|

IRS Update
on Withholding for Retirees
The IRS has issued a notice
addressing an unintended consequence of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act regarding retiree pension
withholding.
more
June 25, 2009
Perry Calls Legislature Back for Special
Session on July 1
Gov. Rick Perry today signed a proclamation calling the 81st Texas
Legislature back to Austin for a special session to address matters
it did not resolve during the recently concluded 140-day regular
session. The special session will convene at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July
1. The three items the governor wants lawmakers to handle are:
“To consider legislation that provides for extending the
existence of several state agencies that were subject to sunset
review by the 81st Legislature and will be abolished without
legislative action under the state's Sunset Act, that changes the
review schedule for certain state agencies to balance the workload
of the Sunset Advisory Commission.
“To consider legislation relating to the issuance by the Texas
Transportation Commission, pursuant to Article III, Section 49-p, of
the Texas Constitution, of general obligation bonds for highway
improvement projects, and to the creation, administration, financing
and use of a Texas Transportation Revolving Fund to provide
financial assistance for transportation projects.
“To consider legislation relating to the date on which the authority
of the Texas Department of Transportation and a regional mobility
authority to enter into a comprehensive development agreement
expires.”
Political observers expect the session to last only a few days
dealing with these issues that should not be particularly
controversial or partisan. Although no public education issues are
in the governor’s call, he could add them to his call at any time
before the special session adjourns. TSTA will monitor the special
session; however, we do not expect Perry to ask lawmakers to deal
with any public education issues this time.
June 18, 2009
TSTA Testifies on SBEC Disciplinary Rule
Changes
The State Board for Educator Certification met at the William B.
Travis Building in Austin on June 18.
Texas Education Agency staff gave a report regarding significant
legislation affecting the board. The 81st Legislature this year gave
SBEC more authority to inspect and evaluate teacher preparation
programs.
After the legislative briefing, Vice Chair Christie Pogue introduced
the work of an ad hoc committee that met to improve SBEC
disciplinary structure. SBEC’s legal department had asked for
guidance regarding when it should dismiss a case. The policy
statements would be used to inform judges from the State Office of
Administrative Hearings of the expectations that SBEC has beyond the
Texas Education Code regarding what SBEC deems acceptable teacher
behavior.
While Pogue called the document a “draft,” she also stated that this
document was nothing new and that TEA sent it to stakeholders as a
“courtesy document.” Pogue also stated, “If there had been any
changes whatsoever, we would have absolutely have invited any input
from the stakeholders to be part of this meeting.”
TEA counsel insinuated that it was the Office of the Attorney
General of Texas that believes this policy document does not
constitute a rule in and of itself. Because of this, there is no
real need to consider the rulemaking process. As a result of this
document, teacher testimony in front of the SBEC board will be
limited to 10 minutes. It was previously 15 minutes.
TSTA is concerned that the recommendations will become de facto
laws. While state judges are not required to follow the
“recommendations,” they are bound by law to consider them.” TSTA
General Counsel Joey Moore spoke against the adoption of the draft
disciplinary policy on several key points. Her detailed written
testimony is
here.
The board approved alternative educator preparation programs. After
the board voted to approve the programs, the chair was told that
testimony was supposed to have been taken on this item. It then was
taken; however, the board did not revote on the item.
The board approved new members of the Division of Educator Standards
Advisory Committee. The committee is designed to standardize
preparation programs rules.
The board considered minor changes to the principal certificate and
superintendent certificate. Newly passed legislation may affect
principal certification and review, so the board tabled the motion
until all information is available. The board then unanimously
passed the superintendent certificate changes.
The board also passed several new educator preparation programs and
expanded current ones.
June 17, 2009
TAKS, End-of-Course Exams Will Be More
Difficult
The State P-16 Council met June 17 at the William B. Travis Building
in Austin, with Commissioner Robert Scott of the Texas Education
Agency, Commissioner Terry Murphy from the Texas Department of
Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, Larry Temple from the Texas
Workforce Commission and Phyllis Snodgrass attending. Snodgrass is
the president of the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce, and she is
the newest member of the board. Commissioner Raymund Paredes of the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board did not attend and sent a
substitute representative.
Criss Cloudt, the associate commissioner of education for
assessment, accountability and data quality, spoke about the new
end-of-course examinations. She offered charts to illustrate the
rulemaking process for each subject. She informed the council that
all state standardized tests, both the Texas Assessment of Knowledge
and Skills (TAKS) and end-of-course exams, will rewritten to include
college-readiness standards and renamed. “These tests will be much
harder,” she said.
House Bill 3, which the 81st Texas Legislature just passed, mandates
that students deemed “college ready” will not need to take remedial
courses in college. This led Scott to ask Cloudt whether this rule
required research on students’ scores in English and mathematics
courses in college. Cloudt affirmed this and said efforts to make
these determinations are starting.
Recent pilots and initiatives seem successful, according to all who
testified. One pilot program had college professors spend time in
high school classrooms, while high school teachers observed college
courses. Another program brought education professors from around
the state to college campuses to determine P-16 strategies. Murphy
spoke of an autism pilot program for ages three through eight that
is very successful. The pilot is being expanded to reach more
autistic children in Texas.
Temple spoke of school development toward the working world and
customizing training for businesses. The $90 million in federal
stimulus money from President Obama’s American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act has left him with what he called, “a building full
of experts.” He called on all P-16 councils to rephrase terminology
into terminology the business community understands. Although the
council’s goal is to create college graduates, Temple believes that
business people are more important. Snodgrass concurred, saying
someone once told her, “I don’t care what’s on that piece of paper;
I’m the one who decides who gets hired."
June 16, 2009
Health Care Reform - Now
Urge your U.S. senator to support health care reform that:
-
ensures that every person in America has quality, affordable
coverage
-
provides a choice of plans and providers through a private
health insurance plan (including one that employees may
currently have through their employer) and a government
sponsored public health insurance plan options.
-
rejects proposals that would limit or cap the
employee tax exclusion for health benefits in any way (tax
employer-provided health benefits).
See NEA's
website or visit the
President's Health Care Action Center.
June 12, 2009
TRS Stays with Investment Company
The Teacher Retirement System Board of Trustees met on
June 12 to hear proposals from companies wishing to handle overall
investment strategies as actuaries, as well as fiduciary counsel.
Each of the positions had been narrowed to four finalists, with the
actuarial group presenting first. The actuary choice, consistent for
over a decade, was in question because the long-term advisor to TRS
was retiring. Thus, TRS would be changing advisors no matter the
corporation that it chose. After a short deliberation, the board
decided to keep Gabriel, Roeder, Smith & Company for actuarial
valuation and pension consulting services. It took a longer time,
and an official discussion, to choose Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren,
S.C. to act as fiduciary counsel.
An informal query to staff revealed that the
current valuation of the TRS fund was in the lower $80 billion
range. The board also discussed TRS holdings in Chrysler and General
Motors. Regarding Chrysler: There was no direct exposure during
bankruptcy, but indirect through a limited partnership of $100
million. Regarding General Motors: There was no direct debt
exposure, but TRS had about $1 million in common stock and indirect
exposure through several limited partnerships.
TRS has officially certified to the Comptroller
the estimated amount of state contribution to be received by the
retired school employees group health benefit plan. The board will
continue its current committee appointments until the fall, when
three new board members will join.
TRS is considering ways to better communicate
with both members and the general public. They are implementing a
means that allows retirees to register their email addresses. The
system staff are also considering ways to broadcast meetings
online.
TRS Considers
Benefits, Budget, Elections
The Teacher Retirement System (TRS) Board met June 11 to discuss, in
several committee meetings, everything from current benefits to the
TRS budget to the upcoming elections of several board positions.
Regarding TRS Ethical Conduct:
The morning began with results from
multiple internal audits, as well as one external audit. The State
Auditor’s Office presented a report to the Ethics Committee which
noted two potential weaknesses: real-time board access to TRS
financial decisions and a lack of ethics training for TRS staff.
Both issues will be addressed.
TRS had
a standing policy of maintaining a step system (minimum of two
percent per year, at least $50/month) to a “performance pay”
system. The Performance Incentive Compensation is 80% quantitative
and 20% qualitative (through peer review).
This new system will demand more funding, and
it requires additional funding from the legislature. Plus an
additional $10 million for their performance pay plan.
For the first time in a decade, the legislature
has been allocated money from general revenue. This amounts to $7.5
million for the biennium. If the board takes any monetary action
(not approved by the Legislative Budget Board), then the SB 1 monies
would drop dollar-for-dollar. The money would go only to upper
positions not in a retirement system. The board saw this as the
legislature trying to make them, “play in their sandbox.”
Senate
Bill 1 increased overall TRS funding 18-19 percent for the current biennium.
TRS staff felt shorted and let the board know of their frustration.
TRS has decided to exceed its employment cap for the current year by
11 employees. The system will expand to another office on South
Congress and require the corresponding fees and services. The
legislative increase allows for a total of 20 new employees, but TRS
plans to hire an additional 20, for a total of 40. The board
determined to request an additional $6 million from the Legislative
Budget Board.
Senate
Bill 1 holds that interns do not count against the employee cap, so
TRS will develop a “robust” intern program. The legislature mandates
that state dollars cannot be used for external communications; thus,
TRS will hire one using internal monies. The committee saw this as a
means of “optimizing budget resources.”
Board
members were apprised of the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) and its
function in state monetary policy. The board is considering three
options to further their operations.
-
Accepting the current legislative funding, which will fund
current staffing (20 more positions). It will preclude the
performance incentive plan, more additional staff and any
unforeseen issues.
-
Asking the legislature for an additional three million dollars.
This will allow for the 40 new employees, fund the performance
incentive plan and add modest contingencies.
-
Asking the legislature for $6 million. This will increase
staffing by the expected 40 employees, provide $1.25 million for
professional services and operating expenses and fund the
Performance Incentive Compensation plan.
Regarding the Budget:
The Budget Committee was briefed on TRS’s current status. The budget
remains in line, though the system encountered unexpected costs from
a broken water main between buildings, required notice of ARRA funds
and related legal services.
The
committee, and perhaps the board, will be considering strategies to
address budget constraints in FY 2010 without seeking a fiduciary
finding.
For the first time in a decade, the legislature
has been allocated money from general revenue. This amounts to $7.5
million for the biennium. If the board takes any fiduciary action
(not approved by the Legislative Budget Board), the SB 1 monies
would drop dollar-for-dollar. It would apply to exempt positions,
only. The board saw this as the legislature trying to make them,
“play in their sandbox.”
Plus an additional $10 million for their
performance pay plan.
The
legislature authorized a one-time $800 payment to certain employees.
The payment requires the Attorney General to issue an opinion to the
effect that it will be legal. Currently, the money sits in a special
fund with the Comptroller, awaiting the AG opinion.
TRS
conducted one-on-one counseling appointments in 10 Texas cities
during the past year. Overall, customer satisfaction remains high.
TRS is
in a much better standing than most of its counterparts throughout
the country. In the past year’s reports, the portfolio has dropped
to the bottom quartile in performance, but staff informed the board
that the fund’s performance has already changed for the better.
Ennis
Knupp presented on various models to improve the overall TRS
investment portfolio. The advisors repeatedly mentioned the 10
percent constitutional cap on the state’s contribution to employee
retirement systems. Several of the models involved an increase of
teacher contributions to 10 percent, amounting to a 20 percent
contribution. Models focused on the effort to reach full, 31-year
funding.
TRS Full
Board Meeting: The next meeting was moved from August 13-14 to
August 20-21.
Staff
reported on the performance on the TRS fund. Although this year has
been especially rough, the fund has failed to meet the eight percent
threshold, which is needed to keep the plan solvent, for the past 10
years.
Britt
Harris presented a thoughtful and meaningful presentation titled,
“Inflection Point?” He has given similar information to the U.S.
Congress, as he is on the Presidential council. Harris believes that
the economy may be at a precise point to match the TRS investment
philosophy.
June 9, 2009
NEA's Eskelsen Honored by
Hispanic Business Magazine
Hispanic Business Magazine has recognized Lily Eskelsen, vice
president of NEA, as 2009 Woman of the Year finalist. The business
magazine honored Eskelsen for her hard work as well as her
unwavering dedication to the teaching profession and commitment to
improving the lives of all children. Each year, the magazine salutes
a select group of Hispanic women who have made a national impact by
demonstrating the highest levels of achievement in their
professions.
Eskelsen began her career in education as a lunch worker in a school
cafeteria. She became a kindergarten aide and was encouraged by the
teacher to think about going to college and becoming a teacher
herself. She worked her way through college on scholarships, student
loans and as a starving folk singer, graduating magna cum laude in
elementary education and later earning her master’s degree in
instructional technology. For additional information, please visit
www.nea.org.
June 3, 2009
Update on
Withholding Issue for Retired Members
The IRS has issued a
notice addressing an unintended consequence of the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act regarding retiree pension withholding. You may
recall that in implementing provisions regarding the Making Work Pay
credit, the IRS created a situation where retirees subject to new
withholding tables could have an under-withholding on pension income
and find themselves unexpectedly owing taxes at the end of the year.
The IRS has now announced an optional procedure for pension plans
that would offset the withholding reduction created by their earlier
instructions.
www.irs.go`v/pub/irs-pdf/n1036p.pdf
May 28, 2009
Health Care Could Be Next on
Congressional Agenda
NEA has been a long-time supporter of health care reform, and we
are actively engaged in the current federal reform efforts. Health
care reform is important for the national economy, state budgets,
the children and students of all ages whom we serve, and all
educators.
In the current political environment, NEA
supports reform that ensures access to quality, affordable and
comprehensive health care coverage for all residents of the
United States. In addition, NEA believes that health care reform
must:
1. Maintain our current employer-based
system by allowing employees to keep the coverage they currently
have OR to a choose a quality, affordable public health
insurance plan option;
2. Maintain current law that excludes
employer-based health care benefits from taxation so that all
employees continue to receive health care benefits from their
employer without being taxed on these benefits. Health care
reform should also not limit or cap the employee tax exclusion
for health benefits in any way, such as by employee income or
value of the benefit plan.
3. Allow employees and employers to
negotiate above any basic benefit plan floor that may be
legislated.
As with all legislative activity, this timeline is subject to
change, but the current timeline appears to be as follows:
White House – President Obama and his staff
are very engaged and working with the House of Representatives
and the Senate on health reform. The President has made it clear
that he wants a bill on health reform to pass Congress this year
and be ready for his signature.
House of Representatives – Three House
committees are working on health care reform: Ways and Means,
Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor. The committees
have held hearings, plan to hold more hearings, are drafting
legislation and working with the Congressional Budget Office on
cost estimates. They plan to mark up committee bills in June;
after the July 4 recess, the full committees would consider the
bills. By mid-July, they expect to have a single bill that will
be brought to the full house for a vote by end of July.
The Senate is following a similar schedule.
The Finance and Health, Education, and Labor and Pensions (HELP)
Committees are currently holding hearings and working with the
CBO on cost estimates. Mark up of the committee bills is
expected in June. The two bills would be combined by the end of
June and voted on after the July 4 recess.
During the August recess, a conference
committee would work out differences between the final House and
Senate bills and issue a conference report. This report would be
presented to both houses of Congress for a final vote in
September.
NEA is in regular contact with members of Congress and the
White House. They will also continue to work with major
coalition partners to leverage support for reform and ensure
that our principles remain front and center within these
coalitions.
Read NEA's position and watch for updates at
http://www.nea.org/home/16326.htm.
Watch for u
May 22, 2009
SBOE
Makes Changes to TEKS Adoption Process
The State Board of Education met Friday at the William B.
Travis Building. After making some changes to courses in the
agricultural strand of career and technical education (CTE) for
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards, the board
approved another course as a capstone course in the 4x4 curriculum,
allowing two courses in agriculture to qualify as a fourth science
course for high school students. The board rejected another course,
designed to use agricultural concepts to teach math.
The board also voted to include a course
written by the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at
Austin. Concerns regarding proprietary issues will be investigated
before second reading and final adoption.
The board voted to make minor adjustments to
the TEKS review and revision process. The Texas Education Agency
will contact parties such as the Texas Association of School Baord
for assistance in providing non-educators. The current TEKS will
serve as the basis for any changes, and any changes must be
justified by the TEKS revision committees. The experts appointed by
board members will be more involved in the overall process,
attending all TEKS revision committee meetings. Representatives from
both the TEKS revision committees and appointed experts will be
invited to attend relevant board meetings.
The Committee on Instruction presented two
items to the board. The first was the approval of selection criteria
for college and career readiness, which was presented yesterday. The
second item was the approval of proposed personal financial literacy
materials. Both are supplied at no cost to the state. The financial
literacy materials will be used primarily in high school economics
courses.
The board heard that Permanent School Fund
has dropped by 6.29% this year. The PSF group met both Tuesday and
Wednesday before the SBOE meeting. The full board heard testimony
and participated in a question-and-answer session of current
trustees. The board is considering real estate as a potential
investment tool.
The Committee on School Initiatives
considered certification rules regarding professional educator
preparation and certification, assignment of public school
personnel, categories of classroom teaching certificates, and
disciplinary proceedings. The committee voted to take no action on
these items, allowing the rules to go into effect by default. TSTA
helped create these rules and supports the committee’s decisions.
May 21, 2009
SBOE Again Discusses TEKS Adoption Process
The State Board of Education today considered the Career and
Technical Education (CTE) Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
standards. These TEKS cover 16 different strands of learning
structures. Although some of the CTE strands were contested at
various points, the board adopted most as originally written. Many
comments noted successful writing effort. Unlike the two most recent
adoptions, these TEKS were much less controversial. Despite the
current peace, another storm looms on the horizon.
The original Social Studies TEKS working document was in its first,
private and early format. At this point, it is typical to let the
TEKS team reconsider the document one or two more times before
releasing an original document. Somehow the document was leaked to
the Texas Public Policy Foundation. This led to disturbing testimony
in March from this right-wing think tank. The testimony led the
board to convene a meeting of its Committee on Instruction. The COI
heard testimony from selected members of the vertical teams. The
committee shared the information they learned with the board. Board
members and some testifiers voiced frustration that their original,
private working document became public knowledge before it was ready
to be released. Discussion ensued, and board members generally
agreed to keep initial drafts in-house.
This discussion was followed by heated discussions and testimony
regarding the process of creating the Social Studies TEKS. The
process the board has created is causing challenges regarding the
appointment of experts. While Geraldine Miller, R-Dallas, felt that
this is the most undemocratic thing she has ever seen, Terri Leo,
R-Spring, felt that the process is working and that such situations
always occur in a standardized process. Miller responded by
vigorously disagreeing.
Anita Givens, the deputy associate commissioner of education for
standards and alignment, spoke to the problematic nature of adopting
the Social Studies TEKS. These TEKS are scheduled for final adoption
in July; however, such a schedule does not allow adequate time for
posting in the Texas Register. The board will consider options
tomorrow.
David Bradley, R-Unknown Residence, moved to postpone SBOE’s Ethics
Training until the July meeting. The motion passed, with Miller
casting the sole dissenting vote.
The Committee on Instruction heard a report from a Texas College and
Career Readiness employee. He showed the committee through the
http://www.txccrs.org website. The site is still in
development and will eventually contain links to the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board site to show its initiatives. The
committee also approved financial literacy tools to be used in high
school economics classes.
The Committee on School Initiatives is doing nothing of substance.
The Permanent School Fund Committee finished its work on Tuesday and
Wednesday morning.
May 20, 2009
SBOE Considers TEKS for Career & Technology
Education
The State Board of Education met Wednesday to hear testimony
regarding the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards
for career and technical education (CTE). Only three people signed
up to testify on these new standards.
The first and second testimonies came from members of the
agricultural sciences vertical team. The team had developed three
courses of interest to the board.
Texas Education Agency staff is comfortable using the first course,
advanced animal science, as a fourth science course in the 4x4
curriculum. TEA staff has concerns with another of the vertical
team’s courses, food science. Finally, TEA staff is counseling the
board to reject mathematical applications in agriculture, food and
natural resources as a fourth math course in the 4x4 curriculum.
The issue raised by the vertical team was to require courses that
require greater skills than algebra II. The testifier replied that
the course required students to directly apply the mathematics
requirements they had learned the previous three years. The question
as to whether teachers with only agricultural degrees would be
highly qualified according to TEA standards. TEA had assured the
teachers that this would be possible, though the speaker stipulated
that professional development would be necessary
The final testimony came from Cathy Seeley from the Charles A. Dana
Center at the University of Texas at Austin. She proposed a
completely new course as a course to follow algebra II, rather than
calculus or similar courses. The course would b e an applied course,
using previous knowledge gained through previous, required
coursework. Seeley, when questioned, told the board that she wanted
to “ride that wave” of CTE course approvals.
After testimony, the meeting adjourned. The board meets tomorrow at
9 a.m.
May 19, 2009
TSTA Member Named
International Educator of the Year
The World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth presented its 2009
International Educator of the Year award to teacher Joe Mendenhall
of L.D. Bell High School in . The selection was announced in front
of several hundred educators and business leaders at the WAC's April
luncheon at The Fairmont Dallas. The featured guest was Fareed
Zakaria, bestselling author of The Post-American World, host of "Fareed
Zakaria GPS" on CNN, and Newsweek International editor.
The annual award is given to a local educator who has shown great
commitment and dedication to international education in the
Metroplex. A lifelong world traveler who speaks five languages,
Mendenhall has brought his passion to see and understand the world
to his German classroom at Bell for 14 years. He will receive
$1,000, a trip to the World Affairs Councils of America Conference
in Washington, D.C., and a one-year Council membership. The L.D.
Bell library will receive $500 for international publications
subscription fees.
May 18, 2009
This Week on Schoolhouse
Talk
Please join us this Wednesday, May 20, at 2:00 p.m. CT on
Schoolhouse Talk (www.SchoolhouseTalk.org)
for a lively interview with Jim Carlson, president of the Educator
Compensation Institute. He will discuss the future of teacher
compensation strategies. Remember, you can call (347)
884-8557 to ask questions live.
Schoolhouse Talk has had two terrific
shows featuring special guests Dana Goldstein, education editor at
The American Prospect, and former West Virginia Governor Bob Wise,
president of the Alliance for Excellent Education. Past shows are
always available on
www.SchoolhouseTalk.org for
listening and download.
Something Unprecedented Will Happen on June 1
Those with a vested
interest in education will gather online for 12 days of learning and
discussion to advance 21st century education in the United States.
And we need your voice in the conversation. With webinars, videos
and content from across the education community, the Cyber Summit on
21st Century Skills, cosponsored by NEA, is the place to learn and
be heard for anyone who has a stake in improving education. You'll
engage in a nationwide discussion to formulate recommendations for
education practices and policies; lend your voice to help forward
the 21st Century Skills Movement; and participate for free in a
unique, nationwide, online event.
more
May 15, 2009
Take a Shot at Disease Contest for High School
Journalists
The National Education Association’s Health Information Network
(NEA HIN) is offering high school journalists a chance to be
recognized for their efforts to inform the school community and the
public at large about health-related issues associated with
vaccines. Take a Shot at Disease is a national contest, judged by
professional journalists, for high school print and broadcast
journalists. The contest has four categories in print and four in
broadcast with a first prize in each category of $500, second prize
$300 and third prize $150. There are also up to three $1,000 prizes
for schools that have produced comprehensive vaccination coverage.
Entries can have been published or broadcast at any time during the
2008-2009 school year. Entries must be postmarked by July 1. NEA HIN
will announce the winners in the fall. For entry forms and
additional information please go to
http://www.neahin.org/VaccinationAwarenessContest/
index.html.
U.S. House Passes Ambitious School
Construction Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday “passed a
multiyear school construction bill with the ambitious goals of
producing hundreds of thousands of jobs, reducing energy consumption
and creating healthier, cleaner environments for the nation’s
schoolchildren,” The Associated Press reported.
