Signing up new members in Southwest ISD
Southwest Educators Association signed up new members at the district new teacher orientation; the recruiters, from left to right, were Treasurer Monica De Luna, President Janet Rodriguez, Association Representative Rosalinda Casillas, and staff members Nicki Roberson and Susan Salinas.

September 1, 2010
TSTA deplores crippling education cuts
The Texas State Teachers Association today strongly objected to crippling proposals outlined by the Texas Education Agency to delay purchases of much-needed English and science textbooks and cut funding for other critical education programs, including science labs, dropout prevention, teacher mentoring and fitness grants for middle schools.

The organization of teacher and education support professionals decried Gov. Rick Perry’s slash-and-burn approach to balancing the state budget while most of the state’s school districts already are struggling to cope with a shamefully under-funded school finance system.

“All that educators and other taxpayers can expect from Gov. Perry is lip service,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “Although he talks a good game of preparing today’s young people for tomorrow’s jobs, his budgetary policies are wrecking the public schools and jeopardizing our children’s future.”

“The governor can talk all he wants about school savings, as he did yesterday in Abilene. But most school districts and educators already are stretched so thin, there is little, if anything, left to save,” she added.

The Texas Education Agency -- headed by Perry’s appointee, Education Commissioner Robert Scott -- has posted its proposed 10 percent cuts in the public education budget for the 2012-2013 biennium, as requested by the governor. The $261.6 million in reductions include:

• $48 million for English, Spanish and science textbooks that were to be purchased over the next biennium. Some of the books scheduled to be replaced are up to 10 years old. Updated materials are critical for students who are now facing newly approved end-of-course exams.

• $35 million for science labs, even as high school students, for the first time, are required to complete four years of science to graduate.

• $42 million for the Student Success Initiative, a program that helps students struggling to pass standardized tests.

• $13 million for the Texas High School Completion and Success Initiative, a dropout prevention program. This is particularly hurtful at a time when Texas’ high dropout rate – which the governor tries to underplay – is a major economic and social problem.

• $3.5 million for Communities in Schools, another dropout prevention program.

• $12.9 million for teacher mentoring, a key component to ensuring that young, quality teachers remain in the classroom.

• $1.5 million for teacher professional development opportunities.

• $11 million for physical education and fitness programs for middle schools with large numbers of low-income students, despite growing concern over childhood obesity.

• $13 million for the Windham School District, a program that helps prison inmates obtain GEDs with the goal of reducing recidivism This cut, according to TEA, would reduce the number of offenders passing the GED by 20 percent, increase recidivism and increase offender behavioral problems.

TEA also plans to cut by about two-thirds the $10 million that the Legislature appropriated to equip new school buses with passenger seat belts. This all but guts a 2007 law requiring the seat belts on new buses.

TSTA urges the Legislature to reject these crippling cuts when it writes the new state budget during the 2011 session. Before lawmakers make any cuts in the face of an anticipated $18 billion revenue shortfall, they should spend all the money in the Rainy Day Fund, a potential $9 billion. The Rainy Day Fund was created to help meet fiscal crises, not to use as a perpetual savings account.

Then lawmakers should consider a balanced revenue source that treats all taxpayers fairly and adequately meets the state’s needs.

August 26, 2010
TRS search committee meets
Today, the Executive Director Search Committee of TRS met to discuss the status of the search with the search firm of Korn Ferry, which has been employed to screen applicants for the position of Executive Director. The Committee and Korn Ferry discussed the qualities that the perfect candidate should possess. The Committee set its next meeting for Sept. 29, at which time Korn Ferry will present a list of candidates to the Committee. The Committee will begin interviewing candidates in mid- to late-October. 

In addition, this afternoon, TRS appeared before the Legislative Budget Board to present its Legislative Appropriations Request. The request contained information on which we have previously reported.  In summary, TRS made a base request of $4.5 billion, an increase of $465.1 million over fiscal year 2010-11. TRS also made a $465.8 million request for one exceptional item, a one-half percent increase in the state contribution to the fund each year of the biennium (moving the state contribution to 7.2% and 7.7%, respectively). TRS’ request for TRS-Care will maintain the current state contribution rate of 1%.

August 25, 2010
Discount and free shipping from SmileMakers
SmileMakers, a Staples-owned company that is an NEA Member Benefits partner, is now offering NEA members a special back-to-school discount: 10% off all orders plus free shipping. It's easy to use. Visit www.SmileMakers.com or call 1-888-800-Smile (7645) and use promo code NEAMMM.  SmileMakers offers thousands of classroom items to help your members "Create. Motivate. Educate."  The offer runs through October 31. 

August 23, 2010
NEA President to be in Texas Friday
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel started a five-day, seven-city media tour on Monday, August 23 to raise public awareness about what NEA members are doing at the school and district level to rejuvenate public education. The tour ends in Texas on Friday.

Day one - August 23 - Denver, CO - Dennis spent the day exploring the success of the Denver Classroom Teachers' transformation efforts through collaboration with the school district and the collective bargaining process.

Day two - August 24 - Missouri - Dennis will learn about the school-business partnerships that district management and NEA leaders have established in Columbia, MO, and will announce a $10,000 NEA grant that will allow the local Association to expand their partnership efforts to include the community through NEA's Public Engagement Program - Later in the day, Dennis will travel to St. Louis to participate in an editorial board meeting with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch - and - to take part in a town hall meeting with members that will be carried by satellite and a webcast to some half-dozen locations throughout the 'show me' state.

Day three - August 25 - Columbus, OH - Dennis will visit Columbus, OH, to see the progress of a $555,000 federal grant the Association has secured with Ohio State University to bring an extensive 'community service learning' initiative to Ohio's capitol city.

Day four - August 26 - Tampa, FL - Dennis will participate in editorial board meetings with the daily papers in Tampa and St. Petersburg - and then conduct a town hall meeting with NEA members in Hillsborough County (Tampa) to find out more about the local Association's use of the collective bargaining process to achieve school transformation.

Day five - August 27 - Texas - Dennis will be in San Antonio to highlight the success of local pre-K programs in achieving academic success - and - will then move to Austin to visit with several of the state's leading education reporters and another town hall meeting with members.

Blog: www.nea.org/backtoschooltour

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/neapr/sets/72157624632013893

Daily social media release: http://www.nea.org/home/1709.htm

August 20, 2010
Two TSTA members are finalists for math/science award
Two TSTA members are among the finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Lorene Wallace is a first grade teacher at Brykerwoods Elementary in Austin ISD with six years of teaching experience, and Stephanie Weaver is a third grade teacher at Shadycrest Elementary in Pearland ISD with 14 years of teaching experience. http://www.tea.state.tx.us

August 19, 2010
TSTA member in running for Teacher of the Year
Beth Huckabee, a biology teacher at Flour Bluff High School in the Flour Bluff ISD, is a finalist in the Texas Teacher of the Year program. http://www.tea.state.tx.us

August 17, 2010
Ways and Means will examine tax breaks
House Ways and Means Chairman Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville, said the Legislature’s search for new revenue next session will include a look at every exemption and tax credit now available to taxpayers. It is imperative, he said, that the state create a tax system in which everyone pays a fair share of the burden. 

The committee met to hear testimony on ways the revised franchise tax could be changed to improve compliance and fairness.  That tax was approved in 2006 to help pay for reductions in local school property taxes but has failed to bridge the revenue gap. Consequently, school districts all over the state are facing budgetary problems. 

According to the comptroller’s office, the franchise tax is expected to produce approximately $3.84 billion in 2010.  And, as the economy recovers slowly, future revenue expectations are about $5 billion a year.  As one member of the committee pointed out, this is nowhere near what is necessary to make up for the lost revenue from the 2006 property tax cuts. 

Some witnesses complained that the franchise tax was imposing significant tax bills on small businesses that might be operating at a loss. Other witnesses predicted that problems with the tax will be cured as time goes by. And, it was noted, there is a lot of concern among the business community about the prospects of the Legislature attempting to revise the tax in the face of an anticipated $18 billion revenue shortfall next year. 

The comptroller’s office reported that the expected value of the Rainy Day Fund on Aug. 31, 2011, will be $8.2 billion, that sales tax revenue has started to creep back up over the past four months and that the comptroller will not consider providing a new revenue estimate until the end of the calendar year in December.    

August 16, 2010
TRS discusses retire/rehire and service credit costs
The Teacher Retirement System Board met in Austin last week to discuss a number of issues facing retirees and employees considering retirement.  

The rules around service credit costs and employment after retirement have become confusing as a result of “band-aid” legislation passed since 2001, but the TRS Board must get legislative authority during the upcoming session in order to fix them.   

TRS staff cited two reasons the system for purchasing service credit needs to change: it’s confusing for the purchaser because there’s a dramatic change in rates from year to year, and certain service credit hours are subsidized inequitably.  

Here’s what the TRS staff recommends:

·          for amounts withdrawn, add 8 percent reinstatement fees, compounded annually;

·          for unreported amounts, use 12 percent of salary plus an 8 percent fee, compounded annually;

·          for out-of-state, the suggested cost basis would be the actuarial present value; and

·          the substitute suggested cost basis would be same as unreported.  

TRS says there would be an increase of $233 million to the fund with these changes, but they do not anticipate an actuarial change. 

Because employment after retirement is a complex issue, TRS staff has a new handbook that will be released in September. The staff recommends three options for future legislation:               

Plan A would dictate any new employment after retirement would result in forfeiture of the annuity for months worked with no exception. Limits would be applied prospectively to those who retire after a “selected date” and employers would pay a surcharge. There would be no limits on employees retiring before the selected date.   

Plan B would allow substitute work and half-time work without forfeiture of the annuity, but any full-time work would forfeit the annuity; limits would be applied prospectively to those who retire after a “selected date” with no limits prior to that date; and employers would pay a surcharge on those who retire after that date.   

Plan C would allow substitute work, half-time work, and full-time work without loss of annuity. Full-time work would only be allowed after a sit-out period of 12 consecutive months immediately following retirement. The limits would be applied prospectively to those who retire after a “selected date” with no limits before that date, and employers would pay a surcharge on those who retire after that date.  

TRS staff gave the board its budget summary request for the coming legislative session. TRS will request 6.644 percent, the current rate, for the state contribution rate for the next biennium. TRS will also request 1 percent for TRS Care as the growth assumption is 5 percent for payroll only and not costs. TRS has one exceptional item of a .5 percent increase for each year of the biennium for the state contribution rate to make the fund actuarially sound.   

TRS staff reported that the trust fund as of May 31 is $94.2 billion, an increase of $0.7 billion from the end of the second quarter and an increase of $5.5 billion from the fiscal year beginning net assets of $88.7 billion. 

SBEC meeting: TSTA concerned about vague ethics rules
At last week's meeting of the State Board for Educator Certification, TSTA Government Relations Specialist John Grey presented on an attempt to create vague ethics rules presented by SBEC staff. The initial rules were much worse. Upon initial offer, TSTA and others pushed back against staff, which removed the item in the previous meeting. Another stakeholder meeting was held, and the rule was improved, but not acceptable. Words like “appropriate” and “good moral character” remain in the document, and these words lead to no-win situations for teachers. 

TSTA testified against certain aspects of revised § 247.2 (Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators). Specifically, TSTA disagreed with wording in Standard 1.10 in which SBEC requires the educator to “demonstrate that he or she is fit and worthy to instruct or supervise the youth of this state.” TSTA pointed out that the burden is in the wrong place – that SBEC is the gatekeeper in this situation, and it is incumbent upon SBEC to prove that an educator is unfit and unworthy to instruct or supervise the youth of this state. 

