Thursday, May 7, 2009

Clip Report for April 27-May 7

Here is the clip report for the period April 27 through May 7.

San Diego Union-Tribune

May 7, 2009

Life after outbreak resuming regular pace

The feverish campaign to prevent swine flu from becoming a global pandemic has died down, replaced yesterday by a return to normalcy and even small acts of celebration.

 

Voice of San Diego

May 6, 2009

First School Bonds Projects Roll Out, Minus Labor Agreements

Billboards and protests are roaring back and forth on a controversial project labor agreement for building and renovating San Diego Unified schools. But while unions and the school district hash out the plan behind closed doors, millions of dollars of work is already up for grabs on the $2.1 billion facilities bond, minus any restrictions from a labor agreement.

 

Voice of San Diego

May 6, 2009

Golden Handshake Watch

I just got some updated numbers on how many teachers are taking the golden handshake, a bonus for employees who leave San Diego Unified this year. This is a key part of the schools’ budget-cutting strategy: The idea is to prod workers to leave so that jobs can be cut without layoffs. While the exit bonus is available to all kinds of San Diego Unified employees, teachers are the biggest group and whether they bite -- or not -- will be the key to whether the strategy works.

 

Business Wire via SOA World Magazine website

May 6, 2009

California Virtual Education Partners Launches Two Online Public Charter Schools with Kaplan Virtual Education

California secondary students will benefit from a new education option this fall with the launch of two tuition-free online charter schools: Kaplan Academy of California, San Diego and Kaplan Academy of California, Central California. The schools will offer students in grades 6-12 a full suite of core, advanced placement and honors courses; one-on-one instruction from California-certified teachers, and an opportunity to customize their education to fit their individual needs.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

May 6, 2009

Officials Agree Flu Seems Mild; Closures Eased

In San Diego County, school administrators said three campuses closed because of infections will reopen this morning. 

 

KGTV-10

May 5, 2009

Are Local Charter Schools In Danger Of Closing?

SAN DIEGO -- Several charter schools in San Diego were created to fix the public school system, but many of them are failing.

 

Voice of San Diego

May 5, 2009

What Happens When You Close a School for Swine Flu?

Swine flu has shuttered several schools in the area, including the Kearny High complex and the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts in San Diego Unified. So what actually happens when you shut down schools for two weeks? And how will schools recover from losing all that time?

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

May 5, 2009

Exercising their options | Plenty of choices for student-athletes at Scripps Ranch High 

On a sun-kissed, 72-degree afternoon, with students walking about in sun dresses, shorts and flip-flops, an extraordinary number of athletic events unfolded simultaneously at Scripps Ranch. It's a scene repeated throughout the spring on dozens of high school campuses across the county. 

 

KNSD-TV

May 5, 2009

Teachers Get a Gold Star

SDUSD’s 2009 Teachers of the Year and will be celebrated at Sherman Elementary School, Tuesday May 5 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Fourth grade teacher Bill Freeman, middle school science teacher Michael Crawford and French and Drama teacher Philippe Poncey are the recipients of the prestigious award.

 

Voice of San Diego

May 5, 2009

Making Conflicts Law Apply to Charters

A proposed California law would tighten rules around conflicts of interest and public information at charter schools, a change that would settle disputes over what public school rules apply to charters.

 

La Jolla Light

May 4, 2009

Muirlands Middle School attempts world record

Muirlands Middle School students, parents and friends gathered Sunday for Muirlands Rocks, a fundraiser to support the school's mission. Besides a barbecue and lots of music, the festivities included an attempt to set a new world record for largest three-legged race. Read more from the La Jolla Light.

 

Voice of San Diego

May 4, 2009

LAT on Teacher Firings

The Los Angeles Times did a fascinating investigation on the process for firing California teachers this weekend. They reviewed 159 recorded firings of teachers statewide in the past 15 years, along with court and school district records, and did scores of interviews.

