Monday, August 31, 2009

Clip Report for August 31

 

Voice of San Diego

August 28, 2009

'I Didn't Come Here to Leave Here'

Superintendent Terry Grier is poised to leave San Diego Unified for Houston after less than two years at its helm. His exit has become a flashpoint for parents, teachers, principals and business leaders to ask: Why does the revolving door keep revolving? Is something wrong with the way the schools operate? Or is this simply a matter of one employee moving on?

 

Peninsula Beacon via SDNN.com

August 28, 2009

New school year to be met by fresh principals, tech changes

On Sept. 8, school bells across San Diego will signify the unofficial end of summer for kids and young adults. As the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) readies for its 2009-10 school year, a few things will be different.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 28, 2009

School district's new logo spells out its changing image, outlook

SAN DIEGO — SDUSD, SDSU, USD — who can keep track of the alphabet soup of San Diego education institutions? In an effort to distinguish itself, the San Diego Unified School District will change its official logo. Gone will be the SDUSD moniker that is accompanied by a string of paper-doll-like silhouettes.

 

KPBS-FM

August 27, 2009

School Chief Grier Expected to Leave S.D.

GLORIA PENNER (Host): All right, the Union-Tribune probably appreciated the full page ad in Thursday's edition and perhaps city school superintendent Terry Grier did as well. It was a call for Grier to stay in San Diego, and listed an impressive coalition of parents, educators, community and business leaders. So, Andrew, what's the point of this plea when Terry Grier has made it clear that he wants a reform-minded school district to work for and not one that is stuck with the ghost of Alan Bersin?

 

Peninsula Beacon via SDNN.com

August 27, 2009

Contractors sue schools over project pacts

The San Diego Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) filed a lawsuit against the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) board of education in late June over part of an agreement between unions and the school district mandating that only apprentices associated with a union can work on about $2.1 billion worth of voter-approved school construction bond projects over the next several years.

 

Voice of San Diego

August 27, 2009

Schoobrary Moved Up in Bond Plans

San Diego Unified is planning for the downtown schoobrary to be built as early as the 2010-2011 school year, a shift from earlier plans that slated the school for 2014-2015. Stuart Markey, who oversees the facilities bond for San Diego Unified, said the plans were revised to ensure that if the library school were built as quickly as is possible, the school district would have planned to finance it.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 26, 2009

Diane Bell: State controller brings more than talk to events

... One of the beneficiaries is political consultant John Dadian, who was unaware of a $115 court settlement. A court judgment for $52 is being held for Mental Health Systems CFO Michael Hawkey. San Diego Unified School District board member Katherine Nakamura has a $52 insurance premium refund waiting. ...

 

San Diego PLA News blog

August 26, 2009

San Diego PLA News Wrap-up

There are several interesting developments in the fight for open competition in San Diego. San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Superintendent Terry GrierÕs decision to take a new job in Houston, TX is no surprise to the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board, who blame the local teachers union and their labor allies for pushing Mr. Grier to look for greener pastures after less than two years on the job.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 26, 2009

Grier says he's ready to take Houston school job

Hello, goodbye. San Diego Superintendent Terry Grier all but bade farewell to principals and administrators yesterday during an event designed to kick off the new school year.

 

Voice of San Diego

August 26, 2009

More School Data

Principals got a sneak peek on Tuesday at some more data on the triumphs and stumbles of San Diego Unified schools on all those standardized tests, as well as some other measures of school success. Here are some highlights and low points from the report.

 

KPBS-FM

August 25, 2009

Grier Signals His Move to Houston

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Terry Grier says he will take the Houston superintendent job once the contract is finalized. He made the announcement to a group of district administrators at a back-to-school event today.

 

KNSD-TV

August 25, 2009

Local Schools Serving Food for Thought | San Diego Schools win Golden Carrot

A local school systemÕs lunch program has been recognized for excellence by a national organization. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine awarded a Golden Carrot -- and 500 clams -- to San Diego Unified School District nutrition services director Gary Petill this week.