Further, TSTA pointed out that there is a major problem with Standard 3.2, in which an educator can be the subject of disciplinary action for engaging in negligence that “adversely affects or endangers the learning, physical health, mental health, or safety of the student or minor.” TSTA emphasized that under such a standard, an educator may be the subject of disciplinary action for a mere accident, leaving this standard ripe for abuse by rogue administrators. In addressing TSTA’s comments on this standard, SBEC counsel demonstrated that she failed to grasp the concept of the debate at hand. 

Finally, TSTA testified that Standard 3.9 is also ripe for abuse by subjecting an educator to disciplinary action for “excessive” electronic communication with a student. Students and educators could engage in fruitful math and science discussions over email that a crusading administrator could deem “excessive” and then unnecessarily report that educator to SBEC for disciplinary action.

After hearing testimony, the board began deliberations on the new set of ethics rules. SBEC staff specifically responded to Grey’s testimony. Among other things, staff defended using the number of texts as a means of disciplinary action, despite their content. This would be due to the fact that cell phone companies don’t carry content long enough to aid the investigation. In general, the lead SBEC counsel encouraged the board to “trust us.” The motion was passed with minor revisions. 

Members heard testimony from SBEC staff regarding the pilot program regarding principal evaluations on teacher preparation programs. This program is intended to effectively implement Senate Bill 174, which requires accountability for these programs. Staff used an outside source, SEDL, to analyze data from principal surveys. This will allow SBEC staff to remove redundant questions and streamline the process for using these forms to better assess teacher preparation programs. -- report by Paul Henley, TSTA Teaching and Learning staff

August 11, 2010
Contact AARP by Sunday!
AARP’s Board of Directors and National Policy Council have invited the public to provide input for the development of the AARP’s approved policies for next two years. Please contact them by this Sunday! Ask them to make it their policy to support the repeal of the WEP/GPO Social Security offsets.

Tell them how the WEP/GPO legislation has affected you, your family and/or your friends and why they should be supporting repeal.  Scroll down to the portion of the form titled “Retirement Income – Chapter 4.” http://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/public-policy-input  

President signs jobs bill
The U.S. House passed the education jobs bill by a vote of 247-161, and President Obama has signed it into law. TSTA President Rita Haecker praised the move, which means an estimated $830 million to Texas teachers.

RELATED LINKS:
• More about the vote
• NEA's Education Votes website
• TSTA President praises House for passing funding bill
• Grading Texas: Making school kids a partisan issue

August 10, 2010
Jobs/FMAP bill passes! Major victory for educators, students, parents and the nation
Today, the U.S. House passed the education jobs/FMAP bill by a vote of  247-161 (see the vote tally at http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2010/roll518.xml).  This means the bill only has to go to the President for signature and it becomes law!  The President will sign the bill this evening at 5:00pm, so that the implementation process can begin immediately.

A detailed account is available at http://neatoday.org/2010/08/10/house-delivers-victory-for-students-and-educators-nationwide.

New figures from the U.S. Department of Education estimate that some 161,000 educators who had received pink slips will be heading back to school this fall.

This victory is a result of an amazing team effort involving every level of this Association.  The participation by members, the multiple contacts with every single congressional office, the calls, emails, and personal visits by affiliate leaders and staff were unprecedented.  Thank you all for everything you did to help achieve this incredible victory. more

TSTA praises House approval of education jobs funding
The Texas State Teachers Association today applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for giving final approval to a $10 billion emergency funding package for educators. The bill is worth an estimated $830 million to Texas teachers. 

“Texas educators say, ‘Thank you!’” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “With Texas’ public schools already under-funded, and the Texas Legislature facing an $18 billion revenue shortfall next year, this extra money couldn’t have come at a better time.” 

Haecker also commended U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett and other Texas Democrats for including a provision in the bill to guarantee that the money is spent for public education and not diverted by the governor and legislative leaders to other programs. 

“Some teachers are losing their jobs. Others are faced with higher health care premiums to help school districts balance their budgets. It is time for Governor Perry and other Republican leaders, who have been hyperventilating over political hyperboles, to quit playing political games with Texas teachers and school kids,” she said. 

“What the Doggett amendment is attempting to do is make it clear that Texas will use the federal funds in the way the bill intends them to be used – maintaining current programs, retaining current staff and, where possible, hiring additional staff to handle the still-growing Texas student population.” 

An estimated 1,000 to 2,000 Texas teachers lost their employment contracts this year. An additional, unknown number of teacher positions were lost to attrition amid a flurry of school district budget cuts throughout the state. 

The bill also includes additional federal funding for Medicaid, crucial health care funding for low-income families.

July 23, 2010
SBOE makes $100 million available for charter facilities
The State Board of Education approved a new asset allocation for its $22.2 billion Permanent School Fund Friday that includes, for the first time, making about a $100 million available for charter school facilities and putting $1.5 billion in a risk parity strategy. more

July 22, 2010
SBOE: Common Core, TPM and using PSF for charters
Today's meeting of the State Board of Education began with Commissioner Robert Scott discussing Texas' refusal to join with 48 other states in adopting the new Common Core standards for English and Mathematics. 

For Texas to join this coalition, Scott said he would have to break three laws: 

1. Standards are to be set by the State Board of Education.

2. Standards are to be created with input from teachers, stakeholders and the general public.

3. Standards must now include College-Ready components.

He noted a new study by the Fordham Foundation that gave Texas an A minus inits English Language Arts and Reading standards. He felt that this showed Texas' strength in creating standards.  

Texas received a C in math standards. Scott said he believed many Texas teachers would disagree, and that you cannot base policy on one report (that is, unless you get an A minus. Besides, math is next in line to be reviewed and any necessary improvements could be handled there, Scott said. 

Scott went on to address recent attacks from legislators regarding the Texas Progress Measure or TPM. There is a belief among Democratic legislators that the TPM was used to make sure more schools passed the Texas school accountability system during an election year. When called to testify on this, Scott sent an aide who either didn't or couldn't answer many of the legislators' questions. 

Scott referred to these allegations as "silly" and said accountability decisions were made by Texas Education Agency staff, not politicians. He spoke of the first growth measure Texas proposed, which was refused by the U.S. Department of Education. The new system uses a statistical regression analysis to predict the future. Scott told the board that this is used in other states, although he did refer to it as both "a black box" and "voodoo." 

Some board members have been pushing to redirect the Permanent School Fund investment strategy to include the purchase of land and buildings for charter school organizations. Since the fund determines the amount of money available for textbooks each year, other members pushed back. The idea failed on a 7-7 vote. After much further deliberation today, the board voted to create an investment portfolio that did not include such investments. 

The board then studied every question in the Frequently Asked Questions document that TEA will be releasing to publishers regarding supplemental science materials. TEA will make adjustments as necessary to ensure the board will pass it tomorrow on final reading. There was a fair amount of trepidation regarding the price of these supplementary materials.

Since this was new territory, publishers will bid before the board can determine a fair value for these materials. Final decisions would have to come in January, when a board with new members will take over.--Paul T. Henley, TSTA Teaching and Learning Specialist

July 21, 2010
Got questions? SBOE candidate forum Sept. 28
The League of Women Voters of the Austin Area is sponsoring a forum at the KLRU-TV studio for State Board of Education candidates for District 5 and 10.   

As educators, you probably have many questions and concerns. This is your opportunity to make your voices heard and have  the candidates respond to your questions. You are the experts in your fields, you are the ones who work with the students on a daily basis and you are the ones who will have to incorporate the changes into your lesson plans.  

Please go to www.lwvaustin.org. Click on the “News” tab and choose “SBOE Questions.”  Please indicate if you would prefer that your name not be used in the event that your question is selected.   

There are about 300 seats in the Austin City Limits Studio, and they will be available to the public on a first-come basis.  When ticket information on the forum becomes available on the KLRU web site, www.klru.org, you can make reservations.  For more information, please call the office of the League of Women Voters of the Austin Area at (512) 451-6710.   

Take this opportunity to participate in the SBOE forum by either submitting a question or attending the forum. 

July 20, 2010
TSTA: More resources needed for teachers
Richard Kouri, assistant executive director for public affairs for the Texas State Teachers Association, today told the Senate Education Committee that the state needs to commit significant resources to properly recruit and retain teachers. He said more funding also is needed for induction, mentoring and professional development.

Kouri directed the committee’s attention to TSTA’s latest biennial survey on teacher moonlighting and morale, which shows that the number of teachers taking extra jobs during the school year has increased while morale is down among veteran teachers. The survey, conducted for TSTA by Sam Houston State University, indicates that four of every 10 teachers had to moonlight during the recent school year to make ends meet. This is the highest percentage since TSTA first started conducting the survey 30 years ago. About 47 percent of respondents said they have considered leaving the profession.

Kouri made it clear to the committee that it is time to stop discussing issues and start solving the problems that the Texas Legislature has created.

The committee met to hear testimony on attracting, training and retaining high quality teachers, properly evaluating teachers, and dismissing ineffective teachers.

More teachers forced into extra jobs
Four of every 10 Texas teachers moonlight during the school year to make ends meet, and 56 percent take extra jobs during the summer, according to a survey by Sam Houston State University commissioned by the Texas State Teachers Association.

The 40.8 percent of respondents who said they held second jobs during the current school year was the highest percentage since TSTA first started sponsoring the biennial survey, “Texas Teachers, Moonlighting and Morale,” 30 years ago. It was a significant jump from the 28 percent who reported moonlighting in 2008 and the 22 percent who reported having extra jobs when the first survey was conducted in 1980.

“It is a shame that so many of our dedicated educators have to struggle with extra jobs to support their families, but they have no choice,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “They are to be commended for going the extra mile each day for their students and their families. It is past time for our elected state officials to give these professionals the professional pay that they deserve.”

Almost half of the respondents (46.7 percent) said they were seriously considering leaving the profession, but the fact that 58.6 percent also were their family’s major breadwinners made that prospect difficult for many teachers.

The online survey of 907 teachers was conducted this spring by faculty members at Sam Houston State University.

The average number of hours, 15.2 percent, that teachers spent on extra jobs each week during the school year also was the highest amount recorded for the survey, as was the 56.4 percent of teachers who took summer jobs. In 2008, the average number of hours spent moonlighting each week during the school year was 11.5, and 34 percent of respondents reported summer jobs.

Some 68.6 percent of the moonlighting teachers believe their teaching quality would improve if they didn’t have extra jobs but said they couldn’t afford to give up the additional income without a raise in their teacher pay. Most (63.2 percent) said they would quit their second jobs during the school year if their teaching jobs paid more. On average, they said that would require a raise of $8,534 a year.

The average salary of teachers responding to the survey was $50,019 a year. Their average classroom experience was 17.7 years.

Overall, the average teacher salary in Texas, according to data for the 2008-09 school year, the most recent available, was $47,157. That was 34th in the country and $7,176 below the national average.

Other findings from the survey included:

• The respondents’ average age is 49.

• 78.9 percent are women.

• 43.8 percent have master’s degrees.

• Only 28.8 percent consider the quality of teaching at their schools better than it was five years ago.

• They spent an average of 15 hours a week outside of class on school-related work.

• Their out-of-pocket expenses on school supplies averaged $564 a year.

• Their average out-of-pocket expenses for health insurance averaged $222 a month.

