If I still had respect for the Gov (respect is easily lost and much harder to earn) I'd see his proposed education funding as a sign of improved economy and perhaps a sign that he got the message - you can't balance the state's budget on the backs of children.  But, I know better now... And I'll call it what it is (My comments are in red.):

From the News Journal, http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012201270339

DOVER -- Delaware public schools were spared from a steep drop in funding next year in Gov. Jack Markell's proposed 2013 fiscal year budget. Classic Election Year Move to earn support of parents and educators.

Markell proposed $27.4 million in new spending for school operations to make up for the loss of one-time federal stimulus money Congress appropriated to stave off teacher layoffs during the recession. Back it up here! First Markell moved education funds  -eliminating line items like the one that paid reading specialists - into the general fund to support other state expenditures.  Then he backfilled with the federal stimulus monies all the while warning that the funding cliff was coming - coming mind you b/c he was moving edu-funds into general funds and eliminating needed programs...

"The bottom line is, putting in the $27.4 million will absolutely help us with staffing and personnel, which prior to today we were very concerned about," said Delmar Superintendent David Ring, who heads the state's Chief School Officers Association. "It would vary district to district, but we absolutely would have had major layoffs."  In Christina, RIFs have somewhat been mitigated by a year or two due to our tax payers who valued public education and passed an operating referendum two years back.  While you can't just move state and federal funds from one bucket to another, the district is better able to re-appropriate local funds to offset some of the damage inflicted by our Gov.'s past budgets.  It's not ideal or even close, but it helped to stabilize the district at a time when the Gov. was disenfranchising education voters. Absolutely, there are districts that would have been crippled if this funding was not made available now.  And I'll take it, knowing that the Gov. is already planning to hack away at education funds the second he's re-elected. 

The $3.54 billion total budget -- which includes $960.7 million for school district operations -- also appropriates $8.7 million to hire 111 new teachers across the state to account for projected growth in enrollment next school year.  This is a classic move for a politician up for re-election.  Spending money on more teachers is designed to engage union support.  If more teachers are hired, it safe to assume many of them will become a part of the unions that protect their rights resulting in more union dues and probably an endorsement from one of the most powerful unions in the state.  I live unions, but I fear that the Gov's move to buy their support will do just that.  I wonder how quickly our union leadership will forget about DPASS-II Component V and how our teachers evaluation will be tied to a test that measures student achievement and not a teachers proficiency? Will they forget that they have been demonized by the likes of the Gov's Buddy Skip Schoenals and the rest of the business roundtable? 

Markell's proposal also includes $8.8 million to pay contractual step increases for employees in K-12 schools and Delaware Technical Community College. Really? Is this noteworthy?  The key word here is "contractual."  These employees have a contract that ensure they get their step increases.  As the Gov. is not seeking across the board pay cuts as he has done in the past, this is non-news.  It was safe to assume that their wages would be paid as contractually obligated!  I hate feel good lines that are tossed into stories for the sole point of feeling good.  This is not an accomplishment.  This is business as usual.

In response to a study showing 1,000 paraprofessionals are underpaid in Delaware, he proposed giving each classroom aide a $750 raise, adding another $750,000 line-item to the budget.  Okay, the Gov. and I can agree on this one:  a number of education employees including paras are paid at below or just above poverty levels. This is income long deserved.  Sadly, it doesn't touch nearly enough employees and it's not enough, but it's a start.  Maybe the state-induced paycuts (and I predict our Gov will go there if he wins another term) won't hurt these employees quite so much...

Ring said the governor's education funding plan was the best news the state's school districts could have expected. Districts were worried about the loss of $27.4 million in federal stimulus funding, he said. 

Delaware schools received that money in 2011, but were urged by the Markell administration not to spend it until the current fiscal year, which bought the state another year to find the funds.  The A-HA Moment!  So those of us who have the spiteful job of approving education budgets knew this funding existed.  It was approved more than a year ago by the federal government and sent to states to distribute to districts.  In Delaware, the funding was held at the state level with the strong admonition that districts should not try to draw down these funds.  They are one-time funds meant to preserve education jobs.  Most, if not all, districts have not drawn on these funds, waiting until Markell's funding cliff materializes.  This is not special funding that our Gov. has secured for Delawareans.  It was already in the pipeline and many of us have spent the last year praying that the state would not find a way to raid this funding, too. 

"I pushed that problem off for a year and now we have to address it," said Ann Visalli, director of the Office of Management and Budget. Of course it must be addressed.  The funding sunsets - don't spend it and you have to give it back. 

The president of the state teachers union gave the Democratic governor's education budget good marks.  Please, Frederika, don't drink the kool-aid as some who have come before you have (and trust me, I hear from reliable sources, some are regretting it!)  Remember, Jack's buddy, calling you and your kin out as factory floor workers who are holding the ed-system hostage!  That's their true colors shining through!

"It's both financial and emotional support for the folks making it happen in our schools," said Frederika Jenner, president of the Delaware State Education Association.

Jenner said she was particularly pleased with the governor's $3.5 million appropriation for early childhood programs, which will add to $22 million the administration gave to those programs last year.  I wonder how much of the original $22 million came from funds previously dedicated to transportation?  Those funds were hijacked last year by the Gov.  Yes, I agree that we need to invest in early childhood, but programs like Baby Race to the Top are just misguided efforts. 

"I believe that many of our issues that we see in elementary, middle school and high school maybe started before the child entered our school system," Jenner said.  Frederika is a smart woman, she knows that longitudinal data absolutely supports this fact.  Children who do not participate in effective early education such as preschool start kindergarten and first grade with a gap.  I've heard from countless principals who saw this when our district moved from 1/2 day to full-day kindergarten.  Children who were 1/2 day K-students were often behind their full-day K counterparts in first grade.  

Heartbreaking:  The fact the internationally educators in the early childhood field have been fighting for funding for decades.  Though it's a start, Delaware's already late in the game to tackle the education of our youngest as an intervention to proficiency gaps.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <Secretary.Lowery@doe.k12.de.us>
Date: Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 12:04 PM
Subject: Message from Secretary Lowery
To:


Dear Colleagues,

First, let me thank you for your patience. I know many of you have felt angst surrounding the uncertainty and confusion around how Component 5 (Student Growth) would be measured on your evaluations during this development year. I want to thank the many of you who have shared your concerns with me, the Governor, legislators, district leaders and union representatives. Your voices were heard and appreciated, and we've continued to make changes because of the insights and suggestions you have shared. It is because of your dedication and assistance that with the agreement of DSEA leadership, we have reached a final policy for this year, one we can all point to as fair and focused. I will outline it further below.