“It passed 275-155, and now goes to the Senate, which did not act
after the House passed similar legislation last year. The situation
has changed this year. While then-President George W. Bush
threatened to veto the measure, objecting to a costly new school
construction program, President Barack Obama made school improvement
projects an element of his economic stimulus initiative,” the AP
added.
The list of grant amounts school districts nationwide will be
eligible for under H.R. 2187 is online at
http://edlabor.house.
gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/HR2187estLEAgrants-fy09
only-20090513.pdf. The list of eligible Texas districts
and amounts begins on page 342.
May 13, 2009
NEA Forms National Partnership to Address
Dropout Crisis
In a groundbreaking alliance, NEA (the nation’s largest professional
organization representing 3.2 million educators) and Boys & Girls
Clubs of America (one of the nation’s leading youth organizations
with more than 4,300 Clubs that serve 4.5 million young people)
announced plans to join together to advance dropout prevention
efforts, promote high school graduation and increase public
engagement, particularly in minority communities.
According to estimates, approximately one
million students or 30 percent of the high school population drops
out before graduation each year. Only five in 10 Black and Hispanic
students graduate on time with a standard diploma and less than
one-half of American Indian and Alaska Native youth complete high
school.
In addition to the dropout prevention
efforts, NEA and BGCA will collaborate on NEA’s newly formed Public
Engagement Project/Family-School-Community Partnerships (PEP/FSCP)
to create an open dialogue between educators and community members
in an effort to find common ground, strengthen ties between NEA
state and local affiliates and Boys & Girls Clubs, share speakers
and Web sites, and engage all members in such innovative programs as
NEA’s Read Across America.
May 12, 2009
Is NCLB Working? Arne Duncan Wants to Hear from You
"As we prepare for the reauthorization of No
Child Left Behind, I want to hear from classroom
teachers and other educators, parents and
students, business people and citizens," U.S.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan says. "What’s
working, and what’s not? What do we need to do
that we’re not doing, and what do we need to
stop doing – or do differently?"
more
Science TEKS Now Posted
Copies of the science TEKS, as approved by the State Board of
Education on March 27 for second reading and final adoption, have
been posted on the following website:
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/teks/scienceTEKS.html.
The revised TEKS have not yet been filed and will be subject to
review for non-substantive, technical edits by
Texas Register editors.
The science TEKS will not be effective until 20 days after filing
with the Texas Register
as adopted. Once the science TEKS are filed with the Texas Register
they will be posted on the Texas Education Agency rules page as
adopted.
May 11, 2009
'Saturn Thanks Educators' Car Deals
The Saturn
Thanks Educators program gives educators associated with a credit
union the Credit Union Member Discount1 on any new
Saturn. In addition, qualified buyers can get 0% APR financing for
60 months2 on eligible vehicles. Learn more:
www.saturn.com/educators.
1
Must be a member of a
participating credit union. A statement or membership card from the
credit union will be required as proof of eligibility at the retail
facility. Not available with some other offers. Residency
restrictions apply. See retailer for details. Discount available to
members no matter where they finance their purchase. Take
delivery by 1/4/10.
2
Monthly payment is
$16.67 for every $1,000 financed. Average example down payment is
11%. Some customers will not qualify. Eligible vehicles include 2009
AURATM, AURA Hybrid (very limited availability), VUE®,
VUE Hybrid and OUTLOOKTM. See retailer for details.
Take delivery by 6/1/09.
Aug. 15 Is Teacher Appreciation Day at
Staples
Staples stores in Texas will be holding a special appreciation day
for educators Saturday, August 15 from 9 am to noon. You'll get a
reusable "eco easy" bag filled with all sorts of special values to
help in the classroom.
www.staples.com/teacherday
May 8, 2009
Education Funding: Obama Budget
Released
This week, President Obama released his fiscal year 2010 budget
request. Because Congress has already passed a Congressional Budget
Resolution, the President’s request will serve more as a proposal
for the appropriations process in which funding will be allocated to
specific programs. Congress is expected to begin committee
consideration of appropriations bills in early June, but initial
discussions will likely begin much sooner.
In a press release, NEA says “the
President’s budget has the right priorities, including investing in
quality public schools for every student. It builds on the historic
investment in public education provided in the economic stimulus
legislation, with new investments in early childhood education and
expanding opportunities for students to attend college.”
Particular areas to note include:
• Funding Increases: The President proposes
$1.5 billion for Title I school improvement grants, which he would
achieve by reducing other Title I funding (excluding increases
provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.) This would
be a $1 billion increase for the program. Other increases include
early childhood education ($800 million in new expenditures
including $500 million for Title I grants); $50 million (new
expenditure) to LEA’s for strategies to increase graduation rates in
low-performing schools; and a proposal to increase the maximum Pell
Grant to $5,550, index it for inflation in the future, and convert
it to mandatory funding.
• Level funding: Excluding any increases
enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the
President is proposing level funding for a number of programs,
including IDEA, Teacher Quality State Grants, 21st Century Community
Learning Centers (Afterschool), ELL grants, and Career and Technical
Education Since the ARRA money will be available only for two
years, NEA will be pushing for increases for some programs above the
President’s request in order to avoid the funding “cliff” that would
otherwise occur after the ARRA money disappears.
• Teacher Incentive Fund: The President
proposes increasing funding for this NEA-opposed program to $517.3
million, an increase of $420 million. The money would go to states
and LEA’s to develop/implement “innovative performance-based
compensation systems.” In addition, the President is proposing new
language that permits “support for performance-based compensation to
all staff in a school” as opposed to current language limited to
specific teachers/principals.
• DC Vouchers: The President proposes $12.2
million to fund existing students enrolled in the NEA-opposed
program for the 2009-10 school year. The Administration has
indicated an intent to continue funding for students currently
enrolled until they graduate. The proposed funding does not come
from the Department of Education budget, but is listed under “Other
Independent Agencies.”
Detailed information on the proposed
education budget is available on the Department of Education website
at
http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget10/
summary/index.html.
School Modernization/Green Schools
This week, the House Committee on Education and Labor approved
the NEA-supported 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School
Facilities Act (H.R. 2187). The bill would provide $6.4 billion in
federal grants to help states and local school districts repair and
modernize public schools. Compliance with the U.S. Green Building
Council’s standards for Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) would be encouraged. The bill will move to the House
floor in the near future, where passage is likely. The House passed
an identical bill during the previous Congress.
May 7, 2009
Now Up: Schoolhouse Talk Radio Show
Website
Schoolhouse Talk -
www.SchoolhouseTalk.org -
is a one-hour weekly show that will air on Wednesdays at 3:00 pm
EDT, beginning this fall. The website is active and provides
information about how you can participate in a series of “preview”
broadcasts.
Family Day,
Monday, September 28
More than a decade of research
by
The National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
has consistently found that the more often kids eat dinner
with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use
drugs. The center is launching a national movement, "Family Day--A
Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children," that promotes the parental
engagement fostered during frequent family dinners as a simple,
effective way to prevent substance abuse. See
www.CASAFamilyDay.org.
Potential Opportunity for
GPO/WEP Repeal
An article in the Washington Post (see below) indicates that key
Members of Congress from both parties have held tentative talks
about "overhauling" the Social Security system, and Congress could
turn its attention to reform as soon as this fall.
Congressional consideration of Social Security reform could offer an
important opportunity to push repeal of the Government Pension
Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision. Such repeal will be a
top priority for NEA in any reform debate.
Our efforts to move GPO/WEP repeal as part
of overall reform of the Social Security system will be greatly
enhanced if we can demonstrate maximum support among Members of
Congress for the repeal proposal. As of today, the House version of
the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 235) has 274 bipartisan
cosponsors - an impressive number that is close to the record level
reached in the last Congress. The Senate version (S. 484), however,
has only 24 cosponsors. Senate cosponsor lists are available
through the NEA website, www.nea.org.
Additional pressure is needed to build up the Senate cosponsor list,
as well as continuing to increase support in the House.
Action Needed: Contact Senators and
Representatives and urge them to cosponsor S. 484/H.R. 235 - the
Social Security Fairness Act - if they have not already done
so. Urge all Members to support including repeal of the GPO and WEP
in any comprehensive Social Security reform package.
See
"Lawmakers Seeking Consensus on Social Security Overhaul" from
the Washington Post.
May 6, 2009
National Board Certification
Funds Now Available
Federal funds for National Board Certification are now available
for the 2009-2010 cycle for teachers, librarians, and counselors who
may be interested in applying for the candidate subsidy program.
The funds are provided through a grant from the U.S. Department of
Education and are disbursed on a first come, first serve basis.
Priority, however, is given to teachers from high poverty/low
performing school districts.
National Board Certification is the highest
symbol of professional teaching excellence. The certification:
• Recognizes achievement for both the
teacher and their students;
• Strengthens and reaffirms teaching
strategies;
• Adds credibility to the teaching
profession;
• Represents the profession’s highest
standards; and,
• Positively impacts student learning.
National Board Certification is available in
twenty-five (25) subject areas and school counseling. In order to
seek National Board Certification, a teacher, librarian, or
counselor must meet the following requirements prior to applying:
(1) Hold a bachelor’s degree, (2) Have completed three full years of
teaching/counseling experience, and (3) Possess a valid state
teaching/counseling license for that period of time, or, if teaching
where a license is not required, have taught in schools recognized
and approved to operate by the state.
• First-time candidate fees can be
subsidized for up to one-half of the $2,500 fee ($1,250 per
candidate). The application for a federal subsidy must be submitted
no later than December 31, 2009.
• A candidate cannot apply for a federal
subsidy until a candidate number has been assigned by NBPTS and an
initial payment of $500 has been made to NBPTS.
• Federal subsidy funds cannot be allocated
to a candidate who has previously utilized subsidy funding.
• Retake candidates who have not previously
received subsidy funds can receive subsidy funds of up to $350 per
exercise for up to two retake exercises. Both exercises must be
taken within the same candidate cycle. Applications for retake
candidates must be submitted no later than January 31, 2010.
• Federal subsidy funds cannot be allocated
to NBCTs seeking certification renewal.
• Federal subsidy funds cannot be used for
Take One!® participants.
• Some school districts in the state offer
additional support and/or incentives for candidates and National
Board Certified Teachers. Go to:
www.npbts.org and click on the “Become a Candidate” tab.
Instructions to apply for National Board
Certification can be found at:
www.sbec.state.tx.us under
the Master Teacher Programs link. If additional information is
needed, please email:
glendelia.zavala@tea.state.tx.us
or call (512) 463-6443.
May 5, 2009
School-Based Medicaid
Regulations Rescinded
The Administration has decided to rescind regulations that would
have cut Medicaid reimbursements for school-based, transportation
and/or rehabilitation services. This is a major victory for NEA and
our partners, as we have been fighting these regulations –
originally proposed by the previous administration – for several
years.
Click
here to read TSTA's February 2008 blog posting on this
Bush administration policy, which could have cost Texas school
districts at least $12 million collectively.
You may recall that the Center for Medicare
& Medicaid Services issued a regulation to limit Medicaid
reimbursement for school based administration and transportation on
December 21, 2007. Under the rule, federal Medicaid payments would
no longer be available for administrative activities performed by
school employees or contractors, or anyone under the control of a
public or private educational institution. Transportation from home
to school and back for school-aged children with an Individualized
Education Program or an Individualized Services Plan established
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act would not
receive federal Medicaid payments.
CMS had also issued a regulation earlier in
2007 that would tighten up definitions for the reimbursement of
rehabilitative services under Medicaid and would require a written
plan for individuals receiving these services.
After a long fight by NEA and our allies,
Congress enacted a moratorium on implementation of these regulations
through June 2008. We were then able to get the moratorium extended
first to April and then to June 2009.
May 1, 2009
Most TRS Retirees Will Get Delayed ARRA Benefit
TSTA has received questions about whether retired educators who
receive pension benefits from the Teacher Retirement System of Texas
will be eligible to receive the one-time $250 payment for retirees
under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Only TRS retirees who also are recipients of Social Security and
certain other federal pension payments will receive that one-time
$250 check. Section 2201 of ARRA provides that the checks will go to
“recipients of Social Security, Supplemental Security Income,
Railroad Retirement Benefits, and Veterans Disability Compensation
or Pension Benefits.” The U.S. Treasury is mailing out those checks
this month.
TSTA checked with the office of U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin,
who is a longtime ally of Texas public school educators, to find out
if other TRS retirees (those who are not also recipients of Social
Security and certain other federal pension payments) would be left
out of the federal stimulus bill.
“There were efforts to cover only Social Security recipients in the
recently passed economic recovery bill,” Doggett replied. “I fought
to ensure all retirees, including those public servants receiving a
government pension or annuity from work not covered by Social
Security, could receive this same assistance. For these retirees,
there is a special one-time refundable tax credit of $250 that they
can claim on their 2009 tax returns (filed in 2010).”
That provision is in Section 2202 of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act. So TRS retirees who are not also recipients of
Social Security and certain other federal pension payments can claim
the $250 credit on their 2009 federal income tax returns. Although
this is a delayed benefit, it is still an important benefit that TRS
retirees to whom it applies should take advantage of when they file
their 2009 tax returns.
Based on the research we have done, TSTA believes that a TRS retiree
who is a Social Security recipient will not receive both the $250
check and the $250 tax credit. But retirees who have questions about
how ARRA will affect them should consult their tax advisers.
The full text of the 407-page ARRA is online
here.
Education Talk Radio
Do you ever tire of the same old negative stories on talk radio
day after day? Did you ever wish there was a show that focused on
important issues like public education, instead of all that empty
rhetoric and pointless grandstanding? Well, your wishes are coming
true.
Communities for Quality Education (CQE) is
launching Schoolhouse Talk, a weekly internet radio program targeted
to people on the front lines of public education. The show will
feature live interviews with key education policy leaders; call-in
opportunities to allow listeners to become active participants in
the conversation; features about innovations in education; and a
round-up of news about our public schools.
The website will be live on Tuesday, May 5,
which is National Teacher Day. How do you participate? Beginning
Wednesday, May 6, 2 at 3:00 p.m.EDT they will preview Schoolhouse
Talk to NEA leaders, staff and members. To tune in live to the
weekly show, visit
www.SchoolhouseTalk.org and click on the “Listen Live” button.
You can also download a show from the website or through iTunes
anytime after the show airs live. The show takes live calls from its
listeners. To ask a question, simply tune into the live show and
wait until the host opens up the phone lines for questions. Then
call (347) 884-8557 to share your opinions or ask a question live.
www.SchoolhouseTalk.org
(live May 5)
Worried About H1N1
Flu?
Good websites to watch for updates and
information:
Texas Education Agency
School Closings
National Education Association
NEA Health Information Network
NEA Member
Benefits
TAKS Make-up Days
Due to H1N1
From TEA's Student Assessment Division: School districts that
have had to close campuses due to the swine flu outbreak are asked
to submit to Pearson all available testing materials for campuses
that have completed testing in accordance with specified shipping
deadlines. For campuses that have been closed, school districts
should make plans to complete testing within the first week after
students return to school. For example, if a closed campus reopens
on Monday, May 11, all testing for that campus should be completed
by Friday, May 15, and then testing materials shipped to Pearson no
later than the following Monday for processing. If you have any
questions or concerns, please contact the Student Assessment
Division at 512-463-9536.
April 30, 2009
House, Senate Pass Congressional Budget
Resolution
With your help, NEA has secured another big victory for public
education – House and Senate passage of the fiscal year 2010
Congressional Budget Resolution. The Budget is critical as it lays
the groundwork for our efforts in the upcoming appropriations
process to build on the increases for education provided in the
economic recovery package. Passage of this $3.5 trillion Budget
would not have been possible without your assistance in mobilizing
members and putting pressure on congressional delegations.
The final agreement crafted by conferees
reflects the priorities advocated by NEA in our lobbying,
communications to Congress and grassroots work. It includes:
• $529.8 billion in non-defense
discretionary funding, which is only $3 billion less than the House
level supported by NEA.
• $89.4 billion for education programs –
the full NEA-supported level from the Senate bill.
• The reconciliation language NEA
supported on health care and higher education. This language paves
the way particularly for action on health care reform as it will
allow the Senate to pass a health care reform package by a majority
vote (thereby preventing any filibuster).
Watch
http://www.nea.org/home/1019.htm
for updates.
NEA Partners with National Latino Children's Institute
NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen, one of the highest-ranking labor
leaders in the country and one of its most influential Hispanic
educators, today joined policymakers and Latino leaders at a forum
hosted by the National Latino Children’s Institute to identify
challenges and opportunities to address the needs of Latinos and
their children. NEA is partnering with the National Latino
Children’s Institute to raise awareness and create opportunities for
Latino children in America. more
April 28, 2009
NEA Member Named 2009 National Teacher of the
Year
NEA member and former New York City police officer Anthony Mullen
will today be named the 59th National Teacher of the Year by
President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony.
Mullen, a special education teacher at the ARCH School, an
alternative education branch of Greenwich High School in Greenwich,
Conn., was chosen for his innovative approach, community focus and
teamwork. He will serve for one year as a full-time national and
international spokesperson for education beginning June 1, 2009.
Mullen believes passion, perseverance and
professionalism are the keys to his success as an educator. He has
the ability to connect with students, particularly those with
behavioral and emotional disabilities, and his unique one-on-one
approach results in a classroom where mutual respect and learning
thrive and flourish.
In 2001, Mullen received his master’s degree
in elementary education and special education and retired from the
Police Department. He actively sought teaching positions that
included the job description “working with students with severe or
emotional problems.”
“I knew that my biography and work
experience would provide me the empathy and skills necessary to help
such young people," he said.
Urge Congress to Support Obama
Budget, Health Care
Congress is starting to move on President Obama's budget,
and the collective bills that will shape it are coming up for votes
this week. Please phone Texas Democrats to thank them for supporting
President Obama's budget and Health Care Plan, and ask that they
continue to do so.
http://tools.advomatic.com/8/passbudget/
April 27, 2009
Commissioner Issues Guidelines for Swine
Flu
Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott today issued the
following letter to superintendents:
The U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local public health
officials are investigating North American influenza (swine flu)
cases in people in several U.S. states, including Texas. There have
been confirmed cases in Texas. Investigations are ongoing to
determine the source of the infection and if additional people have
been infected with swine flu. The Texas Education Agency (TEA or
agency) is in constant communication with the Governor’s Division of
Emergency Management and is monitoring the situation. The following
information is provided for district use.
TAKS Testing
In the event of a school district/campus closure during the TAKS-testing
window, please contact Cathy Kline in the Student Assessment
Division at
Cathy.Kline@tea.state.tx.us for further guidance.
Waivers
Waiver applications for both missed instructional days and low
attendance are available at:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/waivers/waiverapps.html. For more
information about waivers, please contact the Waivers Division at
(512) 463-5917 or by email at
mike.peebles@tea.state.tx.us.
Online Resources and Hotline
The Texas Department of State Health Services has established a
website that includes recommendations and resources on swine flu at
www.dshs.state.tx.us/news/releases/swine_flu.shtm. Additionally,
a Swine Flu Hotline is available at (888) 777-5320. The
Pandemic Flu Plan may also provide school districts and communities
with relevant information at
www.dshs.state.tx.us/comprep/pandemic/default.shtm.
Enrollment and Attendance
Public schools should prudently evaluate the health of current
students and new arrivals. Students demonstrating flu-like symptoms
should be evaluated by medical professionals. Please be aware that
merely sneezing or coughing without a fever or other symptoms of the
flu does not require intervention. Many students will merely have
seasonal allergies or asthma and do not pose a threat.
Similarly, students arriving
from outside of the state or country should be admitted to school in
the normal manner. There is no basis at this time for excluding
students who have arrived from Mexico or other locations where the
swine flu has been diagnosed.
Teacher Pay and School
Closure
TEA has received several inquiries regarding the legality
of paying teachers and other contract personnel for days that a
district is closed due to swine flu. Please be aware that the agency
does not advise districts regarding local closure or personnel
decisions, and does not take a position on whether districts should
act in one way or another. Local school boards, acting in concert
with local counsel and community health agents, have to resolve the
questions based on their own unique circumstances.
The agency’s understanding
is that Texas Education Code (TEC) Section 21.401(c) represents a
legislative determination that a public purpose exists to continue
educators’ salaries during times of disasters, floods, or extreme
weather conditions that forces the closing of schools. A board could
consider this position in making its determination to request a
reduction in the number of days of teacher contract service under
Section 21.401(c).
A district that wishes to
reduce the number of days of required service without reducing
educators’ salaries may request that the commissioner authorize such
a reduction pursuant to TEC Section 21.401(c). A waiver of the
number of days of instruction is not an automatic waiver in the
number of days of service. However, a district that requests a
shorter contract term commensurate with the number of days closed
will be granted that request.
Thank you for your effort to
provide the greatest amount of stability for students and staff
while continuing to ensuring their safety. I have every confidence
that you will best serve your students and employees during this and
future circumstances.
District Shuts Schools; 12 Suspected
Swine Flu Cases
"As the number of suspected or
confirmed local cases of swine flu climbed to 12, the
Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District said
Sunday it will close all its schools for at least one week," the San
Antonio Express-News reports.
more
Five Things You Should Know About Swine Flu
Time magazine addresses concerns that this could become an
influenza pandemic.
more
NEA HIN Provides Links to
Flu Information
The NEA Health Information Network recognizes that NEA members share
the public concern about the rapidly emerging Swine Flu. As of 4:00
pm today, Monday, April 27, 2009,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that
there have been 40 confirmed cases (and 10 more probable cases) in
six states. Only two people have been hospitalized and both have
recovered. Schools have closed in five states (California, New York,
Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas). It is important to note that the
disease thus far
in the United States is
much less severe than in Mexico.
NEA HIN is currently developing more detailed
information for NEA leaders and members based on CDC and other
federal guidance and we will send a second communication when this
information is available. Currently, information can be found at
the following sites:
Schools should continue to practice hygiene
behaviors such as:
-
Hand
washing with soap and water or alcohol-based hand cleansers
-
Providing
students and staff with tissues and trash cans for disposal
-
Cleaning
of desks and other surfaces
-
Requiring
students/staff who exhibit flu-like symptoms to stay at home and
contact a health care provider
-
Local
health departments are critical sources of information and
decision making regarding control measures. Contact your local
health department if you have any concerns or questions.
April 23, 2009
Best of Texas Awards Presented
Today
A high school student who
has turned his life around, a mother whose tragic loss of her own
children inspired her to create a youth program, and a leader who
last year inspired citizens to provide more than 40,000 hours of
service to at-risk students are among 12 outstanding individuals who
will receive a Best of Texas Award today.
more
Tell Congress to Pass
the Budget
Congress has returned from a two-week recess and will now continue
work on the fiscal year 2010 budget, with hopes of completing action
by the Memorial Day recess. While conferees work out the difference
between the House and Senate bills, passage of a final agreement is
far from assured.
Passage of the budget is critical. Both the
House and Senate versions build on the historic increases for
education included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA),
from early childhood through post-secondary education.
Please contact Members of Congress and urge
them to support passage of the FY2010 congressional budget
resolution. Our message:
-
Passage of the budget is critical to our
economic recovery.
-
We particularly support the higher
funding levels for domestic priorities included in the
House-passed bill as well as language that paves the way for
action on health care reform.
-
Investing in education strengthens the
economy, including early childhood programs and K-12 education
as well as programs to make college more affordable.
-
The House budget helps more students
attend and complete college by increasing the maximum Pell
Grant.
-
The House budget supports efforts to
reform health care so that everyone has access to quality,
affordable and comprehensive coverage.