• Only 32.1 percent believed they had adequate time to prepare and teach.

• Discipline (57.7 percent) and paperwork (22.3 percent) were identified as the worst problems in their schools.

• Only 6 percent believed a single standardized test should determine whether a student gets promoted.

• 51 percent of respondents taught in urban districts and 38 percent in suburban schools.

• 37.4 percent taught in high school, 35.9 percent in elementary grades and 24.9 percent in middle school.

For poll data and questions, see the Pressroom.

July 19, 2010
Texan wins NEA's César Chávez award
Juanita Valdez-Cox of Texas received NEA's César Chávez Acción y Compromiso Human and Civil Rights Award, presented to a nominee who follows in the exemplary footsteps of César Chávez in philosophy, work, and leadership. Watch the video

July 15, 2010
Senate must approve jobs bill
The $10 billion education jobs bill, which the U.S. House has approved, is now before the Senate. Please call your senators and urge them to do the right thing for educators and support the bill. Click on this link to make your contacts: http://capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=15205681

July 12, 2010
NEA Click & Save's deals for August
NEA Click & Save, the online discount buying service for NEA members, highlights select retailers and merchants each month. Check out these featured “Buy-lights” for August. 

Sony: Save up to 10% on CyberShot digital cameras and HD camcorders, plus free shipping on orders over $25

Dell: Save 30% off—or more

Brooks Brothers: Receive 15% off online, in store & catalog

Target: Save 10% off your next purchase

La Quinta: Save up to 15%--rates as low as $59

Six Flags: Enjoy up to 50% off Six Flags theme parks nationwide, all summer long 

July 9, 2010
El Paso County invited to meet NEA vice president
All TSTA members in El Paso County are invited to meet NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen at a reception July 28 from 6-8 p.m. The reception will be at the Socorro ISD District Service Center at 12440 Rojas Drive in El Paso. Follow Socorro Education Association on Facebook for updates.

Child Nutrition Bill reauthorization update
The Child Nutrition Bill directly affects millions of students and thousands of food service workers in the public schools. The Senate passed their version of the bill out of the Agriculture Committee in March. (NEA's letter on the Senate bill is at http://www.nea.org/home/38662.htm.)

House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) introduced the House bill, HR 5504, in June, and there was a committee hearing last week. (For more information, including a recording of the hearing, go to: http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/2010/07/hr5504-improving-nutrition-for.shtml.) 

Chairman Miller intends to mark up the bill the week of July 12. NEA Government Relations is sending information to the committee reiterating NEA’s support for a robust bill with adequate funding, nutritional standards and professional development and protection for education support professionals. To continue recent momentum, NEA is partnering with the Child Nutrition Forum, Food Policy Working Group and others.

• click here to join NEA ESP Groupsite

• read more about NEA's position on child nutrition

July 8, 2010
Opportunity for Response to Intervention leaders
Because NEA is a founding partner of the Response to Intervention Action Network, NEA members are invited to participate in a free year of the Leadership Network. This opportunity is available only to the first 250 applicants who apply. The Leadership Network is designed to support district and building RTI leaders at any stage of RTI implementation by providing mentoring from an experienced RTI implementer, free resources, involvement in an online community, and more.  The application process closes July 30. http://www.rtinetwork.org/connect/leadership-network  
 

July 7, 2010
Study: later start time improves student performance
The Associate Press today reports, "Giving teens 30 extra minutes to start their school day leads to more alertness in class, better moods, less tardiness, and even healthier breakfasts, a small study found."

According to the AP, "The results appear in July's Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine" and the "results mirror those at a few schools that have delayed starting times more than half an hour. ... 'There's biological science to this that I think provides compelling evidence as to why this makes sense,' said Brown University sleep researcher Dr. Judith Owens, the study's lead author and a pediatrician at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island." more

July 6, 2010
NEA Representative Assembly ends
The 2010 NEA Representative Assembly came to an end today. The most comprehensive coverage about what happened can be found at www.nea.org/ra. That includes a comprehensive listing of all the policy actions taken by RA delegates – resolutions, new business items, etc. Other links:

• NEA President Dennis Van Roekel's keynote address can be found at http://www.nea.org/grants/40155.htm.

• All of NEA’s press releases for the RA are at http://www.nea.org/home/1709.htm. Four of those releases have links to NEA Social Media Releases: ESP of the Year, Greatest Education Governor, National Teacher of the Year and NEA Friend of Education.

• Photos of RA activities can be found on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/neapr/sets.

July 2, 2010
Thank them--and continue the jobs fight
Educators who want to thank their representatives in the U.S. House for approving the education jobs funding can do so by clicking on the first link below. Then, you can continue the fight by clicking on the second link to urge your U.S. senators to complete work on the package:

Thank you to the House http://capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=15205786

Email your Senators http://capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=15205681

House approves jobs funding
The U.S. House of Representatives last night (July 1) approved legislation containing emergency funds to help states to cope with the Great Recession and stave off massive layoffs of educators and cuts to programs. The spending measure, which includes billions in aid to public schools and other critical domestic priorities, now moves to the Senate. According to a National Education Association analysis, the funds will save the jobs of approximately 138,000 educators.

The timely action by the House of Representatives comes at a critical time. School budgets across the country have already been cut to the bone, forcing massive layoffs of teachers and education support professionals. Some districts are moving to four-day school weeks, gutting critical services and programs for students, or even closing schools entirely. Other districts are projecting class sizes to double as a direct result of the layoffs. These layoffs and cuts are coming at the same time schools are facing demands for better academic outcomes.

NEA launched a national campaign called Speak Up for Education & Kids to mobilize educators and others concerned about the budget crisis facing states and to raise awareness about the consequences of inaction. NEA will continue to put pressure on policymakers until they put students before politics.

"We applaud the House of Representatives for speaking up for public education and students. We are especially grateful to Rep. David Obey (D-WI) and the House leadership for working so hard to address the immediate education and jobs crisis,” said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.

"Similarly, we appreciate the unbending support of governors across the country to ensure financial relief for struggling states and keep our nation on the road to economic recovery.

"Today, as a direct result of educators' voices and efforts, we are a step closer to making sure children do not have to bear the brunt of our nation's economic woes. Most importantly, however, the much-needed funds will keep class sizes from ballooning and prevent many harmful cuts to critical services and programs for students.

"We urge the Senate to act swiftly to pass the emergency funding bill and stave off more economic damage to our schools. We need to keep schools open, educators working and students learning."

For more information on Speak Up for Education & Kids, visit www.facebook.com/speakupforkids For more information on saving educators' jobs, visit www.educationvotes.nea.org/ Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/NEAMedia

July 1, 2010
Scott misses appropriations subcommittee hearing
State Education Commissioner Robert Scott was a no-show, but the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education still heard an update this week from the Texas Education Agency on anticipated, 5 percent budget reductions.

Adam Jones, deputy commissioner of finance & administration, assured the subcommittee that the Life Skills budget would not be cut as originally proposed. But items listed for possible spending reductions include steroid testing, Humanities Texas, the District Awards for Teacher Excellence (DATE) and the school bus seat belt program.

The panel discussed how these cuts could affect student achievement and expressed concern over cuts being made to the grant program for science labs.  Other programs on the chopping block include grants for non-profits, including Junior Achievement, Rural School Technology and Teach for America.

The virtual school network also could experience budget cuts, considering the generous appropriation for the current biennium. But TEA cautioned that enrollment in virtual classes is expected to double or even quadruple from last spring and may require the appropriated amount.

There was heated discussion during the hearing about the use of the Texas Projection Measure to improve schools’ ratings under the state accountability system. The Texas Projection Measure is designed to project a student’s ability to pass the TAKS test within three years after that student has failed the test.  This analysis is then used to determine how a school is rated for that school year. 

Since this is the first year TEA has used the Texas Projection Measure to rate campuses, it is reflecting an inaccurate improvement for many campuses, said subcommittee Chairman Scott Hochberg (D-Houston). 

That measure was one of many issues that Chairman Hochberg said he wanted to discuss with Commissioner Scott. He expressed frustration with Scott’s absence several times during the hearing. Scott’s scheduled presence had been confirmed by agency staff the day before.  Chairman Hochberg closed the hearing by stating that apparently the commissioner works for one person, referring to Governor Perry.

Here is a link to the TEA’s budget reduction document:
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/lar/FivePrecentReductionTEAl.pdf

June 30, 2010
Juanita Valdez-Cox wins HCR Award
The César Chávez Accíon y Compromiso Human and Civil Rights Award is given to a nominee who follows in the footsteps of César Chávez in philosophy, work and leadership. To be eligible for this award, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria:  

• Engage in activities that dignify workers and their jobs and give them hope for a better life.  

• Exemplify the nonviolent philosophy of César Chávez in improving the status of labor and the lives of workers.  

• Demonstrate devotion, resilience, and strength in organizing traditionally disadvantaged workers.  

• Combine labor relations techniques and grassroots organizing to achieve improvements in working conditions.

• Make notable contributions to the labor movement through commitment, action, and negotiation.  

This year, Juanita Valdez-Cox of Texas was chosen to receive the Chavez award. She is the director of La Union del Pueblo Entero, which was founded in 1989 by Chávez. LUPE is committed to building stronger, healthier communities where people have the power to effect social change through community organizing and civic engagement.

Valdez-Cox will be honored at the NEA Human and Civil Rights Award Banquet Friday, July 2 at the New Orleans Convention Center Ballroom. http://www.nea.org/hcrawards

June 29, 2010
The pitfalls of privatization
Privatization has a place in government, but state officials must be careful when contracting with private vendors for public services, former Deputy Comptroller Billy Hamilton told a House committee today. 

“Vendors (often) promise more than they can deliver,” said Hamilton, a former, longtime state employee and budgetary expert who now is a consultant. 

Testifying before the Select Committee on Government Efficiency and Accountability, Hamilton said vendors and state government usually share the blame when things go wrong with privatization contracts. 

He said state government is sometimes “behind the curve” on technology and advised that state officials who are contemplating a contract with a private vendor visit other states with similar, existing programs to see “what lessons were learned.” 

Privatization, Hamilton emphasized, shouldn’t be a government philosophy, but a sound business decision. 

Celia Hagert, senior policy analyst with the Center for Public Policy Priorities, pointed out that one of the biggest privatization failures in Texas was the multimillion-dollar contract between the Health and Human Services Commission and Accenture for services that included eligibility screening of applicants for social services. The controversial contract was canceled a few years ago. 

Hagert said the Accenture contract left the Health and Human Services Commission with a “large budget hole” and undermined public confidence in the agency. She proposed several reforms, including: 

• Stronger accountability requirements and conflict-of-interest restrictions. 

• Giving a state agency the chance to demonstrate its own employees can perform a public service better than a private contractor. 

• Making sure that a state agency has the ability to oversee and enforce a private contract. 

The state should contract out only those services that state employees can’t adequately and cost-effectively perform, Hagert said. 

Wanda Garner Cash, a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin and former newspaper editor and publisher, urged legislators to make it clear that any private vendor performing public services is required to comply with the state’s Public Information Act. 

Brian Collister, a reporter for WOAI-TV in San Antonio, testified that he was unable to get records from a private contractor operating a red light camera system.

High risk pools begin soon
If you do not have access to employer sponsored health care coverage, the temporary high risk health pools established under the new health reform law are set to begin soon.  Many NEA members lack employer sponsored health care due to an insufficient number of hours worked or an inability to pay the premium, and because they have been turned down for coverage in the individual insurance market due to a preexisting condition exclusion.  

