In This Issue:  | | • | Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action: A TINY RIPPLE OF HOPE | | | • | LAUSD TO REHIRE SOME TEACHERS; UTLA PRESSES FOR MORE + do the math | | | • | STUDENTS GIVEN MORE TIME TO GET IMMUNIZED SCHEDULE FOR LAUSD +DOZENS LINE UP FOR WHOOPING COUGH VACCINATIONS IN THE VALLEY TDAP IMMUNIZATION CLINICS | | | • | PARENT & COMMUMITY ENGAGEMENT IN FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA | | | • | HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other SourcesDOZENS LINE UP FOR WHOOPING COUGH VACCINATIONS IN THE VA | | | • | EVENTS: Coming up next week... | | | • | What can YOU do? | |
Featured Links: | | | | News story: Villaraigosa raises $123,500 to pay costs in free-ticket scandal | http://lat.ms/oj036v
Here’s the situation, hypothetically:
An elected city official is accused of accepting gifts and favors in the form of free admission to events from constituents and folks doing business with the city. Our official disputes the allegations and retains counsel – he or she claims belief that attendance at sporting events and award shows is part of his or her official duties as an elected official. It is adjudged by three separate oversight entities that the free admissions were not legal; our official is assessed fines, has tax liabilities and legal fees.
Our official now solicits gifts from constituents and friends-in-politics, etc. - some from their campaign funds - to pay his legal bills, fines and penalties.
And that’s OK?
This appears to me to be a self-perpetuating loop of ethical dilemma. And our official seems more hypocritical* than hypothetical. ...or maybe I’m hypercritical?
Which, gentle readers, I am of course!
ELSEWHERE we brushed closely with the debt ceiling - the ice cubes showering the deck of the ship of state. What bottom-there-is in Wall Street fell out. And Standard & Poors – one of the security rating agencies who arguably weren’t duly-diligent with mortgage-based-securities and got us into this mess downgraded the USofAAA to USofAA+. AFT attacked The Itchy Parent Trigger Pullers in a PowerPoint. 1-2-3: Tea partiers got upset about collective bargaining in the classroom [http://bit.ly/oZ94rd] while The Supe and UTLA collectively bargained on Twitter - and The Times, prompted by a reader, had second thoughts about all this collective bargaining in the media [http://lat.ms/p57jv2]. CTA met at UCLA, 450 more LAUSD teachers jobs were ‘saved’, roadside bombs exploded and Somalis starved,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.
¡Onward/Adelante! – smf
* My thesaurus offers other ways of looking at it: insincere, two-faced, duplicitous, deceitful or phony. ‘I kinda let him slip away, out of kindness I suppose’ – T.VanZandt
Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action: A TINY RIPPLE OF HOPE
Themes in the News for the week of Aug. 1 - 5, 2011 by UCLA IDEA | http://bit.ly/mZ9V6U
"Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope." -Robert Kennedy
08-05-2011 - More than 45 years after Kennedy spoke these words, they reverberated across the Washington D.C Mall during the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action. Education policy expert Linda Darling-Hammond quoted Kennedy for the 8,000 people who gathered to protest against injustice in the current school-reform environment. In particular, the educators, parents, students, and celebrities criticized aspects of standardized testing and their negative impacts on today’s public schooling (Huffington Post| http://huff.to/ptnq09).
Pointing to an overzealous reliance on the tests, the protesters spoke of narrowed curricula along with pressure on parents, students, and teachers (sometimes leading to cheating). The speakers noted that the top-down reform strategies beginning with the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind, continue with President Obama’s Race to the Top, and these policies do little to encourage the participation of teachers, parents, community groups and students.
“There needs to be more input by the local school community… and an end to top-down dictates by politicians and their campaign donors who have little understanding about the realities of classroom education” (Education Week| http://bit.ly/rk3uay).
One of those little-understood “realities of classroom education” is poverty and its strong link to educational success (Huffington Post| http://huff.to/phIPK3). In the United States, almost a quarter of children under the age of 6 lives in poverty. Poor children are less prepared than their advantaged peers to begin school and, once they start, they are more likely to be hungry, tired or homeless. “But our leaders do not talk about these things,” said Darling-Hammond. “They say there is no more money for schools—and of poor children, they say: ‘Let them eat tests’ ” (Washington Post| http://wapo.st/ptKh2W).
