 |
| 4LAKids: Sunday, January 4, 2009 — ¡Onward '09! |  | | | In This Issue: | | • | LAUSD LESSONS: Advice for the board of L.A.'s school district. | | | • | Profile of Yolie Flores Aguilar: WHERE LOS ANGELES SCHOOLS GO FROM HERE | | | • | AN OPEN LETTER FROM A BILINGUAL ED TEACHER TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE REGARDING CANCELLATION OF THE BILINGUAL PROGRAM AT ONE OF HIS PARTNERSHIP SCHOOLS | | | • | U.C. OFFICIALS DEBATE ACCEPTING MORE NON-CALIFORNIANS TO BOOST REVENUE | | | • | HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources | | | • | EVENTS: Coming up next week... | | | • | What can YOU do? | |
Featured Links: | | | | There wasn't going to be a 4LAKids today.
I hoped the last-second New Years Eve issue on Wednesday would serve the week. After all, there hasn't been any activity at the schools or the local districts or the Beaudry building since Wednesday. There certainly hasn't been a new state budget. What more is there to say?
But there is. 4LAKids welcomed Ramón Cortines ("Everyone loves Ramón" | 4LAKids 6April08) when he rejoined the District and we welcome and hope to support him in his renewed superintendency. The challenges are great - and growing - and he's gonna need all of our help.
On New Years Day the LA Times offered excellent advice to the Board of Ed ("LAUSD Lessons") I think we all hope the board takes those bullet points to heart.
The LA Progressive wrote an excellent profile of Boardmember Flores-Aguilar - very little to argue with here except for some semantic nitpickery: If the Board wants to have an off-site meeting to discuss future strategies it must be an "Advance"; never a "Retreat".
We share a reply to the Mayor's Partnership's assault on bilingual education in An Open Letter…"
And there is the unsettling news that the University of California is looking to out-of-state students as revenue enhancements to their program — actually considering increasing OOS enrollment while reducing the number of California students admitted. I am not advocating a return to the depression/dust bowl/closed border/ "California for Californians/Go Back Okies " thuggery of the '30s — but the type of thinking in "U.C. Officials Debate Accepting More Non-Californians To Boost Revenue " has no place in The Times, in Sacramento or within the Board of Regents. Somebody needs to dust off the Master Plan for California Education - apparently cast aside in the recent past with State Constitution and US Bill of Rights.
Readers, amidst all of this 2009 offers Hope and Change and the promise of a long way to go.
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune — without the words,
And never stops at all.
—Emily Dickinson
¡Onward '09/Hasta adelante '09! - smf
LAUSD LESSONS: Advice for the board of L.A.'s school district.
Editorial From the Los Angeles Times
January 1, 2009 -- One of the first signs that David L. Brewer was in over his head as superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District came in the summer of 2007, during a disagreement over hours for cafeteria workers.
A majority of the school board wanted to lengthen the employees' shifts so that they could qualify for full health coverage. But the district didn't have the $35 million this would cost each year, Brewer told the board. The majority ignored him, instead extolling the virtues of their unaffordable, if well-intentioned, decision.
Brewer was right, but he possessed neither the political skill to dissuade the board nor the moxie to hold his ground, a pattern that would continue until he was removed last month. The meeting also was a classic example of the dysfunction that continues to plague the board: a greater regard for politics (in this case, union pacification) than for the needs of children; a habit of making long speeches instead of getting work done; a tendency to micromanage rather than to set policy and allow the superintendent to implement it.
In newly appointed Supt. Ramon C. Cortines, L.A. Unified has a more decisive and, we expect, more effective leader. Now it's up to the board to accept responsibility for its own failures. In that vein, we offer the following advice:
• PRETEND THE TV CAMERAS AREN'T THERE. School board meetings drag on unnecessarily. The board should save long-winded speeches for town hall meetings and come prepared for businesslike debate and thoughtful decision-making.