To qualify for coverage under the high risk pools, legal U.S. residents with a pre-existing condition must have been without health care coverage for at least six months. Fact sheets prepared by the Department of Health and Human Services which outline the eligibility, premium rules, role of the state, and the allocation of federal funding can be found at www.hhs.gov/ociio/initiative/hi_risk_pool_facts.html and  http://healthreform.gov/forums/blog/blog_20100430.html.  

Watch this site for news about Texas: http://www.txhealthpool.org.

Attorney general protects educators’ pay raise
The Attorney General Greg Abbott has issued an opinion protecting a state-ordered pay raise for educators. The attorney general’s ruling, issued today, provides that a statewide pay boost received last year won’t be eroded by local school districts during the upcoming school year. 

“This is good news for Texas’ hard-working educators,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “This assures a cost-of-living increase that many teachers would not have received otherwise.” 

The attorney general said the statewide pay increase approved by the Legislature for 2009-2010 was in addition to step increases under a school district’s current salary schedule, local supplements and career ladder supplements. Teachers will continue to receive those step increases and supplements as previously scheduled for 2010-2011, he said. 

TSTA advocated for this interpretation.

• Attorney General ruling:
  http://www.tsta.org/news/current/GA-0785.pdf

• TSTA's letter to the Attorney General: http://www.tsta.org/news/current/attygen610.pdf

Are charter schools better?
A new federally-funded study on charter schools, released today, finds "some are more effective than nearby traditional public schools, and others are less effective. Among charter schools popular enough to hold lotteries, overall, our results suggest that they are no more successful than nearby traditional public schools in boosting student achievement." more

June 28, 2010
Adopted social studies TEKS online
The color-coded version of the adopted social studies TEKS and the updated historical figures documents are now posted at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=3643.

June 22,2010
House Committee on Pensions, Investments, Financial
The House Committee on Pensions, Investments & Financial Services met in Austin today to hear invited testimony on interim charge #2 which directs the committee to examine Texas school districts’ administration of their employees’ optional retirement investments. The committee invited Ronnie Jung, Executive Director of the Teacher Retirement System, John R. Morgan, Deputy Securities Commissioner for the State Securities Board and Mike Geeslin, Commissioner of the Texas Department of Insurance. Mr. Jung testified that TRS is charged with two legal obligations for retirement products and they are to certify companies and cap fees for services and to maintain a website listing all 9,000 products available to school district employees. Jung stated that TRS has no direct authority over the regulation of these products other than to certify them for sale in Texas. Currently, the sale of retirement and investment products seems to be going smoothly as TRS has received very little feedback on these products from its customers.

June 21, 2010
TSTA at Democratic State Convention this week
The Texas Democratic State Convention will be held at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi June 24-26. TSTA will caucus on June 25 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in Room 225 A-B of the American Bank Center. For more information on the convention, visit www.txdemocrats.org.  
 

June 18, 2010
TSTA's Richard Kouri talks with Equity Center Radio
Richard Kouri, TSTA’s assistant executive director of public affairs, talked with Equity Center Radio today about the current state budget and how difficult it will be to fight for new funding for schools during the 2011 Legislative Session. He emphasized that new funding is a must if Texas is to compete nationally and globally. He also discussed how crucial the concept of equity is, and how inequities in our current funding system trickle down to the teacher and student level, with a devastating effect. www.equitycenter.org

Charters are heard at TEA
The Texas Education Agency conducted a hearing today on proposed amendment to 19 TAC Chapter 97, Planning and Accountability, Subchapter AA, Accountability and Performance Monitoring, §97.1005, Performance-Based Monitoring Analysis System. To view the proposed amendment, go to http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/commissioner/proposed/
0510/97-1005-ltrprop.html.

The hearing was conducted upon the request of the Texas Charter School Association which testified along with numerous witnesses from different charter schools from across the state. The consensus among the charter witnesses is that the PBMAS system is unfair to charters and a one size fits all system is unfair for these alternative education settings.

Several of the witnesses testified that the reporting requirements are to voluminous and burdensome and require too much extra work which takes away from educating students. Testimony also criticized the effect PBMAS has on schools focused on dropout recovery and with the budget crisis looming that TEA is requiring charters to used limited funds to do more. One witness stated that the PBMAS should be a self reflecting tool and not an accountability system. One witness stated their charter did not want to get dragged into the PBMAS system.

Buy a home for half price
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development wants to make American communities stronger, promote home ownership, build a safer nation and take an active role in the revitalization of cities. The purpose of the Good Neighbor Next Door sales program is to improve the quality of life in distressed urban communities by encouraging law enforcement officers, teachers (preK-12), firefighters, and emergency responders to purchase and live in homes in these communities.

What are the benefits for the participant? The lottery winner may purchase the property at a 50 percent discount from the current "as is" appraised value which is the list price. For example, if the home has a list price of $150,000, a participant can buy it for $75,000. You can also apply for an FHA-insured mortgage with a down payment of only $100 and you may finance all closing costs, repairs, improvements, appliances and all acquisition expenses. You must live in the home for three years, but after that you can sell the home and keep all the profit.

If the home you want to purchase needs updating or repairs, you may use FHA's 203(k) or the new 203(k) Streamline Mortgage program. This mortgage option allows you to finance both the purchase of the home and any needed repairs and/or updates you want to make to the home. You have the benefit of one loan for both costs and one monthly payment. It is a home improvement loan and property acquisition loan combined in one. www.halfpricehome.net/LOTTO_ENTRY.html

To find out about the NEA Home Financing Program, go to www.neamb.com  and click on Loans, then NEA Home Financing.

SBEC approves new CTE standards
The State Board for Educator Certification on Friday approved new certification standards for CTE courses.  SBEC now has a list of certifications that would make a teacher highly qualified for any given CTE course.

The board also created certifications in Hindi, Italian, Urdu and Turkish languages. And new TExES examinations have been created for Latin and Speech with cutoff scores determined by a panel of educators.

A citizen petitioned the board to allow non-practicing physicians in good standing with the Texas Medical Board to be certified to teach lower-level healthcare courses.  The petition was given to staff for investigation, and the board will consider the proposal in a future meeting.

SBEC staff proposed amendments to other categories of certificates, eliminating certifications because the courses were no longer offered.  Board member Dr. Susan Graves expressed concern that Integrated Physics and Chemistry had been removed.  SBEC staff told her that all out-of-date courses were being removed.  After a short pause, staff realized that the SBOE had reinstated IPC as a course, even a course for the new 4 x 4 curriculum.  Staff will reassess that and get back to the board on the item.  The item will be up for public comment, as well.

On occasion during the meeting, new board members needed to be apprised of PDAS, the difference between hiring and certifying, and other core issues of teacher certification.  While this slowed the process, the meeting moved rather quickly.

TRS hires search firm
During its quarterly meeting on Thursday and Friday, the Board of Trustees of the Teachers Retirement System of Texas voted to hire the search firm of Korn/Ferry to assist the Board in its search for a new Executive Director. The Board also voted to set the compensation and benefits of the prospective Executive Director at between $260,000 and $325,000.

Deputy Director Brian Guthrie laid out TRS’ legislative appropriations request for 2012-2013.  TRS will be asking the state to increase the state’s contribution to the Pension Fund to 7.2 percent in 2012 and 7.7 percent in 2013. TRS will not be making any request for increased contributions from teachers. Guthrie said the request for TRS-Care is the statutorily required 1 percent of payroll.

The Policy Committee is conducting the required four-year rule review of Chapters 21-51 of TRS’ rules. The amendments recommended by staff at this meeting comprised updates, clarifications, and reorganizing of existing rules. Staff recommended that many of the rules be readopted without changes. In September, the Committee and staff will address proposed changes that involve significant policy issues or additional technical amendments.

The next Board meeting is scheduled for August 13.

June 17, 2010
Contest: email for Educator Jobs
NEA is sponsoring a competition among the states to see who can send the most emails to Congress in support of Education Jobs funding in the Emergency Supplemental Bill. From Wednesday, June 16 through Wednesday, June 23, encourage your friends to send an email to Congress using the capwiz link. Only entries submitted through http://www.capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=15132996&type=co will be accepted. The three states with the highest percentage participation, based on population, will have state specific content featured on Education Votes in the coming weeks, and six participants will be randomly selected to win an 8GB iPod nano. http://www.educationvotes.nea.org/2010/06/11/email-your-members-of-congress-win-an-ipod-nano  
 

Employers expect some education after high school
A new report makes clear that some education after high school is an increasing prerequisite for entry into the middle class. In 1970, for example, nearly three-quarters of those workers considered to be middle class had not gone beyond high school in their education; in 2007, that figure had dropped below 40 percent, according to the report. 

And yet, the report further underscores a trend evident in recent years in reports of the Bureau of Labor Statistics: that sometimes a certificate in a particular trade, a two-year associate’s degree or just a few years of college may be as valuable — if not more so — to one’s career (and income) as a traditional four-year bachelor’s degree. more

Senators study special education
The Senate Committee on Education, meeting this week, discussed some of the challenges of teaching Texas’ 440,000 special education students. The panel is charged with evaluating the effectiveness of current instructional programs for these students and recommending possible improvements. Only 70 percent of special education students graduate from high school. 

Chairwoman Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said that one in 98 students is now diagnosed in the autism spectrum, an unprecedented number for the public school system. The number of autistic students in Texas increased by 404 percent from 1999 to 2009. Committee members also expressed concern about an increase in ISS (in school suspension) placements. 

To try to determine what educational programs may be working for this special needs population in other parts of the country, the committee took testimony from two out-of-state experts. The first was Lauren Morando Rhim, a Ph.D. and president of LMR Consulting.  Rhim also is the author of Unique Schools for Unique Students, which explores the charter school setting as an alternative for special education students. 

Dr. Rhim said she has found that, unlike most teachers in a traditional class setting, teachers in charter schools take on fully the obligation of educating inclusion students.  She said she detected a stronger commitment to IDEA in charter schools focused on this special needs population.  She credited intensive teacher training that allows a teacher to meet the individualized needs of each student.  And, she said, there was no reason that traditional public schools can’t use these same principles. 

The second national witness was Ilene Lainer, founder, former chair and current trustee of the New York Center for Autism Charter School. She also is executive director of the New York Center for Autism in New York City.  This charter school is funded through state funds and foundation grants because there was no other school in the city that could deal with the special population of students with autism.  The school serves only children who are moderate to severe, and enrollment is through a lottery system. Applicants are chosen from three diagnostic groupings to assure an appropriate distribution of students. 

The student’s individualized learning plan is reviewed weekly, and teachers make home visits to determine what issues at home might be affecting a student’s learning progress. 

Senators were impressed by this concept and innovative charter school but expressed concern about how special education improvements may be impacted by the huge revenue shortfall anticipated next session. They suggested that maybe education dollars and health care funding could be combined to help address the needs of this student population. 

Another witness, Sandi Jacobs, vice president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, said a report she conducted found several areas of concern in the training of special education teachers in Texas. She said Texas does not require any content preparation in the elementary grades and that secondary special education teachers also have no subject matter major in teacher preparation course work. Also, a number of programs require less preparation in instruction in reading, compared to normal course work requirements, she said.   

Jacobs said there is a real disincentive for teachers to go into special education because they are required to know content for all subject areas instead of just having to focus on one subject area, especially at the secondary level. 

