Only
and then there's the ON-LINE experience:
Leonard Flynn ES inaugural On-line Auction Closes Midnight, Sunday, April 27

It’s simple to bid online:
Go to the Leonard Flynn auction site
If you are not already registered with eBay, you will need to do so. Click on the word REGISTER in the upper right.
Start bidding by clicking on the items you're interested – a typical e-bay window will open up.
To get back to the Flynn items, click on "View Seller’s other items" in the right side under "Meet the Seller"
Happy End-of-April!
Shellie Wiener
VP-Communications, SFPTA

Parents for Public Schools - SF Annual Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:17:00 +0000

The PPS-SF annual meeting takes place this Saturday, April 26th, 9:30-12:00 at PPS's new home in the Women's Building. If you're a member then you know all about it. If you are not, this is a great opportunity to find out about PPS and learn what they have accomplished in the past year. Best of all, the meeting will feature a town-hall meeting with Superintendent Carlos Garcia.

Hope to see you there!

Help Wanted: No Pay Great Benefits

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:02:00 +0000

Check out this PPS sponsored YouTube video on the many reasons to volunteer at your childrens' school:

7 Habits of Highly Effective SNS Departments

noreply@blogger.com (KC) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:28:00 +0000

by Dana Woldow

As school districts scramble to address what is projected to be the most painful budget cuts in memory, Student Nutrition departments are coming in for increased scrutiny, because unlike most other departments, they do have the potential to bring in more money than they spend. Some school districts, such as Hayward Unified and Oakland, operate their Student Nutrition Services (SNS) department in the black, although many others, like San Francisco, lose money. A combination of factors including low reimbursement for subsidized meals; a cutoff for qualification for reimbursable meals which excludes many SF children whose families are nonetheless very low income, given our high cost of living; higher labor costs than anywhere else in California; and aging infrastructure are just some of the factors which drive our SNS into the red. In San Francisco, SNS staff have been studying how other districts run their food service operations, especially nearby districts which break even or run at a profit. Some factors profitable districts have in common:

No a la carte lunch lines

Long ago, school cafeterias offered only a hot lunch choice (called the mainline), take it or leave it. Students who didn’t want the mainline meal brought a bag lunch from home. Over time, junk food and snacks proliferated in the marketplace, and the lobbying power of the food companies which produced them targeted the federal government. Pressure was put on the USDA to encourage schools to provide a second kind of meal service, the a la carte option, which tempted students to spend their lunch money on soda, candy, French fries, or chips.

Eventually, the rising obesity crisis resulted in a backlash against this kind of food being sold in schools; the movement reached critical mass in San Francisco in January 2003 when the Board of Education passed a resolution to remove soda and junk food from schools and replace it with healthier choices. A la carte operations in SFUSD now offer soups, salads, deli sandwiches, lowfat-cheese pizza, and other popular student-requested choices, not junky snacks.

The belief has been that these additional sales would help boost revenues for SNS, and underwrite the cost of the woefully under funded mainline. However, the flip side is that students who might otherwise choose to eat the mainline hot lunch are instead lured to the a la carte to spend their money.

Does the a la carte line still underwrite the cost of the mainline? As it turns out, not so much. As labor and benefit costs have gone through the roof, the extra labor required to run two competing food operations eats up an increasing share of the a la carte dollar. Combined with food prices which have spiraled out of control in the past 2 years, and the reluctance of students to support price increases for a la carte choices, the result is a la carte has become more expensive to operate than is justified by the revenue it brings in.

Financially stable SNS departments have eliminated a la carte sales. Students are offered several choices within the mainline menu, but all of the choices are the same for all students, whether they are qualified for free meals or paying cash. Nearly all SFUSD middle and high schools still offer a la carte sales in addition to mainline.

All closed campuses

The necessary corollary to eliminating a la carte sales is closing campuses so that students do not have the option of leaving to buy lunch elsewhere. Financially successful districts like Hayward Unified have closed campus at all middle and high schools. In San Francisco, four high schools including 3 of the largest (Lowell, Lincoln, Washington, and the smaller SOTA/The Academy) have completely open campus for all students at lunchtime. Several other schools including Balboa and Galileo, have partially open campus which allows certain students (for example, seniors with a designated GPA) to leave campus for lunch a few days a week.