I also want to thank the more than 400 teachers from across the state who have been joining us in Dover over the past few months to develop multiple measures across content areas and grades. You know the best ways to assess your students when they enter your classrooms and throughout the year, and many of you have been using these measures in your work for years. The reason our state's system will be strong next year is because of these measures, developed by our teachers and validated by national experts on our technical advisory committee.

With that work continuing through the coming months, we still must have a fair plan for this year's evaluations. With the help of your union leaders, we have finalized this year's policy:

For the 2011/12 school year, educator summative ratings will be determined without use of Component V except as used to identify highly effective teachers, as noted below. Using Components I - IV, an educator's summative rating will be determined as follows:

o 0 or 1 satisfactory components = Ineffective summative rating

o 2 satisfactory components = Needs Improvement summative rating

o 3 or 4 satisfactory components = Effective summative rating

Only teachers of DCAS-tested subjects (math, English Language Arts in grades 3-10) will receive a Component V score for this year. They will be eligible for a Highly Effective summative rating and therefore eligible for incentive and retention bonuses. Details on the incentive/retention program will be finalized and announced this spring and will be voluntary at the local level.

Thank you again for your patience and assistance in this work. I look forward to continuing to hear from you and working with you as we move forward together on this and other work with the shared ultimate goal in mind: a stronger school system for our children. Like all of our work, this begins and ends with the students. I know you share that motivation with me, and I thank you for your dedication to our students.

If you have any questions or would like more information on this change, please contact Deputy Secretary of Education and Chief of Staff Dan Cruce at dcruce@doe.k12.de.us.


Sincerely,

Lillian

Lillian M. Lowery
Secretary of Education

Another child taken too soon...broken hearts all around...

Yes, this is usually a mantra you'd read on Transparentchristina.wordpress.org.  I'm taking a play from their playbook and the question stands:  When will Mayor Baker dedicate the necessary resources to make Wimington's streets safe for children?

Larry J.A. Parks III was fatally shot in the chest shortly before 4 p.m. in the 300 block of New Castle Ave., where Wilmington police officers found him lying in the street.

Mr. Parks' deaths marks the THIRD homicide in Wilmington this year - that's an average of 1 per week. It's still January!  It's nothing short of criminal that the Mayor has failed to deploy the resources to tackle the issue of violence in the City.  He's failed to make the streets safe for our children. 

Rest Peacefully, Mr. Parks.  From what I've read, you will be deeply missed by your family, your peers, and your teachers. 

Mayor - It's time to get to work!

Rich Heffron, of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, said his group opposed the fee when it was first proposed more than a decade ago.  http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012201220342

Something about this statement in yesterday's News Journal really rubbed me the wrong way - perhaps more than Reybold's veiled attempt to stimulate their profit margins...

And when I thought back to Delaware's Winning Race to the Top Application - you know the great plan to deform public education - I remembered  the "Letters of Support" - most notably the  Delaware Chamber of Commerce's letter which was includethe RTTT application.  It can be found in Appendix (A)(2) – 8."

These particular portions of that letter stand out to me:

The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce is the largest most influential business organization in the state. The mission of the state chamber is to promote an economic climate that strengthens the competitiveness of Delaware businesses and benefits citizens of the state.  This can only be accomplished by growing a workforce that has a solid educational background with all Delaware public school students having access to the best possible education in the world.

The Chamber has embraced support of education as a primary, long-term strategic goal of our organization...

On behalf of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, I offer my full support to our state leaders and educators in your industrious dedication and tireless work to create world-class schools that will benefit all Delawareans...  Link HERE p 60

Um, yeah, and that's why the Chamber put it's full support behind the Voluntary School Assessment back in the 1990s.  NOT.  The Chamber supports education as long as business is likely to benefit financially from a new industry built entirely around NCLB/RTTT. But, the second education might actually cost them a red cent, they balk, and they do so publically in the News Journal.

The Chamber has opposed the Voluntary Assessment for more than a decade.  They believe that builders should not pay, nor act as a condoit for such payment, into the educational system that will serve the children of those who buy the homes they build.  The Voluntary Assessment helps build capacity in schools.  The funding is needed even if developments go up in reclaimed areas where schools are not at capacity.  Districts age and their facilities need attention.  Districts in turn pay-out to business for the minor and major capital projects. The investment returns itself in spades (and jobs) for the business community.  But, the Chamber seems to be of the same mind as Reybold that this assessment should be assessed over all tax payers.  Yeah, and school districts can raise your taxes anytime they want.  NOT.  Um, that's why we have referendums.

Anyway, I just wanted to put it out there - the Star Chamber of Commerce is speaking out both sides of their ass on this one.  They fully support DOE as evidenced by their letter in support of RTTT as long it doesn't affect their members' bottom line.  I'm calling bullshit!

Reybold wants their share of school funding back... Or at least a legislated change in the Voluntary School Assessment formula - a non-voluntary assessment that helps fund additional classrooms when new neighborhoods are built. 

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012201220342

Jerome Heisler, of the Reybold Venture Group, said in the suit filed Dec. 28 in U.S. District Court that the state's Voluntary School Assessment is flawed because the amount of the fee is the same whether the new housing unit is an efficiency apartment or a seven-bedroom McMansion.

"The Voluntary School Assessment, calculated on a per-unit basis, is discriminatory in that it ... burdens basic freedoms by limiting the selection of areas in which low-income persons, the majority of whom are ... minorities, can purchase new housing," the lawsuit says.

Department of Education spokeswoman Alison Kepner said she couldn't comment on the specifics of the suit.

The assessment on face value is probably unfair.  It is overly burdensome for builders who target housing for the middle class and the poor.  But, then, it's a safe statistical assumption that most builders pass that assessment cost onto their buyers.  And that's the crux of the Reybold argument: A buyer than can only afford a $30,000 mobile home will have a tougher time finding the same $6,000 that the buyer of the McMansion foots. 

However, Reybold's suit is asking for something more than legislated changes to equalize the assessment: 

The suit asks the court to declare the Voluntary School Assessment "discriminatory and/or unconstitutional, and therefore unenforceable." It seeks an injunction that would halt the collection of the fee and force the state to refund the fees collected to date.

I can go along to get-along with most of the argument - but this is where Reybold loses me.  The builder is suing to force the state to refund the fees collected to date.  So, off the top of my head, I find myself asking:

• Let's be clear here - If the management at Reybold truly thought this fee would hurt their clientele, they would have filed this suit back in 1999 when the Assessment hit the books. It's curious that they've waited 13 years to object. Perhaps this is a response to the recession and Reybold has seen their sales decline?  I'm just saying that the motivation as purported by the suit is not the true motivation of the builder, but just an ancillary fact that bolsters their argument...  
•  Say this suit gathers steam:  If the court orders a refund, who gets it? The builder who likely passed the fee down to his buyer? Or the buyer who may have paid the fee without even knowing they were funding schools?
• If the court orders a refund, what's the impact to tax payers?  From the DOE spokesperson:

If that were to happen, Kepner said, the school- expansion costs to accommodate the students who live in houses that paid the fee would have to be funded another way.