June 16, 2010
TEA offers conference on education's future
The Texas Education Agency will host Focus Forward: Looking Ahead in Texas Education July 26-28 in Austin. The conference will address several emerging education issues, including:

• Educational Technology
• Teacher Effectiveness
• Student Achievement
• School Support
• College Career Readiness
• Educational Leadership
• Data Systems

Registration is free and open to teachers, principals, superintendents, educator preparation program staff and other educational stakeholders. Registration and a preliminary agenda are now available online. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/focusforward.aspx

TSTA president on radio: concerned about education
From the website of KLBJ News Radio in Austin: Rita Haecker, President of the Texas State Teachers Association, says there are several pressing issues facing education across the state and the nation. “The first is that we’ve had a tremendous amount of educators that have been laid off, nationwide, because of funding cuts.” 

In Texas, Haecker says more than two-thousand public school educators will be let go. She says layoffs mean larger classes, and that’s not a good thing for teachers or students because it would impact the learning environment and would hurt a teacher’s ability to address the needs of students.

She says there’s also concern about one test score to assess learning, as well as the “No Child Left Behind” law.  

She says part of the solution may lie in finding a different way to fund education because the current system is not adequate.

Lost your job? Salary cut? NEAMB can help 
We know many members have been affected by layoffs and salary reductions, whether their own or that of a family member. NEA Member Benefits may be able to help with its job search service, financial counseling, mortgage assistance programs, credit card and insurance payment options, and retirement savings waivers. For details, go to www.neamb.com and click on the Member Assistance article or search for “Member Assistance," or speak with a representative by calling 800-637-4636 toll free or emailing ask-us@neamb.com.
 

June 15, 201
Immigration law creates uncertain role for school police
"Nearly two months after Arizona enacted a controversial law requiring police officers to ask about the immigration status of suspected undocumented immigrants involved in a 'lawful stop, detention, or arrest,' educators, police agencies, and advocates are beginning to sort out what the new requirements mean for the police officers who work in public schools," Education Week reports. read the full story
 

June 11, 2010

Dallas and Houston among 25 U.S. 'dropout epicenters'
"Diplomas Count," a study released Thursday by Education Week newspaper, reported that 65 percent of Texas students in the Class of 2007 graduated on time, up from 59 percent in 1997. But the Dallas and Houston school districts are among 25 "dropout epicenters" that produce one-fifth of all dropouts in the U.S. more

Dallas ISD to open campus for older students
Pending final approval later this month, Dallas ISD will open a high school this fall for students as old as 25. Dallas currently has 780 students who are considered "over-age." more

June 10, 2010
Diplomas Count Report: it's free for now
This year's Diplomas Count explores the graduation-rate challenges facing many students and districts and looks at how schools are using data to help students finish high school and earn diplomas. The entire report is available free from Education Week for a limited time. more

Early College High School Graduates earn AA degrees
A select group of Texas seniors are graduating this year with not only a high school diploma but also an associate of arts degree under the state’s Early College High School (ECHS) program. more

June 9, 2010
ERC recognizes negative effect of increased rigor on college attendance, dropout rate
The Joint Advisory Board Texas Education Research Centers (ERC) met in Austin this week to review and approve additional grant proposals requesting the use of Texas data on public school students and employees of public schools.  No identifying information comes with the data and it is encrypted.   

Several board members expressed concern with a few of the proposals using the highest level of math in high school as an indicator on how well or successful a student will be in higher education. 

It was recognized that the passage of the 4x4 and requirement to pass all 12 end-of-course exams to be accepted into a four-year college or university is an adverse consequence of the new law and could pose significant problems for some students. It was further acknowledged that this increased rigor has caused an increase in the dropout rate and will continue to do so when the end-of-course exams go into effect next school year.   

The board continues to review new research projects in an effort to determine best practices. The following proposals were granted by the committee: 

1. UT Dallas Proposal 1 – Measuring Growth for Students with Disabilities: A Portrait of their Rates of Growth and the Impact on School Accountability

2. UT Dallas Proposal 2 – A Stitch in Time: The Effects of a Novel Incentive-Based High School Intervention on College Outcomes

3. UT Dallas Proposal 3 – Evaluating school performance using long-term measures of student outcomes

4. UT Dallas Proposal 4 – The Effect of Schooling Decisions on Post-schooling Earnings: Evidence from Texas

5. UT Dallas Proposal 5 – Effects of Developmental Courses On College Attendance

6. UT Dallas Proposal 6 – The Effects of Early Childhood Circumstances on Intermediate and Later Life Outcomes

7. UT Dallas Proposal 7 – The Heterogeneous Returns to Higher Education: Considering College Quality, College Path, and Choice of Major

8. UT Dallas Proposal 8 – A Research and Evaluation Agenda for the Texas High School Project: Determining Effectiveness of Past Projects, Identifying Practices that Influence Student Achievement, And Using Data to Inform Future Project Activities 

The first proposal includes tracking students who withdraw from public schools due to their parents' concern that the system does not meet the needs of disabled students, and the final proposal includes an analytical framework for a teacher effectiveness research category. 

The ERC meets again in September. 

Live webcast of TRS board meeting June 17-18
Watch the live webcast of the Teacher Retirement System's next board meeting June 17-18. www.trs.state.tx.us

Visit the Board of Trustees section for agendas, minutes and archived webcasts. www.trs.state.tx.us/info.jsp?submenu=board&page_id=/about/board_of_trustees 

June 8, 2010
Supreme Court denies review of unfunded mandates case
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied NEA's petition to review the lower court decision in School District of Pontiac, Mich. v. Duncan, 09-852. The lawsuit, originally filed on April 20, 2005, asked the courts to recognize that the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires the federal government to pay for the billions of dollars in mandates imposed by the law. The suit was based on a provision that states: “Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize an officer or employee of the Federal government to... mandate a State or any subdivision thereof to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under this Act.”  

The plaintiffs, including several school districts, alleged that because the federal government has never provided sufficient funding to cover the costs of NCLB compliance, states and school districts have had to divert funds away from proven educational programs to pay for the NCLB testing, paperwork and other requirements.  

"At a time when class sizes are skyrocketing, curriculum offerings are being slashed, and hundreds of thousands of educators are losing their jobs, we believe the federal government should make good on the promise of Sec. 9527(a) and excuse states and school districts from complying with the unfunded NCLB mandates," NEA President Dennis Van Roekel said. www.nea.org/esea  

June 7, 2010
Smithsonian Ocean Portal transports visitors
Using the best web 2.0 technologies, the Smithsonian Ocean Portal transports visitors to the coastline, the open waters and the deep ocean, providing experiences and perspectives typically out of sight and reach of the general public. A few of the adventures and educational quests:

• Ocean Life & Ecosystems -- information about marine life species and their environments

• Ocean Science -- the latest experiments and research of ocean scientists

• The Ocean Over Time -- the evolution of the ocean

• For Educators -- activities, lessons and educational resources

• Photo Essays -- feature stories on ocean life

• The Ocean & You -- important ocean issues and ways to make an impact

• Find Your Blue -- participate, share and take action 

The website also includes the Ocean Portal Blog and RSS feeds. http://ocean.si.edu

June 4, 2010
New professional development on disproportionality
NEA has added a new video workshop entitled
"Truth in Labeling" to the free offerings available from the NEA Academy On Demand site.  This 90-minute video presentation features NEA IDEA Resource Cadre members Daryl Gates of Louisiana and Rosemary King-Johnston of Maryland.

Some culturally and linguistically diverse populations are over- or under-represented in special education and gifted/talented programs resulting in disproportionality in schools across the country. Culturally and linguistically diverse students are also disproportionately identified under the special education categories of emotionally disturbed and mentally retarded and they experience harsher disciplinary actions, such as school suspension. Based upon the NEA "Truth in Labeling" guide*, this workshop shares what federal statutes require and what educators are doing to reduce disproportionality.

This new resource joins other excellent professional development resources available on the NEA Academy On Demand site including, The Puzzle of Autism, Creating Great Public Schools using Universal Design for Learning and Creating Capacity: Preparing Educators for Response to Intervention.

*NEA's "Truth in Labeling" guide was developed in collaboration with the National Association of School Psychologists and is available for purchase from the NEA Professional Library and free download on the NEA
Academy On Demand site. http://ondemand.neaacademy.org
 

June 3, 2010
RTI Leadership Network: applications due
The RTI Action Network has created a Leadership Network to support district and building leaders in the effective implementation of Response to Intervention. Designed to accommodate busy educators with full schedules, the Leadership Network will provide important guidance on how to proceed to get results for improved student achievement. They are accepting applications for the 2010–11 Leadership Network program until July 30. more

Call Congress! $23 billion for public education is at stake
We have two to three weeks before this support to our state’s budget is gone. Click here to take action. And check out these TV spots: "If we were Wall Street bankers, Congress would help us" and "Speak Up ESP ad." 

TEA says TAKS passing rates are up
Preliminary results from the 2010 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) show that passing rates on the standard test rose at grades 3-5 and 7-11 and that an overwhelming majority of the Class of 2011 passed the exit-level state exams required for graduation. Additional information about test results for Texas students will be posted at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index3.aspx?id=3631&menu_id=793. At this point, TEA only has statewide results.

June 2, 2010
Act now! $23 billion for education is at stake
$23,000,000,000. This is the potential money from the education jobs bill. We are closer but without engaging our members, we may leave that money lying on the table. We have two to three weeks left before this support to our state’s budget is gone. We need members contacting Congress.  

Check out NEA's TV ads –  one ad where kids ask, “If I were a Wall Street banker, would Congress listen to me?” is creating quite a buzz. The new TV ad highlights the impact on students when our ESP members are laid off. Go to www.educationvotes.nea.org and in the right hand column, scroll below the Fund box and click on the featured video.

At www.educationvotes.nea.org you can also email members of Congress and become an activist. This is money in our state’s coffers to save our members’ jobs. Please take the time to help! 

NEA president to be on C-SPAN Thursday
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel will be on C-SPAN tomorrow. We are sending the program information in hopes we can generate some positive calls into the show.  He'll be on Washington Journal the morning of June 3. The host, Susan Swain, will start off the discussion with a few questions & then will ask the callers to start phoning. They also take questions from Twitter and emails.

Call-in numbers: Democrats: (202) 737-0002, Republicans: (202) 737-0001, Independents: (202) 628-0205. 

Email: journal@c-span.org                                        

Twitter: http://twitter.com/cspanwj  

Show website: www.c-span.org/series/washington-journal.aspx   

Help NEA HIN improve its website
The NEA Health Information Network (NEA HIN) is conducting a website assessment to get a better understanding of what NEA affiliates and members want and need. Please share your thoughts in this survey. more

June 1, 2010
TEA gets $50,000 dropout grant
The Texas Education Agency has received a one-year, $50,000 AmeriCorps Planning Grant from the Corporation for National Community Service, through the OneStar Foundation, to expand effective dropout prevention strategies that encourage students to graduate from high school and become college and career ready. more

May 27, 2010
TSTA to participate in Republican, Democratic conventions
The Republican Party of Texas Convention will be at the Dallas Convention Center June 11-12. TSTA will caucus on June 11 from 10 a.m. to noon in Moreno Room AB of the Hyatt Regency Dallas at 300 Reunion Blvd. For more information on the convention, visit www.texasgop.org. 

The Texas Democratic State Convention will be held at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi June 24-26. TSTA will caucus on June 25 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in Room 225 A-B of the American Bank Center. For more information on the convention, visit www.txdemocrats.org.  

