The Echo

Red Clay has a new approach to summer school -- preteaching at-risk students. Will it work?

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009906280323

La. High School Diploma Plan Goes to Jindal
By The Associated Press via Education Week

Baton Rouge, La.
Louisiana will have a new diploma for public school students, who will face less-stringent requirements for English and math, if Gov. Bobby Jindal approves an education bill approved by the full Legislature.

read the rest of the story here: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/06/23/283680lxgrdiplomachanges_ap.html

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/48695437.html?page=1&c=y

Sources tell me it's alive and well in Delaware, too.

What do you think?

More News from PA:

Administration Shelves Pa. Graduation Exam Plan
By The Associated Press via Education Week

Harrisburg, Pa.
The Rendell administration Monday temporarily shelved plans to develop graduation competency exams for Pennsylvania high school students in hopes of making peace with legislative critics who felt the administration was moving too fast.

Read the article here:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/06/22/283357pgraduationexams_ap.html

DCAS passes in the House, heads to the Gov. for signature!

After an informative presentation at the Board Meeting last night, CSD BOE voted to accept to the district recommendation that the 2009/10 tax warrant maintain the same levels as the 2008/09 warrant. For CSD tax payers, there will be no increase to school taxes.

Of note, the district cited 1% increase in revenue from taxes due to new construction, both residential and commercial (thank you Home Depot.)

On the down side, the closing of the Chrysler Plant in Newark could lead to a $1 million loss in revenue. After consulting with the State Auditor and Department of Education, the value of the former Chrysler property was not included in the calculations. The district will cease to receive revenue from the site if it is purchased by a non-for-profit entity such as the University of Delaware, the apparent fore-funner in current real estate negotiations. Furthermore, a for-profit successor entity to Chrysler could choose to level the plant, remove all the buildings, and leave the land with little to no taxable value for the purpose of school taxes.

I hope to delve a little deeper into the tax warrant in the coming days, to explain the more complicated portions of the formula. But, first I need to fact check for accuracy.

As for the board meeting itself, it started forty minutes late, indicating that executive session prior to the meeting ran long. In-coming Superintendent Marcia Lyles was again in attendance. During public comment the Board acknowledged outgoing member Beverly Howell for her years of service. The other noteworthy action of the night, voting on the consent agenda, was complicated by the decision to table all of Item B - Bid Awards for Foreign Language Translators, Elementary Counseling Services, Behavior Intervention Specialist Services, In School Alternative Program, and Student Support Services [ whose job it is to "assist building staff in monitoring in various capacities such as Hall Monitor and In School Suspension Monitor" (6/23/09, School Board Meeting Agenda, p. 4, BID #CSD-2009-05.)] The vote was 4-2 in favor of tabling.

http://news.aol.com/article/nyc-teachers-paid-to-do-nothing/538142?icid=mainmaindl1link2http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fnyc-teachers-paid-to-do-nothing%2F538142

I had the pleasure of meeting with district officials, yesterday. It was an opportunity to learn more about the individual facets of school administration, policy, programming, and finance.

It was a friendly and informational meeting. Thank You to those who found time in their busy day to meet with me. I look forward to July, when I can formally reach out to our local level administration, such building principals and program leaders, to learn more of their day-to-day challenges and successes.

And while I am on this page, if there are particular areas that you deem in my interest to learn more about, this is a great time to share it with me. At the bottom of this post you can anonymously submit a public comment. I do moderate comments before posting for inappropriate language and I do respect that some folks like their concerns to remain confidential as they are situation-specific.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009306210011

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009906200346

CSD will host a Community/Parent Meeting to gather imput for Fiscal Year 2010 planning and Consolidated Grant Application development.

Thursday, June 25, 2009
6 pm at Gauger-Cobbs

According to the CSD website, you can contact Andy Hegedus, Supervisor of Grants at (302)552-2601 for more information.

----------------------------------------------------
So, what is the Consolidated Grant Application? Basically, it's the success plan that is key to the receipt of funding for Delaware's School Districts. Of the online documents I viewed, the following is probably the best explanation:

http://www.doe.k12.de.us/infosuites/staff/si/comp_of_SI/ca/files/Success%20Plan%20Guiding%20Questions%20WEB1.pdf

From time to time, I have the honor of doing business with a fantastic mom and pop shop. You know the ones I'm talking about - good folks homegrown in our state competing with the likes of Walmart and other super box stores for their livelihood. Now wait, I admit it, I shop at Walmart for the good deals they offer. Who can afford more in these economic times?