"All taxpayers in the school districts would have to pay the costs associated with building capacity to serve the new subdivisions," Kepner said.

That's DOE speak for we spent that money and we don't have any to refund, so we'll find away to push that along to the tax payers. 

That's part and parcel with the Governor's plan for fiscal responsibility and it's just scary.  Delaware's Gov has raided education spending for three years to balance the state's budget.  He's eliminated programs such as the one that provided reading specialists in our schools, moved dedicated education dollars into the general fund where such monies can be spent on things other than education.  Though he was rebuffed in year one in regards to transportation funding, last year he did manage to push off a substantial chunk of transportation costs to the local districts.  It's already been forecast that when the Gov. releases his next proposed budget that there will be more money diverted away from education. So just how would the Gov raise enough money to reimburse the builders for the not-voluntary Voluntary School Assessment Fees? 

Let's just hope that some of our legislators keyed into this News Journal story and will act to equalize the fee before the DOE has a chance to lose the lawsuit with Reybold.

This ought to make you sick.  If it doesn't, you have no heart.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to take up the issue of prayers at school board meetings.

The justices declined to hear the appeal of a school board in Delaware, which had its practice of reciting prayers before its public board meetings struck down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, in Philadelphia. www.edweek.org

While some states are union-busting, Delaware's apparently busting out new unions...

Pete Seeger on Unions...

Well, well, well DEducrats - It's happened! It's really really happened! Delaware College Preparatory Academy has unionized!  Wonder what the Rodelleans will think when this hits the press in the morning?  Should the Delaware Charter School Network be concerned?  Are you? I'd love for you to be my thought partner on this one!!!

And let's just toss out there this game-changer:   if Charter schools are the educational panacea for which we all search - why would the staff of a Delaware Charter vote for unionization?

Link to the Most Recent published minutes of a DCPA Board Meeting:
October 2011
November 2011
Charter Unionized

"This commutation in no way relieves Mr. Gattis of his moral or legal guilt, and I am mindful of the fact that an innocent victim lost her life on the night of May 9, 1990," Markell said, adding the decision to spare Gattis life was "among the most difficult I have had to make in all my years in public service." - News Journal

Apparently the Gov. was not mindful enough the respect the sentence bestowed on Mr. Gattis by the jury of his peers for the murder of former girlfriend Shirley Slay. 


Normally, I wouldn't talk the death penalty on this blog - but this is just one more instance of poor judgement exemplified by Gov. 

"Keeping the person in prison is still protecting society,"said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C.

Lest any one among us is confused... Keeping murderers in prison is "still protecting society."  But, the issue is deeper... Gattis murdered someone and was sentenced to death.  

"At last week's Board of Pardons hearings, Gattis acknowledged for the first time that he intentionally executed Slay in cold blood inside her New Castle-area apartment."

For twenty years, Gattis has had a free ride in prison and my tax dollars have supported him. Gov. Markell can see fit to expend more tax payer money to keep an admitted murder in prison for life, but he doesn't bat an eyelash when it comes to cutting state education funding and pushing the expenses off onto the local share...


The Gov.'s obligation was to uphold the decision of the jury and to do so in a fiscally-acceptable way.  He failed in both arenas.


 How very, very sad.

Taylor Mali (http://taylormali.com), one of the most well-known poets to have emerged from the poetry slam movement and one of the few people in the world to have no job other than that of poet., gives his mind on what teachers make. Mali is a vocal advocate of teachers and the nobility of teaching, having himself spent nine years in the classroom teaching everything from English and history to math and S.A.T. test preparation.

He has performed and lectured for teachers all over the world, and his New Teacher Project has a goal of creating 1,000 new teachers through "poetry, persuasion, and perseverance."

Please visit http://taylormali.com for more on Mali and his New Teacher Project.

http://taylormali.com

Advocacy Group Gets New Director

New York City and State Move to Shut Down Brooklyn Charter Network
http://www.districtadministration.com/news/new-york-city-and-state-move-shut-down-brooklyn-charter-network
Wednesday, January 11, 2012

City and state education officials announced that they plan to close an entire network of charter high schools in Brooklyn that have suffered management and financial woes for years.

One day after New York City Department of Education officials declared their intention to close Williamsburg Charter High School at the end of this school year, the state’s Education Department moved to shutter the two other high schools that are run by the same management organization: Believe Northside Charter High School andBelieve Southside Charter High School.

If the schools close in June, it will affect more than 1,500 students, the largest impact any charter school closing in the city would have to date.

The three high schools, all of which are located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, were founded by Eddie Calderon-Melendez, who runs their management organization, Believe Network. Mr. Calderon-Melendez did not respond on Tuesday to an e-mail request for comment, and someone who answered his cell phone hung up before answering questions.

Williamsburg Charter was authorized and opened by the city’s Department of Education in 2004, but the other two Believe schools were granted charters by the state in 2009 and are so new they have not even grown to serve grades 9-12.

New York Times

It's time for another dissection.  My comments are in RED.http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120110/NEWS03/201100331/Culture-change-urged-schools

Culture change urged in schools

Reform leader seeks better cooperation  (A better headline would've read:  Deform leader seeks better submission)

WILMINGTON -- In a speech to the state's business and political leaders Monday night, Marvin N. Schoenhals, leader of the Vision 2015 school reform project, outlined his vision for Delaware's public schools, called on the teachers union to make changes and challenged those in attendance to get involved in education reform.  Funny, I keep reading in the NJ how DSEA is right there at the table with DOE in crafting the reforms that need to happen.  DOE even went so far as to appoint a former union leader to a powerful position (and well-paid) position within the teacher evaluation unit.

In short, he said, there needs to be a culture change.  I agree:  my children need big business to stop needling and poking around in education.  If business wants to have a role in schools, it needs to be one of supporting the teachers in the classroom and schools in their community.

"A vibrant state economy depends on a vibrant banking community," said Schoenhals, who is also WSFS chairman. "But that dependence is dwarfed by the influence our education system has on the long-term growth of our state, our quality of life and the dignity of our communities." Whoa... Slow down there skipper, a vibrant economy doesn't have to built on banking.  It needs to built on the business and enterprises that thrive in that particular state.  Frankly, I don't want a TARP guzzling two-face bank directing what education my children receive.