May 26, 2010
"Speak Up for Education & Kids" today
NEA launched a national campaign to mobilize educators concerned about the budget emergency facing public education.  At issue is the “Education Jobs Fund,” legislation that would provide $23 billion in emergency funding for education jobs. Joining NEA President Dennis Van Roekel at a press conference this morning were Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Reps. Dave Obey (D-Wis.) and George Miller (D-Calif.) and AFT President Randi Weingarten, who all challenged other members of Congress to “Speak Up for Education & Kids.” more

May 25, 2010
Action alert: public school jobs at risk
Thousands of public school employees are in danger of losing their jobs. TSTA/NEA asks its members to contact their representatives in the U.S. House, urging them to support inclusion of the $23 billion Education Jobs Fund in the Emergency Supplemental funding bill.

Here is how to do it: on Wednesday, May 26, call

1-866-608-6355. You will hear talking points and will be connected to the U.S. Capitol switchboard. Ask for your House member by name. Tell your representative that public education faces a budget catastrophe and that he/she should support including funding to save education jobs in the emergency funding bill  (known as the “emergency supplemental” funding bill).

What can you do today?

Become a “fan” of Speak up for Education and Kids  http://www.facebook.com/#!/speakupforkids on Facebook 

Check out the new TV commercial, playing across the nation this week http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdFPyEW88X0  

Visit Education Votes to learn more about the members we’re fighting for with the jobs campaign. You’ll also find all the tools you need to spread the word — the television and radio ads, print ads, our flyer, and audio news releases. http://www.educationvotes.nea.org

May 21, 2010
Social studies TEKS pass with last-minute changes
On day three of the State Board of Education meeting, the board met as the Committee of the Full Board, trying to finish the TEKS approval process with eight courses left to cover.

The process has been flawed, at best. Today was no exception. Amendments were written and passed without real debate. Typical debate during the late morning and early afternoon hours centered around two things. 

1. LAST-MINUTE ADDITIONS 
“Here we are today at the last minute looking at new language and trying to decide….” --Mary Helen Berlanga

Board members spent a fair amount of time making the point that after years of hard work, members were throwing out amendments at the last minute again.  Teri Leo started talking about the newest documents, “the ones that staff just gave us [this morning] of the stuff we did last night.” Some members were unaware that the document existed and were directed to their SBOE mailboxes at 3 p.m. to get the new, morning version. 

2. TOO, TOO MUCH 
“…but we just keep piling on.”  --Pat Hardy 

There was a general argument, used by both sides, that the curriculum was too broad and the book too thick. This has been contentious throughout, but it got especially pointed today. Any last-minute addition would be greeted by both complaints, depending on the politics of the person making the amendment. 

Among the highlights of the TEKS debate: 

• Benefits vs. Effects of Free Enterprise: Free enterprise will have benefits, but no effects 

• The Unenlightened Jefferson: Thomas Jefferson was reinstated in world history as a philosopher, but the Enlightenment was removed. 

• Giving Kids a Break: There is consideration for depression and other teen issues in the Sociology TEKS. 

• Finally: Oscar Romero was added as an example of a world leader. 

• Prove It: “separation of church and state” issues will be dealt with through the “compare and contrast” method. 

• Equality and justice are now American values. 

Lawrence Allen said it most succinctly: Standards are to be a guide, then curriculum can go anywhere it wants to underneath. 

“We need to admit that we don’t know how to write curriculum.  We pass curriculum.”  

The final vote on the new Social Studies TEKS was 9-5. 

In other action, TSTA testified as to the successful process shown by State Board for Educator Certification when changing how they oversee colleges and groups that certify teachers. This was followed by TEA staff reports on the Permanent School Fund. The board also heard testimony regarding asset allocation. A notice will be posted seeking money management companies to take over the part of the Permanent School Fund that was at Goldman-Sachs. The Committee on Instruction did not meet this month, and the Committee on School Initiatives had no major business. 
--Dr. Paul Henley, TSTA teaching & learning specialist

House panels hear budget issues
The Texas Tomorrow Fund, formula funding for higher education, capital funding needs,  the role of virtual courses in high school and college and an environmental tax exemption were among issues discussed this week before the House Higher Education Committee and its appropriations subcommittee. 

The committee heard about the history of the Texas Tomorrow Fund and its reinvention in 2007 as the Tuition Promise Fund/Tomorrow Fund II.  Currently, the new fund is $10.2 million over-funded, but the benefits are not guaranteed.  The Texas Tomorrow Fund has an unfunded liability of about $605 million, which needs to be addressed.  Committee members heard from Daniel Sherman, the consulting actuary for Buck Consultants, who suggested a transfer of funds to the Texas Tomorrow Fund from either a pension plan with extra cash on hand or from a trust fund.  But committee members expressed concerns about potential constitutional barriers to such a transfer. TRS was not specifically named as a potential loaner.   

Raymund A. Paredes, commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, discussed formula funding for higher education.  He also discussed the Generation Texas Campaign and the role it will play in trying to increase college enrollment and completion. It also will stress improvement of academic preparation in K-12.   

Paredes said there has been significant improvement in success rates but more needs to be done.  He said five institutions in Texas have six-year graduation rates of 50 percent, but the rest have six-year graduation rates between 39 percent and 12 percent.  Paredes testified that access to college for low-income and minority students has increased in recent years but not their completion rates. 

Paredes stressed that performance funding be provided to recognize achievements in student success. He said allocations be based on enrollment at the end of the semester rather than at the 12^th day of class and supplements be based on challenges addressed by the institution.  Paredes complained that the current system of funding, which is based on past student enrollment, does not allow for growth. 

The committee also considered virtual/distance learning in the college context and the possibility of allowing for dual credit in high school for distance learning courses. Witnesses had mixed opinions. It was suggested that there be an age cut off for distance learning, as older students tend to prefer it more than younger students do, and that there be some blending of face to face context and technology for future virtual classes. Witnesses said distance learning has a place in higher education for those students who can’t attend classes in person because of where they live, their employment or family needs. 

The appropriations subcommittee met upon adjournment to hear testimony on tax exemptions. 

Currently, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is considering applications that, if granted, would significantly expand an environmental tax exemption for some refinery equipment and cost some school districts millions of dollars in lost tax revenue. 

TCEQ is currently reviewing 10 applications from Valero Energy Corp. and eight applications from other companies for facilities in Nueces, Harris, Moore, Jefferson, and Galveston counties.

Another school finance lawsuit likely?
David Thompson, an attorney for the Texas Association of School Administrators, told a legislative committee that another lawsuit challenging the state’s school finance system could be filed within the next two months or so. The select committee, which met Thursday in San Antonio, is charged with coming up with recommendations on how to improve the school funding system. 

The Legislature last changed the system in 2006, following a Texas Supreme Court order. At that time, lawmakers ordered cuts in local school property taxes without adequately increasing state revenue to pay for them. The result has been increasing budgetary problems for school districts. 

Wayne Pierce of the Equity Center told the committee that the basic allotment for school districts isn’t high enough and said the system still provides for too much funding inequity among districts. Comparing Austin ISD to Fort Worth ISD, Pierce said there is a $1,000 WADA gap between the two districts under the current tax structure. The total funding gap will only widen with student growth, he said. 

Lynn Moak, representing the Texas School Alliance, stressed that an adequate foundation for the public school finance system would include adequate program costs for college workforce preparation, gap reduction and higher graduation rates; average cost per weighted pupil; and additions and deductions for student and community factors. The system also should include a student needs index based on poverty level, language, mobility, and at-risk status; and a community characteristics index based on teacher costs, costs of living and school district size, he said. 

Moak also urged the committee to recognize facilities financing as part of an equitable and adequate public school finance system. 

The student-teacher ratio of 22-1 for kindergarten through grade four also was discussed during the committee hearing. Jerry W. Roy, superintendent of Lewisville ISD, said his district could save $5 million if the ratio were raised to 24-1 but didn’t explain how. When asked by Rep. Scott Hochberg (D-Houston) how to fix the permanent budget shortfall, Roy said a state income tax would be the best option. 

Hochberg said if the budgetary problem lasts indefinitely, districts could try to justify a class size upwards of 44-1.  Roy responded that he would not like to see class sizes get larger over time, but simply wants the Legislature to allow for larger class sizes long enough to provide some budgetary relief. 

Eric A. Hanushcek, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University and chairman of the executive committee, Texas Schools Project, University of Texas at Dallas, told the committee that school districts should have more local control over their budgets. He also said parents should have more choices, including charters, when their public schools are failing. 

Hanushcek also testified that teacher incentive programs should be increased to reward teachers who are doing well. He said the state needs to find ways to rid classrooms of poor teachers. He said there is no scientific answer or right answer to how much money should be allocated per student to make a successful school finance system. 

The select committee will meet several more times during the interim in Austin to discuss options to propose during the next legislative session.

SBOE continues curriculum debate
The State Board of Education resumed its work on the social studies curriculum standards this morning after debating several changes to the standards on Thursday. 

One key, early amendment from Mavis Knight will add the following important statement to each textbook’s introduction section: 

“Students identify and discuss how the actions of U.S. citizens and the local, state, and national governments have either met or failed to meet the ideals espoused in the founding documents.” 

On most amendments, conservatives flexed their muscles to control content on everything from taxes to anti-minority ideals.  Elementary students will learn how taxation makes everything cost more money; they will not learn where those tax dollars go.   

The board has been accused of “White-Washing” the TEKS, but they deny such a characterization. 

Several Confederate generals were added, on the motion of David Bradley, yet minorities became fewer and fewer in the standards as the day progressed.  In fact, slavery has been renamed and placed as the third reason for the Civil War, behind sectionalism and states’ rights.  Secession is not mentioned. 

Conservatives refused to reconsider Dolores Huerta, the farm worker union activist who helped Cesar Chavez, for mention in the standards. They said her political views kept her from being a “good citizen.”  Besides, Bradley added, she was not a historical figure because she “wasn’t dead yet.” 

President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was included, but it must now be compared and contrasted with Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ inaugural address.  As a “compromise” to the objections, the conservative wing now lists the Gettysburg Address first. 

TSTA testified on Wednesday on the board’s decision in March to replace Santa Barazza, the famous Hispanic border painter, with “Tex” Avery.  Avery is famous for Bugs Bunny, but he also is infamous for racist depictions of blacks and Hispanics.  Most famously, he directed Speedy Gonzales cartoons in the mid-20^th century.  Reaction was surprise from the conservative members and relative anger from the moderates and minorities.  The board voted Thursday to remove Avery, but the conservative wing refused to include a minority painter in his place.  

Lawrence Allen called for Barack Obama’s name to be added to the standards.  TSTA discovered this omission and reported it during testimony before the Mexican American Legislative Caucus on April 28.  David Bradley called for an amendment, calling for his middle name to be added (Hussein).  His rationale was that all presidents should have their full names listed.  [Note that President Clinton is referred to as simply “Bill Clinton” in the current TEKS.] 

“The intent behind what you’re doing is pretty obvious,” said Robert Craig. 

Bradley rescinded his motion, and President Obama will be included in the new standards without his middle name.

May 19, 2010
TSTA's testimony before the SBOE today
Good Afternoon, Chairwoman Lowe and members of the State Board of Education. I am Dr. Paul Henley, speaking for the Texas State Teachers Association.  I’m here to talk both process and product today.  During the hotly contested debate over the ELAR TEKS, TSTA came to you suggesting that a process be put into place.  You did that, and it was a pretty good process.  Unfortunately, though, it now has been mostly destroyed by a political struggle that gives the nation the impression we don’t have any process whatsoever.  

You have let your own political viewpoints and prejudices create the appearance – if not the reality – that the work on setting new social studies standards was a no-holds-barred competition to impose political dogma on the public school classrooms, not a process designed to build consensus on a strong curriculum for our young people. When someone leaked a set of TEKS to a conservative think tank before the public had a chance to see the actual document, he or she threw fairness out the window. 

Choosing experts to review the work of the vertical teams makes sense, but the experts need to be actual experts. Dr. Daniel Dreisbach from American University was a conservative reviewer.  You can disagree with his findings, but you cannot disagree with his credentials.  But other reviewers had no expertise, whatsoever.  Having strong conservative or liberal opinions does not make someone an expert. That’s not how this process is supposed to work. It’s not a competition. 

The same problem comes from the word, research.  The board seems to have a low bar on what constitutes research. Simply navigating Google, for example, is not scholarship. The process is damaged when pseudo- or insufficient research is the driving force behind amendments.  Perhaps the most egregious example of this came when you removed Santa Barazza, the famous border painter.  Only one of her paintings was given as grounds for her removal.  She was replaced with Tex Avery, the cartoonist behind racist characters like the Indian Princess, Uncle Tom, and Speedy Gonzales.  That’s either a lack of research or racial prejudice, but I’m giving the benefit of the doubt here.  Mr. Allen fought multiple examples of prejudicial testimony. There also was gender prejudice. At one point, the mention of teacher and NEA member Christa McAuliffe’s death on the Challenger space shuttle brought laughter.   That reaction was inexcusable. 

Some of you will be leaving the board at the end of this year, either from elections or attrition.  At this point, you should be considering your legacy.   

Our legacy is that we warned you.  TSTA can say we advised you to use a clear, cohesive process.  We admonish you now to act more wisely going forward.  The goal here needs to be well-reasoned consensus, not competition over political beliefs.  If that lengthens the curriculum setting process, then so be it.   

You have time.  Delay this process until you get it right, whenever that is.  Too much is at stake here.  It’s not about a group of politically driven board members winning their points.  It’s about our children’s education. 

May 17, 2010
'Oil in Troubled Waters'
Teaching opportunity: there's a live webcast at 10 a.m. May 18 on “Oil in Troubled Waters,” moderated by Robert Hutchings, dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas. Hosted by the University of Texas at Austin Energy Institute, the public forum will examine the cause, consequences and cost of the oil spill in the Gulf. more

May 14, 2010
Attorney general strikes PAC deductions
Attorney General Greg Abbott today released an opinion prohibiting school districts from deducting contributions to political action committees from employees’ paychecks. TSTA views the ruling as an assault on teachers’ constitutional rights to political participation.

The opinion halts a practice that has been going on for years without any noticeable problems. All the deductions have been voluntary, and the TSTA-PAC contributes to both Democratic and Republican candidates. The only criteria are strong support for the public schools, teachers and school kids.

Here is TSTA’s official response:

TSTA Public Affairs Director Richard Kouri strongly objected today (May 14) to a ruling by Attorney General Greg Abbott prohibiting school districts from deducting contributions to political action committees from school employees’ paychecks.

The opinion was in response to a legislative inquiry about the legality of paycheck deductions for the TSTA-PAC and the National Education Association Fund for Children and Public Education. TSTA is a state affiliate of NEA. The deductions are strictly voluntary.

“This practice, which promotes a school employee’s constitutional right to political participation, has been going on for 20 years without any problem,” Kouri said. “We can only conclude that Attorney General Abbott is playing politics in an election year by impeding teachers’ First Amendment rights. But why?”

School districts make deductions from employees’ salaries for a wide range of purposes, including health care and professional memberships. But a strict reading of Abbott’s opinion indicates that no deduction is legal unless it is expressly authorized by the Legislature.

“Has the Legislature specifically authorized every deduction that every school district makes from a worker’s check? I doubt it,” Kouri said. “TSTA will explore every option available to allow educational employees to continue participating in the political process.”

TRS appoints executive search committee
Today, the TRS Board of Trustees met to discuss several matters. There were very few action items on the agenda. Of note, the Board did appoint an executive search committee to find a replacement for the soon-to-be-retiring Ronnie Jung.  Linus Wright will chair the committee, which will also include David Kelly, David Barth, Robert Gauntt, Philip Mullins and Nanette Sissney. On June 17-18, the Board will meet for its regularly scheduled quarterly meeting. -- John Grey, TSTA Public Affairs

May 13, 2010
ACLU issues report on State Board of Education
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas today released a report calling on the Legislature to rein in the State Board of Education’s “systemic abuse” of power by limiting the board’s ability to insert personal ideologies into curriculum content. 

The report comes a week before the board is scheduled to meet to give final approval to new social studies curriculum standards. After a board meeting in March, historians and other educators – as well as many legislators – complained that conservative board members had injected many of their own political and religious beliefs into the standards. 

“The State Board of Education has abused its power by inserting members’ narrow, personal beliefs into the development of what should be a world class program of study. A public school curriculum should promote academic integrity, not ideological agendas,” said ACLU of Texas Executive Director Terri Burke. 

Here is a link to the ACLU report:
http://www.aclutx.org/files/051310ACLUofTexasSBOE
Report.pdf

NEA, AACTE release joint policy papers on teacher quality
At a National Press Club event in Washington Monday, NEA and American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education jointly released four papers on teacher quality issues. They were produced as part of NEA's collaborative partnership with AACTE--the Partnership for Teacher Quality--created to forge progressive preparation and licensing policies at the state level and to encourage/strengthen partnerships between NEA's state affiliates and AACTE's state chapters.   

NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen represented NEA at the event; her comments are reflected in the NEA/AACTE joint press release: http://www.nea.org/home/39267.htm. 

The policy papers are: 

• Learning to Practice: The Design of Clinical Experience in Teacher Education by Pam Grossman of Stanford University  

• Recognizing and Developing Effective Teaching: What Policymakers Should Know and Do by Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University  

• Strengthening State Teacher Licensure Standards to Advance Teaching Effectiveness by Barnett Berry, Center for Teaching Quality  

• Using Longitudinal Data Systems to Inform State Teacher Quality Efforts by George Noell of Louisiana State University and Paige Kowalski of the Data Quality Campaign 

All teacher quality policy papers are now posted on NEA's website, along with streaming video from the National Press Club event. http://www.nea.org/home/39269.htm  

PSJA ISD wins $2 million grant for college readiness
The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD, which in recent years has made great strides in boosting its graduation and dropout recovery efforts, today was awarded a $2 million two-year grant by the Texas Education Agency to support a new model for a district-wide college readiness initiative called All Students: College Ready, College Connected. more

May 12, 2011
NEA working overtime for jobs bill
The National Education Association is working around the clock to win passage of the Keep our Educators Working Act. Sponsored by U.S. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, this legislation will provide $23 billion in federal money to stem the loss of public school jobs around the country.

We need the help of every Association member to make this law a reality, and here are some resources: 

• Check out and download this special ‘message to members’ video: YouTube - Put Students First - Save Teacher Jobs

• Go to NEA’s Education Votes website to get detailed information about how you can become involved in the campaign. :http://www.educationvotes.nea.org

• NEA has created a Facebook page for Association members – and – members of the public - Speak Up For Education and Kids - http://www.facebook.com/speakupforkids?ref=mf

• During Teacher Appreciation Week, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel participated in a news conference calling for federal support for saving public school employee jobs. Dennis was joined by Senator Harkin, Congressman George Miller (D-CA) and AFT President Randi Weingarten – View excerpts from the news conference:
  YouTube - Ask Congress to Appreciate Teachers by Saving Jobs

• NEA is distributing a video message from Van Roekel to members of the United State Senate, calling for passage of the Harkin Jobs bill. You can view the message here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVzJlunfjx8

Task force outlines how schools can help fight obesity
Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes and members of the Childhood Obesity Task Force to unveil the Task Force action plan: Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation.  In conjunction with the release of the action plan, Cabinet Members and Administration Officials held events across the country to highlight the importance of addressing childhood obesity. more

From Statesman.com: Figures on home-schoolers are out
Statesman.com's Texas Digest says Texas Education Agency figures show that nearly 23,000 secondary students who stopped going to class in 2008 were categorized as being home-schooled and not as dropouts. The Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday that the Texas Home School Coalition estimates that more than 300,000 children are home-schooled.

May 11, 2011
$50,000 in grants for raising environmental awareness
NEA and Target will award $50,000 in grants to educators to implement innovative activities, lessons or events that get students excited about “going green” and raise awareness of school-based environmentalism. The first annual NEA’s Green Across America Grants program is a national competition aimed at helping educators and students design activities that raise environmental awareness and develop eco-sustainable behavior. http://www.neamb.com/green

May 10, 2010
'Hope is alive in the Dallas ISD'
Voters in Dallas Saturday revived hope for thousands of students and employees by re-electing Dr. Lew Blackburn, Dallas ISD District 5, and electing political newcomer Eric Cowan in Dallas ISD District 7.

NEA-Dallas backed candidates were able to win two out of the three contested Trustee Elections. The only setback was in District 4 which saw incumbent Nancy Bingham defeat NEA-Dallas candidate Camile White.

Hope is now alive because employees and students have a friendly Board of Trustees for the first time in six years.  This dramatic change began in December with our candidates, Bruce Parrott and Bernadette Nuttal, winning election. Now, we have six Trustees who have been elected with the support of educators.

This turnaround would not have been possible without the coordination and cooperation of a lot of people.  NEA-Dallas, Alliance - AFT and the new citizens' group, Dallas Friends of Public Education, have all worked together to make this a reality.

That was when NEA-Dallas was able to convince five Trustees (Dr. Lois Parrott, Hollis Brashear, Dr. Lew Blackburn, Ron Price, and the late Joe May) that there was no fair way to tie teacher evaluations to student test scores.  Those five Trustees told then Superintendent Dr. Mike Moses, former Texas Commissioner of Education, no to his idea keeping DISD teacher evaluations with the PDAS.--story submitted by NEA-Dallas

May 6, 2010
RTI State Database now available
The National Center on Response to Intervention (RTI), a federally funded project of the U.S. Department of Education, has developed an RTI State Database (http://state.rti4success.org/). This site allows you to compare your state’s policies to those of other states and provides resources on topics related to RTI, such as state policy documents and briefs, professional development offerings and tools developed by states, districts or federal territories.

Some interesting facts:

1)     All states are at differing stages of implementing RTI. However, the following states do not have a defined statewide RTI framework or approach: District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Vermont.

2)     All states, except for Maine and the District of Columbia, include RTI in their State Performance Plans (SSP) – plans required by the federal government outlining statewide special education goals and performance indicators.

3)     Most states (32) include professional development on RTI in their State Professional Development Grants (SPDG) - funds received through Part D of IDEA.

4)     Almost all states require the use of IQ discrepancy and RTI data for identifying students as learning disabled (SLD). Four states solely require the use of RTI data (i.e., Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana and Iowa).

5)     By doing an advanced search using ‘funding’ as the search criterion, you can compare how various states are funding RTI implementation.

For more information, go to the RTI state database (http://state.rti4success.org/) or the website of the  National Center on Response to Intervention (www.rti4success.org).