But, the moms and pops, they are the heart and soul of Delaware's business community. They are out there working for their families and yours. So, today, I wanted to pass along the name of a business that I have found to be fantastic -- Premier Fleet Services. Okay, why would I need to do business with a fleet service company? The mouse-mobile - our affectionately-named Saturn sedan for the family of furries who took up residence in our air filter during my first pregnancy, the duration of which I spent on bedrest - and our SUV dubbed mamma's-car by DS, hardly qualify as a fleet. Despite my less-than-a-fleet status, Premier has repeatedly arrived in my driveway, promptly to change my oil and make the many needed repairs that come with vehicle ownership.

Here's the backstory - Premier, family-run from their shop in Claymont, started serving fleets in Delaware a couple years back. Like so many, they've been hit hard by the economy and have had to reinvent themeselves to keep the business afloat, now offering residential services. They come to you! (which was a real life saver when, with two kids in the car, the radiator blew on I-95 on the hotest day of last summer.)

I really like these folks, they are hard, dedicated workers who offer extremely fair prices. And because I totally support those in Delaware who operate A+ businesses, I wanted to pass along my great experiences. And for those who are wondering, I have not been offered, not would I ever accept, a payback for this plug or any other.

Premier Fleet Services
Ask for Dave!
(302)793-3500
950 Ridge Rd
Unit A-5
Claymont, 19703

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090619/NEWS02/906190366

Like most parents with children home for the summer, we've been busy! My daughter participates Extended School Year (ESY) services, so our breaks are very disjointed as we cram a summer's worth of fun into a few weeks in June and August. After taking our Girls Scout troop to Dutch Wonderland, hosting our son's 3rd birthday, re-homing a stray dog, attending an award dinner, repairing our car, and shivering through a cold, wet day at Sesame Place, things are finally quieting down.

DD (Dear Daughter) starts ESY Monday, DS (Dear Son) will spend the morning with a wonderful family friend, and I will be at district offices for an orientation meeting with administration. I will officially enter into the capacity of BOE member on July 1st. Both John Young, the other incoming Board member, and I will be sworn in at the School Board Meeting scheduled for July 14th at Kirk.

Moving on ... Legislative Notes:

SB 151, which permits the use of fed. stim. funds for incentive programs for teachers and SB 149, which allows the Delaware Department of Education to deny teaching licenses to non-public school teachers if they don't meet the requirements, passed in the Senate. Both bills are headed to the House for consideration.

The long-awaited HB 119, in its substituted form, is moving to the Senate for a vote. In sum, it gives districts more control in how they allocate their state funds.

On Tuesday, Rep. D. Scott filed HB 231, a bill that would permit parents to take unpaid leave to attend school conferences and activities. It's goal is to give working parents a means to participate in the education of their children. It's a great concept. But, until we pay folks a livable wage or employ a flexible work , it's still going to be tough for parents take time away from work. That said, we need our families to be active in our schools, now, more than ever! I am a firm believer that it takes a village to raise a child and through community, educational, and family partnerships, we ensure the best outcomes for all children!

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009906120340

Check out the right sidebar to see how Delaware ranks regionally.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990610053

See how and when the other 49 states, Guam ,and the Virgin Islands elect/appoint their school board members:
http://www.nsba.org/MainMenu/SchoolLaw/Issues/Governance/Resources/electionschart.aspx



My opinion is that Delaware is bucking the trend. Seems most states that hold November School Board Elections do so in the odd number years - meaning they will never correspond with the general election. HB 117 will move all of Delaware's elections to the general election every four years.

The Big Question: The House passed it, will the Senate kill it in committee?

Here's an official Children and Educators First! Welcome to Dr. Marcia Lyles - in town, scoping out the new digs in prep for her July move. Brief introductions were had before Dr. Lyles was swept away by the attention-seekers.