It is doubtful that the protest will have immediate effects. The crowd was smaller than organizers hoped for. The event was largely overlooked by media that were, perhaps, preoccupied with a looming national economic catastrophe. Organizers could not meet with Obama administration representatives. But the protest did ripple the still waters of education policies that are patently unsupportive of underserved students and unfriendly to teachers.
The activists on the Mall signaled their willingness to advocate for their students and to preserve their own professional standing. They, along with education supporters in Wisconsin and elsewhere, appreciate the determination and strength in numbers needed to counter fantasies of quick and cheap education fixes. Anthony Cody, one of the protest’s organizers, said, “One event alone will not accomplish these things—it will take a broader movement and sustained activism. But we have made an important first start” (Washington Post| http://wapo.st/ptKh2W).
LAUSD TO REHIRE SOME TEACHERS; UTLA PRESSES FOR MORE + do the math
Robert Holguin – ABC7com | http://bit.ly/qdDmiX
Friday, August 05, 2011- LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Welcome news for hundreds of Los Angeles teachers: The Los Angeles Unified School District has announced it is rehiring teachers after taking another look at the numbers.
But the teachers union United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) says the district should be hiring back even more teachers, claiming LAUSD is actually breaking the law.
The district says it crunched some of the new numbers that administrators compiled over the summer and it's able to bring 450 teachers back to work.
But UTLA says the district has the money to do more, and the district is actually violating state law by not putting all of its out-of-work teachers back into the classroom.
LAUSD administrators looked at retirements, resignations and dismissals, and as a result they were able to re-hire 453 elementary school teachers that had been laid off.
"This is excellent news. We would love to have done that earlier, but people don't make those decisions sometimes until over the summer," said LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy
Deasy says the teachers will be added to elementary schools throughout the district.
UTLA represents 40,000 LAUSD teachers says this is only a small victory.
"The district has the ability right now to return teachers," said UTLA President Warren Fletcher.
Fletcher says LAUSD has the money to re-hire all the educators who were let go in June.
"The state budget, when it was adopted, included funding to make sure that the level of staffing and that the level of stability at schools remain the same between last year and this year," said Fletcher.
The district has re-hired 4,170 of the teachers and support personnel who were laid off due to state and federal funding cuts. About 1,450 teachers and other staff are still without work.
Fletcher says the state has given the district new funding specifically to re-hire those educators.
"The district still has not implemented the requirements of AB 114, the state law that required them to maintain the same program levels, the same staffing levels, and as a result, schools will not be stabilized the way that the governor and the legislature had intended," said Fletcher.
Deasy says the district interprets the state budget differently.
"You don't hire positions for which there is either no funding for it, whether it's promised or otherwise. Unless the cash is on the doorstep, we don't spend it," said Deasy.
Deasy says other factors are at play, like the loss of enrollment of 17,000 students.
"The administration is not going to be moving in the direction other than a strong, fiscally solvent direction," said Deasy.
Fletcher says he's not looking for a fight with the district, but he says the union is exploring all of its options at the moment, including the possibility of a lawsuit. He says the district needs to comply with state law.
But Deasy says he's doing what he needs to do to keep the district solvent.
●● smf: do the math:
Related Content: Story: LAUSD teachers sign contract to save 5K jobs (kabc7.com/June 5, 2011)
1. 4,170 is not 5000. An earlier version of this story [http://bit.ly/qdDmiX] said: “District leaders have finished reviewing the budget…”
o Are they ‘finished’ ?
o …is this ‘it’?
2. If I do my math it looks like over 5,620 [over 4,170 rehired + 1,450 still laid off] were laid off. Exactly how much did it cost LAUSD to to lay off and then rehire all those teachers, support personnel and elementary librarians? I’m not blaming anyone – I’m just asking how much all that administrivia cost …not counting the loss of faith and bad feelings of ‘You don’t have a job’/ ‘Oh yes you do!’ *
3. I heard that the Carson High School laid off their band teacher and is currently seeking a volunteer to fill that position. This appears to me to be not a union grievance but a labor law violation. Who is going to pay those legal fees, that fine and that amount of back salary? From what pot o’ money?