April 22, 2008
New Report Reviews Gains, Losses in
Dropout Prevention
"The high school dropout problem is getting better in some
big cities where it's most severe, a national study found. The
situation remains dismal: More than one in four kids drops out of
high school in the United States," The Associated Press reported.
more
The full report, by the Editorial Projects in Education Research
Center, is online
here.
What Can You Do to Celebrate Earth Day?
-
Top 10 Actions You Can Take:
Help reduce global warming with the Earth Day Network's top 10
list.
more
-
Sign Up for Daily Email Green
Tips: The tip for April 22 is "During hot weather,
don't top off your gas tank. Refuel your car or truck in the
early morning or the evening when it's cooler. A small fuel
spill may not seem like much, but every spill evaporates and
adds to air pollution, and fuel pumps with vapor recovery
systems can feed a spill back into their tanks – after you paid
for it. So, in hot weather – don't top off!"
more
- Free Online Activities: Find games, lessons, crafts and
coloring pages here.
more
-
Submit a Photo: Has your community
organization cleaned up a stream? Have you
enjoyed a day in the woods? Has a wild
animal ever sparked your imagination? Each
year, the Environmental Protection Agency
hosts a photo project. You can enter a photo
to be featured through April 30.
more
April 20, 2009
TSTA Holds State Convention in
Houston
TSTA held its state convention in Houston April 16-18.
Delegates discussed new business items,
called their members of Congress about Social Security
concerns, and listened to local Congressman Al Green and
Mayor Bill White. They also elected the following to office:
- Frances A. Smith, NEA Director, Place 1
- Evelina Loya, NEA Director, Place 2
- Jose Luis Martinez, Supervisor At Large
- Linda L Estrada, ESP At Large
- Raymond Flood, ESP At Large
- Leonor Terrazas, ESP At Large
Click here to go to
YouTube
to see a video of the highlights.
Click here to see
photos of the convention.
ARRA Accounting
Policy for Texas is Set
The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts has established processes to record, track and
report stimulus funds activity to maximize accountability and
transparency. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
funds must be kept and tracked separately from other funding
sources. Any state agency or institution of higher education
receiving ARRA funds through the State Treasury is required to
record all activity in the new Appropriated Fund 0369. If ARRA
funds have been previously deposited into another fund,
correcting entries must be made no later than
April 24, 2009.
Additionally, grant information is required to identify ARRA
funds activity that flows through the State Treasury. For more
information, see
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 (ARRA) Federal Stimulus Funding Accounting Policy for the
State of Texas (FPP J.004).
April 14, 2009
AG Opinion Addresses SBOE Textbook Funding
Authority
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot on Monday issued an opinion
responding to questions from the State Board of Education about the
Permanent School Fund and the Available School Fund. “The opinion is
not a model of clarity,” Texas Education Agency General Counsel
David Anderson told the Texas House Public Education Committee on
Tuesday. Click
here for the full text of the AG’s opinion and
here for the SBOE letter requesting it.
Here is The Quorum Report’s story on the AG’s opinion (copyright ©
2009 Harvey Kronberg; all rights reserved; reprinted by permission):
Textbook Decision Falls in SBOE Favor, Market Unlikely to
Cooperate
Search is Still On to Find Funding For Textbooks
Attorney General Greg Abbott issued a favorable opinion to the State
Board of Education on textbook funding on Monday, but it’s unlikely
to make a difference to the budget given the continued lackluster
performance of the stock market.
When the Permanent School Fund is profitable, it kicks out a payment
to the available school fund of about $1 billion for lawmakers to
use to pay for textbooks. The intention, of course, is to protect
the corpus of the PSF so that it can provide textbook funding for
the state far into the future.
Over the last year, however, the fund has lost about a quarter of
its value – down to $17.5 billion -- due to the economic downturn.
No profit means no yield on the PSF to pay for the proposed purchase
of $900 million in textbooks. That has the publishing industry and
textbook coordinators rather agitated because these textbooks will
be the first with the state’s new English-language arts-reading
standards, including those textbooks for English language learners.
SBOE wanted to know if it could delay the calculation of the PSF’s
total return – possibly for another year – in order to allow for
some recovery time for the fund.
Abbott said yes and, furthermore, it appeared to be SBOE’s job to
define its own timeline for calculating a profit, an issue not
addressed in the Constitution. The AG opinion on textbook funding
can be found here.
On the other hand, the stock market continues to fluctuate, and the
potential for the fund to regain its value, plus yield a profit,
appears slim to none.
April 8, 2009
Request for Comments to the 2011-2012 Testing
Calendar
In
response to the legislative requirement to maintain a three-year
testing calendar and to post it annually by May 1, the Student
Assessment Division has developed a draft of the 2011-12 testing
calendar. This draft has been posted to the Student Assessment
division website for public review until May 5, 2009.
This draft should be considered
highly tentative and subject to change pending the outcomes of
the current legislative session.
To the extent possible,
assessment dates and testing windows have been selected to
minimize conflicts with religious, state, or national holidays
and nationally scheduled examinations, and to provide the least
disruptive schedule for districts. The grades and subjects for
each assessment program specified are in accordance with state
and federal regulations. Please note that there are no test
administrations scheduled for the day of the primary election,
Tuesday, March 6. The TAKS exit level social studies retest
is scheduled for Monday, March 5; other TAKS tests are scheduled
to be administered from March 7 through March 9.
As you review the calendar,
please keep in mind the implications of any changes that you
wish to propose. For example, moving test dates later in the
school year can affect the reporting of test results and the
timing of subsequent test administrations as well as pose
conflicts with other activities such as AP testing or UIL
competitions.
The draft of the calendar can
be found at
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index3.aspx?id=3635&menu_id3=793
Comments and suggestions should
be sent to
Test.Calendar@tea.state.tx.us.
Grant to Help
Agencies Evaluate Classroom Instruction
A $7.9 million federal grant will help Texas education agencies
upgrade their data systems to allow them to evaluate the
effectiveness of classroom instruction from kindergarten through
college.
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=4167
NEA Reiterates
Collaboration as Key to Keeping Teachers
A recent report from the National Commission on Teaching and
America’s Future (NCTAF) affirms what NEA members and work
groups have been saying—that improving teaching and learning
conditions is key to fostering academic success in schools.
NCTAF’s 21st Century White Paper, “Learning Teams: Creating
What’s Next,” identifies the needs in our most challenged
schools while acknowledging several important factors about the
current academic environment. The report explores issues and
policies around recruitment, mentoring and retention and offers
workable solutions that coincide with NEA’s efforts to achieve
the goal of a high-quality teacher in every classroom.
“Quality teaching is engendered when
teachers work together to analyze student progress, plan
curriculum and instructional strategies and involve parents in
their children’s schooling," NEA President Dennis Van Roekel
said.
"NEA’s members are well aware of this,
and during recent National Board Certified Teacher summits, they
began to explore how to build on this information, how to enact
policy legislation based on this premise and how to implement
the changes that will result in this collaborative, mutually
beneficial environment,” said Van Roekel.
“NEA concurs with the overall findings
of the NCTAF report. We believe teaming and learning communities
are smart policy, better strategy and sounder public investments
than merit pay schemes. It is important that we leverage the
value of well-trained, experienced teachers and invest in the
vitality of new teachers to the benefit of our students and our
schools. Our education system will suffer if we do not act now
to build a better bridge between the old and new generation of
teachers in ways that will make the profession of teaching a
respected and desirable career choice—one that will allow our
schools to flourish and our students to soar.”
April 7, 2009
TEA Recognizes Exceptional College
Readiness Programs
Commissioner of Education Robert Scott today recognized six
school districts and seven high school campuses that offer
exceptional high school completion and college readiness programs
implemented with High School Allotment funds. For more details,
please visit:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=4166.
TEA
Issues Guidelines for Stimulus Fund Use
School districts are encouraged to implement "creative and
innovative ideas that will provide for long-term stability" when
investing stimulus funds to help economically disadvantaged students
and those served by special education programs.
The Texas
Education Agency has released guidance to school districts about
recommended uses of those funds. Texas expects to receive about $969
million in supplemental federal funds for Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) programs., and approximately $1.2
billion in Title I, Part A funds, which includes school improvement
grants.
Grant
applications for these funds will be available April 15. These funds
combined with additional appropriations related to the passage of
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will bring a total
of about $6.2 billion in education funding to Texas.
The
guidance documents and other stimulus information are available at:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/arrastimulus.
April 3, 2009
SBEC Adopts Two New Testing Procedures
The State Board for Educator Certification met Friday to adopt new testing procedures for family and consumer
sciences certification and for bilingual certification. The current
tests are not aligned with Texas standards. This process will result
in Texas owning two more certification examinations.
The board considered proposed rules regarding certification for
principals and superintendents. Stefani Carter, a citizen member of
the board, questioned the justification of a two-year teacher
requirement instead of a longer requirement. She also pointed out
the possibility of moving directly from business manager to
principal (a kind of Temporary Teacher Certificate for
administrators).
The Texas Counselors Association presented alternative wording to
the board. It specified that all principal and superintendent
training programs would include specific standards that speak to the
work and function of school counselors.
Dr. Ray Glynn, the deputy commissioner of education for school
district leadership and educator quality, informed the board that if
it approved the proposed rules, the relevant Professional
Development and Appraisal System (PDAS) instruments would need to be
reworked and new principal/superintendent tests would have to be
formulated. Dr. Jarrell Booker, also from the Texas Education Agency
staff, said that such changes are best made at the academy level and
overall training, not in licensure law. The board passed the
stakeholder agreements on both principal and superintendent
certificates with minimal change.
The board adopted rules to help teachers as they work through
probationary status. The new rules hold that teachers on probation
who are laid off will get to keep their previous service credit
toward completing probationary status.
The board heard several disciplinary cases, Carter, who is a former
Collin County assistant district attorney, questioned SBEC staff
about the provisions regarding driving while under the influence of
alcohol and possession/distribution of controlled substances. The
board had a rather frank discussion on whether it should consider a
matrix of penalties to create a more consistent scale of dispensing
discipline. Vice Chair Christie Pogue, also a citizen member,
expressed frustration with the current system and said that she was
“up to the challenge” to create a full system. Carter said the
federal system has guidelines on punishments, and SBEC should be
doing the same.
Board members requested future discussions on conflicts of interest
on outdated operating procedures.
U.S. Education Department Posts ARRA
Information
The U.S. Department of Education has posted on its Recovery website
(http://www.ed.gov/recovery)
a number of documents on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA), including:
• State Fiscal Stabilization Fund cover
letter (with an overview of data metrics), application and guidance;
• Title I, Part A guidance;
• IDEA, Part B guidance;
• IDEA, Part C fact sheet and guidance;
• Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants
fact sheet and guidance; and
• Independent Living Programs fact sheet
and guidance.
Please visit the website above to access all of this information.
Also, click
here to read a press release and
here to read the statement of Secretary of Education Arne
Duncan.
April 2, 2009
Two Texas Districts Are Broad Award
Finalists
Two Texas school districts made the finalists list for this year's
Broad Prize for Urban Education, an annual $2 million award that
honors urban school districts making the greatest progress
nationwide in raising student achievement.
This year's five finalists are:
• Aldine Independent School District,
Houston
• Broward County Public Schools, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• Gwinnett County Public Schools outside Atlanta
• Long Beach Unified School District, Calif.
• Socorro Independent School District, El Paso, Texas
The Broad (rhymes with “road”) Prize for
Urban Education is the largest education award in the country given
to school districts that demonstrate the best overall performance
and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement
gaps among ethnic groups and between low- and non-low-income
students.
The winner of The Broad Prize, to be
announced on Sept. 16 in Washington, D.C., will receive $1 million
in scholarships for high school seniors who will graduate in 2010.
The four finalist districts will each receive $250,000 in
scholarships. more
April 1, 2009
Special Education Committee Hears Report on
Legislation
The Texas Special Education Continuing Advisory Committee met
Wednesday, April 1, at the Airport Hilton in Austin to cover current
and upcoming issues relating to special education.
Kathy Clayton initiated proceedings with a “state of the state” talk
about the stimulus monies and the current fiscal situation. Although
money cannot be spent on administrative costs, the stabilization
money must be accounted for. She finished by presenting the
committee with synopses of legislation that could impact special
education. The Texas Education Agency is currently tracking more
than 1,000 bills, and she gave no indication of which bills had the
best chances of passing. The bills received by the committee were
those of substance and specificity. The committee expressed
gratitude for these synopses.
Task committees for special education policy needs will be reworked
in the near future. Those committees have long been run by the
“usual suspects,” and changes are needed throughout this process.
TSTA will keep its members posted for opportunities to have an
impact on special education policy throughout the state.
Retirees Should Act to Avoid Tax
Underwithholding
The Internal Revenue Service is interpreting a part of the
recently passed federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in a
way that could cause unfair financial hardship for retirees. The
National Education Association is working to bring about a
legislative fix, but until that happens, retirees should contact
their financial advisers immediately to adjust their tax withholding
to avoid this potential hardship.
The IRS has issued new tax withholding tables to reflect the Making
Work Pay credit on earned income ARRA contains. Pension benefits are
not considered earned income and are not subject to the Making Work
Pay credit. Nevertheless, the IRS has instructed the payers of
retirement benefits to use the new federal withholding tables that
likely will result in underwithholding on pension income. Retirees
are likely to find themselves unexpectedly owing taxes at the end of
the year. To avoid this, retirement benefit recipients need to
contact their pension systems to increase the amount of their
withholding, rather than using the lowered rates the IRS is
inappropriately applying.
For more information, TSTA-Retired members should go to the Teacher
Retirement System of Texas webpage “Changes Have Been Made to IRS
Tax Withholding Tables” at
http://
www.trs.state.tx.us/retirees.jsp?page_id=/benefits/tax_
withholding_tables. Members who want to
complete a new TRS228 Tax Withholding Change form will find that
online at
http://www.trs.state.tx.us/benefits/forms/form_228A.pdf.
March 31, 2009
DPS Seeks Comment on School Bus
Driver Rules
The Texas Department of Public Safety seeks your input on what
minimum standards should be for school bus drivers' driving
records. The proposed rules:
-
require applicants to disclose any violations of motor vehicle
laws/ordinances -- other than parking violations -- for the past
3-10 years, depending on the severity of the offense.
-
require employers to obtain and review the driving record for
the past seven years of each applicant, and to review the
driving record of drivers every 12 months, in all states in
which the individual held a license/permit.
-
set up a point system under which anyone accumulating 10 points
within a prescribed time period (varies according to the
offense) is disqualified. For example, being involved in a wreck
counts as two points unless you are proven not at fault.
-
disqualify anyone convicted of drug- and/or alcohol-related
driving offenses within the past 10 years.
See the
Texas Register for March 13 for details. The earliest possible
date for adoption of the new rules is April 12. Comments on the
proposal may be submitted to Rebecca Rocha, School Bus
Transportation Program, Texas Department of Public Safety, P.O. Box
4087, Austin, Texas 78773-0525, (512) 424-7395.
March 30, 2009
Governor's Mansion in New Social Studies Curriculum
The Texas Education Agency, in partnership with the Texas
Governor’s Mansion Restoration Fund, will announce a new "This House
is Your House" social studies curriculum tomorrow. The curriculum,
created and developed by Sally Hunter, a teacher at Highland Park
Elementary School in Austin ISD, emphasizes the importance and
history of the Texas Governor’s Mansion.
more
March 27, 2009
Science TEKS Adopted on Final Reading
The State Board of Education met on March 27 for second and final
adoption of the Science TEKS, as well as discussion and action on
other issues. Mavis Knight and Mary Helen Berlanga joined the
meeting via Texas Education Agency’s teleconferencing mechanism.
Thursday’s debate had been grueling, and some TEA staff were at work
until 3 a.m. and returned at 6 a.m. to document the previous night’s
amendments.
After many, many opportunities to talk,
discuss, listen, deliberate and decide, the State Board of Education
created yet another one-ring circus to finalize the Science TEKS.
Although a whopping 51 amendments were presented yesterday, the
number of today’s amendments exceeded that number. Amendments were
written in pencil or pen, photocopied and passed around as votes
were being taken. Hand-written amendments from Cargill to Craig to
Dunbar created a new standard for TEK 3(A), the “strengths and
weaknesses” issue regarding evolution.
Mavis Knight, who was not physically present,
asked, “Are we getting a copy of the amendment?”
McLeroy responded by re-reading the amendment.
“We won’t take a vote until you get a copy,” he said. “We will go
ahead and read it slowly.” Knight still didn’t have a copy, so
McLeroy read it even more slowly.
TEA presented the board with eight pages of
suggestions for amendments. Teri Leo expressed a key frustration:
she felt forced to bring amendments early, while she was being
broadsided by recommendations from staff as a result of public
comments.
Lizzette Reynolds defended the comments that
were presented because they were given when board members asked
staff to pull recommendations to consider today. In other words,
TEA staff were being repudiated for responding to board requests.
One could sense utter frustration in Chair
McLeroy’s voice when the amendments hit the floor. “I can’t imagine
why we have to…Mrs. Cargill spent hours and hours and hours…I just
can’t imagine why…”
The general “strengths and weaknesses” issue
resurfaced throughout the day. Many votes, essentially speaking to
the same issue, were taken. Results varied, depending on the
nuances in an amendment’s wording. The meeting began at 9 a.m., and
the TEKS were approved just before 3 p.m. Every two to four
minutes, a new TEK was being considered. Observers watched each and
every one. Some complained about the last-minute arrival of
important amendments and information.
The TEKS were approved on second and final
reading.--Report by Dr. Paul Henley, TSTA Teaching & Learning
Specialist
Nine of 10 Third-Graders Pass TAKS Reading
Exam
Eighty-nine percent of Texas students who
took either the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) or
TAKS (Accommodated) reading test passed, which means they have
cleared a key promotion requirement, Texas Education Agency reports.
more
Controversy at the State Board of
Education
The State Board of Education met in front of a packed gallery on
Wednesday to hear testimony regarding the upcoming adoption of the
new Texas Essential Knowledge and Skill (TEKS)
for science. After hearing
testimony off-and-on for eight
hours, Don McLeroy, chair of the
State Board of Education, closed testimony. Just over half of those
scheduled to testify were allowed to do so.
Those who testified were often peppered with pointed questions from
members regarding a component of the TEKS calling for students to
study the “strengths and weaknesses” of evolution
in the secondary science TEKS.
Each board member was allowed to ask one question per testimony. The
questions were often time-consuming, and time was called by the
chair. TSTA was not allowed to
testify, as our testimony was scheduled to be heard after the chair
closed the hearing.
The State Board of Education, Committee of the
Full Board, then met on Thursday to consider a wide variety of
topics, including the new science TEKS.
TSTA again requested the opportunity to testify
before the final adoption of the science TEKS. The request was
denied by the board’s staff, as per the chairman’s prior decision.
The discussion then turned to mid-cycle review
for the social sciences TEKS.
Barbara Cargill was opposed to any sort of
revision that removed current historical figures and what seemed to
be some sort of multi-cultural focus. She remarked, “I don’t
recognize any of these people.” Right-wing board members suggested
conservative think tank employees as potential vertical team
members. The conservative wing of the board suggested the board
should give direction to the vertical teams before they began their
writing. Rick Agosto concurred, noting the lack of any reference to
Hispanic cultures before the fourth grade. After about an hour of
deliberation, the vertical team’s meeting scheduled for next week
was cancelled. The state will incur the costs of all travel for
vertical team members that had been previously guaranteed.
Chair McLeroy, who obviously wished to start
the meeting more softly, remarked, “We are kind of surprised at this
item’s direction….”
Mercer noted that the board had started with an
agreeable document. Then it “evolved” in the second draft, ending
with this current TEKS. He offered an amendment [analyze, review,
and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and
theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific
evidence and information]. Bob Craig offered an amendment to
Mercer’s motion reading, “including discussing what is not fully
understood so as to encourage critical thinking by the
student.” Craig’s amendment failed on a 6-8 vote. Mercer’s amendment
failed on a 7-7 vote.
At that point, TEA staff passed out 30-40
amendments to the board. These amendments were not made available to
the public. However, after numerous requests, TEA staff began
providing amendments as they were presented to the board.
Analyze and evaluate the evidence regarding
formation of simple organic molecules and their organization into
long complex molecules having information such as the DNA molecule
for self-replicating life. This is an origin of life amendment that
implies creationism. Rick Agosto seconded Leo’s amendment, which
was successful.
Voting against this surprise, substantial
amendment were Allen, Miller, Nunez, Hardy, and Knight. Leo, Agosto,
Cargill, Craig, Dunbar, Mercer, McLeroy, and Lowe voted for the
amendment.
Another creationist amendment came from Chair
McLeroy, worded, “to analyze and evaluate the use of sufficiency or
insufficiency of natural selection to explain the complexity of the
cell.” Motion passed.
The board voted to keep a standard regarding
fossils that Cargill helped teachers hold discussions on
“universal, common design.”
The board heard extended testimony on Career
and Technical Education, as well as an initiative to offer students
four state credits for athletics, up from the current two credits.
TSTA testified in favor of this initiative, as it offers students
more options during their high school years.--Report from Dr.
Paul Henley, TSTA Teaching & Learning Specialist
SBOE Considers Extending Graduation Credit for
Athletics
TSTA Teaching and Learning Specialist Dr. Paul Henley spoke to
the State Board of Education this week about
an item under their consideration
that would allow four years of graduation credit for
athletics instead of two.
"Make a decision to give kids more opportunities and
more options," Henley said. more
March 26, 2009
Arizona Supreme Court Bans School
Vouchers
From the Arizona Republic:The Arizona Supreme Court unanimously
ruled the state's two school voucher programs unconstitutional
because they violate a ban against appropriating public money for
private or religious schools....
"Some of us just think it's wrong to tax
people to pay for private or religious education," said Phoenix
attorney Don Peters, who argued against the voucher program before
the state Supreme Court. "The public schools are struggling enough,
and these programs would take money away from public schools and
route it to private schools."
more
March 25, 2009
Congress Members: Make Sure Local ISDs
Get the Funds
Twelve members of Congress from Texas have written a letter
to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, asking that the Department
"issue guidance in the strongest language possible, especially in
the case of the state of Texas, that these Stabilization dollars
cannot supplant State funding for education, but rather must go to
increasing support for our local schools."
This action is necessary, they said, "to ensure that federal funds
from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) reach local school
districts."
more
March 23, 2009
Urgent:
Contact Congress on Health Care Funding
Congress is expected to vote by Wednesday or Thursday of this week
on the President's budget request. No health care funding in the
budget means no health care reform in 2009.
Health Care for America Now, a nationwide grassroots movement that
includes NEA, supports a strong Congressional Budget Resolution
containing the resources and flexibility to guarantee in 2009
quality, affordable health care for all Americans.
President Obama has said again and again that to fix our economy, we must
fix health care, and we must do it in 2009.
As he stated at the recent White House Forum on Health Reform, “So what
we constantly have to think about is short-term costs versus even
higher long-term costs. And what I'm trying to do in this debate is
make sure that we're focused not just on year one and year two, but
on year 10, year 20, year 30 and year 50, and making sure that our
children are not bankrupted.” The Administration’s budget puts
money behind those words with a significant investment of $634
billion identified over 10 years as an initial down payment on
fixing health care.
Health Care for America Now calls for a resolution that:
· Recognizes that the President proposed a minimum down payment
of $634 billion and provides sufficient additional funding authority
to enact comprehensive health care reform that makes health care
affordable to families and businesses.
· Enables large upfront investments in health care now in order
to achieve longer-term savings in health care without requiring
spending and revenue offsets for the entire cost of health reform
within a 10-year budget window – a position supported by groups as
varied as AARP, Business Roundtable,
AFL-CIO
and the National Federation of Independent Business.
· Reinvests health care savings, including the President’s
proposed savings from the Medicare Advantage program, into Medicare
and broader health care system reforms.
· Supports new revenue sources from the wealthiest Americans,
such as the President’s proposal to limit itemized deductions for
high income persons.
· Identifies other revenue sources and/or offsets as long as
they do not increase the health care burden on average Americans.
· Protects health care reform from a filibuster by including in
the Budget Resolution the option of using the budget reconciliation
process for health care reform.
Please call or write
Texas Democrats in Congress now and urge them to vote for President
Obama's budget request in full.
more
Texans Want Lawmakers
to Find Money for Textbooks
Texans surveyed in a statewide poll this month want lawmakers to
find $1 billion to cover anticipated textbook purchase costs, even
if they are forced to forego a disbursement out of the Permanent
School Fund this biennium.
more
The No.
1 Ladies’ Contest
On March 29, HBO will debut The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,
based on the award-winning book series by Alexander McCall Smith.
Set and filmed in Botswana, it chronicles the adventures of Precious
Ramotswe, Botswana’s first female detective. The series was the
final project of the late Academy Award winning director Anthony
Minghella (The English Patient, Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr.
Ripley), based on a script by Minghella and Academy Award nominee
Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones Diary).
To kick off the
series, HBO is partnering with the Botswana Tourism Board and the
YWCA to recognize and celebrate inspiring women across the United
States through the No. 1 Ladies’ Contest. Write about a woman who is
inspirational, independent, determined, confident, optimistic,
empowered and compassionate (an educator, perhaps?) and you could
win a trip to Botswana. The deadline is 11:59
a.m. ET, April 19, 2009.
www.mynumberonelady.com
March 19, 2009
Save on Personal and Classroom Purchases at
Borders
Current and retired educators can save 25% on in-store purchases for
personal or classroom use at Borders bookstores during the chain’s
Educator Appreciation Week, March 19-25. For more information, click
here.
March 18, 2009
Study: Fit
Students Do Better on Tests
A first-of-its-kind study of more than 2.4 million Texas
students found that students who are physically fit are more likely
to do well on the state’s standardized tests and have good school
attendance.
more
Website Offers Financial Literacy
Teaching Resources
Do you need information on financial literacy education or help with
leading a student on a career and college pathway? TG’s public
service website, Adventures In Education (http://www.AIE.org),
offers educators free materials and resources to help inform and
engage students on life after a secondary education. AIE.org
includes materials about fundamental credit and debt management
practices, and how to apply those practices in common situations.
With fun, interactive content, educators can teach students
everything about credit cards, creating budgets and how to manage
money effectively. TG is the public, nonprofit Texas Guaranteed
Student Loan Program.
Free Program Will Encourage Summer
Reading
Letter P.A.L.S. is a free six-week summer reading program for grades
1 through 3. This year’s Letter P.A.L.S. Summerfest reading event
will run from June 22 to Aug. 2 and will consist of 24 online Pet
Shop Pen Pals weekly letters, which are delivered one at a time,
every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the Letterpals
website. Each daily letter is personalized with the child’s name and
is three pages in length, professionally written, beautifully
illustrated and reviewed by reading specialists for use in a
shared/guided reading environment. Teachers can register for their
classes to participate by going to
http://www.letterpals.org.
March 16, 2009
Education and Assimilation Collide in
Nation's Classrooms
"In the last decade, record numbers of immigrants, both legal and
illegal, have fueled the greatest growth in public schools since the
baby boom. The influx has strained many districts’ budgets and
resources and put classrooms on the front lines of America’s battles
over whether and how to assimilate the newcomers and their
children," The New York Times reports.
more
March 12, 2009
Task Force on Federal Stimulus and
Stabilization Created
Commissioner of Education Robert Scott announced today that he is
creating the Commissioner’s Task Force on Federal Stimulus and
Stabilization to formalize work that has been under way in the
agency since Congress passed the landmark stimulus bill known as the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last month.
more
Senate Passes Education Funding, No DC Voucher
Funds
On Tuesday night, the U.S. Senate passed the omnibus appropriations
bill for fiscal year 2009 (the current fiscal year)The voice vote on
passage followed the resounding defeat of an NEA-opposed amendment
offered by Senator Ensign (R-NV) to extend funding for the District
of Columbia pilot voucher program. The President signed the bill
into law on Wednesday.
Defeat of the Ensign voucher amendment and
the subsequent passage of the funding bill were two major victories
for NEA that could not have been achieved without your help. While
NEA has successfully fought voucher amendments in the past, support
for the DC program has been strong among some Members of Congress
and ending the pilot program has been an uphill battle. In fact,
last year, Congress extended the program for one additional year
beyond its original expiration date. Your calls, e-mails, and
mobilization of your members in opposition to the Ensign amendment
made the difference. The final vote of 38-59, including four
Republicans [Senators Crapo (ID), Murkowski (AK), Snowe (ME), and
Specter (PA)] who voted against the amendment, sent a strong message
to voucher proponents.
The voucher program is now set to expire at
the end of the 2009-2010 school year. In order for it to continue
beyond that date, it would need to be authorized by Congress and
approved by the DC City Council (the program was never actually
authorized by Congress; funding was always provided as part of an
appropriations bill). Neither Congress nor the City Council are
likely to take any such action.
The underlying funding bill, which NEA
supported, provides funds for education and other priorities for the
rest of the current fiscal year. These programs had been funded
under a “continuing resolution” since last fall. The bill:
• Increases the federal share of
special education costs. For more than 30 years the federal
government has mandated that local school districts be responsible
for educating special education students, regardless of cost. This
increase will help bring the federal government closer to fulfilling
its promise to help states meet these costs.
• Increases funding for Title I.
Title I funds are targeted to school districts serving the nation’s
most vulnerable children to help increase their academic
achievement.
• Increases the maximum Pell Grant.
Pell Grants help the lowest income families afford a college
education.
• Increases funding for Head Start
to ensure that low-income children have access to high quality
preschool services.
Congress will now begin work on funding for
the next fiscal year. President Obama is expected to release
details of his FY10 budget request next month and then Congress will
craft a Congressional Budget Resolution.
March 11, 2009
Protecting Workers' Rights Strengthens
the Economy
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel applauded the introduction of the
Employee Free Choice Act. America's labor unions have led the fight
for working families, winning protections such as the eight-hour day
and the 40-hour week, overtime rights,and access to health care and
retirement security. Van Roekel urged all members of Congress to
support the Employee Free Choice Act and continue that tradition.
"Paychecks are shrinking, health care costs are skyrocketing, and
America's workers are struggling to make ends meet. In these tough
times, when workers need more opportunities to get ahead, unions
matter and make a difference. Workers in unions earn 28 percent
higher wages on average, and are 62 percent more likely to have
employer-covered health coverage," Van Roekel said.
"The Employee Free Choice Act recognizes that our nation's workers
deserve better. By protecting the right of workers to choose a
union, it levels the playing field for employees and safeguards
against the strong-arm tactics and intimidation of antiunion
groups," the NEA president continued.
"Every year, over 20,000 workers are illegally fired or
discriminated against for exercising their labor rights. In at least
one quarter of all organizing efforts, an employer illegally fires a
worker for supporting the union. America's labor unions have made
historic gains that benefit every American, and this legislation
helps ensure that they continue to do so," Van Roekel concluded.
NEA President
Welcomes Obama’s Vision
President Barack Obama has expanded on earlier remarks about his
vision for education in America in the 21st century. His “cradle to
career” agenda would expand and improve quality early childhood
education; get rid of “off-the-shelf” tests; support teachers
through professional development and mentoring; provide resources
for reducing dropouts; demand greater accountability for charter
schools; support for the inclusion of critical thinking skills in
standards, and increase financial aid for college students.
President Obama made similar remarks during his historic inaugural
address, and, more recently, while addressing a joint session of
Congress. (Click
here for the text of President Obama's speech.)
Here is what NEA President Dennis
Van Roekel said about President Obama's speech:
“We welcome the vision President
Obama is presenting for strengthening public education in the 21st
century. He’s off to a solid start, making the largest investment of
federal funds in the history of public education with the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“His ‘cradle to career’ proposal
mirrors what NEA and its 3.2 million members have been advocating,
including reforming No Child Left Behind, requiring universal preK,
ensuring access to high- quality early childhood education programs
and child care opportunities to help students enter kindergarten
ready to learn, making science and math education a national
priority and increasing college access and success.
“We, like President Obama, advocate
for improving professional development and mentoring for new and
less effective teachers; a national investment in recruiting some of
the most talented individuals into the field of teaching, as well as
investing in scaling up innovative teacher preparation and induction
models; and raising teachers’ compensation based on their knowledge
and skills.
“We believe President Obama’s
five-pillar plan—which encompasses universal preK to higher
education and everything in between—gets us closer toward the goal
of great public schools for every student. We look forward to
working with President Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne
Duncan to transform public education to prepare students to compete
in a global economy.”
NEA is working to improve teacher
quality through promotion of National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards expansion and support of Teacher Working
Condition Surveys. NEA also is partnering with the National
Governors Association, the Council of Chief State Schools Officers,
and ACHIEVE to create higher quality standards that include 21st
century skills and content. For additional information, please visit
www.nea.org.
March 10, 2009
Texas Worst in Nation for Homeless
Children
A study released today by the National Center on Family
Homelessness placed Texas 50th — last of all states — in how
homeless children fare.
more
Obama Calls for Overhaul of Education System
From the New York Times: President Obama said Tuesday
that the nation must overhaul its education system and dramatically
decrease the dropout rate among students to remain competitive in
the global economy.
more
Full Accreditation
Status for 1,195 Districts/Charters
Of Texas' 1,228 school districts and charters, 1,195 earned a
full accreditation status from the Texas Education Agency today.
This is the second year the agency has assigned an accreditation
status to school districts and the first year charter schools have
been reviewed. The classification system examines both the financial
and academic health of districts and charter schools. It also
examines performance in other areas such as data reporting, special
program effectiveness and compliance with statutory and regulatory
requirements.
more
U.S.
Senate Votes Down Pro-Voucher Amendment
The United States Senate voted down a “pro-voucher” amendment to the
Omnibus Appropriations Act today by a
vote of 58-to-39.
Senator Michael Enzi
(R-WY) offered an amendment to the House-passed spending bill that
would have allowed the experimental voucher program Congress imposed
on the District of Columbia public schools in 2004 to continue
beyond the Congressionally mandated termination date in 2010.
DC public school
enrollment tops 58,000 students. The Washington Opportunity
Scholarship program has spent $70 million in federal funds to
provide 1,700 DC students with $7,500 in annual payouts for tuition
at private schools. Over 70% of the students participating in the
program used the voucher money to attend church-related private
schools.
Enzi was
one of 12 Senators to co-sponsor the voucher amendment. All but
Connecticut’s Joe Lieberman are Republicans. Here’s a list of all
the co-sponsors:
Sen
Voinovich, George V. [OH]
Sen Kyl, Jon
[AZ]
Sen DeMint,
Jim [SC]
Sen
Brownback, Sam [KS]
Sen Cornyn,
John [TX]
Sen
Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT]
Sen Gregg,
Judd [NH]
Sen
Alexander, Lamar [TN]
Sen McCain,
John [AZ]
Sen Enzi,
Michael B. [WY]
Sen Vitter,
David [LA]
Sen Bunning,
Jim [KY]
For a
complete list of how Senators voted on this anti-public education
amendment, visit
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_
vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00094.
March 9, 2009
Students Who Are Fit Do Better on Tests, Study Finds
A first-of-its-kind study of more than 2.4 million Texas
students found that students who are physically fit are more likely
to do well on the state’s standardized tests and have good school
attendance. Fit students are also less likely to have disciplinary
referrals.
The findings released today are based on the
results of a battery of six FITNESSGRAM® tests taken by students in
grades 3-12 during the 2007-2008 school year. The FITNESSGRAM® tool
was created by The Cooper Institute of Dallas. The six types of
assessment measure five areas - body composition, aerobic capacity,
muscular strength, endurance and flexibility. The assessments
determine whether students are in a “healthy fitness zone” for their
age and gender.
The study analyzed data from 6,532 schools,
which represents about 75 percent of the schools in Texas and about
84 percent of the school districts.
“The impact exercise has on the growing brain is unparalleled, said
“father of aerobics” Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., founder and
chairman of The Cooper Institute. “Increased exercise improves
cardiovascular health, and that helps the brain function more
efficiently and enhances its ability to learn.”
more
March 6, 2009
Scholarships for Educators Available
The Horace Mann is offering $30,000 in scholarships for public and
private school K-12 educators to take college courses. One recipient
will receive $5,000 in scholarship funds payable over four years,
and 15 other recipients will receive $1,000 each in scholarship
funds payable over two years. Twenty additional recipients will each
receive one-time $500 awards. Scholarship applicants will be judged
on a written essay and school and community activities. Financial
need is not a consideration, but applicants who have all educational
expenses paid through other scholarships and/or grants are
ineligible.
more
March 3, 2009
NEA Welcomes Sebelius
Nomination
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel applauded President Obama's
nomination of Kathleen Sebelius, former governor of Kansas, to be
secretary of health and human services.
"Gov. Sebelius has shown she understands
the complexities of both the health and education systems, and
their joint impact on students," Van Roekel said. "She served as
the chair of the Education Commission of the States and as the
Kansas insurance commissioner from 1994–2002. And as a popular
two-term Democratic governor in a traditionally Republican
state, she campaigned tirelessly to bring diverse groups to the
table in the name of reform. That’s exactly what is needed right
now. The NEA and our 3.2 million members are eager to see
much-needed attention finally given to the health of students in
our classrooms, and we know that she will remain a stalwart
defender of children and their families.”
Program for Principals at Harvard
The Raise Your Hand Texas Leadership Program will send over 100 top
public and charter school campus leaders to The Principals' Center
at the Harvard Graduate School of Education to participate in one of
five summer institutes. The deadline to apply is April 3.
more
March 2, 2009
Come Lobby in Austin over
Spring Break!
TSTA will have lobby days throughout Spring Break. Please let
Adriana Montoya (adrianam@tsta.org)
know when you are coming and how many will be in your group. We will
set up a briefing for you at TSTA Headquarters before you walk
across the street to the Capitol.
It's Read Across America Day
TSTA President Rita Haecker read to students at Metz
Elementary March 2 for Read Across America, NEA's nationwide
celebration of reading. What did you do? Let us know by
March 10 by emailing
debbiem@tsta.org.
more
February 27, 2009
TRS Board Reviews 2010-2011 Operational
Costs
The Teacher Retirement System of Texas board met this morning to
consider one agenda item and receive information on another. The
action item dealt with amending the approved fiscal year 2009
Pension Trust Fund administrative operations budget. Trustees had
charged staff with finding cost-cutting and savings measures between
the January board meeting and this one to streamline the operations
budget. Specifically, in 2008, the TRS board made fiduciary findings
that approved $18.2 million in budgeted items over the appropriated
amounts included in the 2008-2009 appropriations bill. Members of
the Texas Senate Finance Committee asked the board to reconsider
these fiduciary findings.
After conducting cost-cutting and savings analysis of the budget,
staff recommended to the board that it cut the $18.2 million in
fiduciary findings by $13.7 million, to $4.5 million in fiduciary
findings above appropriated amounts. Among other things, staff
recommended cutting the entire amount approved for performance
compensation ($3.8 million). Because performance compensation is to
be paid only when the fund has an annual positive rate of return,
the $3.8 million is not likely to be paid out for 2009. That $3.8
million, however, is deferred and may be paid out at a later date.
The board unanimously approved the amended fiscal year 2009 Pension
Trust Fund administrative operations budget.
Next, trustees received information from staff on TRS’s 2010-2011
appropriations request for administrative operations. TRS had
previously provided this request to the Senate Finance Committee,
and the board is reconsidering it at the committee’s request.
Trustees had charged staff with finding cost-cutting and savings
measures between the January board meeting and this one to
streamline the appropriations request. Staff found few areas in
which to cut costs. Originally, TRS requested $13 million for
additional resources to grow the trust (including adding numerous
full-time employees). Now, staff recommends requesting only $6.6
million, a reduction largely attributed to seeking 25 fewer
full-time employees.
TRS will be seeking committee approval for two new items. TRS would
like the Legislature to authorize payment of relocation costs for
certain upper-level positions at up to 15% of the annual salary of
the position being offered. TRS is also asking the committee to
allow the addition of interns to staff and that no intern be counted
as a full-time employee.
In addition, TRS will clarify to the committee that the $15.7
million request for soft-dollar conversion and the $21.5 million
request for performance compensation are actually requests for the
authority to act if circumstances require such action.
After hearing staff recommendations on TRS’s fiscal years 2010-2011
appropriations request for administrative operations, the board
adjourned.
February 26, 2009
Social Security Fairness Act Reintroduced
in U.S. Senate
The 3.2 million-member National Education Association, with which
TSTA is affiliated, continues its hard work as the leading voice
nationally for repealing the Social Security offsets that penalize
too many retired educators and will penalize future retirees.
U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Susan Collins, R-Maine,
have reintroduced the Senate version of the Social Security Fairness
Act, which would repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall
Elimination Provision. The Senate bill number is S. 484. It is
identical to H.R. 235, which was introduced in the House of
Representatives in January.
The following senators have joined Feinstein and Collins in pushing
for Social Security fairness, signing on as co-sponsors of the
Senate bill: Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.; Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.; Bill
Nelson, D-Fla.; Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Ben Cardin, D-Md.; John Kerry,
D-Mass.; Robert Menendez, D-N.J.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; and Sheldon
Whitehouse, D-R.I.
The House bill has 181 cosponsors, including Texas Republicans Louis
Gohmert (Tyler), Ted Poe (Humble), Ralph Hall (Rockwall), Michael
McCaul (Austin), Mike Conaway (Midland), Ron Paul (Lake Jackson) and
Randy Neugebauer (Lubbock) and Texas Democrats Silvestre Reyes (El
Paso), Chet Edwards (Waco), Charles Gonzalez (San Antonio), Ciro
Rodriguez (San Antonio), Lloyd Doggett (Austin), Solomon Ortiz
(Corpus Christi), Henry Cuellar (Laredo), Gene Green (Houston) and
Eddie Bernice Johnson (Dallas).
TSTA and NEA need your help to build momentum to convince
congressional leaders to act on the Social Security Fairness Act and
then to secure its passage. Members should contact U.S. Sens. Kay
Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn and urge them to co-sponsor S. 484.
Members also should continue to contact their U.S. House members and
urge them to support H.R. 235.
For more information on the Social Security Fairness Act and
contacting members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House, go to
http://www.nea.org/home/16491.htm.
February 25, 2009
Pride in Communications
Nominations Due March 1
Pride in Communications awards recognize outstanding local/regional
association newsletters and websites. Entries are judged on the
extent to which the local and/or regional association programs are
identified and explained. If you have someone you'd like to
nominate, download the entry form, in PDF format, at
http://www.tsta.org/news/current/prideform.pdf should be
returned to: TSTA Communications, 316 West 12th Street, Austin, TX
78701.
February 24, 2009
Van Roekel Thanks President for
Education's Status
President Barack Obama tonight addressed a joint session of
Congress to outline his ambitious vision for America in the 21st
century, pledging to make education a national priority in his
administration and usher a new era of national service for this and
future generations, echoing sentiments he expressed during his
historic inaugural address a little more than a month ago.
President Obama is off to a solid
start after signing legislation to provide health care
coverage to 11 million children. And just last week, he
signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009, landmark legislation to help struggling families,
public schools and states around the country cope with
the worst economic and financial crisis since the Great
Depression. With the help of NEA, he successfully urged
Congress to make the largest investment of federal funds
in the history of public education, aiming to transform
and modernize public schools for the 21st century.
“On behalf of the 3.2 million
members of the National Education Association, we thank
President Barack Obama for making public education a
national priority and calling on all Americans to join
him on his quest to usher in a new era of national
service in the name of Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
and Orrin Hatch (R-UT)," NEA President Dennis Van Roekel
said. "His vision for public education is one we firmly
embrace, affirming that the road to economic recovery
and prosperity runs through the nation’s classrooms.
“Moving forward, we believe
President Obama will make the tough decisions to tackle
the pressing issues of our times—bringing economic
security, restoring fiscal discipline, modernizing the
nation’s education system and ushering energy
independence. The president also plans to tackle health
care reform, which is important not only to our economic
future but also critically important to our nation’s
children and their families. Students can’t learn unless
they come to school healthy.
“The time to make these tough
choices is now. Getting our fiscal and economic house in
order in the short term is critical, and ensuring great
public schools for every student in the 21st century is
fundamental to the long-term economic well-being of our
nation.
“We look forward to working with
President Obama and Congress to enact an agenda as bold
as the challenges facing Americans.”
For additional information, please
visit www.nea.org.
February 20, 2009
Saturn Gives Back to Education Employees
Saturn values the
educational community’s extraordinary work. Today, the Saturn Thanks
Educators program gives educators associated with a credit union the
Credit Union Member Discount1 on any new Saturn. In
addition, qualified buyers can get 0% APR financing for 60 months2
on eligible vehicles. Learn more:
www.saturn.com/educators.
1
Must be a member
of a participating credit union. A statement or membership card from
the credit union will be required as proof of eligibility at the
retail facility. Not available with some other offers. Residency
restrictions apply. See retailer for details. Discount available to
members no matter where they finance their purchase. Take delivery
by 3/31/09.
2
Monthly payment
is $16.67 for every $1,000 financed. Average example down payment is
11%. Some customers will not qualify. Eligible vehicles include 2009
AURATM, AURA Hybrid (very limited availability), VUE®,
VUE Hybrid, OUTLOOKTM and 2008 ASTRA®. See
retailer for details. Take delivery by 3/2/09.
February 19, 2009
Duncan Hails
Passage of Stimulus Package
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan called the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) a "Historic opportunity to
create jobs and advance education reform." He credited the
"leadership of the President and the Congress in laying groundwork
for a generation of education reform and economic opportunity."
Duncan emphasized
the urgency of distributing the funds to states on an aggressive
timetable in order to avert layoffs. Citing a University of
Washington study showing almost 600,000 education jobs at risk
of state budget cuts, Duncan said that his office will publish
timelines and initial guidance within a week so that states and
districts can plan accordingly.
The ARRA provides
more than $100 billion in education funding and college grants
and tuition tax credits, as well as billions more for school
modernization. It includes:
Direct Funding for
Education -- $77 Billion:
-- $40
billion in state stabilization funds to help avert education
cuts. Funds will be given to states in exchange for a commitment
to begin advancing education reforms. School systems have
discretion to use some of this money for school modernization.
-- $13
billion for Title I, including $3 billion for Title I school
improvement programs.
-- $12
billion for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
programs.
-- $5
billion in incentive grants to be distributed on a competitive
basis to states that most aggressively pursue higher standards,
quality assessments, robust data systems and teacher quality
initiatives. This includes $650 million to fund school systems
and non-profits with strong track records of improving student
achievement.
-- $5
billion for Early Childhood, including Head Start, early Head
Start, child care block grants, and programs for infants with
disabilities. (Includes Department of Health and Human Services
programs).
-- $2
billion for other education investments, including pay for
performance, data systems, teacher quality investments,
technology grants, vocational rehab, work study and Impact Aid.
College
Affordability -- $30.8 Billion:
-- $17
billion to close the shortfall in the Pell Grant program and
boost grant amounts by $500 to $5,350 in the first year and more
in the second year, serving an estimated seven million low- and
moderate-income young people and adults.
-- $13.8
billion to boost the tuition tax credit from $1,800 to $2,500
for families earning up to $180,000.
Additional School
Modernization - (up to) $33.6 Billion:
-- An
additional $8.8 billion in state stabilization funds are
available for other state services including education. School
modernization is an eligible use of this funding.
--
Authority for states and school systems to issue $24.8 billion
dollars in bonds over the next 10 years for renovation, repairs
and school construction that will be retired through a
combination of local, state and federal dollars.
"These investments
are the surest way to provide long-term stability in to our
economy," Duncan said. "With these funds, we will educate our
way to a stronger economy."
February 18, 2009
Will Perry Use Stimulus Money To
Benefit Public Schools?
Texas could receive more than $6.8 billion in new federal dollars
for education and related programs from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which President Obama signed into law
Tuesday. NEA President Dennis Van Roekel attended the historic
bill-signing ceremony in Denver.
The Education Commission of the States estimates that ARRA will
provide an average additional $870.60 per student nationally per
year for the next two years.
Texas’ share of federal stimulus money would be divided among the
State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, IDEA grants, Pell grants, ESEA
Title I, ESEA school improvement grants, Head Start, child care and
development grants, educational technology state grants and
vocational rehabilitation state grants – if the state participates.
Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott has told state legislators
that the Texas Education Agency might use some federal stimulus
money to buy textbooks. But his boss, Gov. Rick Perry, was still
talking Wednesday afternoon about not accepting or using ARRA
funding.
“My concern is there's going to be commitments attached to it that
are a mile long,” Perry told The Associated Press in a Wednesday
afternoon
story on conservative Republican governors’ views of the
stimulus package. “We need the freedom to pick and choose. And we
need the freedom to say, ‘No thanks.'”
The law, however, empowers state legislatures to ignore recalcitrant
governors and pass resolutions to accept ARRA funding.
The Quorum Report, however, reported that Perry sent the president a
letter “to certify that we will accept the funds in H.R. 1 and use
them to promote economic growth and create jobs in a fiscally
responsible manner that is in the best interest of Texas taxpayers.
I remain opposed to using these funds to expand existing government
programs, burdening the state with ongoing expenditures long after
the funding has dried up.”
What the governor ultimately will do with federal stimulus dollars
for public education, and how he will do it, are hard to predict
just yet.
February 17, 2009
NEA President Watches as Obama Signs
ARRA
President Barack Obama today signed into law the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, landmark legislation to help
struggling families, public schools and states around the country
cope with the worst economic and financial crisis since the Great
Depression.
President Obama pledged to make education a top priority in his
administration, noting as much during his historic inaugural
address. He successfully urged Congress to make the largest
investment of federal funds in public education in history, aiming
to transform public schools for the 21st century.
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel attended
the historic bill signing ceremony representing the 3.2 million
members of the National Education Association. Van Roekel has
advocated on behalf of the views and concerns of educators and their
families—teachers, education support professionals, higher education
faculty, retired educators and others—who continue to witness
firsthand the impact of the worst economic news in generations.
“Today, with the stroke of a pen,
President Barack Obama took a bold and necessary step to return the
nation to more solid economic footing, delivering on a promise to
make education a national priority and, at the same time, affirming
that the road to economic recovery runs through the nation’s
classrooms," Van Roekel said.
“I am proud to witness this historic
legislative victory for the American people and the future of the
nation’s children. The economic recovery legislation Obama signed
into law is as bold as the challenges facing millions of Americans.
In the short-run, the law will slow the economic slide, and in the
long-run, strengthen our economy and invest in America’s future.
“His action will put millions of
Americans back at work, keep thousands of schools and libraries
open, and help educators hold on to their jobs. It will also
modernize schools and labs to provide students with 21st century
learning environments, and school districts across the country will
receive additional resources to help millions of children,
especially low-income and children with special needs."
For additional information, please visit
www.nea.org.
For Education Chief, Stimulus Means Power, Money,
Risk
“The $100 billion in emergency aid for public schools and colleges
in the economic stimulus bill could transform Arne Duncan into an
exceptional figure in the history of federal education policy: a
secretary of education loaded with money and the power to spend
large chunks of it as he sees fit. But the money also poses
challenges and risks for Mr. Duncan, the 44-year-old former Chicago
schools chief who now heads the Department of Education,” The New
York Times reports.
more
In Web Age, Library Job Gets
Technological Update
Stephanie Rosalia “is part of a growing cadre of 21st-century
multimedia specialists who help guide students through the digital
ocean of information that confronts them on a daily basis. These new
librarians believe that literacy includes, but also exceeds, books,”
The New York Times reports.
more
February 13, 2009
Senate Passes ARRA
The Senate passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by a
vote of 60-38. Three Republicans and all Democrats present for the
vote supported the bill. The bill now goes to President Obama, who
is expected to sign it into law next week.
This victory could not have been achieved without your help and the
incredible response from NEA members who advocated in support of the
package. In the past two weeks, NEA members sent nearly 56,000
e-mails to Congress through NEA's Legislative Action Center and made
15,000 phone calls to targeted Members of Congress though our
"patch-thru" call program. NEA Board members and affiliate leaders
visited 279 congressional offices last week - over half of the
entire Congress.
TRS Board Approves Incentive Bonuses, Elects
Officers
The Teacher Retirement System of Texas board saved the most
controversial topic on the agenda of its Feb. 11-13 meeting for
last. The final topic of the meeting was performance compensation, a
hot-button matter for sure.
On Friday, Chief Investment Officer T. Britton Harris IV proposed
that the board resolve to not pay any performance compensation
amounts owed until the fund experiences a positive rate of return as
measured per annum. Harris also proposed that he forego any
performance compensation that was due to him on Sept. 30, 2008,
which equals approximately $200,000. Professor Keith Brown,
financial consultant to the board, urged trustees to reject Harris’
proposal. Ultimately, the board voted 7-2 to accept Harris’
proposal, which means the Board still plans to pay $2.5 million of
the $2.7 million owed in performance compensation to other
investment staff.
The TRS board meeting began Wednesday with the election of a
vice chair, Dr. Mark Henry. Robert Gauntt was elected to serve on
the Texas Growth Fund board. The makeup of the TRS committees and
their chairs remains unchanged. The board discussed the Legislative
Budget Board’s recommended appropriation for TRS, and Chief
Financial Officer Ken Welch reported that TRS has asked the
Legislature to approve an additional appropriation of up to $62.5
million. Some of that money would be used to grow the trust.
Thursday was largely devoted to board training, with a crash course
on risk management taking up more than half of the day. Trustees
also received presentations on governance issues, including ethics,
fiduciary duties and standards of conduct.
The board met Friday to discuss mainly two matters – health
insurance, as well as performance compensation. Trustees received a
presentation that showed claims were being handled at a 97% accuracy
rate, which is at or better than the industry standard. Regarding
TRS-Active Care PPOs, the board resolved to increase premiums by
4.5%. But current benefits and retiree contribution rates for TRS-Care
will continue through Aug. 31, 2010.
After voting on performance compensation, trustees concluded the
meeting by asking staff to look at the system’s discretionary budget
and propose changes and potential cuts to be considered at the next
board meeting in April.
U.S. House Passes Compromise Stimulus Package
The U.S. House of
Representatives voted 246-183 Friday afternoon to pass the
compromise $787.2 billion economic stimulus and recovery plan
developed in negotiations with the U.S. Senate and the White House.
No Republicans voted for the revised stimulus bill, and seven
Democrats joined them in voting against the package. Because it
contains billions of dollars of federal money for public schools,
the National Education Association has been working to ensure
congressional passage of the plan, although the latest version is
somewhat pared down from earlier proposals. Read coverage of the
House vote from
The Associated Press and
The Washington Post. The U.S. Senate is expected to vote
on the revised proposal later today.
Read what the
next steps will be after the Senate passes the stimulus
and recovery bill and President Obama signs it into law.
February 12, 2009
House Committees Announced
Rob Eissler chairs the Public Education Committee; vice chair is
Scott Hochberg. Others: Allen, Dutton, Jackson, Olivo, Aycock,
Farias, Patrick, Shelton, Weber.
See all the committees here.
Latest Details on Conference
Agreement
We continue to receive additional details on the conference
agreement on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. At this
time, the House is set to vote tomorrow and the Senate on Saturday.
President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law next week.
The latest press release from Speaker
Pelosi’s office includes the following information on education
programs:
Investments in Education and Training
include:
$53.6 billion for the State Fiscal
Stabilization Fund, including $39.5 billion to local school
districts using existing funding formulas, which can be used for
preventing cutbacks, preventing layoffs, school modernization, or
other purposes; $5 billion to states as bonus grants for meeting key
performance measures in education; and $8.8 billion to states for
high priority needs such as public safety and other critical
services, which may include education and for modernization,
renovation and repairs of public school facilities and institutions
of higher education facilities.
$13 billion for Title 1 to help close the
achievement gap and enable disadvantaged students to reach their
potential.
$12.2 billion for Special Education/IDEA
to improve educational outcomes for disabled children. This level of
funding will increase the Federal share of special education
services to its highest level ever.
$15.6 billion to increase the maximum
Pell Grant by $500. This aid will help 7 million students pursue
postsecondary education.
$3.95 billion for job training including
State formula grants for adult, dislocated worker, and youth
programs (including $1.2 billion to create up to one million summer
jobs for youth).
Coverage of
Yesterday's TSTA News Conferences
Yesterday, TSTA held press conferences on the new poll in several
locations across the state. Here's some of the coverage.
Lubbock (scroll through the clips until you reach TSTA's story on the two TV stations)
:
Beaumont:
http://www.kbmt12.com/news/local/39447502.html
Odessa:
http://cbs7.com/news/details.asp?ID=10881
Dallas:
http://publicbroadcasting.net/kera/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1468918§ionID=1
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/
yahoolatestnews/stories/
021209dntexhighered.3d97bd3.html?npc
'Significant
Investments' in Education in ARRA
Conferees have reached agreement on a final economic recovery
package but final details have not yet been released. Reports
indicate that the $789 billion package includes significant
investments in education – a direct result of your intensive
advocacy over the past few weeks.
We
understand the key elements of the package include:
-
$53.6 billion State Fiscal
Stabilization Fund, including $40.6 billion to local school
districts using existing funding formulas, which can be used
for preventing cutbacks, preventing layoffs, school
modernization, or other purposes;
-
$13 billion for Title I
grants;
-
$12.2 billion for IDEA
(Special Education);
-
Increase in maximum Pell
Grant by $500, for a maximum of $5,350 in 2009 and $5,550 in
2010;
-
New bond-financing program
for school construction, rehabilitation, and repair –
reportedly close to $20 billion;
-
One-time payment for
retirees: $250.
More details to come. Check
www.nea.org for updates.
February 11, 2009
Some Agreement Reached on
Economic Recovery Act
Conferees have reportedly reached some agreements on a final
economic recovery package. They will meet publicly at 3:00pm EST
today as a formality, but details should be finalized before then.
The conference meeting will be broadcast on CSPAN. A vote is
expected in both the House and Senate by the end of the week.
President Obama wants this bill to pass and will sign it into law as
soon as he receives it.
Reports indicate that the package includes
significant investments in education – a direct result of your
intensive advocacy over the past few weeks. This major infusion of
education dollars into local communities – more than the entire
current U.S. Department of Education budget – is a big victory for
us and will make a real difference in jump-starting the economy.
Conferees appointed to work on the deal were
Senators Reid (NV) Baucus (MT), Inouye (HI), Cochran (MS) and
Grassley (IA), and Representatives Obey (WI), Waxman (CA), Lewis
(CA) and Camp (MI). However, the key players and the ones most
critical to ultimate passage of the package continue to be
Republican Senators Snowe, Collins and Specter.
NEA will be running television spots today
through Friday in the DC market on CNN and MSNBC and nationally
Thursday on evening news shows on both networks. You can view the
NEA spot at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBKENd-fumg.
Our
message now:
Please vote for final passage and thank you (where that’s
appropriate) for your support of America’s children during
this time of financial crisis. NEA and its 3.2 million
members are pleased with the outcome of this process.
Naturally, we see needs that are still unmet, but overall,
we're pleased. At the very time that the vast majority of
state budgets for education are shrinking and that governors
are being forced to propose additional education funding
cuts for next year, Congressional action on the President's
stimulus package is both timely and critically important for
America's children.
February 10, 2009
NEA President Comments on
Senate Approval of ARRA
From NEA President Dennis Van Roekel:
“We thank the Senate for its work on this
important recovery and investment legislation, coming on the heels
of the worst unemployment news in decades. While the funds that
remain in the package will take pressure off strained state budgets
and put money back into our communities, we lament the fact that the
bill significantly scales back funding from the original proposal
for critical education programs and services, crucial aid to
struggling states, and the nation’s public schools, some of which
are more than 50 years old.
“We hope Congress acts quickly to find
common ground, restore much needed funds for school modernization
and states, and put together an economic recovery package as bold as
the challenges facing Americans. Investing in the nation’s public
schools and colleges will create jobs and go a long way toward
providing students with 21st century learning environments and
ensuring great public schools for all students.
“We look forward to working with the House
and Senate in the coming days to ensure the best possible final
package for our nation.”
For additional information, please visit
www.nea.org.
Senate Passes American Recovery &
Reinvestment Act
Today, the Senate passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
by a vote of 61-37. The bill includes the compromise provisions
agreed to under the Nelson-Collins amendment.
Action now shifts to the conference
committee, which will be working out differences between the House
and Senate bills. We expect the conference to move quickly and a
final bill to be back on the House and Senate floors possibly by the
end of the week. The bill will then go to President Obama for his
signature.
Please contact all Members of Congress. The
simple message: Provide as much funding for education as possible in
the final economic recovery bill, including school modernization and
state fiscal relief.
more
February 9, 2009
ARRA: Your Calls and Emails Made a
Huge Difference
We faced a very real threat of losing all the education funding in
the ARRA package. Because of your efforts, the final outcome of the
negotiations was very different and the Nelson-Collins amendment
includes much of the original education funding. Specifically, the
amendment retains:
· All of the proposed IDEA funding ($13 billion).
· $12.4 billion out of the $13 billion originally proposed for Title
I.
· $31.5 billion out of the $39 billion originally proposed to go to
local school districts through state education formulas.
· All the tax credits on school construction bonds (as opposed to
the school construction grants, which were eliminated).
The amendment does eliminate the more than $19 billion in school
infrastructure grants for K-12 ($16 billion) and higher education
($3.5 billion) facilities as well as the funding in the State
Stabilization Fund that was to be distributed at the Governors’
discretion. These provisions are very important to NEA and we will
fight to restore them in the conference committee.
The Senate is expected to vote today at 5:30pm on the Nelson-Collins
amendment. Once it passes, the Nelson –Collins proposal will
substitute for the original Senate bill and become the main proposal
under consideration for final passage.
The Senate will vote Tuesday on this final bill. Following Senate
passage, the bill will go to conference committee to work out
differences with the House bill. The conference committee will work
this week on a final agreement, which will go back to both the House
and Senate for final passage presumably before Congress adjourns for
the Presidents Day recess (currently scheduled for this Friday). The
bill will then go to President Obama for his signature.
Action Needed: We need your immediate assistance to call your
Senators and urge them to vote for final passage of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Do It Yourself Podcasting from NASA
A
Do-It-Yourself Podcast activity is in the For Educators section of
NASA.gov. Students can preview and download audio and video clips of
astronauts performing work in space and on the ground. They can then
use these clips to build their own podcast or similar audio/video
project.
www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/diypodcast/index.html.
February 8, 2009
Nelson/Collins Compromise
On Friday, the group of some 20 Senators led by Senator Ben Nelson
(D-NE) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) reached consensus on $108
billion in cuts to the Senate’s proposal for H.R. 1, American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
This came at the end of a roller-coaster week in which all of the
education programs in the recovery package were on and off the
chopping block numerous times. Several attempts were made to
eliminate support for education altogether, as well as to eliminate
all funding to stabilize state budgets. In the end, while
significant cuts were made to the initial proposal, education still
stands to benefit significantly under this compromise plan to help
stabilize decimated state and local education budgets and invest in
key education programs.
This bipartisan compromise is needed to pass
the ARRA in the Senate. The Democrats alone do not have the votes
to pass a final bill. Senator Collins, along with Senators Arlen
Specter (R-PA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), who support the amendment,
are key to passage of the final bill in the Senate.
The cuts proposed by the Nelson/Collins
group are primarily on the appropriations side of the bill, not on
the tax side (where most of the school modernization support remains
safe). The biggest programs – Title I, IDEA and Pell Grants – were
left almost untouched. The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund,
however, was left with just under half of the initial proposal.
NEXT STEPS: The Senate will debate the bill
on Saturday and Sunday. A vote on the Nelson/Collins Amendment is
expected to occur on Monday, with a vote on final passage of the
bill expected on Tuesday.
Please continue to contact your Senators and
urge them to vote in favor of final passage of the ARRA. After the
Senate bill is approved, we will focus on the House-Senate
conference committee. We will alert you with names of the conference
committee members when they are appointed. We will provide you with
more information and talking points at that time. Even if your
Members of Congress are not on the conference committee, we will ask
you to contact them to support increased education funding in the
final bill. Go to
www.nea.org/home/LegislativeActionCenter.html for details
and updates.
February 6, 2009
SBEC Discusses Legislative Agenda
Among Other Things
The State Board for Educator Certification met today and
re-elected Bonny Cain from Pearland ISD as Chair, Christie Pogue as
Vice-Chair and newly elected Janie Baszile, a teacher with Galena
Park ISD, as Secretary.
The Board approved several educator preparation programs and cleaned
up language in Chapter 230 on Classroom Teaching Certificates and in
Chapter 231 on Professional Educator Preparation and Certification
rules. The Board also increased certification standards for Gifted
and Talented, Technology Education 6-12 and Agricultural Science and
Technology 8-12.
The Board had several "discussion only" items
dealing with disciplinary proceedings, sanctions and contested
cases. Due to the uncertainty in certain contract abandonment cases
as to when the time starts for a district to report the abandonment
to SBEC, the Board was advised that language should be added to the
rule to clarify. If an employing district renders a finding that
good cause did not exist for the abandonment, then the finding
constitutes prima facie evidence of the educator’s lack of good
cause. However, this evidence is not a binding determination in a
contested case hearing. TSTA will continue to monitor this proposal
to ensure that the rules maintain fairness and due process.
Finally, the Board reviewed its legislative
agenda per the Legislative Committee’s written recommendations. The
Board would like to have legislation pass this session that would
provide for an accountability system for educator preparation
programs, and they would like to be able to determine which Ed Prep
Programs produce future teachers who increase student performance.
The Board will also be asking for
administrative subpoena power statewide in an effort to get
information in its investigations of educators. This poses
significant problems as most information is confidential under state
or federal law. The Board wants new reporting requirements for
school districts when allegations of educator misconduct occur.
This in essence would prevent districts and educators from being
able to negotiate settlements before a termination or resignation
occurs.
TSTA will continue to monitor SBEC initiatives
throughout session.
UPDATE! All Funds Could Be Cut
There is a very real threat to cut virtually all of the
education funding out of the economic recovery bill. One version of
the amendment reportedly on the table with Collins’ working group
would:
-
Cut
all of the State Stabilization Fund ($79 billion intended to
close education budget shortfalls
-
Cut all of the Title I funding in the bill ($13
billion)
-
Cut all of the Pell Grant increase
-
Cut all of the school modernization/facilities money
(the appropriations money, not the tax-related items)
Basically, that only leaves one significant
allocation for education – special education/IDEA money.
Please contact all Senators QUICKLY and
tell them to oppose any cuts
to education funding and keep the original funding proposals
intact.
Education Funds Still in Jeopardy: Call
Senators Today!
Keep the calls coming! Your voices are being heard! As you know,
Senators Nelson (D-NE) and Collins (R-ME) are sponsoring an
amendment to the economic recovery bill that would drastically
reduce the education funding. WE OPPOSE THIS AMENDMENT, which would
cut in half the funds allocated for:
• Flexible funds to local school districts
(a loss of $39 billion out of $79 billion)
• Special education/IDEA (a loss of $6.8 billion out of $13 billion)
• Title I (a loss of $6.5 billion out of $13 billion)
• Head Start (a loss of $1 billion out of $2.1 billion)
• Teacher Quality grants (a loss of $50 million out of $100
million)
Go to
www.nea.org/home/LegislativeActionCenter.html for details.
Communities in Schools Helps 90,000 At-Risk
Each Year
Communities In Schools (CIS) of Texas, a best practices
dropout prevention program, annually provides positive support that
helps keep almost 90,000 at-risk students in school, a new study
found.
“For middle and high school students, CIS
was clearly making a difference. It was common to hear students
express how CIS helped them with their attitudes and behaviors both
within and outside of school. As a result of CIS, students indicated
they were fighting less with parents and peers, making better
decisions, taking more responsibility for their actions and
accepting the consequences of their actions, doing better in school
on homework, grades and even tests and that they understood why
going to school was important,” the report said.
more
February 5, 2009
Call Senators Today to Oppose
Nelson-Collins Amendment
Please call your U.S. senators right away to urge them to VOTE NO on
an amendment being offered by Senators Nelson (D-NE) and Collins
(R-ME) that would drastically reduce the education funding in the
economic recovery package. The amendment would cut one-half of the
funds allocated for:
• The State Stabilization Fund ($39 billion) – the flexible funds
going through state funding formulas to local districts
• Special education/IDEA ($6.8 billion)
• Title I ($6.5 billion)
• Head Start ($1 billion)
• Teacher Quality grants ($50 million)
A state-by-state analysis of cuts in funding to selected federal
education programs, based on the Collins-Nelson Amendment, shows
Texas taking a total cut of $3,163 in 2009-10.
see chart
State
P-16 Council Update
The State
P-16 Council met Wednesday to discuss the next year’s agenda and to
review college readiness standards. The gap analysis for
mathematics, English language arts, and science have all been
reviewed by the vertical teams and all were determined to be well or
adequately aligned with TEKS. The vertical team for social studies will finish its review sometime
in the summer or fall of 2009. Also, the gap analysis for career
and technical and reference courses have an April completion date
proposed.
Professional
development was also discussed as being a critical element and
professional development for English language arts and reading TEKS
will begin in spring or summer of 2009. The College Readiness
website will soon be online where teachers and parents can review
all materials associated with the process along with additional
resources. You can review the handout from this meeting updating
the Council on College Readiness Standards
here.
The Council also
discussed adult basic education and Postsecondary Education at this
meeting. There was a clear message from all the agencies at the
table that there is a need to increase funding for adult basic
education. The different agencies agree that an additional $50
million dollars is necessary for the next biennium to fund this
endeavor. You can review the Adult Basic Education Tri-Agency
Initiative
here.
The Council then
heard an update on the LONESTAR Education project. The LONESTAR
system is web based and provides access to data on education for
five years which will be revolving from year to year. For example,
as 2008-09 data is posted, the 2003-04 data will be dropped from the
site. Currently, information by district that can be accessed
include: student enrollment, high school graduation, accountability
ratings, AYP, legislative district boundaries, high school
completion rates and annual dropout rates. Future data to be added
include: state and school district summary reports, additional
legislative district report summary information, TAKS, teacher and
staff, financial expenditures by district, high school graduates
enrolled in college. An example of an information graph available
can be seen
here.
The State P-16
Council plans to meet again on May 6, August 4, and November 4,
2009.
Teacher Development Report Shows U.S.
Lagging
The National Staff Development Council (NSDC) has released a major
new report, Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A
Status Report on Teacher Development in the United States and
Abroad. This is the first national report on the status of
professional development in the U.S., and it also compares U.S.
professional development with that in other countries.
Despite some recent improvements in
professional-training opportunities, "we're way behind other
countries that are high-achieving in terms of the time and intensive
opportunity for deep learning they provide," said Linda
Darling-Hammond, a Stanford University professor who co-wrote the
report with four colleagues at that university's School Redesign
Network.
The report reveals that many of the
countries that out-perform the United States on international
achievement tests provide time during the work day for teachers to
collaborate and share ideas. The study reports that U.S. teachers
spend approximately 80 percent of their working time directly
engaged in classroom instruction, while for most industrialized
countries, teachers spend about 60 percent of their working time on
classroom instruction. In addition, teachers’ lesson planning in the
U.S. is typically done independently after the work day. In most
European and Asian countries, teachers spend 15 – 20 hours a week on
those activities in collaboration with their peers during the work
day. The key findings of the report are on pp. 5 - 6.
This is the first of three studies
contributing to NSDC’s The Status of Professional Learning in the
United States research initiative. Phase 2 will use a national
survey to measure the effectiveness of professional learning at the
state level. Phase 3 will look at states’ professional development
policies and practices and develop case studies.
The full in-depth research report is
available at:
http://www.nsdc.org/news/NSDCstudytechnicalreport2009.pdf
Excelencia in Education Seeks
Nominations
Washington, D.C. based Excelencia in Education is now
accepting nominations for the 2009 Examples of Excelencia, a
national initiative to identify and promote programs and departments
with significant evidence of improving educational achievement for
Latino students in higher education. The deadline is May 15.
www.edexcelencia.org
February 4, 2009
President Obama Signs
Children's Health Insurance Bill
From the Legislative Study Group: Today, the U.S. House of
Representatives approved, and President Obama
signed into law,
a federal expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance
Program. This federal legislation will provide coverage to an
estimated four million children nationwide, and will greatly aid in
the effort to cover eligible children in Texas.
Texas receives additional federal matching funds for every state
dollar spent on the program. However, the state has not taken full
advantage of that money, leaving $958 million on the table to
be sent to other states.
Last session, the Legislature approved H.B. 109 and passed
amendments to the appropriations bill that partially restored some
of the cuts made to CHIP in 2003. There are already bills filed
this session to restore and expand the program, and both Speaker
Straus and Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst have signaled their
willingness to expand funding and increase enrollment levels. This
new federal legislation will provide additional dollars to Texas,
but to take full advantage of the legislation, there needs to be an
expansion of the program in Texas.
more
Texas Tops Natl Average in Percent
Who Take AP Exams
Texas exceeded the national average in the percentage of students
who took at least one Advanced Placement (AP) exam during high
school. The College Board, which administers the AP program, found
that 27.5 percent of Texas public school students in the Class of
2008 took at least one AP exam while in high school, compared to 25
percent for the nation. Universities often award course credit to
students who earn a score of 3, 4 or 5 on an AP test so a strong
performance on these exams can save Texas students thousands of
dollars in college tuition costs. Of those who took an AP exam, 14.5
percent of Texas students earned a score of 3 or higher, compared to
15.2 percent for students nationally.
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3747
February 3, 2009
Stimulus Alert and Action
As you know, the U.S. House passed $150 billion for the next two
years, including $79 billion to flow through the state education
funding formulas. The Senate will likely vote on Thursday—as of this
moment they are submitting amendments, mostly to reduce spending and
cut taxes.
Your Board members and leaders are in town
this week. The time to lobby is NOW. Stories describing the impact
of the recession and cuts are very powerful; talk about your
students and services.
The U.S. Senate has been clear that they
will change what the House voted on. We must lobby the Senate
now...and be prepared for the conference committee negotiations
next.
Please call your Senators now and encourage
them to VOTE YES on the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In
addition to much needed fiscal relief for states to prevent cuts in
Medicaid, education, and other services, the bill provides billions
in funding to improve schools and increase access to early learning
programs, protect children from abuse and neglect and ensure that
all children are well nourished.
The bill is expected to pass later this
week. Once that occurs it will go to a joint Senate-House conference
committee to iron out the differences, then back to both houses and
then on to the President. Congressional leaders are pushing to have
the legislation enacted prior to the President's Day holiday
weekend.
February 1, 2009
Ed
Secy on $150 Billion for Education in Stimulus Plan
Catch U.S. Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan on CNN, talking about the President's stimulus
plan which includes a $150 billion increase in federal funds for
education. "This is an extraordinary opportunity and
if we want to become a strong economy again, the best thing we can
do is have an educated work force," Duncan says.
more
January 30, 2009
Key Senate Committees Named
The following committees were announced late Friday:
Education
Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) Chair
Dan
Patrick (R-Houston) Vice Chair
Kip
Averitt (R-Waco)
Wendy Davis (D-Ft. Worth)
Mario Gallegos (D-Galena Park)
Steve Ogden (R-College Station)
Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio)
Royce West (D-Dallas)
Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands)
State Affairs
Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) Chair
Bob
Deuell (R-Greenville) Vice Chair
John
Carona (R-Dallas)
Rodney Ellis (D-Houston)
Troy
Fraser (R-Marble Falls)
Chris Harris (R-Arlington)
Mike
Jackson (R-Pasadena)
Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville)
Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio)
Finance
Steve Ogden (R-College Station) Chair
Juan
Hinojosa (D-McAllen) Vice Chair
Kip
Averitt (R-Waco)
Bob
Deuell (R-Greenville)
Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock)
Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler)
Chris Harris (R-Arlington)
Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville)
Jane
Nelson (R-Flower Mound)
Kel
Seliger (R-Amarillo)
Florence Shapiro (R-Plano)
Royce West (D-Dallas)
John
Whitmire (D-Houston)
Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands)
Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo)
January 29, 2009
Action Needed on Economic Recovery Bill
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the American Recovery
and Reinvestment bill (H.R.1), which makes significant investments
in education, including the NEA proposal to provide flexible funding
for states through existing education funding formulas.
The bill passed by a vote of 244-188 with no
Republicans voting for the bill. The Senate is expected to vote on
its version next week. As reported earlier this week, the Senate
version also includes a number of proposals put forth by NEA and
lobbied aggressively by NEA lobbyists, including:
• School modernization assistance -- $16
billion in grants to repair, renovate and construct public schools,
and $3.5 billion to improve higher education facilities. On the tax
side, $10 billion for new construction bonds ($5 billion for each
year 2009 and 2010); $200 million per year for 2009-2010 for Native
American tribes; and $1.4 billion in Qualified Zone Academy Bond
funds for 2009-2010.
• $39 billion to local school districts and
public colleges and universities distributed through existing state
and federal formulas (NEA’s proposal).
• $25 billion to states for other
high-priority needs such as public safety and other critical
services, which may include education.
• Title I: $13 billion to help close the
achievement gap and enable disadvantaged students to reach their
potential.
• Special Education/IDEA: $13 billion to
increase the Federal share of special education services to its
highest level ever.
• Pell Grants: $13.9 billion to increase
the Pell Grant maximum award and pay for increases in program costs
resulting from increased eligibility and higher Pell Grant awards.
• The Making Work Pay Tax Credit, which
would put additional income into the hands of working families and
allow them to contribute more to their local economies.
• A $300 payment for retirees, disabled
veterans and SSI recipients, which would put more cash in the
pockets of retirees living on fixed incomes.
Action Needed:
• Contact all Senators immediately and urge
them to support passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment
bill. Talking points for your use are below. Analyses of the
proposal’s impact in states are available on the NEA website at
http://www.nea.org/home/29549.htm.
• Contact your Governor and members of your
state legislature and ask them to weigh in with your Senators in
support of the package.
• Please go to
http://capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=12542176&type=CO
to send messages of support to the Senate.
Talking Points in Support of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Bill
• I urge the Senate to act quickly to pass
the proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill.
• This proposal includes the investments in
education, health care, and other areas necessary to jump-start the
economy, create jobs, and help struggling families and communities.
• I am very pleased that the proposed
package includes significant investments in education, including
increased funding for Title I and IDEA special education, and major
investments in school construction. This funding will take pressure
off state budgets and will infuse money into communities where it is
most needed.
• The proposed education funding provided
directly to states through existing funding formulas is particularly
critical. It offers an effective, efficient way to stimulate the
economy, protect and create jobs, and shore up distressed
communities.
• Unlike investments in other industries,
education funding reaches every community in the nation. Therefore,
the impact of additional funding will be felt in every city, small
town, and rural area. And, because state formulas are designed to
provide assistance to those areas most in need, additional funding
would help save jobs in the very communities where they are needed
the most.
• The proposed school modernization funding
will also provide an immediate stimulus to local economies. In
fact, it will create thousands of new jobs in the construction
industry and among the many construction industry suppliers, ranging
from architects and engineers to roofing contractors and other
workers who design and build our nation’s schools.
• I am also very pleased that the plan would
address needs in unemployment insurance, nutrition assistance, and
other programs to help families meet basic needs during this
economic crisis.
NEA Applauds U.S. House Passage of Stimulus
Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday approved the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a two-year, $150 billion
federal investment aimed at injecting much needed funds into the
nation’s schools, states and communities to cope with the worst
economic and financial crisis since the Great Depression. The U.S.
Senate is considering a similar measure.
Across America, educators and their families are feeling the
economic pinch firsthand. Schools are reporting record numbers of
students who are homeless or poor enough to qualify for free school
meals and record numbers of students needing donated backpacks and
school supplies because their families cannot afford to buy them.
Some states have already been forced to cut education services for
children and lay off school staff.
“The timely action by the House of Representatives acknowledges the
long-held belief of educators that the road to economic recovery and
security goes directly through America’s public schools,” NEA
President Dennis Van Roekel said.
“We applaud Congress for acting swiftly to prevent further job cuts,
jump-start the economy and help struggling families, schools and
communities. These funds will go a long way toward providing
students with 21st century learning environments and ensuring great
public schools for all students.
“Educators also welcome the fact that for the first time since the
federal government became involved in public education, it took
important steps to live up to its promise to fully fund programs for
low-income (Title I) and special education students (IDEA).
“The infusion of targeted federal funds, the largest since World War
II, into state coffers and local school districts for school
construction and other projects will go a long way toward
rebuilding, repairing, renovating and modernizing America’s aging
public schools. The economic recovery package includes $14 billion
for public school modernization, renovation and repair programs.
“More to the point, however, the funds will take pressure off state
budgets to the tune of $79 billion to prevent further job cuts and
will help infuse money and create jobs in communities where they are
most needed. The package also provides $15.6 billion to increase the
federal Pell Grant program by $500 and $6 billion for higher
education modernization.
“But equally as important as creating jobs to stimulate the economy,
modernizing schools addresses one of the most critical elements
affecting student learning—the working conditions in which teachers
and education support professionals can apply their knowledge and
skills to most effectively help children learn.
“We urge the Senate to move quickly to act on an important economic
recovery package,” Van Roekel concluded.
NEA conducted a detailed state-by-state and congressional
district-by-congressional district
analysis
of the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
NEA Explains Flaws in New Report
on Teacher Quality
"States are not doing what it takes to keep good teachers and
remove bad ones, a national study found. Only Iowa and New Mexico
require any evidence that public school teachers are effective
before granting them tenure, according to the review released
Thursday by the National Council on Teacher Quality," The Associated
Press reported.
more
Here is NEA's response to the report:
New Report Based on Flawed Assumptions
A report released today by the National Council on Teacher
Quality (NCTQ) grades all 50 states and the District of Columbia on
their ability to recruit, retain and evaluate teachers.
While NEA agrees with several aspects of The 2008 State Teacher
Policy Yearbook’s conclusions, such as the need to expand
high-quality teacher induction programs in order to reduce teacher
turnover, NCTQ’s underlying assumptions about quality teaching, how
to grow it, support it and measure it, are seriously flawed.
NEA has advocated and continues to advocate for strong policies that promote
recruiting and retaining effective teachers, which are the
cornerstone of a high quality education for all students.
Unfortunately, while this report claims to provide an in-depth
analysis of the retention of effective new teachers, in reality, it
oversimplifies the impact of state policies on teacher recruitment
and retention.
“Improving state policies to recruit, retain and reward quality
teachers is essential if we are to offer a great public school to
every student, but growing, supporting and assessing good teaching
is a far more complex process than this report indicates,” NEA
President Dennis Van Roekel said.
For example, NCTQ offers a definition of teacher effectiveness
centered on student scores on standardized tests. Van Roekel
emphasized that “test scores are imperfect measures of student
learning and are even worse measures of teacher effectiveness. What
a teacher does with her students, how she relates to them and how
she translates her subject knowledge into effective teaching
practice are all the central measures of quality teaching. When
teachers do these things well, their students have the best
opportunities to learn.”
Moreover, the report overlooks some of the key elements to
recruiting and retaining teachers who can meet the needs of the 21st
century. NCTQ’s Summary Grade Chart indicates that schools are
incapable of attracting and retaining quality teachers.
“There is no consideration paid to schools’ ability to treat and
respect their teachers as professionals, which we know is one of the
key factors that influences whether talented people are attracted to
teach and remain in teaching. Such respect is manifested through
professional pay, retirement security and fair working conditions
that are best determined by teachers and their representatives at
the local and state level,” Van Roekel said. “That must be made
clear at the local, state and federal level if our schools are to
improve.”
The report fails to mention an obvious solution to teacher
recruitment and retention—raising teacher pay to ensure that
students who choose teaching are able to repay their student loans,
meet the needs of their families and have a paycheck that is
comparable to that which their peers in similarly skilled
professions receive. It also includes conflicting advice on teacher
pay methods.
“On one hand, the report recommends that we should throw out the
single salary schedule and other similar ‘regulations,’ while on the
other hand, it warns that we should recognize the limitations of
alternative pay systems that are based on performance. When one
takes both of these conflicting messages into account, what NCTQ
seems to suggest is that we should simply experiment with our
teachers (and therefore our students) until something is determined
to be effective,” Van Roekel said.
With regard to retirement security, the NCTQ's recommendations on
teacher pensions are both misguided and based on an inaccurate
understanding of this crucial aspect of teacher compensation. For
example, the Yearbook recommends that states should provide the
option of a defined contribution plan as teachers’ primary pension
plan.
NEA's research shows that when teachers have the option of choosing
which plan they prefer, they choose defined benefit plans almost 94
percent of the time. Contrary to what the report would have us
believe, defined contribution plans are inadequate to meet teachers'
retirement needs, and more costly than a traditional defined benefit
pension plan to the state, as the West Virginia experience shows.
“Millions of Americans in the private sector are reeling from losses
to their retirement funds in defined contribution plans such as 401
(k)s. NCTQ is saying that more people should have this option? It’s
too risky, especially in today’s economic climate,” Van Roekel said.
“Our teachers need a retirement they can depend on after their years
of service in our schools. We know defined benefit plans will
provide that for them.”
For more information on NEA’s retirement security initiatives,
please go to
NEA
Retirement Security Resources.
Golden Carrot Awards for Food Service Professionals
The Golden Carrot Awards honor food service professionals based on
how well they provide students with a daily variety of vegan and
vegetarian entrées, à la carte items and vending machine items.
Awards include a grand prize of $5,000 ($1,500 to the food service
professional and $3,500 to the school food service program) and up
to four additional $1,000 prizes ($500 to the food service
professional and $500 to the school food service program). April 8
is the deadline.
www.HealthySchoolLunches.org.
January 28, 2009
Texas May Get $24 Billion from Economic Stimulus
Bill
"The House bill
would mean almost $24 billion for Texas, including $3 billion for
highways, bridges and other infrastructure projects, $9.7 billion in
tax cuts and credits; $3.7 billion for education programs; and $7.4
billion in grants, energy assistance and health and child care
services," the San Antonio Express-News reported.
more
U.S. House Passes Federal Stimulus Bill on
Partisan Vote
"In a swift victory for President Barack Obama, the
Democratic-controlled House approved a historically huge $819
billion stimulus bill Wednesday night, filled with new spending and
tax cuts at the core of the young administration's revival plan for
the desperately ailing economy. The vote was 244-188," The
Associated Press reported.
more
Click
here for The New York Times report on the roll call vote
on the stimulus bill. Click
here for the full New York Times story on the bill's
passage.
Long Way to Go to Pass Social
Security Fairness Act
U.S. Reps. Howard Berman, D-Calif., and Buck McKeon R-Calif., have
reintroduced the Social Security Fairness Act, HR 235, to repeal the
Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension
Offset (GPO) to Social Security. Click
here
for the list of co-sponsors.
We now have the best opportunity for passing the Social Security
Fairness Act. The National Education Association has made its
passage a priority. We have support of President Obama. U.S. House
Ways and Means Committee Chair Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., has announced
that his committee will hold a hearing on the measure.
Although the awareness of Social Security issues is growing each
day, more work remains to be done, especially among our active
members and the public at large. Members should call, email or send
letters asking that their members of Congress become co-sponsors of
HR 235. Members also should write letter to the editor of their
local newspapers urging congressional passage of the Social Security
Fairness Act.
The
NEA website
is an excellent resource for members to read the rationale for the
act and at the same time check to see whether their U.S.
representatives are co-sponsors. The list of cosponsors is growing,
but we have a long way to go to pass this important legislation.
Stimulus Plan Would Provide Flood
of Aid to Education
"The economic
stimulus plan that Congress has scheduled for a vote on
Wednesday would shower the nation’s school districts, child care
centers and university campuses with $150 billion in new federal
spending, a vast two-year investment that would more than double the
Department of Education’s current budget," The New York Times
reports.
more
Second Lady Returns to Classroom Teaching Day
Job
"Her husband gave up his career in the Senate to become vice
president, but Jill Biden has not given up her day job, the White
House announced Tuesday. Dr. Biden, who holds a doctorate in
education from the University of Delaware, went quietly to work on
Tuesday in a new job as an adjunct professor at Northern Virginia
Community College," The Caucus blog on nytimes.com reports.
more
Vanishing Texas Species Materials for
Teachers
The Nature Conservancy of Texas offers teachers a video and
downloadable photos, map and poster about a vanishing native species
and what scientists are doing to try to preserve it. The species is
the spot-tailed earless lizard, and The Nature Conservancy is
working to determine how many of them still remain in the wild in
Texas and what needs to be done to prevent them from going extinct.
more
January 27, 2009
Governor Fails to Address Public
School Funding Needs
Delivering his State of the State address to a joint session of the
81st Texas Legislature today, Gov. Rick Perry laid out three
priorities to “reach our goal of ensuring every student graduates
from Texas high schools with a strong foundation
in math, science and English”:
“First, they deserve the best teachers. … Second, we must hold our
schools accountable for student performance. … Third, let’s keep
improving our math and science education, and continue preparing our
young people, especially low-income and minority students, for a
productive life after high school.”
The oldest education organization in Texas applauds Perry’s goals.
But the 65,000-member Texas State Teachers Association has to
question the governor’s commitment to achieving them.
The governor applauded previous Legislatures for not raising taxes
and called on current legislators to do the same.
“Unfortunately, that has drastically limited the amount of new state
money available to public schools to meet rapidly changing needs,”
TSTA President Rita C. Haecker said.
Further, the governor again called for expanding and increasing tax
cuts rather than increasing funding for public schools.
“As he runs for office yet again, this governor once again wants
public schools, their students and their employees to pick up the
cost of his re-election campaign gimmick. Instead of providing new
money to our hard pressed public schools, whose funding is frozen at
2006 levels, Gov. Perry wants to further reduce the resources
available to provide even that insufficient level of funding,”
Haecker said.
Perry said he wants “quality education” for all young Texans. Yet in
the 10 years that he has been governor, Texas has dropped from 25th
in the nation in per pupil expenditure for instruction to 45th. In
Texas, 50,000 classrooms do not have appropriately certified
teachers.
“The governor failed to address the greatest need our Texas public
schools, their students and their employees today face – the need
for a school finance system that is sufficient and flexible to meet
the growing, ever-changing needs of public education. Without that,
the state simply cannot meet the governor’s goals, particularly
retaining and recruiting the very best teachers in the nation to
teach our students,” Haecker added.
“Texas today ranks 34th among the states in average teacher pay,
$6,129 below the national average. Gov. Perry proposed absolutely
nothing to raise that. So we call on the many friends of public
education in the 81st Legislature, in both parties, to do what the
governor would not do: figure out how to sufficiently and flexibly
pay for his three public education goals we applaud. This is the
investment in the future Texas very much needs, an investment that
ultimately will benefit all Texans,” the TSTA president emphasized.
--Joe Bean, Public Affairs Specialist
Working With Students with Autism: Live Chat
Wednesday
Tomorrow afternoon, Education Week is having a live chat on working
with autistic students. How can general education teachers support
them in an inclusive setting? How can teachers transform a
challenging classroom situation into a growth experience for all
students? Chat guests will discuss teaching strategies and behavior
management techniques for the general and special education
classroom. To get the details and submit questions in advance, go to
http://www.edweek-chat.org.
January 26, 2009
U.S. Senate Measure Would Give Retirees $300 Checks
Details of a proposed U.S. Senate economic recovery bill include a
stimulus payment for retirees. Specifically, the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Plan would provide a one-time payment of $300 to
each retiree, disabled individual and SSI recipient.
Inclusion of this provision in the proposed bill is a big victory
for NEA, as it provides retirees an amount equal to 60 percent of
the tax credit proposed for working individuals, but gives the money
to retirees in cash instead of a tax credit. In addition, NEA has
worked with the Senate Finance Committee to ensure that retirees who
do not receive Social Security because of the Government
Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision
will still be eligible for the payment, as long as they are eligible
for pension benefits.
The bill is set to go to the Senate Finance Committee this week and
to the Senate floor shortly thereafter. Following Senate passage,
the bill will go to conference with the bill in the U.S. House of
Representatives, which does not include this retiree payment.
TSTA/NEA members should contact their members of Congress to support
both the overall American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan and the
$300 economic recovery payment to retirees.
U.S. House Set to Debate NEA-Backed Recovery
Package
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to debate and vote
on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act this Wednesday,
January 28. The measure continues to include significant investments
in education, including increases for Title I, the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act and school modernization, as well as
important provisions addressing health care, nutrition assistance,
and unemployment insurance. Most significantly, the bill includes
the NEA proposal to provide flexible funding for states through
existing education funding formulas.
Passage of this package is far from assured and grassroots action is
critical to show strong support for the proposal. So NEA is urging
all members to contact their U.S. representatives immediately and
urge them to support passage of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment bill. Analyses of the proposal’s impact in states are
available on the NEA website at
http://www.nea.org/home/29549.htm. Click
here to see the measure’s impact on each Texas school
district.
Here are talking points TSTA/NEA members can use when they contact
their U.S. House members to urge passage of these measures:
·
I urge the House to act quickly to
pass the proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
·
This proposal includes the
investments in education, health care and other areas necessary to
jump-start the economy, create jobs and help struggling families and
communities.
·
The proposed package includes
significant investments in education, including increased funding
for Title I and IDEA special education, and major investments in
school construction. This funding will take pressure off state
budgets and will infuse money into communities where it is most
needed.
·
The proposed education funding provided directly to states
through existing funding formulas is particularly critical. It
offers an effective, efficient way to stimulate the economy, protect
and create jobs and shore up distressed communities.
·
Unlike investments in other industries, education funding
reaches every community in the nation.
·
The proposed school modernization funding will also provide
an immediate stimulus to local economies. In fact, it will create
thousands of new jobs in the construction industry and among the
many construction industry suppliers.
·
Again, I urge Congress to act
quickly to pass this urgent legislation.
TSTA/NEA members can send message of support to members of
the U.S. House by going to
http://capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=12451196.
U.S. Senate Committees to Consider Recovery
Plan
This week, the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees will
mark up their version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Plan. Like the House version, the Senate proposal includes a number
of proposals put forth by NEA and lobbied aggressively by NEA
lobbyists, including:
·
School modernization assistance
-- $16 billion in grants to repair, renovate and construct
public schools, and $3.5 billion to improve higher education
facilities. On the tax side, $10 billion for new construction bonds
($5 billion for each year 2009 and 2010); $200 million per year for
2009-2010 for Native American tribes; and $1.4 billion in Qualified
Zone Academy Bond funds for 2009-2010.
·
$39 billion to local school districts and public colleges and
universities distributed through existing state and federal
formulas.
·
$25 billion to states for other high-priority needs such as
public safety and other critical services, which may include
education.
·
Title I: $13 billion to help close the achievement gap and
enable disadvantaged students to reach their potential.
·
Special Education/IDEA: $13 billion to increase the Federal
share of special education services to its highest level ever.
·
Pell Grants: $13.9 billion to increase the Pell Grant maximum
award and pay for increases in program costs resulting from
increased eligibility and higher Pell Grant awards.
The Senate bill also includes NEA-supported investments in early
childhood programs, health care, and nutrition assistance to help
struggling families.
Study Blames NCLB for Cutting Recess
for Schoolchildren
"Researchers reported on Monday that a growing trend of
curbing free time at school may lead to unruly classrooms and rob
youngsters of needed exercise and an important chance to socialize,"
Reuters news service reported.
"Many school districts responded to the No Child Left Behind Act of
2001 by reducing time committed to recess, the creative arts, and
even physical education in an effort to focus on reading and
mathematics," noted the study by researchers at the Albert Einstein
College of Medicine in New York, published in Pediatrics, the
journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
more
January 23, 2009
SBOE Concludes Meeting with Votes and
Postponements
The State Board of Education met Friday morning as the
full board to hear committee recommendations and vote on a number of
routine action items, as well as a small number of more
controversial proposals.
Following many hours of testimony, debate and votes on amendments
before the Committee of the Full Board over the past two days on the
proposed Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards for
science, the board without discussion affirmed yesterday’s committee
vote approving the amended package. Read TSTA’s
report on
yesterday’s committee action. The SBOE will act on second
reading and final approval of the revised TEKS standards for
science, as amended, at its March meeting.
In other action, the board postponed until its March meeting any
action on options for graduation credit for athletics. The Committee
of the Full Board heard testimony on this yesterday, but Education
Commissioner Robert Scott recommended postponing action until the
board can consider a wider-ranging discussion of graduation
requirements and elective courses.
The board adopted
recommendations to the 81st Texas Legislature covering a
wide range of issues from end-of-course exams to the use of
Permanent School Fund money.
The full board also heard a lengthy report from its Committee on
School Finance/Permanent School Fund. The board approved a new
investment structure of utilizing a private equity specialist
advisor, who will be instructed to build a discretionary model that
includes a fund of one. The board decided not to utilize a fund of
funds manager, who would invest in a variety of existing funds. The
committee will continue working at its February meeting on the RFP
for the specialist advisor. Following a heated debate, the board
decided to postpone any action to select a new firm to provide
investment counsel services for the Permanent School Fund.
The complete agenda of the Jan. 21-23 SBOE meeting is on the Texas
Education Agency website at
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3557. The
minutes of the meeting will be posted later on SBOE section of the
TEA website at
http://www.tea.state.tx.us.
--Joe Bean, Public Affairs Specialist
Apply for Education
Support Professional Leader Program
Applications for the
2009-10 NEA ESP Leaders for Tomorrow program are now available. The
first session will be held July 22-26, 2009, at a location to be
determined. The second session will be held Nov. 13-15, 2009, in
Washington, D.C., and the third session (which includes attendance
to the NEA ESP National Conference) will be held March 7-14, 2010,
at a location to be determined. Leaders for Tomorrow is open to any
NEA ESP member – from K-12 and Higher Education – who is currently
an ESP member and who has been an NEA member in good standing for at
least the last three years. Please contact Carol McCord if you are
interested in attending by emailing
carolm@tsta.org or calling toll free (877) ASK-TSTA.
Keep Up the Pressure On Economic
Recovery Package
This week, the House Appropriations, Ways and Means, and Energy and
Commerce Committees considered the pieces of a proposed economic
recovery package under their respective jurisdictions. The bill is
expected to go to the full House next week, but its passage is far
from assured.
The package reflects the hard work of
activists like you across the country whose voices were heard loud
and clear in Congress. As a result of your efforts, the proposed
bill includes:
• $41 billion to local school districts
through Title I ($13 billion), IDEA ($13 billion), a new School
Modernization and Repair Program ($14 billion), and the Education
Technology program ($1 billion).
• $79 billion in state fiscal relief to
prevent cutbacks to key services.
• $15.6 billion to increase the Pell
Grant by $500.
• $6 billion for higher education
modernization.
In addition, the tax portion of the
economic recovery package includes $22 billion in school
construction bond tax credits.
The package also includes critical
increases in health care, nutrition assistance, and unemployment
insurance, all of which were included in NEA’s asks to Congress.
Contact your Members of Congress today!
Tell Members of the House to pass the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Bill.
January 22, 2009
SBOE Mostly Accepts Educators'
Proposed Science TEKS
Meeting as the Committee of the Full Board, the State Board of
Education today passed on first reading proposed revisions of the
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards for science. Before
doing that, board members rejected two amendments by Cynthia Dunbar,
R-Richmond, to change those revisions that working groups of Texas
educators had recommended to the board.
Dunbar’s first amendment would have retained the focus on
“weaknesses” in the current science TEKS standard for teaching about
evolution. After board members rejected that on a tie vote, Dunbar
introduced a second amendment to add “by examining scientific
evidence supportive or not supportive of those explanations” to the
TEKS standard about evolution. Board members rejected that on a 7-8
vote. The board members who voted no seem to have regarded that as
having the same effect as retaining the “weaknesses” wording.
Bob Craig, R-Lubbock, voted against both of Dunbar’s amendments. He
spoke in favor of adopting what the educator working groups
recommended, rather than allowing the SBOE to take the process away
from them, as the board did last year with the English/language
arts/reading TEKS standards. “Some may think they know better how to
teach than the teachers,” Craig said. But “we’ve got to rely on the
expertise of our teachers.”
Republicans Patricia Hardy of Fort Worth and Geraldine Miller of
Dallas, along with Democrats Mary Helen Berlanga of Corpus Christi,
Rick Agosto of San Antonio, Lawrence Allen Jr. (board vice chair) of
Houston and Mavis Knight of Dallas, joined Craig in voting against
Dunbar’s first amendment. Democrat Rene Nunez of El Paso joined them
in voting against Dunbar’s second amendment.
Republicans Don McLeroy (board chair) of College Station, Cynthia
Dunbar of Richmond, Ken Mercer of San Antonio, Terri Leo (board
secretary) of Spring, Gail Lowe of Lampasas, Barbara Cargill of The
Woodlands and David Bradley of Uncertain Residence voted for both of
the Dunbar amendments.
The SBOE also considered a series of other amendments from Cargill
about earth and space science. Her amendments simplified and
sometimes watered down the proposed TEKS revisions. The board passed
some and rejected others, with little discernible pattern or logic.
The board passed four amendments by Leo that may have the effect of
watering down proposed standards in biology, changing “recognize”
and “describe” to “analyze and evaluate.” The SBOE then passed two
amendments by McLeroy, both of which may have the effect of watering
down proposed standards in biology.
While the board overall accepted the countless hours of hard work
Texas teachers invested in revising the science TEKS standards, the
SBOE chipped away at that work in several instances before sending
the standards to tomorrow’s meeting for another vote. The SBOE meets
then as the board, rather than as the Committee of the Full Board.
The SBOE will again consider these proposed revisions to 19 TAC
Chapter 112, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science,
Subchapter A, Elementary, Subchapter B, Middle School, and
Subchapter C, High School, for second reading when the board meets
in March. --Joe Bean, Public Affairs Specialist
Gates
Foundation Invests $22 Million in Education
Ten groups have received a combined $22 million-plus in investments
in support of college-ready data and research efforts from the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation.
The investments are intended to help schools,
districts and states gather and effectively use data to have maximum
impact on teaching and learning. The grants are part of the Gates
Foundation’s efforts to ensure that all students can graduate from
high school ready for college and
earn a postsecondary credential with real value in the workplace.
Blue Ribbon Schools to be Recognized Monday
Twenty-six Texas public schools
selected as 2008 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools by the
U.S. Department of Education (USDE) will be honored at the Texas
Association of School Administrators Midwinter Conference Monday in
Austin. Also to be recognized are 26 Texas schools that have been
nominated for 2009 honors. The program recognizes outstanding public
and private schools that help students excel academically and that
make significant progress in closing the achievement gap.
more
January 21, 2009
SBOE Elects Officers, Battles
over Committee Selections
The State Board of Education reconvened this afternoon to adopt
operating rules. The board then elected a new vice chair and
secretary. Chairman Don McLeroy, R-College Station, continues in
office as a gubernatorial appointee. The SBOE elected Lawrence Allen
Jr., D-Houston, to be the vice chair, replacing David Bradley,
R-Uncertain Residence, who chose to step down from that post. The
board elected Terri Leo, R-Spring, to be the new secretary,
replacing Rick Agosto, D-San Antonio, who chose to step down from
that post.
The board then recessed briefly while its three officers made committee
assignments:
•School Finance: Rick Agosto, D-San
Antonio; David Bradley, R-Uncertain Residence; Cynthia Dunbar,
R-Richmond; Gail Lowe, R-Lampasas; and Rene Nunez, D-El Paso.
•School Initiatives: Mary Helen Berlanga,
D-Corpus Christi; Bob Craig, R-Lubbock; Patricia Hardy, R-Fort
Worth; Mavis Knight, D-Dallas; and Don McLeroy, R-College Station.
•Instruction: Lawrence Allen Jr.
D-Houston; Barbara Cargill, R-The Woodlands; Terri Leo, R-Spring;
Ken Mercer, R-San Antonio; and Geraldine Miller, R-Dallas.
Hardy challenged committee assignments made without regard to member
preferences and seniority, in violation, she contended, of the rules
the board had just adopted this afternoon. Berlanga agreed that the
board disregarded its own rules. Miller said that past boards had
used seniority to break “ties” of member preferences for committee
assignments, but now officers had decided arbitrarily and ignored
rules. Don’t have rules that say one thing, then do another, she
urged board officers. Knight read from the board’s rules that say
officers shall consider preferences, seniority, ethnicity and gender
balance in making committee assignments. She added that preferences
should be guiding force for committee assignments. She said the
rules have no point if the board doesn’t observe them.
Allen explained why officers made committee assignments: efficiency,
who would work well with others, time for change and everybody
should serve on every committee at some point. He called for board
to work cohesively. Dunbar said the objective is to have “balanced
committee assignments,” according to the operating rules.
Berlanga reiterated her understanding of the rules. “It seems I have
all four (preference, seniority, ethnicity, gender balance) on my
side but still couldn’t get my first or second preference,” she said
“You’re doing an injustice to the people we serve,” Berlanga added.
Knight said McLeroy gave a “dogmatic, this is the way it is” answer
when challenged on committee assignments, and that doesn’t help the
board run well. She said Allen’s explanation should have been given
earlier. Hardy, however, said “this is all an insult to my
intelligence.” Allen’s words, she contended, were built-in excuses
for political maneuvering. The whole process “lacks integrity,”
Hardy said.
The board then recessed before reconvening as the Committee of the
Full Board to hear invited testimony on science TEKS and evolution.
--Joe Bean, Public Affairs Specialist
Mortgage Rates Hit An All-Time Low
Are you considering purchasing a new home this spring? It is not too
early to begin your search. Do you need to re-finance?Rates are at
an all time low. For great features and a closing cost rebate
especially for NEA members, contact the NEA Home Financing Program's
Josie Fuller at (512)797-8471 for great rates and great service.
SBOE Hears Public Comments on Teaching
Evolution
The State Board of Education convened in Austin on Wednesday
morning, Jan. 21, to hear more than 3½ hours of public comments on
the proposed new science curriculum standards, known as Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills, or TEKS, for public schools. The
proposed science TEKS are online at the Texas Education Agency’s
website, at
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/teks/scienceTEKS.html.
The Texas teachers who invested countless hours to work on the
proposed TEKS for high school science recommended ending the focus
on the weaknesses of evolution, the most controversial part of the
science package. TSTA has long supported empowering classroom
practitioners to design curriculum standards, then having SBOE
respect and support their professionalism and insight.
In January, February, May, September, October and December 2008,
educator committees were convened to review the science TEKS that
the SBOE adopted more than a decade ago. In April, May, September
and October 2008, educator committees were convened to develop TEKS
for new earth and space science and engineering courses. During the
September 2008 meeting, the SBOE received draft recommendations for
proposed revisions to the science TEKS. Informal public feedback and
feedback from expert reviewers was shared with the science TEKS
review committees as they continued to work on their recommendations
for proposed revisions in November and December.
A few speakers this morning addressed topics such as earth science,
space science, natural resources science and middle school TEKS. But
the bulk of discussion, including extensive questioning by many of
the state board’s 15 members, focused on a proposed change in how
Texas teaches evolution.
The sometimes-emotional discussion drew a large crowd to the SBOE
meeting room, as well as extensive media coverage, including a
reporter from The New York Times. The SBOE’s debate over evolution
and how it should be taught, specifically whether teaching it should
focus on its purported weaknesses, has become a crucible in the
ongoing national debate between opponents and supporters of teaching
evolution.
Laura Ewing, whom TSTA supported in her campaign last year to unseat
David Bradley, the board’s vice chair, called on SBOE members to
make “educationally sound decisions, not ones that promote personal
political agendas.” When it votes, the board will either accept or
reject the countless hours of hard work Texas educators have
invested in preparing the proposed science TEKS standards.
Last year, the SBOE rejected the countless hours of hard work Texas
educators invested in preparing proposed TEKS standards for English,
language arts and reading, instead adopting an alternative TEKS
package that was shaped by the politics of a majority of board
members. --Joe Bean, Public Affairs Specialist
January 20, 2009
Inauguration Instructional Guides for
Educators
The
historical significance of President-Elect Obama's inauguration is a
teachable moment for generations to come. The instructional guides,
developed jointly by a team of curriculum experts from NEA and
American Federation of Teachers, are designed to teach students
about the history of Inauguration Day, and they include information
about the 2009 Inaugural schedule of events and background on
traditional Inaugural ceremonies. The guides also provide
suggestions for supplementing the lessons with discussion topics,
films, books and other educational websites.
"It is crucial
that our students understand that we are not only living history
and making history with this inauguration, but also carrying
forward the historical contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. and his influence on our incoming 44th president," said NEA
President Dennis Van Roekel. "These important lesson plans will
help students understand President-elect Obama's message of a
'sense of unity and shared purpose' into the next four years and
beyond."
The instructional
guides are divided into three sections: "Learning History,"
which highlights the evolution of Inaugural events beginning
with George Washington's Inauguration in 1789, "Making History,"
which allows students to follow along with President-elect
Obama's swearing in on January 20, and "Living History," which
encourages students to continue studying the American Government
and the Presidency beyond Inauguration Day. The materials are
geared toward students from elementary school to high school,
and offer lesson modifications based on the students' ages. The
special edition inauguration instructional guides can be
downloaded at
www.nea.org
and
www.pic2009.org.
January 16, 2009
TSTA Member to March in Presidential
Inaugural Parade
TSTA member Rhonda Schell, who teaches in Beaumont ISD and is an NEA
Director for Texas, has been invited to participate in the Jan. 20
Inaugural Parade of President-Elect Barack Obama.
NEA members will join the AFL-CIO and
Change to Win as part of a 265-member ensemble that represents every
face of working America. The 2009 inauguration marks the first time
in recent history that representatives from America’s labor unions
have been invited to march in the official parade.
“NEA and its members are proud to join the
AFL-CIO and Change to Win in this first-ever labor-sponsored
inauguration parade float,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.
“The ‘America’s Workers United for Change’ parade unit, including
the participation of 43 public school employees, provides organized
labor the opportunity to emphasize the important role of America’s
workers in helping to renew America’s promise.”
The delegation of marchers will lead the
only pro-worker float down the parade path under the theme of
“Honoring America’s Workers.” The marchers will carry a banner with
the slogan “America’s Workers: United for Change,” along with flags
that represent the issues most important to working families: an
Economy that Works for All, Great Public Schools, Good Jobs Green
Jobs, and Health Care for All.
The more than 40 NEA members expected to
participate in the parade represent every kind of educator working
to make public schools great for every student. From the classroom
teacher to the custodian, the school bus driver to school counselor,
the teacher’s aide to the librarian, and the retired educator to the
student teacher just starting out, the unit’s largest constituency
group symbolizes the many faces of the American
educator.
The entire float was fabricated by union
carpenters, welders, sculptors and painters. Constructed of steel,
wood and foam, it will rise more than 17 feet in height and span 24
feet in length. Outlines of the different “faces of labor” will
surround the float to salute the backbone of our country—the
hardworking men and women that get up and go to work every day. A
Teamsters member will drive the truck supporting the float through
the parade route.
Obama Inauguration Is Inspiring
Classrooms Nationwide
"At a middle school in Austin, Tex., a young history teacher
plans to use the hip-hop song 'Black President' as a spark for an
Inauguration Day discussion of
politics and patriotism," The New York Times reports. "The
inauguration of America’s first African-American president has
captured the imagination of students and educators with an intensity
that surpasses previous ceremonies, and schools from New Hampshire
to Florida to California are working to bring the excitement and
pageantry, the sheer history of it all, to life in the classroom."
more
January 15, 2009
NEA Mostly Supports Federal
Economic Recovery Package
Details released today about the economic recovery package under
consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives show major
victories for public education. The proposed American Recovery and
Reinvestment Bill includes significant increased investments in
education, including all the areas NEA urged Congress to include.
The proposal includes:
• $41 billion to local school districts through Title I ($13
billion), IDEA ($13 billion), a new School Modernization and Repair
Program ($14 billion) and the Education Technology program ($1
billion).
• $79 billion in state fiscal relief to prevent cutbacks to key
services, including $39 billion to local school districts and public
colleges and universities distributed through existing state and
federal formulas, $15 billion to states as bonus grants as a reward
for meeting key performance measures and $25 billion to states for
other high priority needs such as public safety and other critical
services, which may include education.
• $15.6 billion to increase the Pell Grant by $500.
• $6 billion for higher education modernization.
In addition, the tax portion of the economic recovery package is
expected to include $21 billion in school modernization through tax
credits on school construction bonds.
The package also includes critical increases in health care,
nutrition assistance and unemployment insurance, all of which were
included in NEA’s requests to Congress.
The package also appears to increase funding for the NEA-opposed
Teacher Incentive Fund by providing “$200 million for competitive
grants to school districts and states to provide financial
incentives for teachers and principals who raise student achievement
and close the achievement gaps in high-need schools and $100 million
for competitive grants to states to address teacher shortages and
modernize the teaching workforce.”
NEA’s complete summary of the economic recovery package is online at
http://www.tsta.org/news/current/American
RecoveryandInvestmentAct_011509.pdf,
Even though NEA is very pleased with the proposed package,
considerable work will be required both to get it passed in the
House and to ensure that the Senate package includes similar
investments. The House Ways and Means and Appropriations Committees
are expected to mark up the pieces under their jurisdiction next
week.
Recession Hits More and More Public
Schools Nationwide
As a result of the recession, "locally operated and funded,
public schools across the country are coming up short as tax
collections dwindle and administrators enlarge classes, delay
expansions, reduce hours and even fiddle with thermostats to save
money," Reuters news service reports.
more
SCHIP Expansion Will Benefit
Texas Children
The U.S. House of Representatives “easily approved an expansion of
government health coverage for low-income children [SCHIP]
yesterday, a top priority for President-elect Barack Obama and the
first in a series of stalled measures expected to move quickly
through the Democratic Congress as President Bush leaves office,”
The Washington Post reported.
more
If the Senate concurs, the House bill will include “strong
incentives for states to reach their eligible, unenrolled and
uninsured children in Medicaid and CHIP (Texas is home to an
estimated 700,000-plus such uninsured children). It will clearly
allow states like Texas to grow and improve CHIP programs -- and to
respond the greater need for children’s coverage that can be
expected in this economic downturn,” according to the Austin-based
Center for Public Policy Priorities.
more
"In four and a half years, 490,000 uninsured Texas children could
gain health coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health
Insurance Program under the CHIP reauthorization bill that the U.S.
House approved Wednesday, according to a report released today by
Families USA, a national nonprofit," the Austin American-Statesman's
Postcards blog on Texas government and politics reports.
more
New Administration Will Promote
Arts Education
“Children who learn music actually do better in math and kids
whose imaginations are sparked by the arts are more engaged in
school,” incoming President Obama believes. So his administration
will promote “the importance of arts education” and “expanding
public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations,”
The Christian Science Monitor reports.
more
Texas House Adjourns Until Jan. 22
The House met briefly this morning to adopt their
housekeeping rules for the 81st session of the legislature. Most of
these rules and the discussion related to the funding and operation
of their legislative offices and they passed 128-11. They are still
working on their operating rules for the session. They adjourned
until Jan. 22.
While both chambers are now on their long
inaugural break, the news will slow down but probably not completely
stop. We will continue to update the posting on bill as they are
filed on
www.tsta.org.
January 14, 2009 It Is
All Inside Baseball on Day Two of 81st
Legislature
House Delays Rules Vote
The Texas House of Representatives delayed the vote on the rules
until tomorrow. State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, announced
that the House will adopt its rules Wednesday and that the
Legislative Council will be available to assist with amendments. The
rules were the subject of most of the controversy last session
regarding the assertion by then-Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland,
that the speaker has the sole authority to recognize a member. That
rule allowed him to not recognize any member who wanted to move to
remove him as speaker. The House held a closed door work session
this afternoon to discuss the rules for this session. All of this
indicates an inclusive approach to the House rule making process.
Given all the drama over the rules last session, it will be
interesting to see what rule changes are proposed and adopted
tomorrow.
The only other action of interest was adopting a resolution setting
the governor’s State of the State address for Tuesday, Jan. 27.
Usually Placid Senate Goes Nuclear on Day Two
The Texas Senate, which is generally viewed as the calmer (read
duller) chamber of the Legislature, started the session with a
series of widely reported backroom brawls over its rules. At the
heart of the controversy is the long held two-thirds rule that
requires the support of 21 of the Senate’s 31 members in order to
bring a bill to the floor. That has meant that 11 senators could
block a bill from coming to the floor. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst
apparently wants to exclude the voter ID and redistricting bills
from that rule, and state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, wants to
change it to a three-fifths rule. That would require 13 votes to
block a bill. The Senate has 12 Democrats.
After publicly meeting for five minutes, the Senate recessed to the
back room to continue the discussion of the rules.
State Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, moved adoption of the
Senate rules including a rule to exclude voter ID from the
two-thirds rule.
The dean of the Senate, state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and
several other Democratic senators had a lengthy debate with Williams
on his resolution to exclude voter identification from the
two-thirds rule. Democrats then offered a series of amendments to
exclude several other issues -- insurance rate reform, increased
medical services for military veterans, changes in the unemployment
fund, increasing the number of children covered by CHIP, increased
funding for public education, re-regulation of college tuition --
from the two-thirds rule. Every amendment failed on a 19-12 party
line vote.
Every amendment was defeated on straight party line votes.
State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, then raised a point of order
relating to the authority of the lieutenant governor to make rulings
prior to the rules of the Senate being adopted. The Senate recessed
for well over an hour while the matter was researched.
Senators then met briefly and then recessed into the caucus of the
whole, which is a process that lets the full Senate meet in private.
They reconvened 45 minutes later, and Dewhurst overruled the point
of order.
Several Democratic senators made impassioned pleas against the
resolution, while State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, spoke in favor
of it. State Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, unexpectedly and strongly
spoke against the resolution, saying it sends a “terrible message”
of partisanship that “disrupts the effectiveness of government.”
The Senate rules passed 18-13.
The Senate adjourned until Monday, Jan. 26. --Richard Kouri,
Director of Public Affairs
Communicators from NEA State Affiliates
Honor TSTA
At its annual conference in Palm Springs, Calif., from Jan. 6 to
Jan. 9, the NEA PR Council of the States, comprising communication
professionals from state affiliates nationwide, honored TSTA with
three awards, including one of the council’s top awards:
Bob Montfort Memorial Award, given at the discretion of the judges
for creativity and innovation in communication, for TSTA’s Hurricane
Relief Center website.
Electronic Media award, for Hurricane Relief Center website.
Advertising award, for Bexar County parental involvement radio spots
that ran at the beginning of the 2008-09 school year.
Duncan Reveals His
Beliefs at USDOE Confirmation Hearing
The
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)
held a hearing to consider the nomination of Arne Duncan as
Secretary of Education. The committee is expected to vote quickly
and move the nomination to the Senate floor as early as next week.
NEA worked closely with members of the committee in preparation for
the hearing and submitted over 25 potential questions for Senators
to ask Duncan. The following is a summary of the two-hour
hearing.
The hearing was chaired by Senator
Harkin, D-Iowa, in the absence of Senator Kennedy, D-Mass.
Also in attendance at the hearing were Senators Mikulski, D-Md.;
Reed, D-R.I.; Sanders, I-Vt.; Murray, D-Wash.; Enzi, R-Wyo.;
Coburn, R-Okla.;
Alexander, R-Tenn.;
Roberts, R-Kan; Burr, R-N.C.; Isakson, R-Ga.; Murkowski,
R-Ark.; and Hatch, R-Utah.
Duncan was introduced by Senator Durbin, D-Ill., who
cited Duncan’s success in raising test scores and decreasing
dropout rates and in working closely with the business
community and unions. Senator Enzi, ranking member on the
committee, made an opening statement in which he expressed
his pleasure at Duncan’s “support for merit pay and charter
schools.”
In his opening statement, Duncan cited
three “deeply held beliefs:”
1. Every
child from every background can be successful.
2. When
we fail to educate children, we “perpetuate poverty and
social failure.”
3. Children
have only one chance to be educated – we cannot wait because
they cannot wait.
He spoke about
wanting to focus on things that are practical, pragmatic and
innovative. His statement focused on the themes of
recognizing and rewarding excellence, challenging the status
quo, elevating the teaching profession and scaling up what
works. In his written statement submitted to the committee,
Duncan stated with regard to NCLB,
"I have seen the law's power and
its limitations. I agree with the president-elect that we
should neither bury NCLB nor praise it without
reservation."
Questions and Answers
· Teacher
Incentive Fund/Pay-for-Performance – Senator Alexander
asked about Duncan’s views on the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF).
Senator Burr asked about expanding pay-for-performance
programs. Duncan stated that he is a big fan of TIF,
calling it “one of the best things Secretary Spellings
did.” He mentioned that he received TIF funds in Chicago
and thought it was a highly successful program that rewards
talent and helps to attract and keep great teachers where
they are needed most. His goal is to reward excellent
teachers. He wants to support and potentially expand TIF. Duncan
indicated he had a teacher advisory council in Chicago that
helped shaped the program and spoke positively about his
partnership with the union. He also wants to look for other
ways to support teachers and attract them to high-need
areas, including career ladders.
· Teach
for America – Senator Harkin expressed strong support
for Teach for America (TFA). He stated that a “high
percentage of Teach for America alumnae
stay in teaching and become excellent teachers.” He
indicated that TFA needs more money than Congress currently
provides ($14 million). Harkin asked Duncan about his
familiarity with Wendy Kopp, the head of TFA, and his views
on the program. Duncan stated that he is a huge fan of Kopp,
calling her “one of a breed of educational entrepreneurs
that includes Jonathan Schnur (Executive Director of New
Leaders for Schools)” who are “changing the face of public
education.” He expressed his strong support for TFA and
talked about the partnership Chicago schools had with the
program. He called it a “pipeline of talent” and indicated
that many TFA alumni are principals in Chicago schools and
many are among his advisors. He would like to scale up TFA
quickly.
· Teacher
Retention – Senator Mikulski asked why so many teachers
leave the profession after only a few years and what can be
done to retain quality teachers. Duncan talked about the
need to support new teachers, including through induction
and mentoring programs. He also indicated his support for
career ladders. Duncan indicated that teaching is an art,
not a science, and that it takes 10-15 years to develop
excellent teachers.
· Teacher
Compensation – Senator Roberts indicated that the main
reason teachers leave the profession is the need for more
money. Duncan did not provide a response to this statement
as no question was asked.
· Teacher
Preparation – In response to a question from Senator
Reed, Duncan indicated his desire to work with institutions
of higher education to make sure that teachers are
prepared. He also stated his support for teacher residency
programs. In addition, he stated support for alternative
licensure programs.
·
Early Childhood Education –
Senators Harkin and Sanders asked questions about early
childhood education and the need to ensure that children
come to school ready to learn. In his responses, Duncan
cited the Obama “zero to five” plan and his goals for
improving the quality of and access to early childhood
programs. Duncan indicated that there is nothing more
important than getting kids ready to learn and that early
childhood programs need to be much more than glorified
babysitting. Duncan also indicated support for a goal of
moving to universal access to quality child care.
·
Higher Education – Senator
Murray and Senator Sanders asked about access to and
affordability of higher education. Duncan responded that we
need to reduce barriers to higher education, including
simplifying the federal financial aid application. He also
indicated his support for increasing the Pell Grant award
and the American Opportunity Tax Credit. He also expressed
support for loan forgiveness, cautioning that there has to
be mutual responsibility and those who receive loan
forgiveness must give back to the community.
Senator Burr asked about higher education
matriculation rates and how long the government should have
to pay for students to attend higher education. Duncan
responded that he did not have a specific answer but would
want to look for ways to support people who are trying to
take advantage of the opportunity of higher education,
including those who may need to take longer to complete
their education.
· 21st
Century Skills – In response to a question from Senator
Murray about preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow,
Duncan highlighted the disconnect between the business
community and education and his hopes for bridging those
gaps. He stated his concern about the need to prepare
students for 21st Century skills and gave the example of
nursing, which cannot be outsourced.
· IDEA
Special Education – Senator Roberts asked about IDEA
funding, indicating that IDEA is currently the “biggest
unfunded mandate foisted on schools.” Roberts indicated his
strong support for increasing the federal share of IDEA
costs. Duncan spoke about living on “the other side of the
unfunded mandate” and the high price that mandate has had in
Chicago’s schools.
· Highly
Qualified Teachers/Special Education --- Senator Coburn
raised concerns about the impact of the definition of
“highly qualified teacher” on special educators and the loss
of teachers due to this problem. Senator Isakson later
followed up with a similar question. In response, Duncan
indicated that we need to take another look at things that
are impractical and we need to be more pragmatic.
· Assessments
for Students with Disabilities – Senator Isakson raised
the issue of assessing students with disabilities and his
belief that the IEP should determine the type of
assessment. In response Duncan stated, “I tend to agree
with you. We need to be practical.” He further added, “For
English Language Learners, we need assessments that test
knowledge. If we give an assessment they cannot read, what
good is it?”
Senator Harkin raised the “one percent”
and “two percent” rules, which limit the number of students
with disabilities who can be tested with alternative
assessments and count toward AYP. Harkin was concerned that
these rules “leave as many as 30% of students with
disabilities not counted.” Duncan stated that he
“philosophically agrees” with the Senator.
· Adequate
Yearly Progress – Senator Isakson raised concerns about
judging schools on the failure of one subgroup. Duncan
indicated his support for disaggregated data and growth
models, but that it is too blunt an instrument to measure a
school because of one student in one subgroup.
·
Charter Schools -- In
response to a question from Senator Alexander, Duncan
indicated that he is a great supporter of charter schools.
However, he believes in holding charter schools accountable
and does not believe that just anyone should be able to open
a charter school. In Chicago, he stated that charters were
successful because they had “rigorous strict standards up
front.” In short, he supports creating schools in any
format that works.
· Community
Schools – Senator Sanders asked about the provision of
health services in schools. Duncan responded that schools
should be community centers and provide services to the
whole community. They should be open for 12 hours, not 6,
to allow access for working parents.
· Dropout/Graduation
Rates – Senator Burr asked about the dropout rate
problem. Duncan responded that the U.S. hasn’t so much
fallen behind other countries as other countries have
surpassed us. He stated that we do not need to look
overseas to find good models for reducing dropout rates. He
wants to “shine a light” on excellent programs in the United
States and scale up what is working.
· Physical
Education – Senator Harkin spoke about the importance of
physical education programs and the problems of childhood
obesity. Duncan agreed, noting that his wife is a PE
teacher.
· Challenges
in Rural Areas – Senator Murkowski mentioned the
challenges of education in a vast rural state like Alaska,
and invited Duncan to visit Alaska to see these challenges
first hand. She asked about a focus on middle school.
Duncan indicated that there is “no magic bullet” as to which
grade levels are most important and reiterated his themes of
being practical, pragmatic, and focusing on what works.
Closing Statement
Senator Harkin closed the hearing by
indicating his hope and expectation that Duncan would be
confirmed unanimously by the full Senate.
January 13, 2009
The Curtain Goes Up on the 81st
Texas Legislature
The Texas House and Senate went in at noon today to start the
140 day journey that will be the 81st Session of the Texas
Legislature. Today was mostly pomp and circumstance with most of the
major action this week already having taken place away from the
rotunda.
The New Boss
The issue of who will be speaker of the House was resolved weeks ago
when a relative newcomer, state Rep. Joe Straus, R-San Antonio,
emerged as the candidate who would end the rule of three time
Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland. With the House almost evenly split
between 76 Republicans and 74 Democrats, it was obvious to everyone
but Craddick that this House would require bipartisan governance if
it is going to have any chance of succeeding in addressing the
issues that face the state.
The deal was done as 64 Democrats joined 15 Republicans to pick
Straus as the new speaker. Today’s unanimous voice vote was a mere
formality after a lot of nominating speeches by members of both
parties. It remains to be seen what kind of speaker Straus will be,
but there is no doubt that the House will be a very different
chamber this session and that the members will exercise more control
over the agenda. The new speaker has identified public education as
one of his top priorities. “We must work to provide quality
education at all levels for our children. … They are the future of
Texas,” the new speaker told his colleagues and Texans across the
state watching House proceedings on television and the Internet.
TSTA looks forward to working with Straus to bring about the kind of
public education system we need in Texas.
Senate Largely Unchanged
With 29 of 31 senators returning from last session, the upper
chamber is basically unchanged. The election of new state Sen. Wendy
Davis, D-Fort Worth, over incumbent state Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort
Worth, did shift the makeup of the Senate to 19 Republicans and 12
Democrats this session. Because the Senate has historically operated
under a 2/3 rule that effectively allowed 11 members to block a bill
from coming to the floor, it has typically operated in a fairly
bipartisan manner.
Didn’t Completely Dodge That Bullet
The big news this week occurred yesterday when Comptroller Susan
Combs released her revenue estimate. It was down significantly over
what was available two years ago and portends a tight budget cycle.
However, it is her preliminary estimate which is traditionally low,
the state has more than $9 billion in the Rainy Day Fund, and some
additional federal funds are expected to be available, as well.
There is no question we are in one of the most severe economic
recessions in memory, but revenue is available and public education
must be at the top of the state’s list of priorities. It is the
essential factor in driving the state’s economy.
The State Board of Education met this morning and delivered more bad
news on the budget front. The Permanent School Fund, like all major
endowments, is down significantly due to the drop in the stock
market last year. As a result, the board doesn’t have the money
necessary to provide assistance to the Available School Fund. This
may result in a billion dollar charge a year to general revenue to
offset the cost. The PSF also provides funding for textbooks that
will not be available this year. New English Language Arts books
where scheduled to be purchased for next year. The price tag is
around $800 million. --Richard Kouri, Director of Public Affairs
Texas House Unanimously
Elects Rep. Straus as Speaker
Following nomination speeches by members from both parties, the
Texas House of Representatives unanimously elected state Rep. Joe
Straus, R-San Antonio, by acclamation to be its speaker for the 81st
Legislature. Straus succeeds former Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland,
who continues to
serve in the House.
After taking the oath of office administered by Chief Justice
Wallace Jefferson of the Texas Supreme Court, the new speaker said,
“We must work to provide quality education at all levels for our
children. … They are the future of Texas.”
Straus thanked his supporters in the House and
honored Craddick and his wife, Nadine, for their service to Texas.
“Let us come together as colleagues and servants to do what is right
for Texas. Collaboration is the key to success in this session," the
new speaker told colleagues and Texans across the state watching the
proceedings on television and the web.
“The Texas House of Representatives cannot conduct
the people’s business if it is divided," Straus said. He pledged to
create an atmosphere where all members’ voices will be heard and
respected. The end result, he said, will be “stronger and better
laws.”
Straus said that as speaker, he intends to empower members to do
what is right for their constituents and for Texas. He concluded by
urging his colleagues to “reach across the aisle, reach across the
rotunda, to build a better future for Texas.”
--Joe Bean, Public Affairs
Specialist
Report on Best
Practices in Dropout Prevention Released
A
new report on Best Practices in
Dropout Prevention, recently released by ICF
International in partnership with the National Dropout Prevention
Center/Network, found that three Texas programs had consistent,
positive and meaningful effects on preventing dropouts. They were
Career Academies, Communities In Schools and Project GRAD.
Career Academies operate as alternative
schools within a larger high school and focus on making students
career-ready by combining regular academic coursework with career
centered curricula, having students focus on one career track, and
giving them the opportunity to intern with local businesses.
Communities In Schools is a stay-in-school
program utilizing a case management model to help students by
providing services directly or linking students with other agencies
and programs in the community to help them stay in school, attain
better attendance rates, reduce behavior problems, improve
academically and graduate or receive a GED.
Project GRAD works with high schools and
their feeder schools to prevent dropouts and encourage college
attendance by providing scholarships, while focusing on classroom
management, student performance, parental involvement, graduation
rates and college acceptance rates.
The Best Practices in Dropout Prevention
study was a requirement of House Bill 2237, passed by the Texas
Legislature in 2007. The bill, which included a number of provisions
and programs aimed at improving high school completion and success
rates, required the Texas Education Agency to conduct a study on
best practices in dropout prevention.
In addition to identifying the most
effective dropout programs, the study provides an overview of
dropout prevention efforts and research, both nationally and across
Texas. The study found that the most effective dropout programs
utilized the following dropout strategies:
• School-community collaboration;
• Safe learning environments;
• Family engagement;
• Mentoring/tutoring;
• Alternative schooling;
• Active learning; and
• Career and technology education
The report also provides legislative
recommendations and identifies dropout prevention programs that have
potential for success in Texas.
The report stated that “results indicate
that dropout prevention programs are reporting successes in various
settings and with different populations. The evidence demonstrates
that it is possible to achieve positive results using a core set of
effective strategies, even among the highest risk populations.”
To view the full report, go to
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/comm/leg_reports/bpdp_final
report_20081219_toTEA.pdf.
January 12, 2009
NEA Helps Bring Presidential
Inauguration to Classrooms
At the request of the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC),
the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation
of Teachers (AFT) worked together to create a series of
instructional guides and activities to help teachers across the
country bring the 56th Presidential Inauguration to life in their
classrooms. The guides are available at:
www.nea.org/inaugurationlessons.html and
www.pic2009.org/page/content/lessonplans.
“It is crucial that our students understand that we are not only
living history and making history with this inauguration, but also
carrying forward the historical contributions of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. and his influence on our incoming 44th president,” said NEA
President Dennis Van Roekel. “These important lesson plans will help
students understand President-elect Obama's message of a 'sense of
unity and shared purpose' into the next four years and beyond.”
The instructional guides, developed jointly by a team of curriculum
experts from AFT and NEA, are designed to teach students about the
history of Inauguration Day and other historical connections to this
particular inauguration. They include information about the 2009
Inaugural schedule of events and background on traditional Inaugural
ceremonies. The guides also provide suggestions for supplementing
the lessons with discussion topics, films, books and other
educational websites.
The lesson guides are divided into three sections: “Learning
History," which highlights the evolution of Inaugural events
beginning with George Washington’s Inauguration in 1789; “Making
History," which lets students follow along with President-elect
Barack Obama's swearing in on January 20; and “Living History,"
which encourages students to continue studying the American
government and the presidency beyond Inauguration Day. The materials
are geared toward students from elementary school to high school,
and offer lesson modifications based on the students’ ages.
“We are thrilled to partner with the AFT and NEA to make these
lesson plans available to teachers across the country,” said PIC
Executive Director Emmett S. Beliveau. “Inauguration Day is rich
with tradition and speaks to both our common history and our shared
future. We hope that these resources will help inspire students to
learn more about this historic day.”
The Presidential Inaugural Committee has committed to making Barack
Obama and Joe Biden’s Inauguration the most accessible and inclusive
in history, and these lesson plans are just one more way that
communities across the country can become involved in this historic
event. These lesson plans will help students of all ages feel part
of this historic moment in our country.
NEA Partners with kidthing for Dear Mr.
President Project
The National Education Association (NEA) and kidthing proudly
announce the Dear Mr. President project – a collaborative project
that provides kids and classrooms the chance to share their hopes,
dreams and ideas with President-Elect Barack Obama.
Beginning January 6, children will be asked to submit their ideas to
kidthing in the form of letters or drawings to our 44th president.
kidthing and the NEA will assemble the top 50 submissions into the
first ever Dear Mr. President digital book to be unveiled on
Presidents Day, February 16. In addition to the free digital copy, a
limited edition printed copy will be sent to the White House.
Teachers, parents and kids can learn more at
http://www.nea.org/home/ns/29487.htm.
The NEA is making Dear Mr. President the centerpiece of its
Presidential Inauguration education program for school children
across the country. As part of this program, the NEA’s 3.2 million
members will be engaging children in a national dialogue about
democracy and citizenship during the Inaugural month of January.
kidthing, the company that created the first and only downloadable
media player just for kids,
is announcing Dear Mr. President as the first in a collaborative
series called ConnectingKids for 2009. Designed to create community
among kids, ConnectingKids projects will provide opportunities for
children to share their ideas with each other in a safe and secure
way at kidthing. The Dear Mr. President project fosters active
citizenship among children, using the power of the Internet in
kidthing’s protected environment.
“This is an incredible moment in our country’s history and an
opportunity to engage our youngest citizens in a dialogue with our
new President. President-Elect Obama is the most digital President
yet, and Dear Mr. President empowers today’s most digital generation
to share with him. ” said Larry Hitchcock, kidthing CEO. “kidthing’s
technology allows these digital kids to share their hopes and ideas
in an exciting new digital way.”
kidthing is also the exclusive digital partner of the NEA’s Read
Across America program (http://www.kidthing.com/nea).
As part of this award-winning literacy program, kidthing offers
teachers free digital versions of selected titles featured in the
Read Across America calendar for use classrooms each month.
TSTA Names New GR Specialist for
Texas Senate
The state’s oldest education organization begins the 81st
Legislature’s regular session with a full agenda and a new
government relations specialist to work with the Texas Senate.
The 65,000-member Texas State Teachers Association continues to push
for a new system of funding public schools that is both sufficient
and flexible, for a new accountability system that accurately
measures student performance and for additional state investment to
ensure the long-term solvency of the Teacher Retirement System of
Texas.
John M. Grey will be carrying that agenda to state senators and
their staffs. A TSTA staff attorney for the past two years, Grey
moves over to the association’s Center for Public Affairs.
“John Grey has the experience and insight that will serve TSTA well
in working with the Texas Senate. He knows the issues, and he knows
how the legislative process works,” association President Rita C.
Haecker said. “This will be a critically important session for
public school employees, and we’re pleased to have several new
allies at the Capitol as a result of the 2008 election.”
Grey succeeds longtime government relations specialist Jack Kelly,
who retired at the end of 2008. When Kelly began working for TSTA in
August 1976, the average beginning teacher salary in Texas was
$6,000. By the end of last year, it had risen to $40,000 – in no
small part because of Kelly’s three decades of work with state
senators and their staffs.
In private practice and in his work for TSTA, Kelly’s successor
dealt with a wide array of legal issues affecting public schools and
their employees. Grey also brings significant experience in state
government to his new position, having worked for the Texas
Legislative Council and for the Office of the Attorney General of
Texas.
Grey earned his law degree at Southern Methodist University School
of Law in Dallas, where he was the editor in chief of the SMU
Computer Law Review and Technology Journal, and graduated from The
University of Texas at Austin.
January 8, 2009
Bill to Repeal Social Security Offset
Reintroduced
Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA) and Buck McKeon (R-CA) have
reintroduced the Social Security Fairness Act to repeal the
Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision. The
new bill number is H.R. 235. The previous bill, which had over 300
cosponsors, expired at the end of the last Congress. When the new
Congress convened this week, our sponsors immediately reintroduced
the bill--demonstrating their strong support for the issue and
desire to send a message about its importance to their congressional
colleagues.
The bill was introduced with over 80
cosponsors. We expect the Senate version to be re-introduced
shortly.
ACTION NEEDED: Contact Members of
Congress immediately and urge them to cosponsor H.R. 235 – the new
Social Security Fairness Act. Concentrate on Members who cosponsored
last year’s bill, as well as all new Members of Congress.
OUR GOAL: Rebuild the cosponsor
list as quickly as possible to show momentum and convince
congressional leaders to take action on the bill.
January 7, 2009
Senate Finance Committee Adopts Final
Report
This morning the Senate Finance Committee met to consider the
adoption of interim reports. The Committee approved the adoption of
the following recommendations, which could lead to legislation being
introduced on these subjects:
1. Establishing a generally accepted appraisal standard that
would be used statewide to calculate property taxes, including a
constitutional amendment for enforcement purposes
2. Allow the sales tax to increase by .25% if counties lower their
rollback rate by a certain amount
3. Move the school district rollback rate elections up to June
4. Prevent constitutional challenges to the property appraisal
system and revenue caps
5. Establish a mechanism for revue of the school funding
formula
6. Find a way to help school districts that are frozen at their
target revenue
7. Establish a system that gives school districts money as the need
arises and stop the current practice of giving the districts all
requested money up front
8. Allow municipalities and school districts to have their assets
collateralized, which was a proposal that was defeated last session
9. Combine existing facility funding programs for school districts
10. Limit what will qualify for state assistance, i.e.,
projects like new football fields must be paid for locally
11. Prohibit school districts from entering into lease/purchase
agreements while grandfathering those already in place
January
2, 2009
TEA Will Launch
Redesigned Website Monday, Jan. 5
The Texas Education Agency will debut a redesigned website
Monday afternoon, Jan. 5. This new site will take over the agency’s
existing URL address,
www.tea.state.tx.us. It will take a number of months to move all
60,000 existing web pages into the new format. Consequently, you may
encounter some broken links if you try to view older content.
However, you will be able to access this legacy content by changing
the address to
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us.
TEA hopes you find
the redesigned website easy to use. It will feature a Google-search
engine, which will greatly improve the search function. The new home
page will feature portals where administrators, teachers and outside
entities doing business with TEA can go for targeted information.
Additional portals organize information by topic. Parents and
prospective teachers will have ready access to key information
through a new section called “How do I...”
If your website
links to the TEA site, please check to make sure your links still
work once the redesigned agency site becomes active and, if
necessary, update those bookmarks. Please share this information
with others in your school district or organization.
TEA encourages you
to send any feedback or questions about the website to
teainfo@tea.state.tx.us. The agency will continue to work to
improve the site.
Former U.S. Senator Who Created Pell
Grants Dies at 90
"Claiborne Pell, the quirky blueblood who represented blue-collar
Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate for 36 years and was the force
behind a grant program that has helped tens of millions of Americans
attend college, died Thursday after a long battle with Parkinson's
disease. He was 90," The Associated Press reported.
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