Sunday, November 29, 2015



4LAKids: Sunday 29•Nov•2015
In This Issue:
 •  ARE LOCAL SCHOOLS’ ARTS PROGRAMS MAKING THE GRADE? + smf’s 2¢
 •  ELECTRONICS AND KIDS' BRAINS DON'T MIX
 •  Charter Wars: THE BILLIONAIRE vs. THE LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
 •  DO WE REALLY WANT TEACH FOR AMERICA INTERNS TEACHING SPECIAL ED IN LAUSD? A letter from a TFA Special Ed alum and a petition to sign if you choose
 •  HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources
 •  EVENTS: Coming up next week...
 •  What can YOU do?


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 •  4LAKids Anthology: All the Past Issues, solved, resolved and unsolved!
 •  4LAKidsNews: a compendium of recent items of interest - news stories, scurrilous rumors, links, academic papers, rants and amusing anecdotes, etc.
“I can no other answer make but thanks,
And thanks, and ever thanks”
– Twelfth Night, Act 3, Sc. 3 by Wm. Shakespeare


The holiday past, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, is uniquely and secularly American. (Yes, Canadians have Thanksgiving as a national holiday – but it’s the second Monday in October!)

American Thanksgiving comes wrapped in legends of Pilgrims and Indians eating turkey (or venison or lobster or Boston Cream Pies) after the Harvest of 1621. The extent of truth or falsehood or imaginary spin by storytellers and textbook illustrators is dependent on one’s skepticism about the European/Native American Experience. It is widely believed (or wildly reported) that the native tribes helped the Pilgrims recover from an extremely hard first winter by teaching them the native method of maize cultivation, burying local fish (menhaden) in the soil to fertilize crops.

At a remove of 384 years it’s easy be cynical about exactly what it was the parties at Plymouth Colony had to be thankful for:
• The Pilgrims were originally bound for Virginia …but landed in Massachusetts because they ran low on shipboard supplies (including beer!) “We could not now take time for further search or consideration; our victuals being much spent, especially our beer.” - Mayflower diary of Wm. Bradford, 1620
• And I’m sure the Wampanoag people – already nearly wiped out by what-we-now believe-was -smallpox – would’ve been better-off without the Pilgrims …and their not enough beer!

We Americans observe the holiday by traveling an average round-trip holiday drive of 549 miles, saying a prayer, giving thanks, and overindulging in food, football+beer commercials – pretty much denying the self-denial+moderation-in-all-things-teachings of the Calvinist Pilgrims. (I traveled 21.8 miles …but I'm pretty sure the Plymouth Pilgrims and their Wampanoag guests didn't feast on Turducken and Brussels' sprouts and roasted grapes!)


But let us look about and identify the things for which we can+should be truly thankful.

In my e-mail signature I include a quote by Garrison Keillor "Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. They seem not to notice us, hovering, averting our eyes, and they seldom offer thanks, but what we do for them is never wasted." I am truly thankful for children even though (or maybe because) they don’t give thanks. There is great honesty (and no false sincerity) in thanks neither offered nor given!

I am thankful for a wonderful daughter who makes my heart+soul sing. I am thankful for family and friends: threads in a glorious tapestry.

I am thankful for the health of others – and appreciate good health all the more now that I don’t have it myself. I am ever thankful for the help and care of those who help+support me in the fight.

When I struggle with the little things, the things that used to be easy - putting out the trash and getting in+out of the car and just walking down the street - I appreciate the friends+neighbors+strangers who try to help – even as I reject the assistance. Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth fears that the Thane is “too full o’ th’ Milk of Human Kindness”…I can’t help but be thankful for the fount of it see every day.

I am thankful that well-meaning friends+acquaintances ignored my wishes and started a GoFundMe Campaign to help me with my struggle. | http://bit.ly/1jqlzal

I am thankful for the good work of Ray Cortines in turning the District around – and for all folks who struggled and struggle still to keep the ship afloat and the morale up and the good work done day-in-and-day-out; it was dark+strange there for awhile.

I am thankful that there are teachers and administrators and school staff at all, doing their work with+for children in classrooms, libraries, playgrounds, cafeterias, buses and offices.

I am thankful that there are school nurses and librarians and counselors and arts+music teachers …I’m not sure if there ever were or will be enough of you – but I promise there will be more of you!

I am thankful that there are parents who do the parent thing seemingly effortlessly – and I am even more thankful there are parents who struggle with the job and do the best they can.

I don’t know who Robert Brault is, but he said: “Enjoy the little things, for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things.”
Not because of victories
I sing,
having none,
but for the common sunshine,
the breeze,
the largess of the spring.

Not for victory
but for the day’s work done
as well as I was able;
not for a seat upon the dais
but at the common table.
- "Te Deum” by Charles Reznikoff’"


And let us all be thankful that the kids go back to school on Monday.

…and thank you, Gentle Reader, for considering these cranky periodic rants by an occasional madman.

¡Onward/Adelante! - smf


ARE LOCAL SCHOOLS’ ARTS PROGRAMS MAKING THE GRADE? + smf’s 2¢
by Erin Hickey, Los Feliz Ledger Contributing Writer | http://bit.ly/1Rf3tpJ

November 27, 2015 :: When it comes to arts education, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has a long way to go, according to a November analysis by the Los Angeles Times.

Although California has one of the healthiest arts education policies in the country, the Times’ analysis revealed many schools are falling far short of state requirements.

The Times used data from surveys conducted by LAUSD to create an arts education report card, assigning letter grades to more than 700 LAUSD arts programs, only 35 of which received “A” grades.

Grades were based on an 83-point system, with points awarded based on the number of art classes offered, percentage of students served and availability of equipment, among other factors.

The Times’ analysis also revealed a negative correlation between schools’ percentage of low-income students and the quality of their art programming, a correlation which they attributed to the advantage that schools in more affluent areas have when trying to obtain outside funding.

Overall, elementary schools ranked higher than secondary schools, with 27 elementary schools receiving “A”s, compared with only eight middle or high schools.

Los Feliz’s Franklin Avenue Elementary is one of those 27, ranking 11th out of 507 elementary schools in the district. According to Times data, they receive supplementary funding from parent groups.

Meanwhile, nearby Cheremoya Avenue Elementary earned a “B.”

Principal Stephen Salva said the school uses a combination of district funding and supplementary funding from the Hollywood Arts Council—an arts advocacy group—and their school parents group.

According to Salva, the district gives each school an allotment for enrichment education based on enrollment, economic hardship of students and other factors. Based on that funding, the district allows each school to choose from a list of art subjects, for which the district provides teachers.

Cheremoya is allotted three subjects through the district—visual arts, dance and theater—and they use outside funding to enhance those classes, rather than to add additional subjects, as some other schools have done.

According to Salva, the school would like to add an instrumental music class next year, but because the district limits them to three subjects, they would have to temporarily replace one of the existing art options to do so.