The speech came during the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce's 175th Annual Dinner -- one of the largest events of its kind in the state -- at the Chase Center. The annual event drew an estimated 900 people, including some of the biggest players in business and politics. Just asking, but how many school board members in this state received invitations to pay $200 a pop for a seat at the indoctrination?  My guess is maybe a handful of compliant ones and I would even go as far to say that I bet Skip and friends didn't waive the cost for these unpaid public servants.

Calling his work with WSFS and the education system "the great passions of my life," Schoenhals outlined ways to improve Delaware's schools and asked the teachers union to work to change state law surrounding staffing rules. Citing Delaware's mediocre test scores on reading and math tests and a high school dropout rate that he called unacceptable, he said the education system must be improved. Now, Skip, we might be on the same page here, if you're asking the unions to work to change the unit formula that generates the number of teachers in a district/building.  If you're advocating for more teachers in more classrooms with fewer students, I'm all for it.  The longitudinal data shows that these type of intervention especially in the early years make the biggest impact on achievement. (But, I doubt this story is heading that way.)

"For most in this room, the education system worked fine and has continued to do so for your children and grandchildren," he said. "That is not the case for many in our society. As a result of that discrepancy, we are often complacent about the hard work required to make our schools effective for all children."

Schoenhals is credited with successfully steering WSFS in the 1990s as the bank faced significant financial problems. In his speech, he said there are similarities between the work that had to be done to restore WSFS and the challenges that face the state's public schools. Really, Skip? 

"WSFS was an organization that had many nice people working there, but we did not have a culture of performance," he said. "As a result, we were the No. 7 bank in a six-bank market. We were not much of a blip on the radar screen. Today, WSFS is arguably one of the leading financial institutions in our state and the region. That did not happen overnight. It took us 15 years to change the culture to one that encourages people to perform at their best."  What's missing from this statement?  WSFS was No. 7.  What rank do you now hold?  Just because you may hold a substantial market share in Delaware, doesn't mean that share is as great outside this local footprint.

(Page 2 of 3)

That improvement in WSFS came as one person was in charge for 15 years, reporting to a board of directors. In education, that's not the case, he noted. Stakeholders -- the governor, Legislature, teachers union, school boards, parents and superintendents -- each hold significant veto power. So, Skip, let me share how this is supposed to work and why it doesn't:
1) Parents are the stakeholders.  They vote in elections to select who will be on their school board.
2) School board members set the governance tone in a district.  As a body of seven that can only function when at least 4 agree (in CSD for example) the board has one employee, the superintendent.  We can feel ownership for all employees of the district, but at the end of the day, we evaluate only ONE.  Meanwhile, board members must continue to listen to their constituents and take the tempurature of their community or they risk being voted out.
3) District employees take their lead from the tone set by the board and superintendent. 
4) Unions are an outside organization with a very important focus - they protect collective bargaining rights to ensure fairness, they provide a checks and balance system for the HR culture of district/school, and finally they ensure due process for their membership.
5) The Legislature writes and passes the laws that govern education initiatives statewide.  It's hopeful that they are communicating with the school boards and constituents to receive direction on where the education laws need strengthening and/or amendment.
6) The Gov's job is to either veto the bills that get passed or sign them into law.

Why this system isn't working:
1) You left the Department of Education off your list of veto holders.  The DOE is led by a Secretary of Education that is appointed by the Governor.  He gives his Secretary direction regarding the education policies he wants to see (in this case, he's promoting the education reform INDUSTRY and ignoring the lack of data and research in the process.) 
2) The DOE has been given, especially under this governor, unmatched power in regards to their meddling within school districts.  They've successfully utilized the Delphi principle and coercion to reinforce this power shift. They issue mandates to superintendents to withhold information from their boards, inserting themselves into a management role over superintendents that does not belong to them.  They have usurped power from the local control elected by the people.
3) The DOE has been extremely successful in influencing legislation and regulation that comes before our legislature.  But, they only tell one side of the story.  They rely on the legislature to have a large deficit in their knowledge of education policy and they have carved out a niche influence.

"It is a very political system," Schoenhals said. "I don't mean that in a bad way. It just means that our school system is subject to the uncertain process of making decisions in a political environment." That's why school board elections are non-partison.  I would hazard a guess that these elections were designed to protect school systems from political influence.  When DOE - led by a partisan a governor - overstepped their authority and encroached local control by issuing edicts to school boards and superintendents, they politicized the system.

Singling out the Delaware State Education Association as supporting policies that hurt the ability of some schools to makes choices in staffing decisions that make the most sense, Schoenhals called on the union to support changes to state law that is "more appropriate for a factory floor than in a profession like teaching." A statewide system focused on seniority for pay systems and staffing procedures is hurting schools, he said. Factory Floor?  Skip, that's just shameful!  How can you denigrate good teachers like that?  Don't you understand that without teachers, there are no schools?  Now, I can't say I am pro-union or anti-union, I'm not.  But, I respect the laws that allow unions to operate and support those employees who feel there is a need.  RTTT and PZ allowed for bargaining unit carve-outs.  Those schools that truly need the freedeom the traditional union contract (PZ schools) now have the ability to go back to the table and bargain in good faith with the select group of personnel who are most affected by one of the four models of RTTT/PZ destabilization.   The mechanism already exists. I also know just how sticky this can get from my own first-hand experience of course correction for one the PZ schools.  Mind you - the Gov. didn't take well to course corrections back then and withdrew all RTTT funding for all schools until our board was bullied into submission. Then, magically, the money was returned.  Thank You Great Merlin, I mean... Gov.

"One size in our system of pay does not fit all," Schoenhals said. "Let the districts and the local union determine what would work best for them. With a system that is more reflective of the profession that teaching is, we can then work to get teacher pay to a level worthy of the task teachers perform -- educating the next generation." Really, can any teacher take you seriously after you denigrated an entire profession by reducing teachers, many with multiple degrees and certifications and histories of achievement success, to the factory floor worker - a seemingly lesser educated professional.  Furthermore, each district has its own local E.A.  Each district sits down and negotiates with the local E.A.  If flexibility is what is needed to written into the contract, it requires all parties to negotiate in good faith, not just unions! 

Union leader reacts
Union president Frederika Jenner said she did not find the speech to be revolutionary. She believes the union is working to improve the system, and that several of the problems cited were founded on misrepresentations of the issues.

For instance, Jenner said, teacher seniority issues are not always based on last-in, first-out, and other staffing rules are the result of a collective bargaining agreement. As for the "factory floor" reference, Jenner said she was offended. "He has taken the conversation in the wrong direction," she said.  So, all along the RTTT way, we've been led to believe that DSEA and its associated locals have been intimately involved withe development of the latest reform craze.  Skip's unabashed statements lead me to believe that there is something much deeper afoot.  Are you accusing the DOE and Gov. of lying everytime they sang the DSEA's praises for their collaboration?