A brief word of thanks to David Resler, acting board president, for publicly explaining the back story to consent agenda votes. Issues are debated and questions posed during executive session prior to the public meeting where the board then votes. Not exactly transparent, as the questions and answers never reach the public's ears, but the explanation is appreciated.
Moving along - What bucket of money is the funding for the new computers in our elementary schools coming from? Will they be new or refurbished? How old are they? How are we disposing of existing technology? Just a few questions brought to mind by Shirley Saffer's public request for information during the Board Member Requests portion of the evening.

I am in no way accusing DE's school system of making these mistakes. (Good God, I shouldn't even need to make that disclaimer, but I know there are those who will ask what is she insinuating?)

I am presenting this article from Wright's Law Special Ed Advocate simple as food for thought. The end of the school year is always the right time to reflect on challenges encountered:

Mistakes People Make - School Districts
by Robert K. Crabtree, Esq.

Anything a school system does that undermines parents' trust creates a climate that is costly in dollars, time, peace of mind, and the quality and success of services given to the child.

Here are the most significant school system mistakes, according to persons at every level of the system:

1. Refusing to let parents or parents' experts see programs, either within or outside of the school system. When school systems tightly restrict the parents' access to their own programs, the parents wonder what they are hiding and assume the worst; when they refuse to clear the way for parents to see an outside program, the parents will assume that the grass is greener over there;

2. Failing or refusing to communicate and actively coordinate with outside experts working with the child, such as the child's therapist or a tutor;

3. Ignoring reports from independent evaluators; failing to speak to those evaluators to clarify ambiguous information or recommendations; failing to add the evaluator's recommendations to the IEP when reasonable;

4. Failing to respond to parents in writing or at a meeting when a problem arises;

5. Taking a patronizing and/or antagonistic and/or insulting attitude toward parents; personalizing issues between school and parents; attempting to blame parents for their children's educational failures rather than looking for solutions (school system professionals need to treat parents with respect even if those parents are insulting and belligerent themselves);

6. Sweating the small stuff (e.g., spending twenty minutes at a team meeting arguing about whether the meeting can be tape-recorded);

7. Failing to observe procedural timelines and notice requirements (e.g., scheduling timely meetings, getting evaluations to the parents before the team meeting, notifying the parents who will attend the meeting, providing clear written explanations of parent rights);

8. Writing careless and sloppy IEPs. Parents, evaluators, and hearing officers all look first at the extent to which the written IEP reflects a thorough and logically coherent view of the child, the goals and objectives for that child's program, and a clear and understandable description of what will be provided, how, by whom, and when; and how the child's program will be evaluated;

9. Failing to implement an IEP and, worse, trying to cover up that failure;

10. Failing to modify an IEP that is not working and waiting, instead, for the program - and the child - to collapse;

11. Failing to provide additional or different services as a way to avoid having to make more restrictive (and expensive) outside placements;

12. Failing to call in expert consultants from outside the school system with good reputations among both school and parent communities who can help develop or monitor a program for a child with unusual needs;

13. Losing contact with families who have placed their child unilaterally. Some school systems forget or ignore their continuing responsibility to evaluate, review, and propose IEPs for children when they are attending outside placements at their parents' expense;

14. Botching the required procedures around suspension or expulsion of students with identified or suspected special education needs (e.g., failing to convene the team, failing to make a manifestation determination, failing to re-examine the IEP to see if services are appropriate and have actually been provided, failure to provide FAPE to suspended or expelled students with special education needs;

15. Failing to ensure that non-special education administrators - particularly building principals - are fully informed about and are following the required special education policies and procedures.

What teachers wish for from
http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/?p=1768

If you attended the University of Delaware, chances are you remember Math 114. And if you took M114, you ought to have fond memories of the Math Lab in Pearson Hall. I was never a strong student in Math, I suffered through Algebra I in high school. I was a visual learner and couldn't "see" the concepts in flat textbooks. The University's Math Labs changed that with their computer-based imaging software and visual applications.

So, when I learned about a school district in Westport, Massachusetts, who had given the heave-ho to texts, I was intrigued. Talk about putting resources in the hands of a teacher. Westport spend $75,000 to redesign their Algebra curriculum paring it down to the most crucial concepts and creating content for an online class. Half that money went to paying teachers during the summer to work on the program, the other half went to the software company who incorporated it into an existing model.