* “In the ceremonies of the horseman even the pawn must hold a grudge.” B. Dylan
STUDENTS GIVEN MORE TIME TO GET IMMUNIZED +DOZENS LINE UP FOR WHOOPING COUGH VACCINATIONS IN THE VALLEY TDAP IMMUNIZATION CLINICS
STUDENTS GIVEN MORE TIME TO GET IMMUNIZED
By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer, LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/npCUWl
Updated: 08/03/2011 - Parents who were scrambling to get their kids vaccinated against whooping cough by the start of the school year have been given an additional 30 days to meet the state requirement.
Gov. Jerry Brown last week signed SB 614, which extends the deadline for school districts to get students' proof that they've been immunized against pertussis.
Some medical experts are concerned about allowing middle and high school students to start classes without a Tdap booster shot, while educators say the extra time will prevent youngsters from missing out on needed class time.
"These 30 days will help us get everyone immunized and all records straight while not preventing some students from getting their education and staying in class," said Dee Apozaka, nursing director for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Apozaka said the district embarked on a community outreach campaign last fall, sending letters home with students and calling their homes to alert them to the new immunization requirement.
●●smf correction: Dee Apodaca, RN is the LAUSD Nursing Director
Despite their best efforts, getting students to comply has been a challenge.
With nearly three out of every four LAUSD students coming from low-income families, officials said a lack of health insurance or shortage of money is a barrier to getting immunizations.
Hundreds of students at one LAUSD middle school and three high schools started their 2011-12 fall semester on July 5 without proof that they'd been immunized. All but a handful of these students have since gotten the booster, Apozaka said.
●●smf: as of Wednesday Dr. Kimberly Uyeda, MD - director of LAUSD Student Medical Services says year-round schools (cited above) are about 98% compliant.
District officials face a similar situation at Sun Valley, Arleta and Polytechnic high schools, which start classes this Friday. As of late last week, some 42 percent of students at Poly, 58 percent at Sun Valley and 68 percent at Arleta hadn't been vaccinated.
Students who fail to show their vaccine records within 30 days will be told to stay home from school until they get the booster shot, officials said.
Several doctors are opposed to the vaccine extension though, citing concern about the unusual spike in whooping cough cases since last year.
According to the California Department of Public Health, more than 9,000 cases of whooping cough were reported in 2010, including 10 infant deaths. That number was the highest since 1947.
More than 1,900 cases have been reported so far this year.
"This is a very contagious illness that spreads very quickly, and because it looks like the common cold in most people, many may not even know that they have been infected," said Dr. Jayvee Regala, a pediatrician at Northridge Hospital.
"I have had parents calling in daily about getting this vaccine for months," he said. "This is something parents should take responsibility for."
_________
DOZENS LINE UP FOR WHOOPING COUGH VACCINATIONS IN THE VALLEY
by Ashley Bailey/KPCC | http://bit.ly/p3UjPF
Aug. 4, 2011 | A new state law requires that middle and high school students get whooping cough shots before the school year begins. Public health workers in the San Fernando Valley are offering free vaccinations for kids who need booster shots.
Students lined up at St. Patrick’s Catholic School in North Hollywood to get their whooping cough shots. School nurse Suzanna Wood says parents who take advantage of free vaccination clinics like this one can save a lot of time.
"The beginning of the school year, lots of students are getting physicals and things," says Wood, "so getting an appointment with their own doctors can be problematic. So please come in advance and don't join the rush at the end."
A new state law requires students entering 7th through 12th grades to show proof they’ve been immunized. The law was passed after a whooping cough outbreak killed 10 infants and sickened 9,000 people last year.
Schools across the San Fernando Valley will host free clinics every Wednesday this month. They’re open to anyone 7 years or older.
Public health workers will be at the following schools to offer whooping cough boosters in the month of August:
August 10, 2011
St. Elisabeth School
6635 Tobias Avenue, Van Nuys 91405
August 17, 2011
St. Jane Frances School
12950 Hamlin Street, North Hollywood 91606
August 24, 2011
St. Ferdinand School
1012 Coronel Street, San Fernando 91340
August 31, 2011
St. Didacus School
14325 Astoria Street, Sylmar 91342
PARENT & COMMUMITY ENGAGEMENT IN FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA
Randomly observed by smf
Fairfax County is neither inside nor outside the D.C. Beltway – it is a beltloop!
Fairfax County surrounds Washington D.C.* and Arlington, VA** – where Arne Duncan actually sends his kids to public school (though to a non-Title One school …so the U.S. Dept of Ed, NCLB and Race to Wherever are kept safely at bay).
