Saturday, October 3, 2009
Clip Report Has Moved
San Diego Unified School District's news clip report has been moved to the district's website. To view the latest clip report, go to http://www.sandi.net/communications/clip
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Clip Report for Sept. 22
Voice of San Diego
September 21, 2009
Bringing Teaching for the Gifted to All Kids
Sandra Ruvalcaba isn't sure if she would have tapped Dominic Satterfield as a gifted child before. His reading was a little weak and he struggled with writing last year at Cabrillo Elementary in Point Loma. But when the teacher began to use strategies for gifted children with all of her students, Dominic suddenly seemed to stand out. He flourished.
North County Times
September 21, 2009
OCEANSIDE: Principal charged with grand theft
An Oceanside elementary school principal has been charged with nine felony counts of grand theft, authorities said Friday. The principal, Paulette Thompson, will be arraigned Tuesday on those nine counts and an additional felony related to improper use of personal identification information, said Steve Walker, deputy communications manager for the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. The charges were filed Aug. 28.
Voice of San Diego
September 18, 2009
Schoobrary Nonprofit Being Discussed
More news of the schoobrary: An education consultant is informally talking with the San Diego Library Foundation about creating a nonprofit that would run a charter school in the downtown library.
School Districts Floats List of Favored Zip Codes
San Diego Unified has drafted a list of high poverty zip codes whose residents will be considered first when construction companies hire workers under the district's $2.1 billion facilities bond.
KPBS-FM
September 18, 2009
In San Diego Unified, Are Adults the Problem?
SAN DIEGO ��� Today is the last day San Diego Unified School Superintendent Terry Grier will be working at district headquarters.
Voice of San Diego
September 17, 2009
Scripps Snags Fed Money for Science Ed
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography on Wednesday announced a new program that will put Scripps grad students in San Diego Unified middle and high school classrooms in an effort to bridge the science education gap.
'Let's Not Let This Opportunity Get Bogged Down'
San Diego Unified school board members Shelia Jackson and Richard Barrera are arguing that the school district has done enough to be eligible for a second batch of federal stimulus money, even if it does not follow Obama Administration requirements for winners to link teacher evaluations to test scores.
Feds: Online Classes Don't Always Need Teachers
San Diego Unified may have taken unnecessary steps to meet the No Child Left Behind rules on qualified teachers in its credit recovery program by assigning employees who never interacted with the students to be their official teachers, according to advice given by the U.S. Department of Education about the federal rules.
San Diego Union-Tribune
September 17, 2009
PTA drive targets parental involvement
SAN DIEGO ��� When the California PTA asked parents what one thing they would change about schools, the answer included a wish list of art and music education, additional books and an infusion of cash.
La Jolla Light
Sepember 16, 2009
Muirlands field project to start soon
An effort to raise $1.1 million to construct a new, synthetic turf field at Muirlands Middle School to serve a multisports complex to include La Jolla High has succeeded.
Voice of San Diego
September 16, 2009
Have Diploma, Can't Apply to College
Counselor Frank Zavala tries to break the news to high schoolers gently, but sometimes it's just too late. There's no way they can rack up the classes they need to even apply to the University of California system or the California State schools.
KPBS-TV
September 15, 2009
School Foundations Create Gap In Education Funding
JOANNE FARYON (host): Hello Everyone, I���m Joanne Faryon. Welcome to this Envision special ��� Education and the Million Dollar Bake Sale. Let���s begin with a quiz. How many students in your kids��� classroom? 20, 30, close to 40? It���s probably more than last year.
Voice of San Diego
September 15, 2009
Point Loma Weighs Idea of Going Charter
Parents are weighing the idea of splitting Correia Middle and other Point Loma schools from San Diego Unified as independent charter schools, which would free them to handle their own budgets, staffing and curriculum. The idea was tossed around at a parent foundation meeting in Point Loma, where parents and principals said they were weary of the nonstop turnover at the school district.