 

San Diego Business Journal

May 4, 2009

Opponents Still Laboring Against Proposed Pact

Nonunion building contractors are continuing their efforts to stop the San Diego Unified School District board from enacting a project labor agreement, or PLA, with a local trades union. The school board is expecting to adopt the pact in late May.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

May 2, 2009

Flu closes three local schools | 5,000 students affected; shutdowns likely to last until mid-May, health officials say

Swine flu hit home in a big way yesterday when county health officials announced that three schools serving about 5,000 students probably will be closed until mid-May, throwing into chaos classes, sporting events and the prom.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

May 1, 2009

School budget meeting dwells on ballot measures | Voters are urged to pass initiatives

The 7 p.m. meeting – hosted by the San Diego Unified School District board and billed as a town hall for those troubled about how the district will weather the crisis – drew more than 200 people. But many of them had begun to head for the exits an hour later, frustrated by the extended commentaries by the elected officials, who included the board's five members, Kehoe and Assemblyman Marty Block, D-San Diego.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

April 30, 2009

Peer tutoring seen as a success | Upperclassmen help youths from inner city

For the past five months, Scripps Ranch High School students classmates have started turning around their grades under the new “Falcon Incentive Program” that has paired struggling students with top-performing upperclassmen for after-school tutorials up to four days a week

 

East Valley Tribune (Phoenix, AZ)

April 29, 2009

3 named to Mesa school administration posts

Delfino Aleman will take over as the district's associate superintendent on July 1.

 

Voice of San Diego

April 29, 2009

Magnet Busing is Back, Sharing Principals is Out

The San Diego Unified board voted unanimously to reverse two of the most controversial cuts it had planned to cope with a nearly $147 million budget cuts tonight, restoring busing to magnet schools and canceling a plan to make small elementary schools share principals. Parents and children cheered loudly as the decisions were announced.

 

MSNBC.com

April 29, 2009

Schools walk delicate line in swine flu response

Terry B. Grier, superintendent of the San Diego County Unified School District, put the system to work Monday, sending a note home with students alerting parents to the county’s swine flu hotline and asking them to be on the lookout for illness in their children. 

 

La Jolla Light

April 29, 2009

Bird Rock group celebrates reversal on shared principals

"Grateful" is the word used Wednesday morning by a group of Bird Rock Elementary School parents who had lobbied school Trustee John deBeck and Superintendent Terry Grier to eliminate a plan for 22 schools to share 11 prinicipals.

 

San Diego 6

April 29, 2009

School Board Restores Bus Service to Magnet Schools

SAN DIEGO - Under pressure from parents and campus administrators, the Board of Education of the San Diego Unified School District Tuesnight restored funding for buses for students who attend magnet schools and dropped plans to have some principals oversee two small schools.

 

KGTV-10

April 28, 2009

City Schools to Replace Books with Computers?

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Unified School District is discussing the possibility of educators teaching without textbooks, 10News reported.

 

Opinion

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

May 7, 2009

Union-Tribune Editorial | Protection racket | Bad teachers need not fear in California

The three trustees for the San Diego Unified School District who wouldn't lay off a single teacher are hardly likely to fire a tenured one. It is encouraging, though, that a trustee of the Los Angeles Unified School District wants to replace the state's years-long and ineffective process for firing bad teachers who have tenure.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

May 3, 2009

Prioritizing spending on our schools

By John Lee Evans

San Diego public schools once again face an economic crisis. Is public education woefully underfunded, or are we spending our money the wrong way? Both are true. California ranks a shameful 47th in per-pupil spending, but increasing the funding would not automatically raise achievement. We need to get our fair share of tax dollars, but we also need to spend them wisely.

 

La Jolla Light

Apr 29, 2009

Community View: Sharing principals an unacceptable option

By Steven Gal

Budget cuts for our San Diego Unified Schools have become an annual rite of passage. In our local community schools larger class sizes and principal sharing are among the most contentious issues this year that directly impact the quality of education and health and safety on our campuses.

 

 

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