Schoenhals asked those in attendance to focus on five key areas as a way to make changes: develop a better system for reporting school quality to the public; create performance standards that will allow students to compete globally; reward high- performing schools; allow the state to force changes on struggling schools, but without withholding funding; and institute a system that provides spending flexibility so school leaders can spend funds in ways that make the most sense for that locality.

1) A better system for reporting school quality to the public?  We had that.  The DOE threw it under the bus and now issues AYP rankings for growth in addition to achievement. These changes were made in the dark with no prep to the public before the system was implemented.  The Public has been reduced to interpretting the DOE's website - Gee, did my feeder school make AYP based on actual proficiency or is it a low-performing school that has managed to goad growth (not proficiency and in some cases nowhere near proficiency) to earn their ranking?

2) Performance Standards?  Go read the Common Core Standards!  These are supposed to be the be all and end all of education standards.  It's already here, buddy.

3) What type of rewards are you looking for at our high performing schools?  Maybe permit them to opt out of RTTT and keep doing what's working for the school and its community?

4) Allow the state to force changes without withholding funding!  Amen.  We can agree on this one.  However, the state doesn't have the best record for turning around schools... Just look at Moyer.

(Page 3 of 3)

All schools can succeed given the right attention and tools, he said. He named the Indian River School District as a model, citing sustained progress there. The successes of districts and charter schools must be celebrated, he said, but there needs to be a continued focus on those who struggle.  This is not new or revolutionary.  No matter which side of the ed reform debate you take, we already know and agree that there needs to be a continued focus on those who struggle.  Once again, a day late and dollar short.

The state has had some other major successes, notably winning $119 million from the U.S. Department of Education in President Barack Obama's signature education reform program, he said. But even that award is not going to be enough to fix the problems that the public school system faces, he said.  I agree.  But, that money would have been much better spent getting more teachers into more classrooms.  Instead it's being parcelled out the reform INDUSTRY and you, Skip, helped that happen when you sang those RTTT praises!

Within a mile of where the Chamber of Commerce dinner was taking place, there are schools where two-thirds of the children cannot read on grade level, and children who show up to kindergarten without the skills they need to succeed. I take issue.  Those are my schools and my kids.  And you conveniently left out just how hard our district is working to mediate the kindergarten acheivement gap for which the only faulty party is parents who fail to engage education for their children early enough to prevent the gap form occuring.  As for reading, maybe if we weren't required to teach the reform du jour perhaps my teachers could have implemented best practices to reach those children - maybe even adjust their teaching style to accomodate a child's learning style.

"And if you're not convinced that education quality is either an economic or a sustainability issue, please consider that it is a moral imperative," Schoenhals said. "The ZIP code in which a child lives should have no bearing on whether their education will help them reach their potential. It is cruel, and flies in the face of America's foundation of equal opportunity for all." Hey, Skip, poverty knows no zip code.  It doesn't matter where you live - poverty is the great divider, the achievement roadblock.  Sure there are secondary issues such as racial isolation based upon the neighborhood a child lives within, but it's everywhere, both urban and suburban.  It's my belief that public education is the greatest entitlement program ever, both in the dollars spent and the sheer number of people it touches. 

Pencader Climbed the Mountain that DOE said was insurmountable.

For every "don't call me" song you post on http://www.transparentchristina.wordpress.com/ - I'll find a "call me" song and post it here.  The one rule - You must post in Video/You Tube type format!

Readers:  Who do you think will win?  (Yes, in the barren landscape of education reform - in winter, no less - I am seeking a diversion or distraction from the direction that has been inflicted upon us - the delphi-informed.)

I'll start:

God love the Newark Post for sending this GEM, subject "Breaking News," to my inbox!  That said, if you need cookies, I can direct to a couple Girl Scout Troops comprised of some Christina's most amazing girls who would love to satisfy your order!

Posted: Tuesday, January 3, 2012 1:59 pm

Updated: 2:05 pm, Tue Jan 3, 2012.Girl

Scouts going door-to-door to start taking cookie orders 0 comments


Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay will go door-to-door to begin taking orders for Girl Scout Cookies starting Saturday, January 7. This year local Girl Scouts will offer the six varieties - Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Trefoils, Do-si-dos and, new this year, Savannah Smiles, in honor of the Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary. All Girl Scout Cookies are free of preservatives and have zero trans fats. Cookies are $4.00 per box.


Cookie booth sales will begin on Friday, February 10, at local businesses throughout the Delmarva Peninsula. Girls are also taking donations of Girl Scout cookies for Operation Taste of Home and local community groups. The Operation Taste of Home cookies will be donated to our Armed Forces and local agencies, such as food banks and pantries, blood banks, cancer centers and youth programs.


Individuals interested in purchasing Cookies or donating to Operation Taste of Home can call the Cookie Hotline at 1-800-YUM-YUM2. To locate a cookie booth sale in your area go to www.GSCB.org.

The Girl Scouts Cookie Program is about more than just great tasting cookies. The program has a lasting impact on girls' lives by helping them to build life skills such as leadership, money management, decision-making, teamwork, and goal setting. The benefits of the Cookie Program have been hailed by many of today's businesswomen, who cite selling Girl Scout Cookies was their first step toward successful careers.


All of the proceeds-every penny-from a local Council's cookie activities remain in the area where the cookies are sold. This revenue is used to benefit girls, some of it directly by remaining in the Girl Scout troop treasuries, and some of it indirectly by funding Council-led programs for Girl Scouts. Each year, over 9,000 Girl Scouts from the Delmarva Peninsula participate in the Cookie Program, selling over one million boxes of cookies to the community.
A leading advocate for and expert on girls, the Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay builds girls of courage, confidence and character by providing personal leadership development and programs that teach skills for the real world. The Council serves approximately 15,000 girls in grades K-12 across the Delmarva Peninsula. Approximately 5,000 adult volunteers support the Council in various mentoring and leadership positions. To learn more about Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay, visit www.GSCB.org or call 1-800-341-4007.

The 10 Most Memorable Stories of 2011: Ed. Policy and Politics

One of the proposed changes that parents and educators may notice is a change in the terms applied to schools based on how they perform on the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System. Currently, schools are placed in categories such as "superior," "commendable" and "academic watch." The draft proposal would drop those names in favor of the U.S. Department of Education's seven suggested category names, which would include descriptors such as "reward schools," "recognition schools," "focus schools" and "priority (partnership zone) schools."  From the News Journal

You've got to be kidding me, right? Superior and Commendable were at least meaningful - you knew you were buying into a good school - at least until last year.  That's when DOE - without the community meetings - went ahead and recalculated the way schools were labeled based upon achievement data.  That resulted in schools that failed to meet the accepted definition of proficiency achieving a superior or commendable status based solely upon student growth - more students moving in the right direction but not reaching proficiency targets.  The end result was a ton of confusion with little clear explanation directed towards parents or the public. 