According to Salva, some parents have suggested bringing in a paid after school music program, which he said the school will consider as a last resort if they are unable to make music part of the official curriculum.

“Ultimately, our biggest goal is that we don’t want it to be a privilege. We want every kid to enjoy it,” said Salva.

Silver Lake’s John Marshall High School ranked 9th among all high schools in the district with a “B.” They offer ceramics, visual arts, dance and a comprehensive music program, which includes jazz, symphonic orchestra, rock band and songwriting classes, as part of their curriculum.

But, according to Brett Boyd, who teaches guitar and Theater Design at Marshall, the program relies heavily on outside donations.

Boyd said he taught guitar for four years before the school had to discontinue the class for lack of funding. However, thanks to a fundraiser thrown by Los Angeles indie rock band Warpaint, Boyd was able to resume teaching the class this year.

According to Boyd, songwriting teacher Mike Finn also had to secure his own funding through a foundation out of UCLA.

“I wouldn’t be available without [outside funding],” said Boyd. “Mike Finn as well. We’re constantly struggling to get enough supplies and resources.”

The Los Feliz Improvement Assoc. also contributes to Marshall’s arts programming fund, according to Boyd.

A few blocks away, Ivanhoe Elementary, who scored a “C,” also receives supplementary arts funding, according to Principal Lynda Rescia.

According to Rescia, district funding allows Ivanhoe to offer two semesters of vocal music for grades kindergarten through 2nd and one semester of dance for grades kindergarten through 5th. The rest of their programming—vocal music for the upper grades, visual arts, 12 additional weeks of dance for kindergarteners and 1st graders, ballroom dancing for 5th graders and six weeks of international dance instruction—is funded by the school’s parent group “Friends of Ivanhoe.”

Ivanhoe also offers choir, theater and ceramics as part of a fee-based after school program, but scholarships for the extracurricular program are available to students who need them, according to Rescia.

Atwater Elementary scored a “D,” ranking 494 out of 507 elementary schools in LAUSD. According to Times data, Atwater offers only one arts course, provides arts education to fewer than 25% of their student body and receives no outside funding.

“The school district’s budget is just beginning to be restored to the level it was at ten years ago,” said LAUSD Executive Director of Arts Education Rory Pullens.

According to Pullens, it is the district’s hope to bring all schools up to standard within the next five years.

But, he said, the 2008 recession and the expiration of a 3-year government grant hit LAUSD’s budget hard. And the arts are often the first place budget cuts are made.

“There is a belief that arts are not considered core curriculum…they are still considered by many to be an elective…that’s why they are sometimes first on the chopping block,” said Pullens. “But the arts are so important to development. They should never be considered for reduction.”

Requests for comment from Atwater Elementary and Franklin Avenue Elementary were not returned on deadline.


●●smf’s 2¢: I am glad California has a healthy Arts Ed policy; I am hoping we also have an artful Health Education policy!

I am not a big fan of one paper’s re-reporting of another’s story, especially when I’m not a fan of the original “grading-the-schools” story. But here the Los Feliz Ledger drills down a little deeper and gets closer to the real story in real schools.

I worry that parent+community involvement in arts education is “checkbook participation”, limited to programs parents and the community (or local indie rock band) are willing to pay for. How do we explain that to communities who cannot afford to pay? How do we even explain ‘checkbooks’ to communities that don’t have them – ether because that banking technology is a forgotten one …or because the community members lack the wherewithal and/or documentation and/or access to banking to qualify for them?

And I am hoping someone is misunderstanding policy and/or misquoting someone with the quote attributed to Cheremoya Principal Steve Salva: “the school would like to add an instrumental music class next year, but because the district limits them to three subjects, they would have to temporarily replace one of the existing art options to do so.” There are FOUR disciplines in Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Education: THEATER, VISUAL ARTS, MUSIC and DANCE. Who the hell decided/where in hell is it written that students are limited to only three?

ELECTRONICS AND KIDS' BRAINS DON'T MIX THE TECH INDUSTRY HAS PROFITED FROM THE "EVERY CHILD MUST HAVE A LAPTOP IN THE CLASSROOM" PUSH, BUT EDUCATION HASN'T

By Paula Poundstone | CBS Sunday Morning/CBS News | http://cbsn.ws/1Q6Cpbi

● Are we all spending too much time looking at screens? A question for CBS Sunday Morning contributor Paula Poundstone

November 29, 2015 :: Almost everyone in our country is addicted to electronics, and riddled with denial.

When I talk to people about it, they get defensive. They say it's not addiction, it's just something they enjoy.

I love to play ping-pong, I love to practice the drums, I love to tap dance. But I have never, even once, tried to figure out how to do any one of those things, while driving, in such a way that the cops couldn't see. Because I am not addicted to those activities, I just enjoy them, and there's a huge difference.

Screen devices wreak havoc with the brain's frontal lobe. Diagnosis of ADHD in our children has taken a steep rise since the proliferation of screen devices.

Yet, even when presented with that information, parents often won't hear of protecting their kids from the harmful effects of screen devices. "Kids love them!" they say. Yes, they do, and kids would love heroin if we gave it to them. I'm told that after the initial vomiting stage it can be a hoot!

We didn't know this when we first brought these shiny new toys into homes. But, now, we do know. Still, adults aren't doing anything about it. Why? Because we're addicted. Addiction hampers judgment.

You see it. Everywhere you look people are staring at their flat things. We're terrified of being bored. No one drifts or wonders. If Robert Frost had lived today he would have written, "Whose woods are these? I think I'll Google it."

Screens are tearing away our real connections. Ads for "family cars" show every family member on a different device. Applebees, Chili's, Olive Garden and some IHOPs are putting tablets on their tables. These restaurants claim they are providing tablets just to make ordering easier. Well, gee, if saying, "May I please have chicken fingers?" is too difficult for our young ones, wouldn't we want to work on that?

The tech industry has profited from the "Every child must have a laptop in the classroom" push, but education hasn't. Research shows that the brain retains information better read from paper than from a screen, and students who take notes by hand are more successful on tests than those who type their notes on a computer.

Yet, art, music, sports, play, healthy meals and green space -- things we know help the developing brain -- are on the chopping block of school districts' budgets annually.

Even knowing this, at the suggestion that we get screen devices out of our classrooms and away from our children, people gasp, "But they'll need them for the world of the future!"

Our children will need fully-functioning brains for the world of the future. Let's put that first.

Charter Wars: THE BILLIONAIRE vs. THE LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Written by Beth Cone Kramer | CityWatch | http://bit.ly/1Xj2s4M

20 Nov 2015 :: EDUCATION POLITICS :: As the country’s second largest school district seeks a new superintendent, the LA Unified School Board is exploring The Broad Foundation’s proposal to move half of the district’s students into charter schools. LA Unified Board Member Mónica Ratliff (photo), chair of the District’s Budget, Facilities and Audit Committee, is exploring the possibility of converting all District schools into charters, according to the agenda of the committee’s November 17 meeting. This move would, in effect, dissolve LAUSD, creating the country’s largest charter district.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation proposal aims to fast-track the expansion of charter schools, which currently serve 16% of the district’s students, channeling $490M into the proposal over the next eight years. (An ambitious proposal presumably would require additional funding so the proposal includes a list of potential sources that includes names like Gates, Bloomberg, Annenberg, and Hewlett.)