Clip Report for September 16
San Diego Union-Tribune
September 16, 2009
S.D. school district seeks vision first, then leader
SAN DIEGO — In the days since Superintendent Terry Grier resigned, at least 25 leaders from education, the military, business and nonprofits have sent their resumes to the San Diego Unified School District in hopes of becoming the next chief educator. But the school board would be lucky to launch its job hunt before the new year, board President Shelia Jackson said yesterday.
KPBS-FM
September 16, 2009
Teaching Cutting-Edge Science in San Diego Classrooms
SAN DIEGO — UC San Diego and the San Diego Unified School District are working together to broaden the teaching of science. The goal is to provide hands-on science training to help educate the next generation of environmental leaders.
San Diego Union-Tribune
September 16, 2009
Test score conundrum
State and federal academic report cards tell conflicting tales
Spreckels Elementary School in University City has a state academic rating that is soaring. It's in the top third of all local schools in test scores. But based on the same data, the federal government sees a school failing to make the grade. It is ordering Spreckels to offer students the choice to attend another school and to pay for buses to get them there.
KPBS-FM
September 15, 2009
Education Special: Lincoln High's Rebirth
MAUREEN CAVANAUGH (Host): That's President Barack Obama from his speech last week to students across the nation. I'm Maureen Cavanaugh. You're listening to a special These Days broadcast from the campus of Lincoln High School in southeast San Diego. KPBS-TV specials: "Lincoln High Offers Student Second Chance" and "Lincoln High School Celebrates Third Year on New Campus."
Voice of San Diego
September 15, 2009
Test Scores Fall Short of Federal Standard
Despite widespread gains in test scores, San Diego Unified failed to meet the rising bar of No Child Left Behind, the federal law that sets targets for annual improvement in schools.
Point Loma Weighs Idea of Going Charter
Parents are weighing the idea of splitting Correia Middle and other Point Loma schools from San Diego Unified as independent charter schools, which would free them to handle their own budgets, staffing and curriculum. The idea was tossed around at a parent foundation meeting in Point Loma, where parents and principals said they were weary of the nonstop turnover at the school district.
SDNN.com
September 15, 2009
Three SDUSD schools honored by Dept. of Education
Three San Diego Unified School District schools have been honored by the U.S. Department of Education as Blue Ribbon Schools for showing dramatic gains in student achievement despite serving students from primarily low-income families, state education officials announced today.
KPBS-TV
September 15, 2009
School Foundations Create Gap In Education Funding
Welcome to this Envision special – Education and the Million Dollar Bake Sale. LetÕs begin with a quiz. How many students in your kidsÕ classroom? 20, 30, close to 40? ItÕs probably more than last year. ThatÕs because education took a $12 billion budget cut - the largest in years. Tonight, weÕll hear what CaliforniaÕs State Superintendant of Education has to say about our schools and funding. And weÕll meet a long time principal whoÕs hoping a new campus can help turn around his school. But first, we take a look at how public education is being influenced by private fundraising. These days, parents are raising millions of dollars for their schools - enough to pay for computers, textbooks, even teachers. Meanwhile schools in poor neighborhoods are barely getting by.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Clip Report for September 12
San Diego Union-Tribune
September 11, 2009
Trustees in no rush to hire new leader | Senior administrator to assume interim post
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/sep/12/trustees-no-rush-hire-new-leader/?education&zIndex=164591
September 11, 2009
Trustees in no rush to hire new leader | Senior administrator to assume interim post
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/sep/12/trustees-no-rush-hire-new-leader/?education&zIndex=164591
Voice of San Diego
September 11, 2009
A Familiar Face Steps in as School Chief
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2009/09/11/education/schooled/602kowba091109.txt
School Board Airs Idea of Open Superintendent Search
http://voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2009/09/11/education/schooled/601open091109.txt
KUSI-TV
September 11, 2009
Kowba Appointed Interim Superintendent
http://www.kusi.com/home/59083362.html?video=YHI&t=a
http://www.kusi.com/home/59083362.html
KGTV
September 11, 2009
SD Unified Names Interim Superintendent
http://www.10news.com/news/20852094/detail.html
KFMB-AM
September 11, 2009
Kowba named interim SDUSD superintendent
http://www.760kfmb.com/Global/story.asp?S=11117680
KPBS-FM
September 11, 2009
Superintendent Selection to be an Open Process
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2009/sep/11/superintendent-selection-be-open-process/
Opinion
San Diego Reader website
September 11, 2009
Saying Goodbye To Grier
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/memorial-life/2009/sep/11/say-goodbye-to-grier/
San Diego Union-Tribune
September 11, 2009
State law? Bah! | Post-Grier school board off to a weak start
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/sep/12/state-law-bah/?uniontrib
Jack Brandais
Media Relations
San Diego Unified School District
(619) 725-5570 (desk)
(619) 607-0477 (cell)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Clip Report for Sept. 10
San Diego Union-Tribune
September 10, 2009
Administrators look to union for backup | School officials cite change as concern
SAN DIEGO — When it comes to school labor issues in San Diego, it's the teachers union that makes headlines. But another group of educators — namely principals and vice principals — has quietly been organizing to form its own union in the San Diego Unified School District.
Navy Compass
September 10, 2009
Unique Educational Fair Increases Family Readiness in San Diego
The Navy School Liaison Program in association with the San Diego Unified School District held their first Back-2-School Resource Fair and Enrollment Event Aug. 20 at Jean Farb Middle School, located in the Murphy Canyon military housing area in San Diego.
SDNN.Com/City News Services
September 10, 2009
Houston school officials meet to formalize hiring of Terry Grier
The board of the Houston Independent School District is scheduled to meet Thursday to formalize its decision to hire San Diego Unified Superintendent Terry Grier as its schools chief. Grier was the boardÕs only choice for the superintendent job in Houston. Also covered by KNSD-TV, San Diego Union-Tribune, Voice of San Diego, Houston Chronicle.
KPBS-FM
September 10, 2009
Local Schools Prepare for Swine Flu Season
SAN DIEGO — Most of San Diego County's school children this week began an academic year that will pose the challenge of dealing with swine flu. Kids who attend San Diego's Language Academy Elementary School chattered excitedly outside the school building after the first day of classes came to an end. Parents waited to pick them up in a line of cars that slowly snaked along 64th street. One mom, Christa Carey, said she's not worried about swine flu.
Voice of San Diego
September 10, 2009
How Others Handle Online Teaching
San Diego Unified is not the only district to grapple with reconciling No Child Left Behind with online classes. Others have found ways to do it.
September 9, 2009
A New Way of Teaching Collides with Old Rules
Cesar Alcantar gave grades to more than 500 struggling high schoolers last year, yet he never met any of them. He is one of a handful of San Diego Unified employees who were listed as teachers for online classes last year, even though they seldom interacted with students and never taught lessons. Computers and tutors did the teaching for them. They checked that students' grades matched their scores on tests.
Opinion
San Diego Union-Tribune
September 10, 2009
Editorial: A mole hill | A lesson from Obama's speech to studentsIt turned out to be a tempest in a lunchbox. President Barack Obama's back-to-school message to the nation's students, which stirred up so much controversy ahead of time, amounted to little more than a feel-good, inspirational address that told students to study hard, stay in school and get serious about succeeding. See also Letters to the Editor.
Voice of San Diego
September 9, 2009
Letter: More in Favor of Decentralizing the Schools
I am the parent of three elementary school children who attend Torrey Pines Elementary School. I have also been a teacher in the SDUSD for fifteen years. I am very much in favor of decentralizing the schools in the San Diego City Schools. In this time of budget deficit, this idea makes the most sense. I have seen an incredible amount of waste in the last fifteen years and I am tired of a district that hinders the teaching and learning in the classroom. The district offices should be scaled back to a bare bones operation and employ only those people that are absolutely necessary to do paperwork, etc.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Clip Report for September 9
City News Service via SDNN.com
September 9, 2009
SD Unified School District unveils new Web site
A cleaner and less complicated San Diego Unified School District Web site is available for public use Wednesday. The new site, launched late Tuesday night, replaced an older system that Bernie Rhinerson, the chief district relations officer, called Òhuge and outdated.Ó Also carred by SanDiego6.com.
La Jolla Light
September 9, 2009
LJES changes surprise students, parents
When school started on Tuesday, the hundreds of students and parents entering La Jolla Elementary School (LJES) probably did a double take.
Students realize dream of Mormon Club at LJHS
When Christie Richmond, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), was in eighth grade, she found herself constantly explaining why her beliefs were different from everyone else's.
Voice of San Diego
September 9, 2009
Houston schools had to wait three weeks before officially offering their superintendent's job to Terry Grier, the current superintendent of San Diego Unified. That wait is scheduled to end Thursday. But Grier said that doesn't mean he'll automatically sign a contract with Houston this week.
School Board Balks at Peer Tutoring Class
The San Diego Unified school board balked at letting a school add a class in which students tutor other children with special needs, worrying that it might not be a real, academically rigorous class.
September 8, 2009
I spent a few hours out at San Diego Unified's Marston Middle School in Clairemont this morning to get a sense of how the first day of school is unfolding. I've got some ideas for future stories -- no spilling the beans yet -- but here are some little things worth noting.
San Diego Union-Tribune
September 9, 2009
After all of the national uproar about President Barack Obama's back-to-school speech, San Marcos eighth-grader Jennifer Morales distilled his message into a simple statement: There's no excuse for not working hard in school.
KPBS-FM
September 8, 2009
These Days: Challenging Year Begins for Many Local Schools
MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: I'm Maureen Cavanaugh, and you're listening to These Days on KPBS. Most local educators would agree that we are beginning a challenging school year in San Diego.
San Diego Union-Tribune
September 8, 2009
Wave of reassignments marks new school year
SAN DIEGO — Back-to-school jitters are alive and well at Scripps Ranch High School. But this year, it's not just the freshmen who are worried about fitting in, making new friends and navigating an unfamiliar campus.
KUSI-TV
September 8, 2009
Morning News live at Barnard Elementary School
KSWB-TV
September 8, 2009
Morning News live at Roosevelt Middle School
KGTV-10
September 8, 2009
Local Students React To Obama's Education Speech
10News visited a Lemon Grove school to get their reaction to President Obama's speech on education.
KGTV-10
September 8, 2009
Schools Turn To Possible Sponsorships To Fund Activities
School districts around California are getting creative when it comes to reeling in funding for activities
KUSI-TV
September 7, 2009
School Board President Shelia Jackson on Morning News
KFMB-TV Ch. 8
Septeber 4, 2009
Local parents can opt out of Obama's school address
School kids in San Diego and across the nation are getting caught up in what's becoming a political firestorm. Even though school hasn't started in the San Diego Unified School District just yet, the office operators have been busy fielding calls from some parent who want their students to be excused from viewing the president's speech, which just happens to fall on the first day of school.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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
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.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Clip Report for July 31
San Diego Union-Tribune
July 31, 2009
Group sues S.D. Unified on schools' labor pact | Prop. S deal biased, local contractors say
SAN DIEGO COURTS — A local contractors association filed a lawsuit yesterday against the San Diego Unified School District, claiming its agreement ensuring labor guarantees for projects funded through a recent bond measure is discriminatory.
KPBS-FM
July 30, 2009
Non-Union Contractors Sue S.D. Unified Over Prop. S
SAN DIEGO — A non-union construction contractors group is suing the San Diego Unified School District over how money is spent on Proposition S school bond projects.
Voice of San Diego
July 31, 2009
Diversity Concerns Threaten Expansion of Charter School
San Diego Unified staffers are advising the school board to turn down a plan to expand a City Heights charter school into a high school, arguing that it will encourage racial isolation because its student body consists largely of African-American students of Somali descent.
July 30, 2009
Superintendent Terry Grier has dismissed rumors that he is seeking the superintendency in Houston schools. It is the second time that Grier has been rumored to be seeking another job: Last winter talk was swirling that Grier was up for the same job in Austin after a new school board was elected. And Grier seems to be getting a little sick of the rumor mill.
State
San Francisco Chronicle
July 31, 2009
Court says English-only tests OK in schools
SAN FRANCISCO -- California is entitled to administer school achievement tests and high school exit exams in English to all students, including the nearly 1.6 million who speak limited English, a state appeals court ruled Thursday.
Clip Report for July 30
San Diego Union-Tribune
July 30, 2009
Potential double whammy of flu coming up | Local health officials put schools on notice
As public health officials from Boston to San Diego brace for a potential double hit from seasonal influenza and a new wave of swine flu, schools and vaccine distribution have become major focal points. (Also featured on front of California School Board Association website).
- Also covered by KBNT-TV.
Contractor group to sue schools over work rules
SAN DIEGO: They threatened to sue, and now it looks as if they will. An official with the local chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America says the group will file suit against the San Diego Unified School District this morning over its agreement ensuring labor guarantees for the bulk of Proposition S work.
Ex-principals to open online school | Ecademy California is educational hybrid
Three former Chula Vista elementary school principals plan to open an online school next month that's a hybrid of home and traditional instruction. Like home-schoolers, students at Ecademy California can learn at their kitchen tables or in their bedrooms. But like their peers at neighborhood public schools, they will attend classes at scheduled hours and meet as a group with a teacher who leads them through lessons in math, English, science and social studies. Classes, however, will be held via Webcam.
Tax for schools roundly opposed | Angry residents tell Cardiff board
Trustees of the Cardiff School District, which has been hit hard by state budget cuts, recently began talking about a parcel tax as a way to raise money to offset the shortfall. It didn't go well.
Voice of San Diego
July 29, 2009
Building Now, Paying for It Later
Drama boosters at Patrick Henry High School want a real auditorium to replace the "cafetorium" that doubles as an eating space. Two neighboring middle schools want a new field for baseball, softball and soccer.
Contractors' Group Filing Suit Over Labor Pact
The local chapter of the Associated General Contractors announced today that it is filing a lawsuit against San Diego Unified "challenging the exclusivity" of its project labor agreement, which sets goals for local hiring and gives apprentices from union programs the first shot at jobs to build their skills. The group is holding a press conference tomorrow morning at their headquarters. Check back soon for more details.
It looks like San Diego Unified will find jobs for all of those displaced teachers after all: Cutting class sizes down to 15 students per teacher in 25 schools is expected to create 116 teaching jobs, according to a preliminary estimate from the human resources department.
La Jolla Light
July 28, 2009
Local salon supports La Jolla High School
With schools across the state facing budget cuts and subsequent equipment shortfalls, La Jolla High School finds itself benefiting from cuts of another kind.
San Diego Unified Parent Blog (Paul M. Bowers)
July 30, 2009
Parents are frustrated. We see all the power and influence in the district and on the board- the teachers, the administrators, and unions. But what about parents? Are we entirely powerless?
ThereÕs been a lot of talk around the district and parents regarding the role specific parent groups, mostly Foundations, may play in directly funding positions at district (public!) schools.
State
San Francisco Chronicle
July 27, 2009
Budget lifts diploma hurdle for special-ed kids
Changes to the California High School Exit Exam policy tucked into the state's new budget may offer a different future for thousands of disabled children denied diplomas over the past two years.
Orange County Register
July 29, 2009
Will O.C. school districts soon face bankruptcy?
The recent state takeover of a Monterey County district raises the question. But local educators say it's not likely anytime soon.
Nation
eSchool News
July 28, 2009
Ten tips for boosting eCommunication
One of the great things about working in education is the opportunity to start anew every fall. No matter how tough the previous school year was, we get to go back to school with new school supplies, new students, and new hopes.
New York Times
July 27, 2009
For Veterans, a Weekend Pass From Homelessness
The number of homeless veterans who made their way to a high schoolÕs athletic fields for the gathering reached a record high, some 950 compared with last yearÕs record of 830. The job-devouring recession is pushing up the numbers, but organizers said they were also starting to see younger veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, some with traumatic brain injuries or psychological stresses, who had fallen through the safety nets with unusual speed.
Clip Report for July 28
KPBS-FM
July 29, 2009
Unified School Board May Approve District-Wide Biliteracy Programs
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Unified school board is leaning toward approving a proposed policy that would allow all students in the district access to full-spectrum biliteracy programs.
- Also covered by KUSI-TV.
T.H.E. Journal
July 29, 2009
San Diego USD Looks To Improve Web Communications
San Diego Unified School District in California is arranging to improve its online collaboration and communication tools. The district has signed an agreement adopting Schoolwires' Centricity in an effort to augment communications between parents, teachers, students, and other constituents who speak more than 60 languages and dialects.
City News Service via KGTV-10
July 28, 2009
School Bond Revenues Lower Than Projected
SAN DIEGO -- Revenues from the sale of Proposition S bonds are lower than expected, and San Diego Unified School District officials may have to reshuffle plans for renovating schools, trustees were told Tuesday.
City News Service via KGTV-10
July 28, 2009
School Board Passes Bond Labor Deal
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Unified School District Board of Education Tuesday night approved an agreement with unions regarding the use of labor on Proposition S projects, but less revenue is coming in from bond sales than expected. Also posed on KFMB-TV and XETV websites.
Voice of San Diego
July 28, 2009
After weeks of rancor over how San Diego Unified would balance the different needs of two adjacent schools -- one a charter school, one a magnet run by the school district -- a plan has been struck.
Clip Report for July 27
Company News Release
July 27, 2009
State College, Pennsylvania, July 27, 2009 — San Diego Unified School District has selected the Schoolwires Centricity platform to further engage its large district community in support of student achievement, it was announced today by Schoolwires, one of the nation's leading providers of strategic website and community management solutions for building stronger school communities, more effective schools and greater student
La Jolla Light
July 27, 2009
BE WiSE encourages young women to dream
Twelve high school girls from all over San Diego on Saturday got a lesson in how cancer research is done during the Be WiSE Young Women in Cancer Research Oncofertility Academy.
Voice of San Diego
July 27, 2009
What Your Sacto Reps Are Doing
Salas is also working on the school front. She wants to make marching band an equivalent alternative to physical education. She has a bill that would exempt high school students from PE if they are in other school programs deemed to require equal amounts of physical activity: marching band, cheerleading, JROTC, and others.
Voice of San Diego
July 26, 2009
Proposed Schools Policy Says Two Languages Better Than One
Minerva Espejo remembered her own rocky start in English after moving from Mexico to San Diego as a teenager. English classes were bewildering; a bilingual class taught by a teacher who barely understood Spanish was even worse. She improved her English at home by pulling out a dictionary night after night to pick up the vocabulary that helped get her to college.
Project Labor Agreement -- For Real This Time
It's almost official: San Diego Unified is poised to adopt a project labor agreement for its facilities bond on Tuesday. The agreement includes guidelines for local hiring and requires contractors to provide health insurance, largely through union plans.
San Diego Union-Tribune
July 25, 2009
2 campuses are locked in space duel | District's construction plans are put on hold
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego school district will postpone construction at a Chollas View site shared by two schools while administrators from the campuses work out a blueprint for cohabitation.
Voice of San Diego
July 24, 2009
Rescheduling School Renovation
As the sagging economy has takes its toll on Proposition S, the $2.1 billion facilities bond to rebuild and revamp San Diego Unified schools, the school district is rethinking its timetables for the projects.
Opinion
San Diego Union-Tribune
July 25, 2009
Union-Tribune Editorial | Your stimulus dollars at work
SAN DIEGO — The announcement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was downright breathless: ÒSan Diego Unified (is) nation's first to use federal stimulus funding to clean up school buses.Ó
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