So, who wants their child to attend a school labeled "Reward School?"  No, really?  Does that title have any inherent meaning to you?  And just what is the reward the school is earning? I don't have the answers - DOE hasn't extended its informational reach to general school board members, yet.  Guess that means I'll be attending one of their forums.  But, with only one meeting in each county - that may be a hard one to achieve... When the Gov. finally decided that he needed to sell RTTT to the tax payers, he hit each of the counties several times.  I can only guess that redefining achievement is a bit less important...

When will DOE bring all the parties to the table and participate in shared decision making? If DOE was looking for true interactive feedback, these meetings would have been announced weeks ago, not during winter break when matters of education are in the far back of the parental mind.  When will constituents be treated as thought partners?  Inviting them to a dog and pony show is a far cry from being engaged in the development process. When will tax payers become more than human capital?  School districts signed MOUs that promised they would continue to fund the reform efforts begun under RTTT after the federal grant runs out.  Who will shoulder that burden?  Delaware's workforce?  They've been treated as a commodity thus far by an administration that talks jobs but fails to produce them.

Too little, too late. But, then, these are just the ramblings of a private cynic... citizen.

DRAFT PROPOSAL

To read the state's draft proposal, go to the Delaware Department of Education's website at www.doe.k12.de.us and click on "community meetings."

The meeting times and locations:
NEW CASTLE COUNTY: Jan. 4 at 6 p.m. in the James Gilliam Conference Center, 77 Reads Way, New Castle.
KENT COUNTY: Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. in the Kent County Government Building, Room 220, Dover.
SUSSEX COUNTY: Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. in the Sussex County Government Building, The Circle, Georgetown.

From: Markell Governor (Governor)

Sent: Friday, December 23, 2011 1:09:28 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
To: State Employees; K12 Employees; DSHA
Subject: Thank you for a great 2011

Dear fellow state employee,

Thank you for all you do, and all you’ve done, to help keep our great state running and to build our state’s future.

While I’ve been lucky to be able to say thank you to many of you in person during visits to schools and state agencies, I did not want to let the holiday season pass without sharing my gratitude for your good work.

Each week, I deliver a weekly message to our state about some of the issues we face and some of the progress we are making. In this week’s message (video), I made sure to say to every Delawarean how “blessed I am to be able to work with so many wonderful public servants – the people who go to work to keep our state safe, who help keep things running, who teach our children and care for those most in need – who dedicate themselves to service.” It is a message I hope they take to heart.

You work hard. Your work matters, and we thank you.

Here’s to a happy and healthy new year,

Jack

*****

Happy Holidays video on State network: http://de.gov/holidays
Video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/nD7Vn2uJcFg
Audio on State network: http://de.gov/holidayaudio

Transcript of the Message:
Whether it’s Merry Christmas, Mazel Tov, Umoja or simply Happy Holidays at your home, there’s no doubt this is a special time of the year. A time to remember the friends and family we’re so lucky to have around us and a time to reflect with love on those who left our lives too soon. A time to take stock of what we’ve learned, what we’ve faced, what we’ve overcome and what remains to get done, together. But more than anything – this week is a time for goodwill and gratitude; to reflect on any blessings we’ve received and to know from where those blessings have come.
As grateful as I am to each of you for giving me the chance to get to work for you each day, I’m so blessed to be able to work with wonderful public servants – the people who go their jobs to keep our state safe, who help keep things running, who teach our children and care for those most in need – who dedicate themselves to service. To each of you – thank you.

This has not been an easy year – but it’s been inspiring to see how our state keeps pulling together – how many hard working Delawareans stay focused each day on creating more jobs, on building new opportunities to keep people working and on helping others get back to work. And while there have been more opportunities this year than last, we need to make sure next year is even better. Enough about work for now.
This week, whether you’ve lighting a menorah, kinara candles or putting lights on your tree; whether you’re reflecting on your own faith, or just reflecting on your family – I hope these holidays find you safe, happy, warm and resting up, and that you’re as excited as I am for the chance to keep Delaware, moving forward.

Venom and Malice when CSD attempts a course correction and DOE handholding when Brandywine fails to perform... The Race to the Trough is on - Delaware to be a winner of the Baby Race.  Do you really want Jack Markell parenting your children?  Lots of edu-scrapple in today's paper!

http://www.christina.k12.de.us/BOE/Meetings/2011/Posting-Agenda/1213.pdf

From the Official Christina SBOE Posting: 

ACTION ITEMS

• Student Expulsion Recommendation(s)
• Administrative Personnel Recommendations
• Updated Use Of Facilities Application Form And Rates
• Proposed Changes to 2011-2012 Christina School District School Calendar
• Consulting Services for Development of School District Management Analysis –
• Amendment #1 to District Race To The Top Plan – Includes Amendment #2 for Partnership Zone    Plans for Glasgow High and Stubbs Elementary
• Amendment #2 To District Race To The Top Plan
• Plan and Memorandum of Understanding Between the Christina School District and the Christina Education Association with Regards to the Partnership Zone Plan for Bancroft Elementary School

CONSENT AGENDA

• Personnel Recommendations
• Monthly Financial Reports – September 2011
• Choice Recommendation 2011-2012
• Choice Termination Recommendation 2011-2012
• Bid Awards:  Bid #2011-10 Bancroft Elementary School – Skylight Replacement
• Resolutions on Upcoming Meetings:  Executive Session Meeting, January 10, 2012, 6:00 PM, West Park Place Elementary School,   Regular Session Meeting, January 10, 2012, 7:30 PM, West Park Place Elementary School,  Special Session Meeting for BoardDocs Training, January 20, 2012, 6:00-7:00 PM, Location To Be Determined

Outrage poured across the /internet once reports of a 9-year-old receiving a two-day suspension for calling a teacher "cute" surfaced, but now it appears he's receiving some justice, WBTV reports.

"We will be sending an official letter of apology to the parents," Gaston County Schools Spokesperson Bonnie Reidy told the station. "Also the suspension will not count against the child and the child will receive additional instructional assistance to make up for the time out of the classroom."

Principal Jerry Bostic, who determined the boy's alleged comment was sexual harassment, has also resigned, according to the report.   -- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/07/9-year-olds-suspension-fo_n_1135242.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk3%7C118730

http://youtu.be/AWqdScvrKCo

 
 

Remember the Jetsons?  Poor George, a computer engineer, was the foil of his stereotypical tough boss, the bombastic Mr. Spacely, owner of Spacely's Space Sprockets.  To be fair, Mr. Spacely, even with his Adolph Hitler mustache wasn't intentionally evil, just meddlesome.  He was a business owner trying to compete with his rival, Cogswell. Together Cogswell and Spacely got in a heap of trouble and George always took the heat.

So, it wouldn't surprise me that if Spacely received a delivery of bad parts, he'd send them back and insist on a credit to boot.  He knows he has to build a superior product - a Sprocket.

What if Spacely had been a Principal Spacely in a school when he got that same delivery of bad parts - children, who from the moment they were conceived were at-risk.  Principal Spacely still has to deliver a solid product - a high achieving school. But, he can't send these bad parts back, can he? 

And that's where the business model being inflicted upon the PreK-12 education system becomes a guaranteed failure. Yelling "Jetson" isn't going to fix it.  And yet - pro-business reformers, RTTT champions, continue to claim the failures of the education system sit squarely on the shoulders of bad teachers (they would have you believe all teachers are bad teachers) and unions are at fault.  It's divide and conquer. 

What we as citizens and tax payers need to remember is that public schools were not designed to be profitable, not as entities in and of themselves and not through the various routes that tax dollars drip into our classrooms. This doesn't mean there are not efficiencies that can and should and often times have been made. 

In the greater context, education spending pulls in a profit in the number of qualified and competent employees we put forth into society - either as career-ready grads or students who choose to matriculate into higher education.  There are millions of graduates of public education gainfully employed, far more than those who are not.  In fact, there is a shortage of livable wage-earning positions to accommodate our competent graduates.

No one can ignore those fields that seem to have a shortage of solid candidates, and that truly is a societal failure to acknowledge and deftly adapt education to the changing markets of the world.  But, just what kept education leaders from responding in a timely manner?  Clearly the prescriptions and manipulations of the funding formulas that control just how public education monies can be spent have historically damned the adoption of supporting technology and new career path development. 

Take Bayard Middle School in Wilmington for example.  Accidentally named a PZ school by the Department of Education in 2011, several weeks of planning by district personnel furthered to develop an already identified "bold exploration" (see the CSD Strategic Plan) - the develop of a 6-12 STEM academy in Wilmington.  The funding injected by the PZ designation would have jump started the conversion of this school.  However, the promise of those funds were withdrawn when DOE realized that they failed to calculate Bayard's historical achievement data correctly.  The DOE then skipped over two other failing schools serving urban students and sent the money downstate to Laurel, a district that many assert is on the verge of financial collapse due to successive cuts in state funding.  This move by DOE has been seen by critics as a conciliatory slide of hand to Laurel.

The Bayard debacle failed to incite the ire of Wilmington's elected paid politicians and quietly slipped away, leaving the school district holding the tab incurred while planning and seriously delayed the implementation of a "turn around" at a school that is destined to find a home on the DOE's under-achieving list. The interventions needed at Bayard will have to come from local funds - at a price tag that would devastate the district's ability to fairly, properly fund it's many other schools in accordance with the funding prescriptions that come from the state and feds. The future turnaround at this school will be slow and right now, is tentative at best. Yes, the PZ funding never belonged to Bayard, but it should have flowed to the next school on the list - and it didn't. I can't think of a finer example of manipulation of funding.

Putting the Pieces Together

What Race to the Top has taught us is that even the federal policymakers recognize that public education needs an infusion of funds, not the systematic reduction that state governments are inflicting.  The ARRA stimulus funds of 2009 required states to maintain their funding of public education at the previous year's level.  The writing is on the wall.  Public education will cost Americans more as we try to move forward into a technology-based market after the fall-out of the Great Recession. Public schools must turn out graduates who are prepared for today's current career opportunities while competing with millions of un-employed and under-employed yet experienced workers during an a job shortage crisis. 

We've learned that it doesn't matter how prepared our students are if the jobs are not there.  And while federal and state policymakers are focused on college and career ready grads, we need our leaders to ensure those jobs and careers will exist- something that has simply not happened in part due to the constant fighting between political parties. It's rather demoralizing for our rising seniors - the understanding that the pay-off for their commitment to education may not be there when they are ready for it.

The conversion to great schools is costly.  We've spent ten years under the confines of No Child Left Behind, a law that punished schools for failure rather than provide these schools with the funds to convert to pertinent and responsive centers of education. As the ESEA is again up for renewal and will be so perennially until our political parties can agree, we must urge them to not loose sight of the children in the classrooms.  RTTT funds data coaches.  My students need teachers, capable teachers, and more of them - trained in the new market that these students will eventually arrive to - much more than they could ever need a data coach. My students need fidelity to best practices to implement vetted research-affirmed, peer-reviewed programmatic and cultural changes that will support their needs while training them for the future needs of the economy.  They need extended learning time that begins at 300 hours a year - the minimum amount determined by research and practice to actually affect achievement.  My students need smaller class sizes, especially in their early years to help mitigate the effects of an achievement gap that exists for some children from the moment of conception. And today, we need to turn our attention to our middle and high schools, to cut with precision focus through the funding red tape to ensure that all students rising into this time of economic uncertainty will have the opportunities for career success.

Troubled school left unto themselves with no change in the way funds are delivered will be forever slow and timid in delivering a dynamic education.  And while we need to employ best practices in all of our schools, we need to do so in a way that preserves those schools that are already achieving success for their students - that means protecting the funding that already flows into those schools.  Because each neighborhood, each town, each city is different, each school is a reflection of a socio-economic class. We cannot divert funding from successful schools to pay for reform in under-achieving schools.  We have already stated that efficiencies need to be achieved and frequently have been - yet we need to acknowledge that decreasing the dedication of services in a successful school will negatively impact achievement.

We must begin to look at a public school system specifically as being non-profit-bearing, and for that matter as being a giant financial hole, a tax write-off, an entitlement program.  We must move away from the concept of educational institutions as a business.  Businesses by design break even or generate profit.  Schools do not, can not, will not if their only funding is federal, state, and local taxes.  Schools are not permitted to accumulate funding except for local taxes.  If you don't use your state and federal funding, it's taken back.  This puts districts in a tremendously difficult position of wanting to deploy targeted funds when it would be illegal to do so.  Current funding formulas have indeed tied our hands.