So far, so good. Students, parents, and teachers have given the new design a nod of approval. Standardized test scores are up and student are engaged. Less time is spent "reviewing" during Algebra II because they spend their time in Algebra I developing a strong understanding of the core principles. Yes, they have identified some weaknesses in the program itself, areas where more practice problems are needed. But, that's not a killer problem to fix.

The only detractor thus far: The textbook manufacturer from whom the district is no longer purchasing textbooks.

Check out a recent article in the New York Times and start thinking Education Stimulus Aid:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/08/education/08math.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=education

http://onefightmore.blogspot.com/ on DE Tax System, Fairness and Efficiency. Fascinating read.

Another look at the DSTP data for the Christina School District:

In Fall of 2006, 4th graders scored at 88.8% meeting or exceeding science standard.
Those same students were tested in the Fall of 2008 as 6th graders and scored at 66% meeting or exceeding science standards. In the course of 2 years, 22% stopped meeting/exceeding standard.

In Fall of '06, 68.3% of fourth graders met or exceeded state social studies standard. In the Fall of 08, 52.1% of those students, as sixth graders , met or exceeded the standard. That is a decrease of 16.2%

My thoughts: Clearly something is happening between fourth grade and sixth, something is not working. A double digit rise in failure rates give me great concern. Whether you like the test or not, it's what we have and we need to focus on why these students are failing to make progress and even regressing. It's time to revisit our strategic plan, because at this rate, we will never attain the goals outlined in the CSD plan.

While many are assuming the DCAS test will replace the DSTP, we cannot operate on that assumption. Nor do we know that our students will score better using the DCAS model. We need to plan now on how to move the resources into the classrooms that our teachers need to educate our students!

Delaware DSTP Scores are available at: http://dstp.doe.k12.de.us/DSTPmart9/summaryByDist.aspx

Whether you like the DSTP or not, it's the only statewide standardized test in Delaware.

Here's an early summary of Christina:

4th Grade Science: 87.45% Meets or exceeds standard. We have the lowest meets/exceed percentage in the state. Red Clay comes in at 88.05% and Colonial scored 89.93%.

6th Grade Science: 66.03% Meets or exceeds standard. We again scored lowest in the state. Red Clay scored 77.02% and Colonial reached 72.91%

4th Grade Social Studies: We faired better in Social Students with 65.81% meeting or exceeding the standard, placing Christina eleventh of fifteen districts.

6th Grade Social Studies: 52.1% Meets or exceeds standard. We came in at 14 of 15 with only Laurel School District scoring lower than we did. Ouch!

We saw our first saucer house while vacationing in the Outer Banks some years back. It was roadside in Frisco, gleaming silver and quite a curiosity.

The neat thing: Delaware has not just one rare Futuro, but two! Here's a photo of the Houston, Delaware Futuro and a link to a News Journal story about the home and owners. Quite a read!

Photo from http://www.futurohouse.com/northam.html You can also check out pics of the Saucer House in Lewes, DE.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070415/NEWS/704150338

SB 140
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
Synopsis:
This Bill would reduce from 3 to 2 the number of residents from New Castle County outside the City of Wilmington on the State Board of Education, and would add an at large member. This change better reflects the current population of the three counties and provides the Governor with the flexibility to appoint an at large board member on the basis of qualifications, need or population shift.

SB 147
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE, RELATING TO AN EARLY RETIREMENT INCENTIVE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES AND THE CREATION OF A NEW TIER OF BENEFITS FOR NEW EMPLOYEES.
Synopsis:
This Act provides a retirement incentive of 2 additional years of service to employees in the State Employees Pension Plan that retire on 6/30/09. There is also a new tier of benefits created for employees hired after 7/1/09.

SB127
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO QUALIFICATIONS OF VOTERS.
Synopsis:
This Act requires that those voting in school board elections and school tax elections and school bond elections be registered voters.

http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/lis145.nsf/vwLegislation/HS+1+for+HB+119/$file/legis.html?open


-E-

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009306040007

Delaware's getting closer to giving school districts latitude in implementing disciplinary actions. Thanks goes to Kasia Haughton, the 11-year-old Leasure student who unwittingly brought a cake knife (along with a cake!) to school. Kasia should be given credit for inspiring common sense in a system that sometimes seems to be without.