If the Broad Foundation proposal seems formidable, the all or nothing plan explored by Ratliff et al. is like fixing a small dent in the bumper by buying a new Tesla. Establishing a charter district or even moving half of its students into charter schools isn’t some magic elixir.

Education has long been the path out of poverty. A college education is, in most cases, a determinant in upward mobility. As cited in a New York Times article by Eduardo Porter, male high school graduates who don’t attend college earn a fifth less than they did 35 years ago. The gap between college grads and those without degrees has widened.

When I taught in LAUSD, the motto was “From Kindergarten to College.” We worked to get every student prepared to achieve a college degree. Despite our efforts, a divide remains. Students with college-educated parents are more than twice as likely to pursue higher education. Children with parents who dropped out of high school are seven times less likely attend college.

Certainly, there are exceptions. We shouldn’t give up on our efforts to provide all students with a quality education, which also helps our economy and society at large. However, educating a diverse, urban student body requires addressing a broad range of challenges, not just handing over the keys to a charter system. Instead of funneling over $20M to address “legislative interference” and to convince parents to apply to charter schools, why not address issues like teacher/student ratio or provide teachers with better resources?

In the New Orleans Recovery School District, in which charter schools serve over 90 percent of the city’s students, 79 percent of the charter schools held a D or F rating by the Louisiana Department of Education eight years after Katrina, according to The Investigative Fund, charter schools, like traditional schools, well-run, successful schools, as well as failing ones. However, transferring to a charter-only model certainly does not remove the existence of underperforming schools.

California currently has eight all-charter districts, four of which only have one school. The largest of these districts has seven schools, serving 2,400 students. In comparison, LAUSD has 1,274 schools.

Expanding the number of charter schools would require substantial funding. Just this year, the U.S. Department of Education announced California will receive none of the $125 million allocated for the next funding round. The state had received $250M in federal funds over the past five years.

Converting LAUSD to a charter-only district would require a number of conditions, including at least 50 percent approval of teachers, finding teachers to employ during an existing teacher shortage, and securing facilities.

If only half of LAUSD’s students were moved to charter schools, per the Broad Foundation proposal, per pupil funding for the public schools left holding the bag would be decimated.

According to the LA Times, the other dirty little secret of the Broad proposal is the allocation of $43.1M for a “teacher pipeline” to recruit young, inexperienced teachers from Teach for America. Research from UC Berkeley and a 2015 analysis from the National Bureau of Economic Research show that TFA participants tend to remain in the classroom for shorter periods of time than traditionally credentialed teachers.

Should LA residents be wary of the Broad Foundation mission or transition to a charter district?

An aggressive undertaking to move a majority of LAUSD’s students to charter schools would likely bring an educational landscape of short-term inexperienced and overworked teachers, as well as fewer resources for the remaining students.

• Beth Cone Kramer is a Los Angeles-based writer and CityWatch contributor. Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.

DO WE REALLY WANT TEACH FOR AMERICA INTERNS TEACHING SPECIAL ED IN LAUSD? A letter from a TFA Special Ed alum and a petition to sign if you choose smf writes:

This open letter to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) from a Teach For America alum was posted on the Cloaking Inequity website | http://bit.ly/1TdAWzT. The author was assigned to teach special education in California for 2014.

______________


Dear LAUSD Board,

As you move forward with your plan to hire more Teach For America special Education corps members, I would like to urge you to think very critically about the effects of putting these teachers in classrooms.

As a ’14 Special Education corps member, I am well aware of the ineffective training that TFA and LMU provides, and how that deeply affects our students in the classroom. I am ashamed of my naivety in thinking that five weeks would be enough time to even remotely prepare me for my position as a special educator.

I understand the need for teachers, especially special educators and know that this is a nationwide crisis that needs to be addressed, but Teach For America is not the answer. They are a Band-Aid fix that is quick to fall off, leaving our young people even more vulnerable and underserved. Teach For America places unprepared, untrained, and overwhelmed teachers into special education classrooms and the only thing it causes is more harm and a larger education gap.

The education we received during summer institute around actually working with and providing services for diverse learners was sub-par at best. We didn’t even see an IEP until the last week of institute, let alone receive instruction on how to write these legal documents. In a district where special education students are already underserved, what does it look like to send someone with four to five weeks of teacher “training” into the classroom? How can we truly believe that we are providing adequate support for our special education students?

On my first day in the classroom I was provided with copies of all 30 (above the legal limit) of my students’ IEPs and was expected to coordinate with their general education teaches how we would work together to provide them with all of the services they had a legal right to as per their IEPs. How was I to work on reading comprehension goals with students when I hadn’t learned proper intervention strategies? How was I to work on extensive social/emotional/behavioral goals when I had no experience either learning about or working with students who qualified for special education under Emotional Disturbance?

TFA corps members are notoriously underprepared, and most will willingly admit this. It is no secret within my corps year, however, that Special Education corps members were the least prepared. With university courses that were irrelevant to our positions (elementary reading lesson planning for teachers placed in high school resource positions, etc.) and minimal support from TFA themselves (Special Education leads who had only 2 years of experience, “cram sessions” that completely disregarded our immediate needs in the classroom), we were set up to fail.

What we need are quality teachers who understand the diverse needs of our students. We need teachers who have been extensively trained, not thrown into a five-week crash course of lesson planning and behavior management. We need to think about how to retain current special educators and how to develop real and effective teacher training programs. We do not need TFA.
__________________

Teach For America has about 80 new TFA teachers in LAUSD.

They recently received mid-year LAUSD board approval for a 31% (25 position) increase in the size of their corps specifically to “teach” special education. The Board of Ed approved the contract with TFA without debate or discussion as an item on the Consent Agenda at the November 10 board meeting, Report 101-15/16 of Contract #4400003941.

The Board Informative [bit.ly/1PUJcGC] is on Page 66 of the electronic document/meeting materials (although it's labeled page 53) in a process described by others as “…hidden in the consent calendar with attachments of attachments buried deep”.

Colorful language for a bit of the old “ignore the man behind the curtain” monochromatic opaque transparency.

Similar efforts to place TFA corps members in Special Ed classrooms in Chula Vista and Santa Ana Unified School Districts failed earlier this year after public outcry. But those districts held actual public discussions about the controversial contracts with TFA.



The question becomes: Do we really want well-meaning but undertrained amateurs (being paid doesn’t make one qualified or a “professional”) teaching our most vulnerable students?

If you think the answer is NO, maybe you want to sign the petition following.

The pro-charter/pro-®eform media (LA School Report) says: “A group of anti-charter school activists is circulating an online petition that calls for LA Unified to rescind a contract with Teach for America (TFA)…”

Gentle readers, this has nothing whatsoever to do with charter schools. Nada, Zero, Zilch.