Only qualified students eat free

At the start of the school year, all families are asked to fill out a meal application form to qualify their children to receive free breakfast and lunch; families on government assistance qualify even without the form. Although 53% of SFUSD students qualified for free meals this year, many more are believed to be low income, just not low enough to make the cutoff for qualification (about $38,200 a year for a family of 2 adults and 2 children.) Because many studies show that hungry students cannot learn the way their well-fed classmates can, students coming through the lunch line with no money to pay for their meal, and unqualified for free meals, are fed and SNS absorbs the loss. Over time, some families have stopped filling out the form because their child will be fed anyway. Other families dutifully give their child $2 for lunch, but the students themselves figure out that they can pocket the money, get a free lunch, and have $2 to spend after school. Losses from feeding students with no money have mushroomed from about $350,000 per year in 2003-04, to an estimated $800,000 or more for the current school year.

In districts with solvent SNS departments, students with no money are fed only three times at district expense; after that, they are turned away and allowed to go hungry. Occasionally a district will provide a package of saltines or small bowl of cold cereal, but rising food costs have led most to abandon even the “meal of shame” (cheese sandwich and milk) which many used to offer to penniless students. Most commonly, nothing at all is provided after the initial three free meals; this is policy in Oakland and Hayward. This has the effect of weeding out those “freeloading” students who are trying to hoard their lunch money, and also those who might otherwise not bother to fill out the meal form. Schools with Principals who insist that students be fed even without money are billed for the cost of those meals.

School staff are held responsible

Most school districts use lunch cards, often in combination with a computerized Point of Sale (POS) system, to record the number of meals eligible for government reimbursement. Effective school districts ensure that cards are distributed at the start of school and are used consistently, so that every eligible meal will be paid for by the government. Schools are billed for cash shortages which occur when meal cards are not used properly. In San Francisco, some Principals think meal cards stigmatize students and refuse to distribute them. Others, trying to rush students through the lunch line, set up cafeteria procedures which preclude the use of cards. Even Principals who are otherwise supportive often mistakenly believe that “everyone eats free” for the first 6 weeks of school. Without proper use of meal cards, thousands of meals are served without the possibility of collecting even a penny.

Effective school districts enforce strict policies requiring teachers to notify the cafeteria in advance if their class will be off campus at lunchtime, so that the cafeteria staff can adjust the number of meals they expect to serve. This reduces waste and saves money; teachers can also request bag lunches for their students qualified for free meals, which benefits the student by providing a field trip lunch, and benefits SNS by allowing reimbursement to be collected. Schools are billed for the cost of wasted school meals. SFUSD teachers are supposed to notify their cafeteria in advance of a field trip, but many say they have never been informed of this rule by their Principal, or of the availability of bag lunches for qualified students.

Federally subsidized meal programs are intended to benefit students, not adults. Adults are never allowed to eat free in the solvent cafeterias. In the SFUSD, adults are supposed to pay, but there is a widespread (and incorrect) belief, especially at the elementary level, that teachers and school staff get a free lunch. The school district cannot receive any government reimbursement for meals served to adults; when school staff insist on being fed for free, the full cost comes out of the SNS department budget.

No competitive sales

The SFUSD Wellness Policy sets limits on when parent or student groups can sell food at school; the main rule is that competitive sales are never allowed at lunchtime (the only exception being high schools which have in the past been allowed a few days to sell at lunch during school festivals.) Prior to the Wellness Policy, there were high schools which ran student-operated competitive sales of pizza, or Chinese food, or chips and soda, every single day at lunchtime. Needless to say, such sales, while lucrative for student groups, wreaked havoc with the cafeteria’s lunchtime business.

In school districts with solvent student nutrition departments, these sales are absolutely prohibited. In San Francisco, unauthorized sales continue to pop up at middle and high schools, and often it is left to SNS to initiate action to end them.

Administration supports SNS department

The natural corollary to having rules prohibiting competitive sales is that the district administration must enforce the rules. Districts like Oakland and Hayward support their nutrition departments in enforcing ‘no competitive sales’ policies; Oakland’s acting assistant director has said that if she hears of a school doing a competitive sale, she makes one phone call and the sale is stopped. While no district is ever likely to be able to completely eliminate competitive sales, support from central district administration is key to getting this under control. Within the SFUSD, enforcement has been sporadic at best; some Principals do a good job of monitoring their schools to eliminate competitive sales, while others encourage such sales.

Low labor costs

Districts with Student Nutrition Departments running in the black all have lower labor costs than SFUSD. This is not to say that SFUSD should pay their workers less, as it is expensive to live here, but rather to point out that lower wages are a contributing factor to fiscal solvency. The acting assistant director of Oakland’s department indicated that beginning workers in Oakland earn $8-$9 per hour; in SF, beginning caf workers make $16.28 per hour.

Moving San Francisco’s school food operation from its current deficit (expected to be about $1.5 million in 07-08) to a break even status will require some very hard choices, which historically SFUSD has been unwilling to make. Eliminating a la carte sales is likely to be unpopular with students, and will not be successful unless accompanied by a closure of all school campuses. Campus closure may require a second lunch period for larger high schools. While unpopular, it was demonstrated that this is not impossible when Lincoln principal Ron Pang ordered his campus closed for a period of several weeks in spring 2007, in reaction to complaints from neighbors that Lincoln students were leaving garbage from their off campuses lunches throughout the neighborhood. During the several weeks that Lincoln operated a closed campus, a second lunch period was in operation and cafeteria revenues soared.

It seems unlikely that SF’s progressive majority on the Board of Education would support turning away hungry students from the lunch line, but an increased effort to get families to fill out the meal application form at the start of the year could qualify more of these students for free meals. Mandatory use of lunch cards for all students, as required by federal meal program policy, should also be enforced at all schools at all times, so that reimbursement for every qualified meal can be claimed. These two steps, which cost nothing, could help reduce the amount of money lost to meals served to unqualified students. It is unrealistic to hold up the example of other solvent districts without acknowledging their draconian policy of allowing students to go hungry at school, and the financial toll the “No Child Left Hungry” policy exacts in SF.

Labor costs are the elephant in the room – everyone knows they are there, no one wants to talk about it. While it is not realistic to expect that SF could slash the amount it pays its workers, it must be acknowledged that this amount is far higher than what neighboring districts pay. Again, it is unreasonable to hold up the example of Hayward or Oakland as “solvent” operations that SFUSD should be emulating without mentioning their vastly lower labor costs.

Finally, it is time for district administrators to get serious about enforcing the SFUSD’s Wellness Policy ban on competitive sales, which drain money away from cafeterias, and insist that federal regulations around meal cards be followed to the letter. At a time when every dollar is precious to our students’ educational needs, there is just no excuse for lax administrators to turn a blind eye to catering trucks, or student (or teacher) run sales, or to expect that adults will be fed at the expense of our students. If SFUSD is ever to operate a school food service with minimal losses, someone will have to make the hard choices.

LA teachers' union fights charters' space demands

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:52:00 +0000

This article is directly relevant to SFUSD because of the controversies over charters' needs for space disrupting SFUSD school communities. With similar controversies erupting in LAUSD, the teachers' union there is fighting back.

Note: The conservative Los Angeles Daily News' editorial position is vigorously pro-charter, and in my opinion that is often reflected in its news coverage:

Los Angeles Daily News
4/16/08

L.A. teachers union targets pact on charters
By Naush Boghossian, Staff Writer

Launching a pitched battle against Los Angeles Unified over plans to dole out more space for the growing charter-school movement, the teachers union said Wednesday that it will aggressively campaign against traditional schools sharing sites with the popular independent schools.

Demonstrations by parents and teachers and community meetings have already begun, just days after the district offered space to more than three dozen charter schools - the most so far - as part of a settlement of a lawsuit challenging the LAUSD's lagging efforts to share its facilities under Proposition 39.

But some schools and teachers said the plans are too disruptive because they include mixing some elementary and secondary students and allocating classrooms that already are in use.

"This has to do with a bad law, and instead of the district fighting this they chose to make a settlement that will impact the educational programs at the host schools by taking away precious space," said A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles.

"And having a high school or middle school on an elementary campus is total madness and a very serious potential security and safety situation for students."

Changing the law

In addition to rallying parents, teachers and community-based organizations, Duffy said, the union will begin talking with legislators about changing the charter law.
Click for the rest of the article.

Mary (Reviving Ophelia) Pipher to speak in SF

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:36:00 +0000

Mary Pipher, author of the iconic book "Reviving Ophelia," will speak on Monday, May 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California St.

From the JCCSF publicity materials:

Mary Pipher became a cultural force in 1994 with the publication of Reviving Ophelia, the book that opened America's eyes to the psychological toll that adolescent girls face growing up in a country rife with sexual abuse, school violence and an overwhelming pressure to be thin.

Her next book, The Shelter of Each Other: Rebuilding Our Families, explores the loss of community in America that encourages people to develop their own family structures rather than rely on popular culture to do it for them, and urges them to be selective in the media they allow to enter their lives.

Tickets: $15 members, $20 public available at https://tickets.jccsf.org/public/hall.asp, or call 415/292-1233

High-end college fair coming our way

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:34:00 +0000

For ambitious super-achievers, five of the colleges that want your application in their inboxes are teaming up to offer a college presentation that looks rather exclusive. Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn (University of Pennsylvania) and Stanford have formed a project, if that's what you call it, called Exploring College Options, www.exploringcollegeoptions.org

Presentations in the Bay Area and Sacramento:

San Jose/Santa Clara
Monday, May 12, 7:30 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Santa Clara
5101 Great America Parkway
415/200-1234

Oakland/East Bay
Tuesday, May 13, 7:30 p.m.
Oakland Scottish Rite Center
1547 Lakeside Drive
510/451-1902

San Francisco
Wednesday, May 14, 7:30 p.m.
Hilton San Francisco
333 O'Farrell St.
415/771-1400

Sacramento
Thursday, May 15, 7:30 p.m.'
Doubletree Hotel Sacramento
2001 Point West Way
916/929-8855

The publicity material sounds like reservations are seriously required. Go to the website for more information and to RSVP.

Charter battle disrupts another community

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:27:00 +0000

Again, charter schools are a big topic in SFUSD right now, because two charters' needs for space are disrupting two vulnerable school communities. I read a lot about charter schools, and I'm currently blogging more of what I've been previously just reading and digesting, as this issue is having such an impact on our community.

In our school district, it's low-income students and families who are suffering because of this charter brouhaha. The Los Angeles Times reports on a charter flap that distressed the rich. The ultra-wealthy community of Palos Verdes, on a beautiful wooded peninsula outside L.A., has been ripped apart recently by a controversy over a proposed charter. Now the proposal has been dropped, but the ugly rift in the community will take a long time to heal.

These rich folks can take care of themselves, and my heart isn't particularly bleeding. But my point is that charters manage to spread controversy and divisiveness far and wide; these parents saw clearly the damage this one would do.

Parents who proposed the charter wanted to escape the culture of high-stakes testing (which is not a goal I disagree with). But they were working with an outfit that operates charters in San Diego and has been accused of various types of corruption and wrongdoing, so that was one little problem. Meanwhile, school officials and other parents in Palos Verdes protested that the charter would siphon resources and students away from the district, harming the existing schools and their students.

Then the unsavory charter operator from San Diego severed its ties with the Palos Verdes charter proponents, who were already apparently getting nervous about the San Diego issues, and the proposal fell apart. From the L.A. Times:

Opponents vowed to fight any future charter proposals and urged the charter parents to work with the district.

Tracey Lyons Tozier, whose two children attend Mira Catalina Elementary, said mending the community divide would take time.

"It's a shame," she said, "how many families are no longer talking to one another over this issue."

No more driver ed grad requirement? Hurray!

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:31:00 +0000

Yesterday morning's Chronicle reported on the evaporation of driver education in high schools and the proposal — by the school board's two student delegates — to end the requirement that SFUSD students have driver ed to graduate from high school.

Yesterday afternoon, I was at a school-related meeting attended by one of the school board's student delegates. I eagerly approached him after the meeting to ask if this year's juniors (the class of '09, including my son) would be freed from that requirement if his proposal passed. He said yes. A few minutes later, another parent at the meeting who had been out of earshot when I spoke to the student delegate approached him to ask the same question — just as eagerly, and accompanied by her Lowell junior.

It's interesting that overall parents enthusiastically call for more and better electives and enrichments — yet I haven't met anyone who thinks the driver ed requirement is anything but a pointless burden. I'm not all that convinced it improves driver safety in the end either, though I haven't seen statistics and I suppose I could be convinced otherwise. A higher driving age would do that (so would an upper-end driving age cutoff, but that's another post for another blog).

Pay $500,000, get a KIPP school in your town

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:24:00 +0000

My friend Karen in Houston sent me a link from the newspaper in Galveston, where folks want KIPP to open a school. KIPP told them maybe, but only if Galveston will come up with $500,000 for the school. That seems like an interesting set of terms — is that request even legal? Obviously KIPP should choose where to open schools, but requiring the money commitment seems a little unsavory, at the very least. Karen sent the Galvestonites links to our most recent KIPP commentary.

Galveston, Texas, Daily News

KIPP Asking for Help To Consider Isle Site

By Rhiannon Meyers
The Daily News
Published April 14, 2008
GALVESTON — If islanders want a nationally recognized charter school to come to Galveston, they might have to have to ask for it and come up with half a million dollars.

Officials with the Knowledge is Power Program — or KIPP — are inviting Galveston residents to submit a proposal explaining why the charter school should come to the island.

Charter school officials want to know why Galveston students are underserved by the island’s public and charter schools, what sort of facilities are open for the school to move into and how much money the community will raise to bring a KIPP school to the island.

The school requires the community to raise $500,000 to cover startup costs.

Click to read the rest of the story.

An MSM look at the burden posed by charters

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:29:00 +0000

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune (not really a mouthpiece for teachers' union radicals) looks at the negative impact charter schools have on school districts. Pasadena is currently grappling with the sudden financial collapse of a new charter partway through its first year.

Charter school issues are particularly relevant in SFUSD right now because of the stresses on Excelsior Middle School and James Denman Middle School caused by two charter schools' demands for sites, which Prop. 39 requires SFUSD to meet.

Charter Schools' Rise Weighs on Districts

Petitions to establish independent facilities getting more scrutiny
By Caroline An, Staff Writer
April 12, 2008

PASADENA - Financial problems that threaten to close at least one charter school in Pasadena highlight the role school districts play in approving and ultimately overseeing these independent schools.

Charters are largely independent of districts that approve them. And while they are funded by the state and are held to the same benchmark standards that public schools must adhere to, the allure of charter schools has been the freedom they have to develop their own curriculum and control their own budgets.

But district oversight of charter schools is becoming more strict, officials said.

While the majority of charters are in the Los Angeles Unified School District, charter schools - which typically cater to a certain demographic or offer a more specialized curriculum - are now beginning to make their impacts felt at school districts across the San Gabriel Valley.

District officials attribute the rise in charter schools to dissatisfaction with the quality of regular public education and, to some extent, recent decisions by school boards to close campuses to allow districts to save millions of dollars.

With the state's looming budget deficit, officials say that charter schools - now more than ever - can capitalize on these recent developments.

"The charter operators know when sites are vacant. With districts publicizing school closures, charters will exacerbate the problem," Baldwin Park Unified School District Superintendent Mark Skvarna said.

Click to read the rest of the article.

High food costs undermine healthy school meals

noreply@blogger.com (caroline) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:18:00 +0000

The Washington Post takes a perceptive look at how soaring costs are harming efforts to serve healthier school meals. And this focuses on states that are NOT subject to California's appalling threatened budget cuts.

Schools Get a Lesson in Lunch Line Economics
Food Costs Unravel Nutrition Initiatives
By Maria Glod, Washington Post Staff Writer, Monday, April 14, 2008

New York students will have to settle for pizza without tasty turkey pepperoni topping. In Montgomery County schools, tomato slices were pulled for a few weeks from cafeteria salads in favor of less-expensive carrots or celery.

And in Davie County, N.C., Yoo-hoo drinks, which had been taken off the shelf in favor of healthier options, are back. Sure, officials would rather the kids chugged milk. But each Yoo-hoo sale brings in 36 cents of profit.

Sharp rises in the cost of milk, grain and fresh fruits and vegetables are hitting cafeterias across the country, forcing cash-strapped schools to raise prices or pinch pennies by serving more economical dishes. Some school officials on a mission to help fight childhood obesity say it's becoming harder to fill students' plates with healthy, low-fat foods.

Several Washington area school systems -- including those in Prince George's, Fairfax, and Prince William counties and Alexandria -- are proposing to increase lunch prices next school year. For Prince George's schools, it would be the first increase in a decade.

For Montgomery schools, this year's dairy bill is expected to be about $600,000 more than last year. Officials expect to decide in June whether to seek an increase in meal prices.

Becky Domokos-Bays, director of food and nutrition for Alexandria schools, said schools need to raise prices to cover rising food and labor costs but worries that even small increases will strain middle-class families who don't qualify for a price break. The School Board approved a 10-cent increase for students who pay full price, raising the lunch price in elementary school to $2.15 and in middle and high schools to $2.45.

"There's a tipping point somewhere, and I think we're there," Domokos-Bays said. "I don't know how much more families can afford to pay."
School meal programs across the country are run somewhat like restaurants, relying on federal and state subsidies and profits from meal and snack sales and catering services to buy food and pay workers. Rising labor costs, coupled with the recent push for healthier meals, which has meant serving higher-priced foods such as whole grain breads and fresh vegetables, has squeezed budgets. Soaring food prices make it even harder to break even.

Miami-Dade County schools are on track to pay $4.5 million more for milk this year than last year, about a 47 percent increase. Penny Parham, administrative director of the schools' department of food and nutrition, came to Washington last month to urge federal lawmakers to raise subsidies.

"We do not want to serve our students highly refined sugar and flour products, which are more affordable," Parham told the House Education and Labor Committee, "but we are continually being pushed down this path."

Each year Uncle Sam, in an effort to ensure the neediest children get healthy meals, gives schools a little more cash to help feed students. But school officials nationwide say the federal share hasn't kept pace with rising costs. This year, the U.S. Agriculture Department is giving schools $2.47 per lunch to serve free meals to children from the poorest families, up from $2.40 last year, a 3 percent increase. In the same time, milk prices rose about 17 percent and bread nearly 12 percent.
Click to read the rest of the story.