 

Education Week

August 25, 2009

Recession Woes Cast Pall as Schools Open

As public schools around the country begin opening their doors for a new academic year, the impact of the worst recession in decades is being felt through such measures as larger class sizes, cuts of jobs and textbook budgets, reduced school bus service, and fewer resources for state education departments.

 

Voice of San Diego

August 25, 2009

Grier Tells Principals to 'Dance in the Rain'

Superintendent Terry Grier welcomed principals back to work today with a rousing speech that doubled as an explanation of his plans to leave for Houston. Hundreds of principals and managers packed into the auditorium at Kearny High School to hear Grier speak, part of a day packed with training and announcements before school begins for San Diego Unified in two weeks.

 

Voice of San Diego

August 24, 2009

Much Ado About Micromanaging

All this talk about whether something is wrong with the way San Diego Unified is run is not new. In fact, the school district has already spent a good chunk of money trying to fix it.

 

What's So Funny About Grier Leaving?

The San Diego Unified school board took no action today in a closed meeting on the district's future after Terry Grier takes a job in Houston.

 

'It's Not Too Late'

I just got a copy of the letter sent by an ad hoc group of parents, politicians and business and community leaders to San Diego Unified school board members pleading for them to find a way to keep Terry Grier as their superintendent. Here's an excerpt (with a few links added by me).

 

KPBS-FM

August 23, 2009

These Days: Terry Grier Set to Leave SD Unified

MAUREEN CAVANAUGH (Host): I'm Maureen Cavanaugh, and you're listening to These Days on KPBS. After losing millions in state funding this year, you might think San Diego Unified School District has already had its fair share of bad luck for 2009 but apparently not so. Today, school board members will meet with Superintendent Terry Grier for the first time since he was named the first and only choice to head Houston's school district.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 23, 2009

Freebies a lesson in charity for students

Heading back to school never felt so good. At least that was the case for hundreds of elementary school students who were treated yesterday morning to a shopping spree at a Walmart in San Diego, and for 3,000 children who scored free backpacks stuffed with supplies during a community conference and festival at Lincoln High School. Also covered by Sports Business Daily.

 

KNSD-TV

August 21, 2009

Can SDUSD's Supt Be Persuaded to Stay?Can he be persuaded to stay in San Diego? That's the question being discussed in San Diego after the announcement that the superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District is the frontrunner for a job in Houston.

 

 

Opinion

 

SDNN.com

Marsha Sutton: ÔSuperintendentÕ Zombro, keeping Bersin ghosts alive

Of three things I am certain. First, Terry Grier, superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District, would be nuts not to get out of San Diego and head to Houston.

 

SDNN.com

August 21, 2009

John de Beck: Why the revolving door for superintendent?

The turmoil in the San Diego Unified School DistrictÕs governance seems endless and the recent (and probably accepted) offer from the Houston school board for our besieged Superintendent Terry Grier is really a symptom of the problems of maintaining a stable school governance system.

 

 

Friday, August 21, 2009

Clip Report for August 21

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 21, 2009

Group pushing for schools chief to stay in S.D.

As San Diego schools chief Terry Grier was introduced in Houston as its new superintendent yesterday, a local campaign was gaining momentum to persuade him to stay.

 

Houston Chronicle

August 21, 2009

HISD board picks San Diego's Terry Grier | Choice to lead district vows to cut dropout rate

Houston school trustees united Thursday to name Terry Grier the new superintendent, and now the ambitious San Diego schools chief must win over an unfamiliar and diverse community. In Spanish.

 

Voice of San Diego

August 21, 2009

He's Headed to Houston. Do We Have a Problem?

Urban superintendents tend to be easy come, easy go. Yet even by that low standard, San Diego Unified seems to have a problem with keeping its chiefs.

 

KSWB-TV

August 20, 2009

S.D. unified superintendent to transfer districts?

Weeks before the San Diego Unified School District is set to begin another school year, the district's Superintendent may be moving on to a bigger school district for a much bigger paycheck.

 

KGTV-10

August 20, 2009

SDUSD Superintendent Leaving For Job In Houston

San Diego Unified School District Terry Grier is the lone finalist for the same position in Houston.

 

KNSD-TV

August 20, 2009

SDUSD Supt Greeted by Applause in Houston

When your boss flies out of town early and shows up somewhere else thanking people for the "new opportunity," it sounds like a done deal.

 

KUSI-TV

August 20, 2009

Superintendent Grier leaving for greener pastures

The Houston Independent School District Board voted unanimously this afternoon to hire Terry Grier, with a reported compensation package in excess of $400,000.

 

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 20, 2009

School Superintendent Grier abandons S.D. for Houston

SAN DIEGO — It's official: San Diego schools chief Terry Grier has been tapped to run the Houston school system.

 

Education Week website

August 20, 2009

San Diego Schools Chief May Run Houston District

The chief of the San Diego school district has been named as the sole finalist for superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, the largest district in Texas and the seventh-largest in the country.

 

KPBS-FM

August 20, 2009

School Board Surprised by Grier's Possible Departure

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Unified School Board members appeared surprised Thursday at the news Superintendent Terry Grier might be leaving the district.

 

Voice of San Diego

August 19, 2009

Anxiety in the Air as Grier Eyes Another Job

It looks like the revolving door at San Diego Unified may keep spinning, to the horror of parents and employees who thought it might have finally slowed.

 

Why Does the Door Keep Revolving?

If Superintendent Terry Grier does take off for Houston, he will be the third permanent superintendent to leave San Diego Unified in roughly four years, not counting interim chiefs who stepped in to the void. As the news broke Wednesday, people asked over and over: What's with the revolving door?

 

KUSI-TV

August 20, 2009

Back to school help for military families

We take a lot of time to thank the brave men and women that serve our country, so this morning we honoried the children in military families.

 

KNSD-TV

August 20, 2009

No Pink Slips = Bad Math?

Too many elementary school teachers and not enough middle school teachers.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 19, 2009

Achievement gap casts a shadow on test scores | Students across county, state show improvement

Despite severe budget cuts to education, students in San Diego County and throughout California made solid gains on standardized tests this year.

 

KSWB-TV

August 19, 2009

Student standardized test scores up

Standardized test scores for students around California and locally are up. But as educators explained, there is still more room for growth.

 

Opinion

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 21, 2009

Union-Tribune Editorial | Inevitable result | Zombro's power plays behind Grier's exit

Given the degeneration of the San Diego Unified School District since a new board majority took power in January, Superintendent Terry Grier's decision to leave San Diego Unified after less than two years here comes as no surprise.

 

Voice of San Diego

August 20, 2009

Blogger for a Day: Holding a Lighted Match Under the Thermostat

This morning, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a special legislative session focusing on education that he hopes will establish merit pay for teachers based on students' test scores to meet the requirements of the federal Race to the Top initiative. The Governor states that he does not want California to miss out on the federal stimulus monies. Legislators could vote by October to overturn the law that currently prohibits the use of students' test data for evaluating and compensating teachers so that the state is eligible to submit a Race to the Top grant.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Clip Report for August 13

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 13, 2009

Arts school encoring | Juilliard-style summer session taps pro talent

On a humid August day in Paradise Hills, dozens of teenagers are crammed into a dark and stuffy studio watching — visibly in awe — as famed musician Mark Dresser plucks away at his bass.

 

Voice of San Diego

August 13, 2009

The Definition of 'Disadvantaged'

I just got a chart from San Diego Unified showing how much (or how little) families need to earn for their kids to qualify for free lunches this year. This is an important metric for poverty in schools: Almost every time I refer to "disadvantaged kids" in an article, I'm talking about kids who can get free lunches.

 

State

 

Sacramento Bee

August 13, 2009

Sacramento-area schools brace for possible swine flu wave

Three days into the new school year, it's clear the H1N1 virus could become a big problem for local schools. Folsom Cordova Unified began its school year Monday with the announcement that one of its students had been diagnosed with the virus a few days before. The ninth-grade girl is expected to recover and return to school next week.

 

 

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Clip Report for August 12

KPBS-FM

August 12, 2009

Grier Says San Diego Unified Unlikely to Secure Special Stimulus Funds

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Unified School Superintendent Terry Grier says the district may not be eligible for more federal stimulus money because the school board doesn't support linking student test scores to teacher performance.

 

KNSD-TV

August 11, 2009

Million$ for Military Kids Help Classmates, Too

Thousands of San Diego students who have parents in the military will soon get added help in the classroom, and as a result, their non military classmates will benefit too.

Threats Made On Craigslist to Kill Hundreds of Children

A San Diego man is accused of posting threats against the children of military families.

 

Voice of San Diego

August 11, 2009

Teachers Union Backs Biliteracy

The teachers union has thrown its support to a new policy that encourages biliteracy in San Diego Unified -- and used it as a springboard to raise some questions about teacher workloads, a sticking point in its negotiations for a new contract this year.

 

SDNN.Com

August 12, 2009

Local former Ô5th GraderÕ offers scholarships to youth | Aspiring actress wants to make a difference for youth

Somewhere between a full-time public school schedule, soccer games and volleyball practice, and commuting between San Diego and Los Angeles for auditions, 12-year-old Alana Ethridge finds time to give back.

 

KFMB-TV

August 2, 2009

Scientists Head To Sea To Study Ocean Garbage Patch

It's the size of Texas, but invisible to the naked eye. Garbage in the Pacific Ocean has made its way into a swirling current that's now become a floating landfill. And now, San Diego scientists are hitting the high seas in hopes of finding a way to clean it up. Patrick Henry High School teacher, Laura Dickens is one of 30 scientists on board. She's hoping to turn this trip into curriculum for kids interested in earth science.

 

Mission Times Courier

July 31, 2009

A message from your Councilmember Marti Emerald

City crews are at work on Wandemere St. in front of Patrick Henry High School. A number of people in the area have contacted our office, Don Bluefield being the most recent, and told us Wandemere needs serious attention.

 

Pacific Coast Business Times (Santa Barbara — San Luis Obispo)

July 27, 2009

Camarillo plays an ACE — High school will teach building trades

ACE will strive to help students focus on the skills that most interest them, he said. He, along with officials from the electrical and sheet metal workers union, first approached the Ventura County Office Education about starting a trade school in 2003 after a visit to Kearny High School in San Diego. Hansmeier said what he saw at that high schoolÕs trade academy convinced him that the Oxnard school district could do something similar to help its practically-inclined students.

 

State/Nation

 

San Francisco Chronicle

August 11, 2009

Online textbooks offered free to students

When California math and science teachers return to their classrooms this month, they'll have 10 free online textbooks at their fingertips to help them teach everything from calculus to chemistry.

 

Los Angeles Times

August 8, 2009

Swine flu won't mean school's out, federal guidelines say

New recommendations call for local districts to be conservative about school closures. Parents are urged to vaccinate children.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Clip Report for Aug. 11

Voice of San Diego

August 11, 2009

Some Good News On Public Official Spending

Lest you think there is never any good news about how people in the public trust spend public money, here is a brighter note: San Diego Unified Superintendent Terry Grier has cut down his expenses at San Diego Unified considerably over the past few months.

 

KPBS-FM

August 11, 2009

Schools to Do More for Military Students

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Unified public schools near the Miramar Corps Air Station will share a $2.5 million federal grant intended for programs that could make life easier for military students between deployments.

 

KBNT-TV

August 10, 2009

Class Size Reduction from Stimulus Funds

Story on the 25 schools that will have reduced class size.

 

Opinion

 

San Francisco Chronicle

August 11, 2009

Editorial: State must act quickly to get stimulus money

Now is not the time for the state of California to turn away extra money for its struggling school system. But if Sacramento doesn't act quickly, the state might be doing just that.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Clip Report for August 10

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 8, 2009

School board approves bi-literacy policy | At this point, plan is vague, has no funding

SAN DIEGO — More than a decade after California voters all but banned bilingual education, San Diego schools will encourage – and teach – students to embrace a second language under a new and ambitious bi-literacy policy.

 

Student Spotlight: Daniel Chiu

Entering the Dream Deferred essay contest this year was kind of random. Daniel Chiu was bored in class one day and decided to look up possible contests in which to compete.

 

Vote adds grades 9-12 to mostly Somali school

SAN DIEGO — A charter school serving mostly Somali students from in and around City Heights received permission from a divided San Diego school board Tuesday to expand its program to include high schoolers.

 

Newest school board trustee racks up travel expenses | Most of $1,456 total was for Sacramento meetings

NATIONAL CITY — National City's newest school board member has already run up a travel bill that surpasses what most of her colleagues have spent in the past 30 months.

 

 

 

Opinion

 

San Diego Daily Transcript

August 7, 2009

You may soon be paying a new property tax

By Fred Schnaubelt ,

San Diego Unified School District is seeking a new property tax, a tax on every parcel of land in the district. No matter how much money it receives for school districts it's never enough, a throwback to John L. Lewis's acerbic response in the heyday of the labor movement when asked what do union members want: "More!"

 

 

Friday, August 7, 2009

Clip Report for August 7

For an archive of news clips, go to http://sdusd-coverage.blogspot.com/

 

Voice of San Diego

August 5, 2009

The Tough Teacher Who Knows -- And Says -- What She Thinks

Few people in San Diego Unified are neutral when it comes to Camille Zombro, the provocative leader of the teachers union, and Zombro is rarely neutral herself.

 

Voice of San Diego

August 7, 2009

Good News in a Bad Economy

Good news for San Diego Unified in a bad economy: Bids for renovating schools are still coming in well under what engineers had estimated.

 

Guardian Preservation Services Blog

August 7, 2009

School District Denies Mold, Tears Down School

The San Diego Unified School district has found a very unique way to avoid the drama and litigation that happens when teachers and students start complaining about mold in a school. WhatÕs their solution? Tear down the school and build a new one, which will remove the mold and, at the same time, demolishing the evidence.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 7, 2009

Short Takes | Regional Edition

USD gets grant to train science, math teachers

Expiration date extended for state library grant

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 6, 2009

Schools fear more cuts later if state budget woes continue

Local school officials who weathered millions of dollars in cuts when the state finally adopted a budget are concerned another round of spending reductions is on the horizon.

 

Schools Calendar

 

KPBS-FM

August 5, 2009

AVID Programs Survive Despite State Cuts

SAN DIEGO — Roughly 4,000 teachers from across the country are in San Diego to learn how they can help immigrant and minority kids get into college.

 

 

Clip Report for August 5

Voice of San Diego

August 5, 2009

Some Stimulus Dollars For School Councils

A sliver of federal stimulus money will go to train school councils in San Diego Unified, foreshadowing a move towards decentralizing decisions in the massive school district. It is the second time the school district has tweaked its stimulus spending plans, reflecting disagreement and uncertainty about what are best -- and legal -- ways to use the money.

 

Charter School Gets Green Light to Expand

Brushing off advice from San Diego Unified staffers, the school board decided Tuesday night to allow a largely Somali charter school to grow from a K-8 into a high school, concluding that its disproportionate African-American student population was not a good reason to prevent its expansion.

 

City News Service via KGTV-10

August 4, 2009

Charter Expansion Approved For City Heights School

SAN DIEGO -- Student achievement trumped diversity in a battle over educational goals as the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education Tuesday approved an expansion of a charter for a City Heights school that mainly serves Somalis.

 

KPBS-FM

August 5, 2009

Somali Community Gets Approval For Charter High SchoolThe San Diego Unified school board will allow a Somali charter school in City Heights to expand. That came despite concerns over the diversity of the school's student population.

 

SD Unified Backs Biliteracy

SAN DIEGO — Biliteracy will now be a priority in the San Diego Unified school district. The school board approved a policy yesterday that makes learning two languages a goal for all district students.

 

KUSI-TV

August 4, 2009

Is San Diego ready for H1N1?

 

Also a report on the Morning News.

 

Turko Files: Reported that SDUSD had refunded the contractor from this story.

 

KUSI-TV

August 5, 2009

Morning News

Reporter Mike Castalucci visited the summer program at SCPA.

 

KPBS-FM

August 2, 2009

Apprentices, Zipcodes at Issue in School Labor Deal

SAN DIEGO — A battle wages on over who should get to work on lucrative school construction projects in San Diego City Schools. KPBS Education Reporter Ana Tintocalis takes a closer look at why a controversial labor agreement has landed the district in court.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Clip Report for August 4

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 4, 2009

Schools prepare for flu's return | Closure recommended when 30 percent out sick

SAN DIEGO — The county's public health chief told school officials yesterday to close campuses when 30 percent of students are absent because of flu, a far-higher threshold than officials used in shutting down schools when the swine flu outbreak peaked here in the spring.

 

KPBS-FM

August 3, 2009

Health and School Officials to Discuss Flu Season

SAN DIEGO — San Diego county health officers will meet with the local school district officials today to discuss the coming flu season.

 

Voice of San Diego

August 3, 2009

College Student to Challenge School Board Veteran

Longtime school board veteran John de Beck has a competitor for his San Diego Unified seat: Patrick MacFarland, a 21-year-old who is finishing up his political science degree at San Diego State University.

 

Voice of San Diego

August 2, 2009

Dissecting Texts and Not Just Frogs

The neat rows of desks have disappeared from Carol Ann Vorce's classroom at Montgomery Middle School, replaced with clusters where students can talk. Textbooks sat idle on the shelf and worksheets were nowhere to be seen on a recent Thursday.

 

KPBS-FM

August 3, 2009

Are Charter Schools Separate and Unequal?

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Unified school board will consider whether a Somali charter school should be allowed to expand. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis explains why supporters of that school are facing some opposition.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 2, 2009

Taking deep breaths, wood sculptor carves out a full life

For much of his life, especially as a kid in Los Angeles and his native World War II-ravaged Austria, Erhard Gajewski felt as if trouble rode his back like a bulging knapsack.

 

KNSD-TV

July 31, 2009

Teen Shares Story of Struggle: From Hire-A-Youth Program

One of hundreds of teens, who have benefited from the Hire-A-Youth Program, explains how it could change his life.

 

Voice of San Diego

July 31, 2009

Another School Stimulus Change -- This Time a Small One

San Diego Unified staffers are recommending that the school board tweak their ideas for spending stimulus money earmarked for disadvantaged students, potentially marking the second change to stimulus plans in the school district.

 

Opinion

 

SDNN.com

August 3, 2009

John de Beck: Answers to your questions

San Diego Unified board member John de Beck asked our SDNN readers if they had questions about the education system - and they did. Here are answers to some of the questions sent in.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

August 2, 2009

Tax your parcel?

The San Diego Unified School District is paying a consultant to study the possibility of asking voters to approve a parcel tax — a flat fee per piece of property, regardless of its worth — to help fund operations threatened by budget cuts.

Give voters all the options on education

By Shelia Jackson

 

They must learn to do more with less

By Fred Schnaubelt

 

Voice of San Diego

August 3, 2009

Parent Education on Bilingual Policy

By Valentina Hernandez, City Heights

Monday, August 3, 2009 | Emily Alpert wrote an excellent article on July 26th -- Proposed Schools Says Two Languages Better than One. She quoted me in her article. I am a bilingual substitute teacher with a BCLAD teaching credential and two masters degrees (one from SDSU and the other from Harvard School of Education). Unfortunately, due to the budget cuts teachers with pink slips or those who are bumped have priority over new teachers. There are many teachers who have BCLAD credentials but have not been teaching in bilingual classes because the bilingual programs have been greatly diminished.

Latest News Coverage of the San Diego Unified School Disrict

My photo
Follow links to news coverage of the San Diego Unified School District. ______________________________________________