PETITION TO THE LAUSD BOARD OF ED: RESCIND THE TFA CONTRACT


HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources PROJECT-BASED LEARNING ON THE RISE IN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
http://bit.ly/1NawaxV

Charter Wars: THE BILLIONAIRE vs. THE LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
http://bit.ly/1SmXD3V

THANK YOU! : http://bit.ly/1XtMHmh

Bureau of Indian Education schools: HOW WASHINGTON CREATED SOME OF THE WORST SCHOOLS IN AMERICA
http://bit.ly/1PaFqc5

YES, THERE IS A LIMIT TO HOW MUCH HOMEWORK YOUR CHILD SHOULD DO + various 2¢
http://bit.ly/1kTWUN5

A CENTURY AGO TODAY EINSTEIN’S THEORY OF RELATIVITY CHANGED EVERYTHING
http://bit.ly/1XrsTjF

Rethinking the Test: NY GOV CUOMO, IN SHIFT, IS SAID TO BACK REDUCING/ELIMINATING TEST SCORES IN TEACHER EVALUATIONS http://bit.ly/1OgQlQ2

The rhetoric of failure …or ‘How can we miss you if you won’t go away?’: ARNE DUNCAN PINPOINTS WHERE SCHOOLS FAIL
http://bit.ly/1Xrh8tv

DO WE WANT TFA INTERNS TEACHING SPECIAL ED IN LAUSD? A letter from a TFA Special Ed alum …and a petition to sign
http://bit.ly/1T23Kul

CLINTON, SANDERS & O’MALLEY: The Democratic candidates respond on Education Issues
http://bit.ly/1LwE57t

GROWING ANXIETY ON ‘LEFT OVER’ NCLB DEAL: “Significantly worse than No Child Left Behind?”
http://bit.ly/1SX851V

REPORT PRAISES LAUSD'S SPECIAL ED INTEGRATION, MISIS PROGRESS - LA School Report
http://bit.ly/1SSSxfD

COURT MONITOR ATTACKS LAUSD'S EFFORTS TO COMPLY WITH ADA - LA School Report
http://bit.ly/1P0RHzI

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

• LAUSD BOARD OF EDUCATION & COMMITTEES MEETING CALENDAR


What can YOU do? • E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Scott.Schmerelson@lausd.net • 213-241-8333
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Ref.Rodriguez@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
George.McKenna@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Monica.Ratliff@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
...or your city councilperson, mayor, county supervisor, state legislator, 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 at http://registertovote.ca.gov/
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!

Who are your elected federal & state representatives? How do you contact them?



Scott Folsom is a parent leader in LAUSD and was Parent/Volunteer of the Year for 2010-11 for Los Angeles County. • He is Past President of Los Angeles Tenth District PTSA and has represented PTA on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee for over 12 years. He is Vice President for Health, Legislation Action Committee member and a member of the Board of Directors of the California State PTA. He serves on numerous school district advisory and policy committees and has served as a PTA officer and governance council member at three LAUSD schools. He is the recipient of the UTLA/AFT "WHO" Gold Award and the ACSA Regional Ferd Kiesel Memorial Distinguished Service Award - honors he hopes to someday deserve. • 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.
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Sunday, November 22, 2015

From Ur to Ontario



4LAKids: Sunday 22•Nov•2015
In This Issue:
 •  LAUSD BOARD OF ED TWEAKS QUALITIES FOR NEXT SUPERINTENDENT DOWN TO A “T”
 •  CHARTER SCHOOL INVESTORS FORM NONPROFIT TO PROMOTE BROAD CHARTER SCHOOL PLAN + 3 LOCAL FOUNDATION HEADS TRY TO INTERVENE IN BROAD/LAUSD PLAN
 •  PTA SURVEY FINDS PARENTS STILL IN THE DARK OVER NEW TESTING + LAUSD ROBOCALLS: A Lesson in How to Confuse and Infuriate Parents
 •  CALIFORNIA REVENUE WELL ABOVE EARLY FORECASTS + PROP. 98 GUARANTEE COULD REACH $80B BY 2020
 •  HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources
 •  EVENTS: Coming up next week...
 •  What can YOU do?


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 •  4LAKids Anthology: All the Past Issues, solved, resolved and unsolved!
 •  4LAKidsNews: a compendium of recent items of interest - news stories, scurrilous rumors, links, academic papers, rants and amusing anecdotes, etc.
Lest We Forget: For those of us of a certain age November 22, 1963 was That Day in History When Everything Changed.

There have sadly been other such days since – including a week ago Friday.


On Tuesday ‏@arneduncan cheerfully tweeted: “Celebrating 40 years of IDEA, which has supported children w/ disabilities & their families ensuring they have access to quality ed. #IDEA40.” “Ensuring…?” Really Arne? Tweets are cheap/commitment is hard. The man has been Secretary of Education for over six years – racing-to-the-top and testing-‘till-they-drop – he has been totally+absolutely ineffectual at getting Congress to adequately fund IDEA. The US Government is supposed to pay 40% of IDEA costs; they barely pay 17%.

“Instead of opening a door to a brighter future, special education for many students is a dead end.” - Report of the CA Statewide Task Force on Special Education | http://bit.ly/1Nl3jgA

“Celebrating…?” Maybe a little shame - or at least a bit of hubris - is in order?


I SPENT MUCH OF THE PAST WEEK with PTA leaders from up-and-down the state in lovely Ontario, CA.

Ontario is a logistics hub with freeways+interstates, airport and rail yards – blacktop, concrete, tarmac and ribbons of cold steel – goods in transit from here-to-there, coast-to-coast – American commerce+markets tied to the Pacific Rim. Ontario’s architectural distinction is its warehouses – filled+filling, one presumes, with Next Christmas.

Take this metaphor. Please!

Much of our PTA discussion+work was taken up with the lack of parental/family/community engagement in the education of our children. (see: “PTA Survey Finds Parents Still in the Dark over New Testing” and “LAUSD Robocalls: A lesson in how to confuse and infuriate parents”)

There is nothing as important to a civilization/society/community/as the education, health and safety of our children.

On the plains of Africa the whenever one Masai greets another they ask a question: “Kasserian Ingera?”/”How are the children”?

The hoped-for reply is revealing: “All the children are well”. Not my children. Not some of the children. All the children are well. For the Masai, society cannot be well unless all the children are well.

One would think that in the millennia since the Birth of Civilization, whether in the Fertile Crescent, the Indus Valley, along the Yalu River, the highlands of Peru or the plains of Kenya – tied to the Birth of Communication: recorded language, culture, science, industry, organized religion and government – we would have stopped looking for short-cuts, quick-fixes and work-arounds – and dedicated ourselves to the hard work.

One would think.

Stay tuned; our PTA work was not all discussion; there will be outcomes, proposals and initiatives. Margaret Mead said to “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” Gandhi said to become the change we imagine. Join us.

If you have a PTA at your school please join it.

If you don’t have one ask: “Why not?

If I can be of help, please ask.



IN THE WEEK PAST THE LAUSD BOARD OF ED
met and agreed on a wish list for The Next Superintendent.

SOME BOXES IN THE LAUSD ORG CHART
emptied and were refilled.

SIDES WERE CHOSEN IN THE BROAD PLAN
to charterize half-of LAUSD. (“3 Local Foundation Heads Try to Intervene in Broad Foundation LAUSD Plan” and “Charter School Investors Form Nonprofit to Promote Broad’s Charter School Plan in Los Angeles Area”)

CALIFORNIA’S STATE REVENUE PROJECTIONS INCREASED –
leading one down a merry path of plenty: (“California revenue well above early forecasts” …or OMG! excess: “Prop. 98 guarantee could reach $80B by 2020!”)

We cannot use revenue projections to fund public education.

What becomes apparent is that we haven’t fixed California Education Finance with the Local Control Funding Formula/Local Control Accountability Plan and Prop 30 and Governor Brown’s best intents. We have simply modernized the economic roller-coaster and sold the passengers on a series of annual passes. Prop 30 is expiring, Jerry Brown will never be governor again and the economy is given to boom+bust.

One would think v.2.0


LA SCHOOL REPORT TAKES AMBIGUITY TO THE BI-POLAR EXTREME as its reporting: “Report Praises LAUSD’s Special Ed Integration, MISIS Progress” meets “Court Monitor Attacks LAUSD’s Efforts to Comply with ADA” …in reporting on the same report! The Special Monitor has a strange role, he is accountable only to the federal courts …but the consent decree has been in place nineteen years and seven superintendents. One would think the duck-alignment would have been better figured-out by now. Meanwhile attorneys for the charter school association are threatening to sue LAUSD for efforts to comply with the consent decree.

Watch this space.

¡Onward/Adelante! - smf


LAUSD BOARD OF ED TWEAKS QUALITIES FOR NEXT SUPERINTENDENT DOWN TO A “T”
by Zahira Torres | Los Angeles Times |http://lat.ms/1PNQQkv

19 Nov. 2105 :: The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday fine-tuned the list of qualities it is seeking in the next schools leader but not before quibbling over specific words and phrases.

The list of characteristics was culled from surveys and public meetings with teachers, parents, community members and others. It will be given to applicants and guide the search firm as it vets candidates to run the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Among the desired characteristics is a leader who is "politically savvy," can develop "productive working relationships with all LAUSD labor unions" and has "experience as a teacher and a principal working in an urban environment."

A candidate would not be eliminated for not meeting all the desired qualities.

The school board is looking to replace Supt. Ramon C. Cortines, 83, who has said he wants to retire by the end of the year. Cortines took charge John Deasy resigned under pressure after a series of missteps including a failed effort to provide iPads to all students that became the target of a FBI investigation.

Board President Steve Zimmer said the list of characteristics is meant to guide, not limit the search.

"These characteristics are meant to be our aspirations … and where we'd like the district to move for all children," Zimmer said.

The panel weighed whether the word "bold" was a good fit for its list of superintendent characteristics or if it was imprecise and could allow a leader to be reckless.

"I think bold is good, but I think follow-through and infrastructure is even more important," said board member Richard Vladovic. "We're in a mess right now with the iPads and I can name other things with great bold ideas that didn't have the infrastructure to follow-through."

The board also debated whether seeking candidates with experience working in an urban community would cut off worthy prospects.

"We can spend a lot of time on this, wordsmithing it, but it's been vetted and the community gave input," said board member George McKenna.

The district's next superintendent will have to take charge of a system that has long struggled to improve student achievement. That leader will also contend with a plan spearheaded by the Broad Foundation that seeks to lure more than half the district's students to charter schools over the next eight years.

District leaders are looking for ways to stem declining student enrollment from a range of factors, including charter school growth.

Critics of the projected $490-million charter expansion plan argue that it threatens the sustainability of the district and could hurt its ability to serve students. Supporters say the plan seeks to improve options for parents who are not satisfied with traditional public schools.

At a separate meeting Tuesday, a board committee reviewed a report that outlines the process for becoming an entirely charter school district. Board members said the goal was primarily to identify how the district could benefit from the same flexibility provided to charters.

Charters are publicly funded, independently operated and free from some regulations that govern traditional schools. Most are nonunion.

Board member Monica Ratliff said she did not believe that "a majority of board members want this district to go all-charter." Instead, Ratliff said the committee was simply trying to learn how it could seek more autonomy from the state.

"It's not fair that the current system provides autonomies to the charter schools and not to traditional public schools," Ratliff said.

Any decision on whether to begin the process for becoming a charter district would require a board vote.

The school district then would need more than 50% of its teachers to sign a petition favoring the change. It also would have to find alternative options for students who don't want to attend a charter school, according to the report.

State Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and the state Board of Education must separately approve petitions for all-charter districts.

California has seven charter school districts that serve between 100 and 1,500 students. The state board has oversight of those districts.

Board member Ref Rodriguez said the conversation about all-charter districts is important even if L.A. Unified does not intend to pursue such a change.

"What it might lead us to is an application for waivers," Rodriguez said.

CAVEAT: The Times receives funding for its digital initiative, Education Matters, from the California Endowment, the Wasserman Foundation and the Baxter Family Foundation. The California Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles administer grants from the Broad Foundation to support this effort. Under terms of the grants, The Times retains complete control over editorial content.


CHARTER SCHOOL INVESTORS FORM NONPROFIT TO PROMOTE BROAD CHARTER SCHOOL PLAN + 3 LOCAL FOUNDATION HEADS TRY TO INTERVENE IN BROAD/LAUSD PLAN
CHARTER SCHOOL INVESTORS FORM NONPROFIT TO PROMOTE BROAD’S CHARTER SCHOOL PLAN IN LOS ANGELES AREA

by Howard Blume | LA Times | http://lat.ms/1X7N5Xw

18 Nov. 2015 12;08 AM :: Backers of a plan to greatly expand successful charters and other high-quality public schools in the Los Angeles area have formed a nonprofit organization to move the effort forward, The Times has learned.

The new organization, called Great Public Schools Now, is based in Los Angeles and will take the next steps in a plan that initially was spearheaded by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. A draft of that proposal, dated in June, called for raising $490 million to enroll half the students in the L.A. Unified School District over the next eight years.

The nonprofit will be run by two executives from ExED, a local company that specializes in helping charter schools manage their business operations. Former banker William E.B. Siart will chair the governing board; Anita Landecker will serve as interim executive director. No other individuals or foundations are being included in a Wednesday release about the organization, an apparent effort to distance it from the Broad Foundation, which became a target of critics of the proposal. Eli Broad or a designee, however, is expected to occupy one seat on an 11-member board of trustees.

The goal, as described by Siart and Landecker in an interview Tuesday, would be to develop first-rate schools of all kinds — not exclusively charters. No funding target has been set, they said.

"It's the quality of the school that's the most important thing," Siart said.

Besides charters, the organization said it would work to expand or duplicate successful models of schools that are run by L.A. Unified. Charters are independently managed and exempt from some rules that govern traditional campuses. Most are nonunion.

"This effort will be aimed at replicating and accelerating the development of public schools … that have proven to be successful for kids in traditionally underperforming schools," Siart said.

The L.A. Unified Board of Education had no role in creating the original Broad Foundation plan and is scheduled to vote next week on a resolution officially opposing it. Some L.A. Unified officials, and other critics, have expressed concerns that a massive charter expansion could threaten the solvency of L.A. Unified, while leaving it with fewer resources for students who are more challenging and expensive to educate.

Separately, a small group of civic leaders signed a letter, released Tuesday, that chided the Broad effort — without opposing it — for being developed in private. They also echoed concerns about the possible financial effects on the nation's second-largest school system.

"In the short term, civil dialogue among all parties — and full parental and community engagement — would seem to be the better course of action for Los Angeles," according to the letter. It was signed by Fred Ali, head of the Weingart Foundation; Antonia Hernández, the leader of California Community Foundation; and Robert K. Ross, the top official at California Endowment.

Great Public Schools Now, meanwhile, is not backing down from the language of urgency and indignation in the original draft of the report, which was obtained and released by The Times. The plan called for 260 new charters.

"More than 160,000 students in Los Angeles and surrounding cities attend schools that are failing to provide them with a quality education," Siart said.

Landecker added: "It's unconscionable that families in many low-income communities lack the same opportunities to send their children to a high-quality school."

Charters appear to remain the primary focus, based on written materials being released. They highlight support for charters, based on a recent poll, as well as data indicating that charter schools are outperforming traditional campuses. The release also quotes the head of the California Charter Schools Assn.

"Charter schools have done incredible work in educating students from high-poverty backgrounds throughout Los Angeles," said Myrna Castrejón, acting chief executive of the charter association. "Because of this record, Great Public Schools Now will unequivocally support the replication of successful charters as a major component of their efforts."

Also included is the voice of a parent who has one child in a charter high school and another in a district-managed elementary campus.

"We don't have as many options as we would like on where to send our children to school," said Lisette Duarte, who has a child enrolled at a charter operated by Partnerships to Uplift Communities, or PUC. "Our ZIP Codes still limit us. That's why I am grateful charter schools exist and want to see them grow."

PUC is the charter group cofounded by school board member Ref Rodriguez, who has said he supports providing options for parents but has not specifically endorsed the effort.

The nonprofit was incorporated Aug. 20, Landecker said, with the stated mission of promoting "the quality of publicly funded education in Los Angeles and surrounding communities."

An official announcement was withheld until after the polling was completed and until after additional meetings with community groups and others could take place. Now, "it was time to make sure as much information as we had available could be presented to the public," Siart said.

Last week, a senior official with the Broad Foundation suggested that the charter proposal was in an early discussion phase.

"We're pleased that our early ideas for how to improve L.A.'s public schools have generated a citywide discussion and evolved into the formation of an independent organization that will work with the community toward the goal of giving every family access to a high-quality public school," Swati Pandey, communications manager of the Broad Foundation, said in a statement.

CAVEAT: The Times receives funding for its digital initiative, Education Matters, from the California Endowment, the Wasserman Foundation and the Baxter Family Foundation. The California Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles administer grants from the Broad Foundation to support this effort. Under terms of the grants, The Times retains complete control over editorial content.

____________________

3 LOCAL FOUNDATION HEADS TRY TO INTERVENE IN BROAD FOUNDATION LAUSD PLAN

By Larry Kaplan and Ruth McCambridge | Nonprofit Quarterly | http://bit.ly/1QCeJNt

November 20, 2015 :: In philanthropy, it is rare to see foundations protest each other’s work, but in Los Angeles, three foundations are speaking out about what they see as the potential undercutting of parent participation by the Broad Foundation in its new initiative to remake the public school, and they are even offering to intervene.

The letter, sent to the LAUSD Board of Directors, LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines, United Teachers Los Angeles President Alex Caputo-Pearl, and Broad Foundation Founder Eli Broad, reads in part:

The California Community Foundation, the California Endowment and Weingart Foundation have invested in efforts to educate and inform parents and to build their leadership skills to become stronger advocates for their children and communities. In some cases, we have supported programs and projects related to the LAUSD, while in other instances we have supported the development of charter schools, pilot schools and partnership schools. Our priority has and will always be to ensure poor and vulnerable communities have access to high quality educational options and are informed about what makes for a good school. Recently, the Broad Foundation released a provocative proposal to significantly increase charter schools in communities that have high concentrations of underperforming schools. In the midst of the controversy surrounding this proposal, we must remember that our priorities are families and children. Superintendent Cortines has consistently reminded us that the schools belong to the community, but it takes community, with parents at the forefront, to make the schools great.

It continues:

At this point, our foundations are not interested in taking sides on the Broad initiative; rather, we are bullish on the matter of full and robust participation of community, parental and youth engagement on key, critical questions – such as the Broad Charter School proposal, and the desirable attributes of a soon-to-be-hired school superintendent.

What we are willing to do is offer ourselves as neutral conveners interested in doing what is best for all of our parents and children. We must engage parents and community members and help them preserve their opportunity to secure high quality education for their children. L.A.’s vibrant future depends on it. We are open to what form our role might take, and willing to listen to constructive input from you.

As NPQ has previously written, the Broad Foundation has been pushing a greatly contested plan to significantly expand the number of charter schools in the Las Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Now, as a part of that plan, a nonprofit organization has been established to advance the scheme. To date, only part of its 11-member board has been announced, but it will include Eli Broad or a designee.

The new organization is called Great Public Schools Now, and is apparently the body that will take the next steps in a plan initially proposed by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. The plan calls for raising $490 million to enroll half the students in LAUSD in charters over the next eight years. It has met strong opposition from the teachers union and has gotten a mixed reception from the school board.

The nonprofit will be run by two executives from ExED, another local nonprofit that helps charter schools manage their business operations and build their campuses. Because the operation will presumably expand the market for ExED, this in and of itself should provide some cause for concern.

In addition to charters, the organization says it will work to expand or duplicate successful models of schools directly run by LAUSD. The group says its goal is to develop first-rate schools of all kinds, not exclusively charters.

The Board of Education did not play a role in creating the original plan—and next week it will vote on a resolution officially opposing it. Critics are concerned that a massive charter expansion could threaten the solvency of the district, limit accountability, and leave LAUSD with fewer resources for the most challenging students, who are the most expensive to educate.

The Times reports that Great Public Schools Now has been “using the language of urgency and indignation” found in the original draft of the plan, which calls for 260 new charters, which are the primary focus of the organization’s mission. Its announcement included polling showing public support for charters, and research indicating they are outperforming traditional campuses.

• Larry Kaplan is a consultant based in Los Angeles. He describes himself as passionate about urban communities and social justice. He helps non-profit organizations leverage governmental and community relations to advocate for their causes, advance their missions, reach their fundraising goals and achieve their program objectives. He has built and maintained elected officials’ offices, managed political campaigns, helped public agencies increase their effectiveness, and advised private companies and associations on their philanthropic and civic responsibilities.
• Ruth McCambridge is Editor in Chief of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.


PTA SURVEY FINDS PARENTS STILL IN THE DARK OVER NEW TESTING + LAUSD ROBOCALLS: A Lesson in How to Confuse and Infuriate Parents
PTA SURVEY FINDS PARENTS STILL IN THE DARK OVER NEW TESTING
by Tom Chorneau | SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet http://bit.ly/1PwLyem

Nov. 16, 2015 :: (Calif.) Despite a multi-year effort by the state to prepare for new testing aligned to the Common Core, a survey of parents reasonably engaged in their children’s schooling found a majority still had little or no understanding of the new assessment system.

The self-selected poll of more than 3,000 families conducted in September by the California Parent Teachers Association also revealed more than a third of parents reported getting no information at all from their districts about last spring’s testing while another third said what details they did get were only “slightly helpful and understandable.”

News of the PTA findings comes in the wake of September’s release of the first round of scoring under the new California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress or CAASPP and the arrival of some 3.2 million individual student reports through the mail. PTA officials said last week the results suggest a lot more needs to be done to bring parents up to speed about the new testing and what the scores mean.

“I think there’s probably a lot of parents who heard last spring that their child would be taking new tests but now that the scores have been sent home, they are now sitting up and asking a lot of questions,” Celia Jaffe, PTA’s vice president for education, said in an interview.

“So we have a lot of work to do – no question – but that’s not to say that schools haven’t been trying,” she explained. “Parents don’t necessarily pay attention to everything that comes home and sometimes it’s difficult for state or even local district officials to put on the parent hat and understand which of the nitty-gritty things parents want to know.”

The Common Core State Standards were adopted in 2010 under the Schwarzenegger administration and cover both English language arts and mathematics. Largely because of budget restraints, California was slow to transition to the new curriculum goals but now is recognized as one of the national leaders building the infrastructure needed to fully integrate the standards into day-to-day activities in the classroom.

The new assessment system, piloted in 2014, was administered officially last spring to students in grades three through eight and 11. Although most educators consider the first set of scores as a baseline, the results were somewhat disappointing: only 44 percent of all students met or exceeded the English language arts standard and just 33 percent reached the same benchmark in math.

The education community tried to warn against comparing the new results to scores from the prior statewide assessment system because they were based on a different set of curriculum goals. Most news outlets made the comparison anyway, likely adding to confusion among parents about what the scores mean.

The survey from the PTA suggests most parents were coming into the issue armed with little good information: 54 percent said they had no understanding or only a slight understanding about the CAASPP.

The poll found that 36 percent reported getting no information about the testing and 34 percent said the information they did get was not or only slightly helpful.

“Whether or not they were reading everything that came home or weren’t provided enough materials, the parents came into the fall this year – based on our findings – not really having a good idea about what to expect from the score report,” Jaffe said.

The survey, which wasn’t controlled to reflect a broad cross-section of the community, was offered through various PTA channels during the last weeks of September. About 3,000 parents participated in the effort.

________________

LAUSD ROBOCALLS: A LESSON IN HOW TO CONFUSE AND INFURIATE PARENTS

Op-Ed in the LA Times by Kerry Cavanaugh | http://lat.ms/21bNRrf

November 18, 2015 :: I am the parent of a Los Angeles Unified School District student, and I get robocalls from the district probably two times a week. These are not calls from my son’s elementary school. These are recorded messages from various district officials, informing me of some meeting or workshop or that parents should fill out some paperwork.

I admit, these calls come so frequently and are so rarely useful that whenever I see the (213) 241 prefix, I let it go to voicemail and only occasionally listen to the message.

But last night’s call was so frustratingly useless that I had to listen to it several times to figure out if I was confused or if the district was just being confusing. Guess which one it was?

The call was regarding a parent survey on changing the school calendar, which perhaps I would know about if I regularly listened to these robocalls. (I was aware the district was pondering changing the school year start and end dates, thanks to LA School Report.) Nevertheless, the call didn't explain what was happening with the school calendar, and that might have been helpful.

The message began by saying, “We are calling for your preference in taking the survey on school calendars. We want to provide options that best fit your preference.” Well, thanks for asking.

It continued, “Please choose one of the three options: taking a phone survey, an online survey or choosing not to participate in the survey.” OK, those are fine choices. How do I choose?

The call then went on for the next 30 seconds, describing all the details of the phone survey — including which days and times the district would call, that I should take the call in a quiet setting with good cell reception and that I should go on the district’s website to prepare myself for the survey.

Then the message ended.

There’s no more mention of the online survey, such as where to find it or when it’s due. No more mention of how to opt out of the whole process. Just an abrupt end that left me wondering, did I miss something?

I understand that it’s really hard to communicate with the parents of 600,000-plus students and those parents have different language needs and use different modes of communication. The phone is almost universal, so robocalls make sense. Just do the calls a little better, please.

So, when the Board of Education wonders why parents tune out the district and fail to get engaged on the bigger issues, like the selection of the next superintendent, this might be one of the reasons why.


CALIFORNIA REVENUE WELL ABOVE EARLY FORECASTS + PROP. 98 GUARANTEE COULD REACH $80B BY 2020
CALIFORNIA REVENUE WELL ABOVE EARLY FORECASTS
by Tom Chorneau | SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet http://bit.ly/1jevM9G

November 17, 2015 :: (Calif.) With unemployment in California trending ever closer to pre-recession levels, the governor’s finance department reported Monday revenues for the month of October exceeded estimates by nearly $400 million, giving a year-to-date total of almost $1.2 billion above the forecast.

Of the state’s three biggest sources of money, personal income taxes provided the biggest boost last month, adding $235 million in unexpected revenue beyond the forecast of $4.8 billion.

Sales taxes were also higher, although state officials said much of that was due to a shift of tax receipts being collected a month sooner. Overall, sales taxes are running $214 million above estimates. Corporate taxes were $93 million lower during the month and so far this year are $226 million below expectations.

One of the drivers of personal income taxes is the quarterly “estimated payments” that individual investors must make based on stock earnings. The idea is to help reduce the taxes that investors must pay in April as well as moderate cash flow of the states.

According to a report this month from the Rockefeller Institute, most states have seen a significant increase in taxes collected on investment income with half of the fiscal year in the books.

Of the 39 states reporting estimated payments, only Louisiana and Rhode Island saw a decrease. At the high end, Kansas and New York recorded increases over 26 percent. California reported an increase of about 17.8 percent. The median gain was 13.4 percent.

Yet the good news comes as Gov. Jerry Brown begins building his 2016-17 spending plan set for release in early January.

This week the non-partisan Legislative Analyst kicks off the first turn in the budget process with release of its annual outlook paper.

Last year, the LAO predicted that revenues would grow 4.6 percent in 2015-16, 3.4 percent in 2016-17 and 3.6 percent in 2017-18. The analyst estimated growth would fall below 2.7 percent in both 2018 and 2019.

____________

PROP. 98 GUARANTEE COULD REACH $80B BY 2020

by Tom Chorneau | SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet http://bit.ly/21bNa1a

November 19, 2015 (Calif.) :: The minimum funding guarantee for K-12 schools and community colleges is expected to surge to $77.5 billion by the 2019-20 school year – marking a five-year cycle of increases that will total more than $14 billion, according to a forecast released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst.

Economic uncertainties could threaten the rosy outlook but in its annual report on the general condition of the California economy and the picture moving forward over the next five years, the LAO suggested the state’s fiscal health couldn’t be much better.

In fact, “the state budget is better prepared for an economic downturn than it has been at any point in decades,” the Legislature’s chief financial adviser said.

For public education the news is also welcomed, tempered only in the sense that Gov. Jerry Brown’s efforts to pay off outstanding debts run up over the past 10 to 15 years, has reduced – at least in part – the requirement that all new state income be shared dollar-for-dollar with schools.

Indeed, the LAO projected that the state will end the 2015-16 fiscal year with an additional $3.6 billion in revenue above the forecast used in last summer’s budget process. Although some of those unanticipated dollars will be available for spending, the lion’s share will go into the state’s new rainy day fund that was created by voters in 2014 with the passage of Proposition 2.

The analyst predicted that by the end of 2016-17, state reserves would reach close to $11.5 billion.

If the restrictions imposed by Proposition 2 have few loopholes to allow new spending, the message from the governor Wednesday shows Brown has not changed his tight-fisted approach to money management.

“The strong economy is good news for California, but the recession scenario outlined by the Legislative Analyst is a sobering reminder that we must continue to pursue fiscal discipline, pay down liabilities, and build up our Rainy Day Fund during these fleeting good times,” said Michael Cohen, director of the governor’s Department of Finance, in a statement.

Based on historical data, the current economic expansion – now at 77 months – is probably closer to the end than the beginning, the LAO concluded. The average length of an upswing in California has been 58 months dating back to 1945, according to the report.

The growth in personal income tax – a key driver of state revenues – has been on a tear of late but is likely to slow in the coming years. From an increase of 11.8 percent last year, the LAO said growth will fall to about 6.4 percent this year and then to 3 percent in 2016-17; 4.5 percent in 2017-18, and 1.7 percent in 2018-19.

The decrease in personal income tax, the LAO pointed out, assumes that the Proposition 30 hike on the state’s wealthy will expire as scheduled in 2018; if the reauthorization measure passes in 2016, the outlook would look considerably brighter.

From a technical standpoint, says the LAO, Proposition 98 funding for 2014-15 was based on Test I – generally operative in strong economic times and requiring schools to receive a minimum percentage (or a dollar-for-dollar increase) of revenues.

In 2015-16, the LAO believes school funding will move to Proposition 98’s Test 2, typically in play during normal economic conditions and calling for schools to get what they got last year either from the state or local property taxes.

One heavy burden the state has carried for many years that is close to being lifted is the “maintenance factor” – the accumulated debt owed whenever the minimum guarantee falls below an historic level. During the last recession, the maintenance factor grew as high as $14 billion in 2012.

But Brown’s careful management of the education budget has reduced that bill to just $195 million and with that payment this year, the LAO said the state will be without a maintenance factor obligation for the first time since 2005-06.

With the lifting of that debt and expected changes in the economy, the LAO said the state will for the first time in many years, be able to share more revenue with other services and programs outside education.

“In 2015-16, the (Proposition 98) guarantee is relatively insensitive to changes in revenue,” the LAO reported. “Under our main scenario, with Test 2 the operative test and no further maintenance factor payments required, the 2015-16 guarantee no longer depends directly on growth in state revenue. We estimate that General Fund revenue could increase by as much as $8 billion above our projections with no corresponding increase in the guarantee.”


HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources

REPORT PRAISES LAUSD'S SPECIAL ED INTEGRATION, MISIS PROGRESS - LA School Report
http://bit.ly/1SSSxfD

COURT MONITOR ATTACKS LAUSD'S EFFORTS TO COMPLY WITH ADA - LA School Report
LAUSD BOARD OF ED TWEAKS QUALITIES FOR NEXT SUPERINTENDENT DOWN TO A “T”
http://bit.ly/1QuATRH

CHARTER SCHOOL INVESTORS FORM NONPROFIT TO PROMOTE BROAD’S CHARTER SCHOOL PLAN IN LOS ANGELES AREA
http://bit.ly/1luP0K6

RUTH PEREZ: Paramount Unified eyes new superintendent
http://bit.ly/1SAqBwS

FRANCES GIPSON NAMED NEW LAUSD CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER, REPLACING PEREZ – HUERTA TO HEAD LOCAL DISTRICT EAST
http://bit.ly/1QXZvBw

PTA SURVEY FINDS PARENTS STILL IN THE DARK OVER NEW TESTING
http://bit.ly/1My5YOl

LAURENE POWELL JOBS LAUNCHES COLLEGE-SUPPORT PROGRAM IN WATTS
http://bit.ly/1YdOBd3

A Series of Op-Eds: HOW TO SOLVE THE LAUSD PUZZLE
http://bit.ly/20XGGTu

LAUSD unions silent over financial report predicting trouble ahead - LA School Report http://bit.ly/1j0OzW8

CA's ACADEMIC RATINGS TARGETED 4 REPEAL: If the API is repealed w/o Parent Trigger, Gloria ®omero threatens lawsuit http://bit.ly/1MvAdp0


EVENTS: Coming up next week...
Be Thankful.

"Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table'

*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


• LAUSD BOARD OF EDUCATION & COMMITTEES MEETING CALENDAR



What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Scott.Schmerelson@lausd.net • 213-241-8333
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Ref.Rodriguez@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
George.McKenna@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Monica.Ratliff@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
...or your city councilperson, mayor, county supervisor, state legislator, 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 at http://registertovote.ca.gov/
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!


Who are your elected federal & state representatives? How do you contact them?




Scott Folsom is a parent leader in LAUSD and was Parent/Volunteer of the Year for 2010-11 for Los Angeles County. • He is Past President of Los Angeles Tenth District PTSA and has represented PTA on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee for over 12 years. He is Vice President for Health, Legislation Action Committee member and a member of the Board of Directors of the California State PTA. He serves on numerous school district advisory and policy committees and has served as a PTA officer and governance council member at three LAUSD schools. He is the recipient of the UTLA/AFT "WHO" Gold Award and the ACSA Regional Ferd Kiesel Memorial Distinguished Service Award - honors he hopes to someday deserve. • 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.
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