That said Fairfax County Public Schools – activists from within whom 4LAKids regularly shares activism – is doing a bit of the old community outreach in a non-scientific poll of the school community. (Democracy is not Science! Whether Political Science is a science is open to debate – Harvard awards a Masters of Arts in Poli Sci, MIT a Masters of Science
Take a look at it and see how they do it:
______________________
PREPARING OUR CHILDREN FOR THE FUTURE
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Dale invites employees, parents, and citizens to participate in an important conversation throughout the school year 2011-12.
Please share your thoughts and ideas on this question: What is the most important thing Fairfax County Public Schools should do to move it forward to prepare our children for the future?
Please share your idea by entering it into the box below (link follows)
After submitting your idea, click the “Search” button. You’ll be able to assign your idea to a category and weight its value by placing votes. You can also vote and comment on existing ideas. Thank you for your participation!
Please keep your comments limited to the forum topic.
___________________
It’s probably cheating to actually take the poll – but the question becomes “Why can’t we do this in LAUSD?” And the answer probably becomes: “Thank you, your time is up!”
Of course, if you’re Bill Gates or Eli Broad you time is never up. As Ronald Reagan said to George H.W. Bush: “I paid for this microphone!”***
* - said by some to be the worst public school system in the nation.
** - said by Forbes in 2007 to be the best public school system in the nation.
*** - actually he borrowed the quote from the Spencer Tracy movie "State Of The Union
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other SourcesDOZENS LINE UP FOR WHOOPING COUGH VACCINATIONS IN THE VA
LA Times: WHY WE GAVE LAUSD'S JOHN DEASY A FORUM: Postscript From The Times Op-Ed Page | http://lat.ms/p57jv2 A... http://bit.ly/ra5CIH
THE CONTEMPT FOR TEACHERS EXTENDS TO MATT DAMON: Opinion L.A.: Observations and provocations from The Times' Opi... http://bit.ly/q1dJCV
Save the Date Aug 31: KPCC EDUCATION SUMMIT - The Way Forward for Your Child’s Education and LAUSD: from KPCC | ... http://bit.ly/pkKMcT
DOZENS LINE UP FOR WHOOPING COUGH VACCINATIONS IN THE VALLEY: Ashley Bailey/KPCC | http://bit.ly/ozIdjS St. Pa... http://bit.ly/p3UjPF
Bill Gates, cartoon character: VACCINES SAVE LIVES!: posted by smf I have issues with the Bill and Melinda Gates... http://bit.ly/nPQU8Z
TEACHERS UNION HOLDING ANNUAL CONFERENCE AT UCLA: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez | KPCC | http://bit.ly/pwNMc1
LAUSD TO BRING BACK 450 ELEMENTARY TEACHERS + do the math: KABC7.com | http://bit.ly/qdDmiX The Los Angeles U... http://bit.ly/olPNTl
TEACHERS UNION HONESTY: An internal document explains how to undermine school reform + smf’s 2¢ + a blizzard of (engineered) outrage... http://bit.ly/puTsXD
‘MOTHERS OF EAST LA’ TAKES ON AIR QUALITY AT BOYLE HEIGHTS SCHOOLS: By EGP News Report | Eastside Sun / Northeas... http://bit.ly/nXGecM
STUDENTS GIVEN MORE TIME TO GET IMMUNIZED: SCHEDULE FOR LAUSD TDAP IMMUNIZATION CLINICS By Connie Llanos, Staff... http://bit.ly/oAE9bI
TWEET TWEET TWEET: Collective bargaining @ 140 characters per msg: retweeted from DrDeasyLAUSD + UTLANow::... http://bit.ly/oCwls1
CALIFORNIA AUDIT FINDS MAJOR LAPSES IN OVERSIGHT FOR SCHOOL BOND FUNDS: Randall Jensen , Bond Buyer | http://bit... http://bit.ly/pNjRRt
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: 213-241.8700
What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Bennett.Kayser@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Nury.Martinez@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
...or your city councilperson, mayor, the governor, member of congress, senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think! • Find your state legislator based on your home address. Just go to: http://bit.ly/dqFdq2 • 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 Brown: 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.
• If you are eligible to become a citizen, BECOME ONE.
• If you a a citizen, REGISTER TO VOTE.
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!.
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