What I know for sure is this - Businessman do not belong in the classroom, which is squarely where they have inserted themselves.  When a Media Mogul creates an Enterprise to contract with state departments of education to supply the likes of data coaches, I am certain of two things - 1) some of those data coaches received a public education and 2) the media mogul has just received an influx of funds from education that the tax payers intended to send to the classroom. Business is diverting education funding.  The resulting failures are being places squarely on the institution providing the education and everything about this scenario is morally and ethically wrong. 

Business has a role to play in education - as employers of our qualified graduates.  And that is exactly where businessmen belong.  At the very end of the chain.  And if they so choose to invest philanthropically in our non-profit education centers - schools - great, but those funds should come with only relevant strings attached - in non-profits this is called "restricted giving."

Education is not a land grab and treating it as such is utter chaos.

Jane, Stop this Crazy Thing!

Glasgow Reformed Presbyterian Church in Bear is moving ahead with plans to acquire and institute “sweeping reforms” at the financially troubled Red Lion Christian Academy after church members overwhelmingly endorsed the plan today. ...


If the deal goes through, the private school will see significant changes in leadership, values and financial operations, Betters said in an interview. Christian education and academics will be top priority. Red Lion’s football program will not, Betters said. 

The school admitted to violations of state athletic rules last year that included too many football games, excessive practices and improperly managing financial aid.

Also controversial was Red Lion’s push to build a nationally recognized powerhouse team.

“We believe we can still have a powerful football program that reaches out and touches young men who wouldn’t otherwise make it. We believe that’s possible with some changes in priorities and shifting of values as we go forward,” Betters said. “I don’t envision us going all over the nation to play football.”

http://www.townsquaredelaware.com/our-collective-obligation-the-quest-for-better-schools/

Markell spokesman Brian Selander expressed dismay at the group’s decision to defy the state, for the second straight day, by choosing not to accept the Brandywine Park permit.


“The state made a very reasonable offer with the use of state managed properties at Brandywine and Fletcher Brown park,” Selander said. “It was an offer that respected constitutional rights to be heard and assemble. They've chosen a different path.”

And I pay for the upkeep of the STATE'S parks.  BTW - so do all the protesters. 

Thank goodness for the Occupy movement.  If these organizers hadn't come along, perhaps all of America would have forgotten how Civil Disobedience works and value of rallying behind a cause. 

Published Online: November 4, 2011


Academic Gains Vary Widely for Charter Networks
By Nirvi Shah
A new national study on the effectiveness of networks that operate charter schools finds overall that their middle school students’ test scores in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies aren’t significantly better than those of students in regular public schools.

From

Education and Community News from Home Town Delaware

Early 2013 budget numbers being shared with Educators.


Posted on October 27, 2011 by Wolfe Gary Thanks to Gary for his great post!

By January 2012, the 2013 budgets for Delaware’s schools will begin to take shape, and it has already been rumored that our Leadership in Dover is looking to make even deeper cuts to Education. Already we have one district, Laurel, that is floundering on the edge of not being able to meet its finances after April 2012. Many administrators, school boards, and teachers associations have sat down and looked at where we are today compared to where we were just a few years earlier. Since FY2008, State funding has been completely eliminated for the following programs:

* Reading Resource Teachers $9,431,500

* Math Specialists $3,071,700

* Limited English Proficiency Grant $1,625,000

* Technology Block Grant $1,354,000

* School-Based Discipline Program $8,213,900

* Tax Relief Allocation $17,549,500

* Academic Excellence Allotment $4,595,600

* Extra Time Programs $10,428,000

* Tuition Reimbursement $1,100,000

* Teacher Cadre & Mentoring $1,128,400

TOTAL STATE PROGRAM ELIMINATIONS: $58,497,600

In addition to these program eliminations, many districts have also experienced several reductions in base funding levels:

Division II AOC(funding for classroom, and other day to day supplies)Unit Value $3,274,020 (FY08 $3,279 to FY12 $2,955 at 10,105 Dlv II units)

Division II Energy Unit Value $2,455,515 (FY08 $2,678 to FY 12 $2,435 at 10,105 Div II units)

Professional Development Funding $1,300,000 (FY08 $2,866,500 to FY 12 $1,566,500)

Beyond these program eliminations and base funding reductions, increasing demands are being placed on

local funds (Shift of 10% Transportation Costs $7,133,800) at a time when local assessed values are essentially flat, and other local revenues such as interest, indirect cost and cost recovery collections are in decline. For those wondering what losses looked like around the state:

FY 2012 Loss Based On 2008 Amount Per Unit

Appoquinimink ($3,216,675)

Brandywine ($6,967,025)

Christina ($10,594,538)

Colonial ($4,208,339)

NCCVT ($3,839,781 )

Red Clay ($9,297,025)

Caesar Rodney ($2,374,300)

Capital ($3,244,120)

Lake Forest ($1,591,437)

Milford ($2,757,148)

Poly tech ($554,096)

Smyrna ($2,906,050)

Cape Henlopen ($2,506,117)

Delmar ($814,812)

Indian River ($2,334,774)

Laurel ($1,803,148)

Seaford ($1,787,634)

SVT ($862,796)

Woodbridge ($1,357,726)

Total all Districts: ($63,017,540)



So bottom line is that the cost of educating the next generation is going up in a time when every taxpayer is doing more with less, and raising local taxes is not an option for schools. So what can all those who have a stake in Education do to prevent our students from being cheated out of an education? Here are a few ideas we are discussing in Milford on November 8th with the community at a district wide meeting at the Milford High School Auditorium:



~ Begin lobbying efforts now, prior to the Governor’s Recommended Budget

~ Focus attention on the cumulative state funding reductions that have occurred since FY2008.

~ E.mphasize that federal stimulus funding (State Fiscal Stabilization Funds and EdJobs Funding) were intended to ‘stabilize’ state and local agencies that were experiencing revenue reductions. As revenues increase, these funds should therefore be utilized to restore previous funding reductions.

~ Target restoration funding as follows: 1) restoration of EdJobs funding; 2) restoration of State Fiscal Stabilization funding.

~ Recognize the need for efficiencies and budget reductions, but public education has been disproportionally impacted in recent years.

~ Restoring the public education budget back to its FY2010 percentage of the total budget (33.33%) would add $59,650,400 to the public education budget.

~ Collaborate with DSEA to lobby for funding restoration.

~ Establish consistent individual district meetings with local legislators.

~ Provide legislators with specific legislation to support.

~ Provide flexibility to districts in severe fiscal hardship by allowing districts to ‘cash in’ as many units as necessary to maintain solvency, and to not forfeit Division IIIunit funding for cashed in units.

~ Target the message that the “Foundation is Crumbling”. While we have the benefit of many short-term funding initiatives (i.e. Race to the Top) the core K-12 public education finance structure is not sufficient to maintain current service and performance levels.