• TRUST YOUR MANAGERS. Stop interfering in the details; instead, set broad policy while trusting Cortines to carry it out. Hold him liable for the results, but don't hold his hand while he's trying to get work done.
• DO IT FOR STUDENTS. Before voting, ask yourself, "In what way is this better for students?" -- not for your image or political supporters. If you can't answer that question honestly, chances are it's a bad policy.
• NO CLIQUES. Once the board majority backed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took its seats, there was a clear "in" group and "out" group, with the latter kept ill-informed on key issues (such as the move to buy out Brewer's contract). Bad communication and political infighting make for bad decision-making.
• DON'T CLING TO PET PROJECTS. Whether it's dual-language immersion, small schools or more charters, most board members have their own visions of how to improve schools. Some are highly expensive, and some sound good in theory but are difficult to pull off on a large scale. Put workable ideas ahead of ego; drop or modify projects the district can't afford, or implement them on a small scale first. Ask for proof of results and get rid of what doesn't work, even if you loved the idea.
Profile of Yolie Flores Aguilar: WHERE LOS ANGELES SCHOOLS GO FROM HERE
by Sharon Kyle and Dick Price | Publisher and Editor, LA Progressive
Sunday, 4 January 2009 - Yolie Flores Aguilar, Los Angeles School Board member and long-time children’s advocate, thinks that the city’s school system will implode if something dramatic isn’t done—and soon. The ouster of Superintendent David Brewer is a regrettable, but necessary part of that change, in her view.
Last weekend, we reported Brewer’s views on his ouster and the prognosis for the Los Angeles Unified School District in “LAUSD Superintendent David Brewer Speaks After Ouster.” Midweek, Brewer himself, along with 4LAKids’ Scott Folsom, laid out a vision for what he had hoped to achieve as superintendent in “Nuttin’ for Christmas.” This article presents one perspective from the board that ousted Brewer and now must develop a new course for the district.
LEARNING TO READ EARLY IS THE KEY
As a relatively new member of the Board, Yolie was elected in June 2007 while still serving as the Executive Director of the LA Children’s Planning Council (CPC). She felt her role in the nonprofit sector advocating for children’s rights prepared her to take on the assignments as board member for the LAUSD. Although she intended to fill both roles, after a couple of months she saw that there weren’t enough hours in the week to do both, so she gave up her well-paid position at the CPC.
“To do the job right on the board, you’ve got to put in the hours,” she said.
Born in El Paso, Texas, she lived with her immigrant parents, first in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and then to Los Angeles, where she attended public schools. Yolie understands the challenges LA’s school children face. “I’ve always had a passion for helping children, especially those in the inner city,” she said. “Perhaps partly because of my background.”
At the CPC, she made some inroads. “But at the end of the day, as the “Director,” I always had to be the diplomat,” she said. “There were times I could not voice my opinion or take a position on what I thought was best for children. My job was to staff and lead the children’s collaborative, made up of leaders with different viewpoints and political persuasions. I sometimes felt gagged.” Serving as a board member would give her greater freedom to express her own beliefs and positions, she hoped.
“Our kids are not reading at grade level,” she says incredulously. “Just 27% of third graders in LA schools are reading at their grade level. And just 9% of English learners can read at grade level in third grade—and 3% in fourth grade when you look at national data. That’s an absolute shame… if kids can’t read, they can’t learn!!”
“Studies have shown that there is only a 10% chance that a child will ever read at grade level if they aren’t there by the first grade and nothing else changes.” she continued. “This is why we need to start earlier and focus on pre-literacy skills and on what is happening in the first 3-4 years of school.”
Yolie laid out the four ways she’d like to see the problem addressed:
• EXPAND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: Lay solid pre-literacy skills in preschool and at home.
• ENGAGE PARENTS: Help parents understand that the desire to read starts at home; give them the tools and information to help mold their children’s reading habits.
• SUPPORT AND ENHANCE TEACHER QUALITY: We need to increase salaries and support teachers so that we keep our most qualified teachers in the classroom.
• FOCUS ON THE NEEDS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: Children who are English learners need special attention and greater supports.
Yolie, who served on the LA County Board of Education for five years, now represents the LAUSD on the board of the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of 66 of the nation’s largest urban public school systems, including New York City, Chicago, and Boston. The council is the only national organization exclusively representing the needs of urban public schools. Its mission is to promote the cause of urban schools and to advocate for inner-city students through legislation, research, and media relations. The council also provides a network for school districts to share common problems and exchange information.
Through networking, collaborating, and using the research provided through this organization and others, Yolie has concluded that the LAUSD isn’t basing its reading instruction on a solid foundation. “I was amazed to discover that the LAUSD had no policy on ensuring that teachers had the foundation or the skills to teach kids to read. According to the former Superintendent of Elementary Instruction, Yolie learned that LAUSD does not assess the capacities of teachers that are placed in K-3 classrooms for their ability to teach children how to read. It simply doesn’t ask, and yet we expect children to read at grade level.
Her mentor, Ralph Smith—a senior V.P. at the Anne E. Casey Foundation and reformer of Philadelphia’s schools in the 80s—told her that most colleges and univerisities don’t adequately teach teachers how to teach children to read.
“The average school of education requires only one course in teaching how to read,” she says, noting that universities often consider education schools cash cows because they don’t require elaborate facilities or expensive equipment, and will only change their curriculum under pressure from school districts – like Boston did. There’s no other reason for them to step it up.
WHY BREWER HAD TO GO
Yolie was excited to enter the school board race in 2007. “There was a new mayor who cared about education, a new superintendent, and new board members,” she said. “The time was ripe for change.”
Her first impressions of Superintendent Brewer were positive and she was optimistic. She believed he would make a difference. She wanted him to succeed. But early on, her doubts began to grow.
“After I was elected, I approached Brewer and suggested that he bring in an expert to focus on the needs of English learners,” she said. She offered to do some research and provide him with a list of names of people across the country that could be considered or could give him advice. She spent hours researching and preparing a report that included recommended experts.
“We met on a Thursday,” Yolie says, “He took the list I prepared and said he would consider my input and get back to me. But the following Tuesday, he presented to the Board the name of a person he had already identified. He never got back to me. He never mentioned that he had already made a selection. He didn’t keep his word.”
By January 2008, she began to doubt his ability to run the second-largest school district in the nation. Brewer’s lack of leadership and follow-through was a problem. “He lacked a background in education and that that was a liability as well,” she said of the retired Navy admiral.
“Brewer was brought to the district for political purposes,” she says, “That was a big disservice to him, to the District, and to the children.”
“David Brewer was energetic, powerful, and had the courage to put the issue of race on the table—an issue avoided by past superintendents to the detriment of the students,” Yolie said over lunch in Pasadena last weekend. “He said all the right things, but the issue was implementation—his lack of follow through. That was always the problem.”
In the final analysis, Brewer wasn’t showing evidence of progress, according to Yolie, who voted with the majority of the Board to buy out his contract. “I wasn’t convinced that another six years would have made a difference.”
Deputy Superintendent Ray Cortines, who was hired early in 2008 at the Board’s insistence, was named interim superintendent and quickly had an impact.
“When Ray Cortines came onboard, you knew someone was in charge,” she said. “Emails were coming out, decisions were being made—you could just feel the impact and accountability immediately.”
“Still, Ray comes from another generation,” Yolie says. “He thinks we should not be involved in preschool education, even though everything we know from brain research and even leading economists says that’s where we make the most difference.” She added, “He also doesn’t always speak to the unique needs of poor kids and children of color – particularly African American and Latino children. I believe he understands their circumstances, but these need to be voiced and the issues need to be on the table.”
Yolie is committed to putting a spotlight on early education, an area that has been neglected because it is still widely disconnected from the K-12 school system, but an area that experts insist is one of the keys to improving the educational trajectory of low-income and disadvantaged children, which account for over 75% of LAUSD children.
Yolie has asked Cortines to lead the board on a retreat in an effort to unify the board members and get them all on the same page of reform. She believes that a solid, well-functioning board and a top-notch administration – with the support of Labor and the community, can make the change we all want for kids. She would like to see Ray stay as superintendent for three or four years to bring stability to a turbulent situation and because of his ability to inspire change and get things done.
AN OPEN LETTER FROM A BILINGUAL ED TEACHER TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE REGARDING CANCELLATION OF THE BILINGUAL PROGRAM AT ONE OF HIS PARTNERSHIP SCHOOLS
by Cheryl Ortega
January 1, 2009
In 1954 there must have been a hue and cry from some quarters that went forth after the Brown v Board of Education decision that went something like this: "We don’t care what the Supreme Court said, integration will not happen in our schools". In 2009 a similar cry goes forth from the office of the Mayor of Los Angeles: "We know the state guarantees language rights for our children, but it just won’t happen here".
I thought I'd just give you a little background of bilingual education in Los Angeles.
Bilingual Education is rooted in the 14th Amendment which addresses the rights of protected groups. It is also rooted in civil rights legislation such as Brown v Board, Lau v Nichols, Castaneda and others .It came to exist, in late US history, as a natural consequence of the Civil Rights Movement of the 60' s. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (which ceded California to the United States in the 1840's) is also significant because it mandated Spanish and English as the official languages in the territory taken from Mexico.
From the late 1960's on, both federal and state legislation supported bilingual education under "equal access" terms in schools. During the 70's, 80's and early 90's non-English speaking kids (English learners) were normally placed in bilingual programs unless the parents opted out. At the peak, about 30% of English learners in California were in bilingual programs and the high drop-out rate among Latinos was attributed, in large part, to bilingual education. Logically the drop out rate was probably attributable the 70% that weren't in it!
In 1998 California passed Prop 227 whose intent was to eradicate bilingual education. This came shortly after Prop 187 which allowed witch hunting of immigrants and Prop 209, the anti-affirmative action plan. However, somehow some clauses were left in the legislation that allowed parents to opt INTO the program. Prop 227 says that if 20 parents of children at a single grade level request a bilingual program, the school MUST offer it. If less than 20 request, the school MAY offer it.
One particular kind of bilingual class is the Dual Immersion Program in which English speaking and Spanish/Korean/Mandarin speaking children learn ALL of the subjects in 2 languages. This is the program that had been in place at Ritter Elementary School for 4 years. In this program a grade per year is added until there is a K-5 strand in a school. In comes The mayor's Partnership for Los Angeles Schools (PLAS). They decide unilaterally that the DLP is not good for EL's. So they take it out all together. All of the federal, state and local data indicate that students in this program have significantly higher test scores than students in any other kind of program. This holds true for the English speakers and the other language speakers. It is a proven fact in LAUSD that successful graduates of EL programs outperform all other student groups in test scores, grad rates and college admissions.
At Ritter there are enough children to open a kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade right now, but Marshall Tuck (the CEO of the Mayor's Partnership) wants to wait till next year and "consider" it. He seems not to get that you can't pull kids out for a single year then drop them back in. They will have missed a year in the second language. The program would have to begin again with a new kindergarten and all of the current students would lose the program permanently.
Ritter is the lowest performing school in the District. Why would the mayor, or anyone, want to pull out the program with the best chance for success? On a political level, why would the mayor want to disregard the community, who by the way, supported his candidacy. The parents are livid. I am not exaggerating. They feel that their rights have been ignored and their wishes for their children disregarded. They will not go away. I am told that an organization called "Latinos Unidos" brought in about 4000 votes for the mayor. Do you think he would speak with them?
UTLA is working with these parents and the teachers at Ritter. If PLAS is to succeed, it will be because the community feels respected as partners. UTLA and all of its teachers feel they have vested interest in PLAS too. The other 9 PLAS schools are watching to see how this turns out.
Any new developments at Ritter will be reported in the United Teacher [the UTLA newspaper] next month.
Cheryl Ortega
UTLA Director of Bilingual Education
cortega@utla.net
●●smf2¢: The Full Immersion Bilingual Ed program has been reported in these pages previously - notably at Cahuenga Elementary School (4LAKids June & Sept '07) . 4LAKids considers it, along with the Magnet Program, the Schools for Advanced Study and the Academic Decathlon to be among the Crown Jewels of LAUSD.
U.C. OFFICIALS DEBATE ACCEPTING MORE NON-CALIFORNIANS TO BOOST REVENUE
OUT-OF-STATE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS COULD HELP THE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY SYSTEM CUSHION CUTS IN FUNDING, BUT COULD ALSO KEEP OUT QUALIFIED LOCAL APPLICANTS.
By Larry Gordon - From the Los Angeles Times
January 4, 2009 - UCLA sophomore Ying Chen could have stayed at home in New Jersey for college, but instead she traveled cross-country, where she willingly pays about $20,000 a year more for her education than most of her classmates.
Some UC officials think that increasing the number of students like Chen would be a smart way for the university system to bring in more revenue at a time when the state budget is tight. They point to other state university systems that enroll much higher percentages of out-of-state students.
Opponents of the idea warn that it could squeeze out qualified California students.
"When we start chasing that money as a substitute for state money, that's bad public policy," said Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, a regent by virtue of his office who is also exploring a run for governor.
Chen, an anthropology major, said she could have attended Rutgers University, a New Jersey state university, for much less money but was drawn west by UCLA's beautiful campus and the chance to explore a faraway state even if she can't afford Thanksgiving trips home. "Of course, it would be lovely" if she didn't have to pay the price differential UC charges out-of-state students. Still, choosing UCLA, she said, "was a good decision."
At UC campuses, in-state freshmen pay about $8,100 in fees, not including room, board or books. Because California does not provide funding for out-of-state students, about half of the extra $20,000 they pay each year covers UC's costs and the other half is profit for the system, officials said.
David Shulenburger, vice president for academic affairs at the National Assn. of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges in Washington, D.C., said he expects more public universities across the country "as a matter of survivability" to at least consider additional recruiting outside their states. The premium tuition for out-of-state students helps schools afford basic functions and subsidize in-state students' fees, he said.
About 10% of UC's 220,000 students, including those in undergraduate and graduate programs, are from outside California. But only about 6% of the undergraduates are non-Californians.
By contrast, about 16% of first-time undergraduates at public four-year colleges and universities nationwide are from other states or other countries, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Prestigious state universities in Colorado, Michigan, Virginia and elsewhere regularly enroll more than 30% of their freshmen classes from outside their state borders.
UC regent Judith Hopkinson recently urged the university's governing board to consider increasing the numbers of out-of-state students for the financial and social benefits that she said are provided by a more geographically diverse student body.
Hopkinson, in an interview, suggested that having more than 15% to 20% of undergraduates from outside California might be a long-range goal to cushion some of the projected cuts in state funding.
"We ought to look at it," she said. "Because I believe it is in the financial benefit of the university in the long run, I like to keep an open eye to all options."
Out-of-state students generally are held to higher admissions standards, which can boost a campus' average GPA and SAT scores and national rankings.
Non-Californians from the U.S. are eligible for many financial aid programs at UC although they face higher thresholds.
Proposed steep cuts in state funds this school year and next have prompted UC to consider limiting overall enrollment next fall. If that happens, said Patrick Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education in San Jose, any move to boost the number of out-of-state students at UC "would be politically suicidal. Can you imagine the Legislature standing for that?"
Some Midwestern and Northeastern states are experiencing significant declines in their college-age population and may be able to accommodate more students from out of state, but that is not so in California, he said.
Callan added that describing the issue as a diversity effort falls flat in immigrant-rich California "since we already have people from all over the world here."
According to UC system spokesman Ricardo Vazquez, UC has no set quotas and no regulation regarding the percentages of in-state and out-of-state enrollees. But in recent years, the university had fallen about 1,000 short of its tradition of enrolling out-of-state and international students at all levels, partly as a result of troubles that some foreign students had in obtaining visas in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The UC central administration recently pushed campuses to reach targets or potentially lose some revenue. Preliminary numbers for this fall are up to the traditional 10%, combining undergraduates and graduates.
California's other public university system, the 23-campus Cal State chain, enrolls a much smaller proportion. Only about 4% of its 440,000 students, undergraduate and graduate, are not from California, officials reported.
In past years Cal State had no limits on out-of-state students, but new applicants from outside California for next fall might have a tough time gaining entrance because Cal State is considering cutting overall enrollment by 10,000, according to system spokeswoman Clara Potes-Fellow.
Non-Californians will have low admission priority, she said.
At UCLA, freshman Derick Tsaoi said he passed up a large scholarship offered by the University of Maryland in his home state.
Instead, after much deliberation, he took out substantial loans to attend UCLA and study biochemistry in what he described as a more adventurous and academically prestigious setting.
At first he was a bit lonely and struck by how few non-Californians are at UCLA. "But after a while, I realized that's why I went there," he said, "to meet new people."
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources
MADERA UNIFIED CASE IS CHANGING ELECTIONS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA
The heavily Latino district's voting system made it hard for Latinos to win school board seats. A judge ruled it violated the state Voting Rights Act. Other cities are taking note.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Carol Ann Tomlinson explains how differentiated instruction works and why we need it now.
The following was the most popular article in Teacher Magazine/Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook from last year. - DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION—the theory that teachers should work to accommodate and build on students' diverse learning needs—is not new. But it's unlikely that anyone has done more to systematize it and explicate its classroom applications than University of Virginia education professor Carol Ann Tomlinson .
• plus .........from
A STATE WITHOUT A BUDGET/A GOVERNMENT WITHOUT A CLUE:
SCHWARZENEGGER PROPOSES BUDGET
New York Times: January 1, 2009 — LOS ANGELES — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, at war with the California Legislature over how to close tens of billions of dollars in projected budget shortfalls, proposed a budget Wednesday that contains a hefty sales tax increase and would cut away at state services.
BIG GOVERNMENT, SCHWARZENEGGER-STYLE
U.S. News & World Report, DC
We might want to wave the caution flag on the triumphal return of Big Government. As least on the state level, the recession might merely bring about ...
SCHWARZENEGGER'S LATEST BUDGET PLAN: DEEP CUTS, LARGE TAX HIKES,...
San Jose Mercury News, USABy Mike Zapler SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's staff Wednesday released his most detailed plan yet to tackle the state's staggering budget deficit ...
SCHWARZENEGGER OPENS NEW PUSH ON STATE BUDGET
San Francisco Chronicle, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office made the latest attempt on Wednesday to pressure state lawmakers into a budget deal, unveiling a plan to close an ...
ADDRESSING THE BUDGET SHORTFALL
Los Angeles Times, CA - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants lawmakers to approve several new taxes and deep cuts in government services to close a projected $41.6-billion gap through ...
SCHWARZENEGGER STEPS UP RELEASE OF BUDGET PLAN
Los Angeles Times, CA -
Citing a projected $41.6-billion budget shortfall, the governor unveils an early blueprint calling for a sales tax increase and cuts in education and ...
DETAILS OF LATEST SCHWARZENEGGER BUDGET PLAN
San Jose Mercury News, USA - By AP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration released a proposal Wednesday to address California's anticipated $41.6 billion budget shortfall over the ...
SCHWARZENEGGER OFFERS 2010 BUDGET PLAN WITH NEW DEBT
Bloomberg - Dec 31, 2008
By William Selway Dec. 31 (Bloomberg) -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed closing the state’s widening budget deficit by selling almost $5 ...
SCHWARZENEGGER TRIES AGAIN TO CLOSE $41.6B DEFICIT
The Associated Press - Dec 31, 2008
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration on Wednesday released his latest plan to close a deficit projected at $41.6 billion ...
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR OFFERS NEW BUDGET FIX PLAN
Reuters - Dec 31, 2008
By Peter Henderson SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 31 (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday proposed closing a $42 billion budget gap by ...
SCHWARZENEGGER UNVEILS NEW BUDGET PLAN
Bizjournals.com, NC - Dec 31, 2008
The Schwarzenegger administration released a new plan Wednesday to deal with the gaping $41.6 billion state budget deficit and called on legislators to act ...
REACTION TO SCHWARZENEGGER'S LATEST BUDGET PLAN
San Jose Mercury News, USA - Dec 31, 2008
By AP "The fact that the Legislature has failed to reach a compromise between Republicans and Democrats and take action during the last three special ...
GOVERNOR'S NEW BUDGET: MORE TAXES, MORE CUTS AND BORROWING
San Francisco Chronicle, USA - Dec 31, 2008
(12-31) 14:12 PST SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will propose a state budget that uses more new taxes, wider program cuts and nearly $5 billion in ...
SCHWARZENEGGER OFFERS 2010 BUDGET PLAN WITH $5 BILLION NEW DEBT
Bloomberg - Dec 31, 2008
By William Selway Dec. 31 (Bloomberg) -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed selling almost $5 billion of debt, cutting costs for state ...
SCHWARZENEGGER'S BUDGET PROPOSES TAX HIKES, STEEP CUTS
Los Angeles Times, CA - Dec 31, 2008
A sales-tax increase, hike in vehicle registration fees, reduction of state workforce and cuts to state and community colleges are part of the governor's ...
SCHWARZENEGGER RELEASES BUDGET WITH TAX HIKES, SPENDING CUTS
Los Angeles Times, CA - Dec 31, 2008
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released a new budget plan to deal with a $41.6-billion budget deficit, saying tough action is needed to avoid a financial ...
ARNOLD'S PLAN: DESTROY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
PolitickerCA, CA -
By Robert in Monterey, Calitics The details of Arnold's budget plan are in and it is even more insane than we thought. His budget includes large cuts to ...
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR PROPOSES NEW BUDGET FIX PLAN
TopNews, Arkansas - Borrowing about $5 billion, shortening the K-12 school year by a week, tapping the state lottery and raising the sales tax - these are the main proposals of ...
SCHWARZENEGGER GIVES STATE BUDGET ANOTHER PUSH AHEAD OF JAN. 10 ...
AHN - Sacramento, CA (AHN) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is giving California's proposed 2009-10 state budget another push before the Jan. ...
CA PLANS MORE TAXES LESS HEALTHCARE
PRESS TV, Iran - [ IRAN! ]
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger offers a new budget, proposing more taxes while cutting school hours and healthcare plans. ...
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
Sacramento Bee,
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to close a roughly $40 billion budget deficit over the next 18 months and provide a $2 billion reserve relies on tax ...
SCHWARZENEGGER URGES HEALTH CARE SHIFT FOR STATE WORKERS
Sacramento Bee, USA -
By Jon Ortiz State workers would see a change in how they get their health insurance under the 2009-10 budget proposal the Schwarzenegger administration ...
SCHWARZENEGGER'S NEW BUDGET PLAN HAS SOME IFS AND BUTS
Sacramento Bee, USA -
By Kevin Yamamura and Steve Wiegand Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest $40 billion budget solution relies on ballot-box contingencies and a borrowing plan ...
SCHWARZENEGGER SEEKS EDUCATION CUTS
Sacramento Bee, USA - By Jim Sanders California schools could eliminate a week of instruction and increase class sizes next year under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's new plan for ...
Published: Thursday, Jan. 01, 2009 | Page 3A
Sacramento Bee, USA -
u -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger usually has commanded the spotlight during the Capitol's budget events, with his finance director, Mike Genest, ...
SCHWARZENEGGER VETOED BILLS AT RECORD RATE IN 2008
Sacramento Bee, USA -
By Steve Wiegand "For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been!' " • An edict to ensure that rodents destined to be ...
LATEST BUDGET PROPOSAL FALLS SHORT
Fresno Bee, CA -
We've seen a lot of state budget proposals in the past year, and the only one that was enacted was laughably and obviously out of touch with reality. ...
GOV. SCHWARZENEGGER RELEASED THE LATEST PLAN TO CLOSE THE BUDGET ...
ABC30.com, CA - By Laura Anthony SACRAMENTO, CA (KFSN) -- Wednesday, the governor's finance team released his plan to solve the deficit problem. "The governor doesn't feel ...
REGIONAL: EDUCATORS EXPECT ANOTHER ROUGH YEAR FINANCIALLY
North County Times - Californian, CA - By STACY BRANDT - Staff Writer | Wednesday, December 31, 2008 6:58 PM PST ∞ First-graders Alicia Garcia, left, Morgan Alexander and Cassidy Manuto blow ...
SCHWARZENEGGER'S STAFF RELEASES LATEST CALIFORNIA BUDGET FIX, BUT ...
Contra Costa Times, CA - By Mike Zapler Mercury News SACRAMENTO — In years past, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has unveiled his annual budget under bright lights before a gaggle of TV ...
CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS WOULD TOP LIST OF IOUS
Controller John Chiang sends a letter to government agencies advising them who will not be paid if the state's cash runs out. Also on the list? Californians expecting tax refunds.
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
*Dates and times subject to change. ________________________________________
• SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:
http://www.laschools.org/bond/
Phone: 213-241-5183
____________________________________________________
• LAUSD FACILITIES COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR:
http://www.laschools.org/happenings/
Phone: 213-893-6800
What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Yolie.Flores.Aguilar@lausd.net • 213-241-6383
Marlene.Canter@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Julie.Korenstein@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
...or your city councilperson, mayor, the governor, member of congress, senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think! • There are 26 mayors and five county supervisors representing jurisdictions within LAUSD, the mayor of LA can be reached at mayor@lacity.org • 213.978.0600
• Call or e-mail Governor Schwarzenegger: 213-897-0322 e-mail: http://www.govmail.ca.gov/
• Open the dialogue. Write a letter to the editor. Circulate these thoughts. Talk to the principal and teachers at your local school.
• Speak with your friends, neighbors and coworkers. Stay on top of education issues. Don't take my word for it!
• Get involved at your neighborhood school. Join your PTA. Serve on a School Site Council. Be there for a child.
• Register.
• Vote.
| |  |
| Scott Folsom is a parent leader in LAUSD. He is immediate past President of Los Angeles Tenth District PTSA and represents PTA as Vice-chair on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee. He is a Community Concerns Commissioner, Legislation Team member and a member of the Board of Managers of the California State PTA. He serves on various school district advisory and policy committees and has served a PTA officer and governance council member at three LAUSD schools.
• In this forum his opinions are his own and your opinions and feedback are invited. Quoted and/or cited content copyright © the original author and/or publisher. All other material copyright © 4LAKids.
• FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 4LAKids makes such material available in an effort to advance understanding of education issues vital to parents, teachers, students and community members in a democracy. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
• To SUBSCRIBE e-mail: 4LAKids-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com - or -TO ADD YOUR OR ANOTHER'S NAME TO THE 4LAKids SUBCRIPTION LIST E-MAIL smfolsom@aol.com with "SUBSCRIBE" AS THE SUBJECT. Thank you. | | | | | |