The design and building of Tree House was a labor of love. Whitney Sander designed this house for his sister.

Tree House sits on a cul-de-sac at the end of a mature subdivision in Wilmington, DE. It is filled with century-old deciduous trees, which form a magnificent canopy 150 feet above the site.

A stream runs around the house, and because of certain restrictions of the Army Corps of Engineers and because of the potential for flooding, the buildable area is quite small. This induced the firm to design a vertical house, with raised Living Room and Master Suite. These spaces give one the feeling of being in the trees.

http://images.google.com/imgresimgurl=http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1286/556193366_8acd7aca16.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nikiomahe.com/home-design/tree-house-wilmington-delaware-usa/&usg=__iERuGZsGTBi6AePj2wzfczZRv-g=&h=333&w=500&sz=96&hl=en&start=72&sig2=jJCr8f0YmJcibjBZ9ljsZg&um=1&tbnid=QUCodMT967PHeM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3DStrange%2BHouses%2Bin%2BDelaware%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-US%26rlz%3D1I7RNWE_en%26sa%3DN%26start%3D54%26um%3D1&ei=nRYnSpW6IcjemQexvI3pBw

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009906020341

State Auditor, Tom Wagner, is a busy man. Here's his breakdown of superintendent salaries courtesy the News Journal:

SUPERINTENDENT SALARIES

Data is organized based on the number of schools. I chose this format to illustrate that disricts with a similar number of facilities may have drastic different student populations or largely different salaries. Ex: Polytech has one building, serves 100 fewer students than Sussex, yet it's superintendent is paid $16,000 more than the Sussex Super.


DISTRICT, # of Schools , # of Students, Superintendent, Salary

Polytech 1- 1,147 Dianne Sole $152,946
Sussex Technical 1- 1,249 Patrick Savini $136,778

Delmar 2(1bdg) -1,149 David Ring Jr. $113,315

Woodbridge 3 - 2,012 Kevin Carson $138,483

NCC Votech 4 - 4,105 Steven Godowsky $161,366

Laurel 5 - 2,099 Linda Schenck $119,196 (Acting Superintendent)
Milford 5 - 4,070 Robert Smith $161,448

Lake Forest 6 - 3,930 Daniel Curry $136,769
Seaford 6 - 3,367 Russel Knorr $149,888

Smyrna 7 - 4,460 Deborah Wicks $133,280
Cape Henlopen 8 - 4,493 George Stone $157,306


Appoquinimink 11 - 8,193 Tony Marchio $162,876
Capital 11 - 6,179 Michael Thomas $147,854

Colonial 13 10,430 George Meney $193,000 *
Caesar Rodney 13 - 7,143 Kevin Fitzgerald $143,651
Indian River 13 - 8,388 Susan Bunting $138,720

Brandywine 18 - 10,113 Jim Scanlon $167,075

Christina 26 - 17,292 Freeman Williams $163,737 (Acting Superintendent)**
Red Clay 28 - 15,721 Rob Andrzejewski $171,543

*George Meney is the highest paid superintendent in the state.
**Christina is also the host of the Statewide Delaware Autism Program and Delaware's School for the Deaf (these programs serve students from outside the CSD.)

Thanks go to John Young, another CSD Board Member-elect for finding this great information and posting it to his blog at http://www.transparentchristina.wordpress.com/.

Cost of Living Comparison: New York, New York - Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is 47% cheaper than New York.
Housing is the biggest factor in the cost of living difference.
Housing is 73% cheaper in Wilmington.

A salary of $203,000 in New York, New York could decrease to $107,733 in Wilmington, Delaware

http://transparentchristina.wordpress.com/2009/05/31/salary-comparison-of-new-york-ny-to-wilmington-de/

Delaware's budget woes got you down?
Let's auction off the state-issued license plates sported by our government vehicles, starting with Gov. Jack Markell's #1 tag.

Maybe Orlando George Jr, Pres. of Del Tech will take a stab at it. With the pay he rakes in, surely he can afford it! Orlando's #1 in state pay compared to Jack's #25.

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090531/NEWS02/905310368&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL