Voice of San Diego
July 17, 2009
The Dad Who Holds Schools to the Rules
David Page says the problem is that parents are on their own. Teachers have a union. So do principals. School board members get to vote plans up or down and top administrators make decisions in the salmon-pink offices of San Diego Unified.
KGTV-10
July 17, 2009
Weekend 'Stand Down' Event To Help Homeless Vets
SAN DIEGO -- Homeless veterans in San Diego will get free access to a range of social services Friday at the start of a three-day "Stand Down for Homeless Veterans" event.
KNSD-TV
July 16, 2009
More Middle-Class Kids Getting Free Lunches
Since the program is open to anyone - some have voiced concern that federal tax dollars are being spent on feeding families that don't necessarily need a hand out.
Voice of San Diego
July 16, 2009
School Board Prez Wants to be a 'Supe'
I just got word from the County Registrar's Office that Shelia Jackson, president of the San Diego Unified school board, has filed papers to run for the county Board of Supervisors.
Labor Pact Still Not in Effect
The project labor agreement for the $2.1 billion facilities bond to refurbish San Diego Unified schools is still not in effect, staffers told the bond oversight committee today.
Why Can't San Diego Unified Just Get Along?
I alluded in a blog post earlier this week to an explosive school board meeting on Tuesday at San Diego Unified. I wasn't kidding.
Jackson: I'd Stay on the School Board
An update on school board President Shelia Jackson taking steps to run for County Supervisor: Jackson said she plans to remain on the school board during her run. Because she was elected to the school board last year, if she ran for the county job and lost, she would still have two more years in her school board term.
Feds Will Eye San Diego Unified
School board President Shelia Jackson dropped an interesting tidbit last night: San Diego Unified is one of six school districts nationwide that will be audited by the federal government on their use of school stimulus funds.
San Diego Union-Tribune
July 15, 2009
S.D. school board delays vote on parcel-tax adviser
The San Diego Unified School District last night postponed a vote on whether to hire a political consultant to study a parcel tax as a means of generating revenue.
Voice of San Diego
July 15, 2009
Exit Bonus In Hand, School Employees Quickly Re-Enter
Dozens of veteran workers who were paid to exit San Diego Unified two weeks ago, clearing out jobs and making way for less expensive employees, have already been rehired as hourly workers.
As the school board meeting stretched late last night, San Diego Unified trustees delayed their decision whether to spend $130,000 on a consultant to help gauge the interest in a parcel tax, and then design it if voters seem game.
School Stimulus Funds to Continue Smaller Classes
The San Diego Unified school board voted to spend more than $10 million in federal stimulus money meant for children in poverty on two projects, including continuing a controversial program that reduced class sizes for the youngest students at a dozen select schools.
Education Week
July 16, 2009
Black-White Achievement Gap Narrows on NAEP
American schools have made modest progress in closing the achievement gap between black and white students in math and reading, though that narrowing varies by grade and subject and from state to state, a study released today shows.
USA Today
July 14, 2009
No right brain left behind: Must kids prep for 'risk-taking'?
SAN FRANCISCO — On a recent foggy night, the newest wave in educational thinking crashed into this city's oldest high school.
La Jolla Village News
July 11, 2009
Taste of Bird Rock rolls lucky seven
La Jolla Boulevard will shut down Thursday, July 16 from 5 to 9 p.m. as Bird Rock Community Council (BRCC) features the seventh annual Taste of Bird Rock. The event includes live bands as area restaurants and shops remain open in an effort to raise funds to support Bird Rock Elementary School and Cesar Chavez Elementary School.
North Park Neighborhood Assn. Website
July 2009
ALBA Community Day School at North Park and the North Park Community Park
As many of you know, North Park Elementary School is closing and the School District is opening a new combination high school and middle school in its place -- ALBA Community Day School at North Park. Please read this introductory letter from the school's new principal.
Opinion
San Diego Union-Tribune
July 16, 2009
Union-Tribune Editorial | No to parcel tax | Teachers union would be beneficiary of levy
Want to know who is really running the San Diego Unified School District?
Consider that the school board recently imposed sharp budget cuts in the classroom but, unlike nearly every other district in the state, declined to lay off a single teacher – even though there were scores of surplus teachers for whom there were no classroom assignments. This astonishing victory by the teachers union, won at the expense of student academic achievement, is a telling indication of who is really in charge.
Education Week
July 10, 2009
The Problem with Language Police
Ruben Navarrette, an editorial writer for The San Diego Union-Tribune, writes about how it's a recurring pattern in this country that some Americans periodically appoint themselves as language police and push for shortsighted policies.