May 3, 2010
Majority of fifth and eighth graders pass TAKS
An overwhelming majority of fifth and eighth-grade students have passed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) reading and math tests, which means they met the state promotion requirements that are tied to the testing program. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=2147483794

April 29, 2010
TSTA testifies on secondary school disciplinary laws
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee met on Thursday, April 29, to hear testimony about the impact that secondary school disciplinary policies have on the juvenile justice system and the adult prison system.

The Committee is primarily concerned with ensuring the safety of students and curtailing the criminalization of students who engage in common, non-threatening, poor behavior and who can be corrected without involving the juvenile justice system. The Committee is also concerned with the fact that African-American students are being expelled at a much higher rate than any other ethnic group.

TSTA appeared and offered the following testimony:

“Public education should be designed to prepare young people for success in life. If teachers are not allowed to exercise firm and swift control of their classrooms, the environment dissolves rapidly into chaos – an environment where no student can learn – and the classroom has failed the student. Our members maintain that their number one concern is being able to maintain discipline in the classroom. They can accomplish nothing without proper discipline.

“Independent school districts and teachers have the tools and resources necessary to properly discipline students. Each independent school district has its own unique circumstances that require its school board to adopt policies that allow administrators to use their skills in shepherding young people toward the possibility of success. Some districts adopt a student code of conduct that incorporates a zero tolerance policy – some do not.

“TSTA believes that the current system creates a balance between state guidelines and allowing communities to best determine its own needs, and that each school board can craft disciplinary policies in a meaningful way that responds appropriately to the concerns of the community.

“Last session, you passed a measure that incorporated more flexibility into disciplinary determinations. We believe this new mandate will help districts determine the proper discipline under difficult circumstances. TSTA maintains that teachers need the authority necessary to create classrooms that establish a safe and effective teaching environment.

“It is also important to understand the changes made in the discipline code in 1995 were designed to move away from expelling students and toward keeping students in a school environment.  TSTA believes that a student in a DAEP or JJAEP should be receiving a quality educational experience.  Earlier this year, the Commissioner promulgated rules in an attempt to strengthen further those programs. If we need to continue to work to put appropriate programs in place, then TSTA would be glad to work with the committee to accomplish this task.”

In response to the Committee’s request for recommendations on how to correct some of the current problems with disciplining students in an appropriate manner, TSTA said that administrators may need to receive training on disciplining students in an academic environment.

The Committee will visit this issue again in the interim, most likely in the Houston area.

Haecker testifies: Mexican American Legislative Caucus
This morning, TSTA President Rita Haecker offered testimony before the Mexican American Legislative Caucus:  

I am Rita Haecker, president of the Texas State Teachers Association and a former bilingual education teacher. Thank you for calling this public hearing on the State Board of Education’s role in rewriting not only the Social Studies portion of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards, but in rewriting history itself. And, thank you for inviting me to testify and for accommodating my schedule. Your invitation signifies your concern for the interests of teachers and students. TSTA shares your concern, both with the process and the probable product. 

Let me begin by defining the word, history, from Merriam-Webster. The primary definition says simply, “Tale (or) Story.” If history is a story, we need to ask ourselves, “What is the story of the people of Texas?” 

Is it simply the story of the state’s new minority – Anglos? Of course not. Anglos have been and always will be an important part of our state’s life and history. But our state also is the story of Hispanics, African Americans and other Texans who have made significant contributions, not only to our great state but also to our nation. 

The ultra-conservative members of the State Board of Education have a narrow, ideological view that not only ignores history but also ignores the changing world we call America. They are constantly painting Hispanics in negative terms as foreigners and illegal immigrants, and they are discounting the roles of African Americans as well. 

We speak of the 1950s in terms of poodle skirts and rock and roll, but there are other stories. These stories are about separate drinking fountains, separate schools, a separate and not equal society that moved civil rights leaders, such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to make a difference. But Dr. King and other African Americans have been marginalized in this curriculum. 

Dr. McLeroy produced an amendment requiring students to compare Dr. King’s nonviolent approach to civil rights to the combative approach of other black groups. When pressed to name such a group, he had no answer. Eventually, someone thought of the Black Panthers. Now, the Black Panthers were considered a violent group, and they must be taught alongside Dr. King’s legacy. 

The board refused to name Barack Obama in the history TEKS. Students will learn about the "election of the first black president," but the conservative wing just cannot bring itself to place President Obama in our nation's history. Cesar Chavez and Thurgood Marshall were both mentioned in passing. These should be examples for all our children to emulate. Instead, they are almost completely ignored. 

A person should not be judged by his or her accomplishments alone, but by how far he or she has come. This is true of our country, as well. If we do not acknowledge the inequalities of the past, we cannot show our students how America has worked to overcome them. We cannot show our children how to become the next leaders of Texas and America. 

There is one instance where board member Barbara Cargill was able to disrespect both Hispanics and African Americans with one amendment. The Hispanic artist Santa Barraza was replaced by Tex Avery, a cartoonist. Cargill kept repeating the slogan from Avery’s Bugs Bunny: “What’s up, Doc?” What she failed to mention is that Tex Avery created many, many racist characters that depicted blacks as lazy and dim-witted. He has three works on the infamous “Censored Eleven” list. These are the cartoons that United Artists refused to distribute because of perceived racist depictions of African Americans and are deemed too offensive for contemporary audiences. Tex Avery’s studio was the source of Speedy Gonzalez, as well. 

The majority of first, second, and third graders in this state are Hispanic. The current kindergarteners are 48 percent Hispanic. Rod Paige, a Texan and former U.S Secretary of Education, told a TEA-appointed committee that a curriculum must be relevant to the student in order to fight dropout issues. These social studies TEKS are not relevant to Hispanics and African Americans. Unless changed, this irrelevant set of TEKS will help worsen the state’s already serious dropout problem. Research indicates that each year of schooling results in a 5 to 12 percent gain in income. If a rising tide lifts all ships, the State Board of Education is working diligently to lower them. 

Think about this. In 2040, Hispanics will make up the majority of Texans.

These same Hispanics -- from Mexico, Honduras, and all of Latin America -- watch Univision, Telemundo, Azteca. They listen to Spanish radio stations. That’s not a bad thing, but we need to make these kids bilingual English speakers and ready to fully function in America, not Mexico. 

A key part of that process is the stories we tell them through these curriculum standards. We need more stories of those who left their native countries, came to America, loved America, and never looked back. And, that includes stories in Texas history books like the one about the Tejanos who fought and died for Texas’s independence from Mexico at the Alamo. 

During the work on the English Language Arts and Reading TEKS, we at TSTA testified many times about the board’s lack of a consistent process. One of the reasons that the final approval of those TEKS took so long was that board members were just flying by the seat of their pants. Eventually, the board created a process that was supposed to take all viewpoints into account. This seemed especially important because the Science TEKS and the Social Studies TEKS were coming up. 

Board members followed their new protocol for the first few steps, taking their initial science TEKS from the vertical teams that were set forth in statute. Then, they appointed experts to review the TEKS, and that step became an immediate political flashpoint. These experts essentially told the board that the vertical teams did not understand science. The State Board of Education then took this as a mandate to ignore the vertical teams, ignore the law, and jump back into the catfight mentality that they had always used. 

Science was a mess, but the development of the social studies TEKS has been even worse. Right-wing board members appointed ministers as so-called “experts” to review the work of the vertical teams, and they treated the ministers’ overviews with more respect than the work of teachers, college faculty, school board members, business representatives, and community leaders on the vertical teams. 

We are cautiously optimistic that new SBOE members elected this year will be less reactionary. But the next battle will take place before they get here. It will take place next month – May 19th, 20th, and 21^st – when the social studies TEKS are up for a final vote by the current board. 

Academia thrives on debate and discussion, and we have differences of opinion within our ranks. TSTA is growing at a very fast pace, and our 67,000 members come from all political viewpoints. On the state board, however, the discussion is no longer a matter of opinion. It’s a matter of right versus wrong. We need parental and community input into the writing of curriculum standards. But we need to do something – legislation may be required – to ensure that scholarly, academic research and findings aren’t dismissed or diminished at the whim of a board member’s own political or religious view of the world. 

The right-wing members of the State Board of Education are the wrong wing. Unfortunately, they seem to have taken over completely. Eight people will keep our minority stories from being told because, frankly, we just don’t look like they do. 

At one point, Mrs. Knight told right-wing member Barbara Cargill that “her true colors were coming through.” Perhaps that is not quite right. It is the absence of color in these TEKS that is the problem. 

The curriculum of almost five million school children shouldn’t be decided on the political beliefs of eight people on the State Board of Education. We must develop a system that takes the politics out of the curriculum setting process and bases the education of students on best thinking of our best teachers and scholars, not the political muscle of a small group of people. 

The Texas State Teachers Association is open to anything we can do to help our mutual cause. Thank you.

SBOE Committee on School Finance/PSF to meet Friday
The State Board of Education's Committee on School Finance/Permanent School Fund will meet at 9 a.m. Friday in room 1-104 of the Travis Building, located at 1701 N. Congress Ave. in Austin.  The agenda for the meeting is available at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=8392. This committee will not be meeting during the board's regular meeting, which is scheduled for May 18-21.

April 27, 2010
ASCD seeks nominations for outstanding young educator Nominees should be young educators who educate the whole child, helping to ensure each child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged; demonstrate educational leadership in their school, district and community; show a positive impact on student achievement; and illustrate significant contributions to the education community. Nominations close on August 1, 2010. See the criteria for consideration at www.ascd.org/oyea. Nominators of the winners receive a one-year membership to ASCD. The winners will be honored at the 2011 ASCD conference in San Francisco; participate in a year-long program of professional development and networking; and receive a $10,000 award.

April 26, 2010
Take a survey on violence directed against teachers
The America Psychological Association asks NEA members to take a survey on violence directed against teachers. It takes about 10 minutes. Findings will be used to formulate a report and recommendations on how to protect educators from assaults by students. Following this survey will be one that addresses the unique issues of education support professionals. The deadline for taking the survey is May 1. more

April 23, 2010
TRS executive director announces retirement
On April 22 and 23, 2010, the TRS Board of Trustees held their quarterly meeting. It was reported that the fund continues to make exceptional gains. On August 31, 2008, the TRS trust fund was valued at $104.9 billion. On February 28, 2009, the fund fell to $70.6 billion. As of March 2010, however, the trust fund had rebounded to $95 billion.

TRS will undertake a comprehensive rule review of Chapters 21-51 of TRS’ rules in Title 34, Part 3 of the Texas Administrative Code. The review is expected to be completed by the end of December of this year.

In investment news, the Board approved Neuberger Berman as the manager of TRS’ entire legacy Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities portfolio.

After an hour-long executive session, and an overt, public endorsement of Deputy Director Brian Guthrie, Chairman Kelly announced that Executive Director Ronnie Jung had notified the board of his plans to step down as the agency’s executive director, effective July 1, 2011. Jung informed the trustees of his plans to continue working as the agency’s executive director through one more legislative session.

“Ronnie has served Texans and Texas state government for 36 years, and all of us on the board are grateful that he dedicated his last 14 years to TRS,” said Kelly. During Jung’s tenure at TRS, the pension fund grew from less than $50 billion to $98 billion, and TRS oversaw successful implementation of a new statewide health care program for active public school employees.

“I have really enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to serve nearly 1.3 million Texas public educators,” said Jung. “Maintaining a solvent retirement system is critical to the financial security of our public educators. I am confident that the board and the TRS staff are well positioned to meet the future needs of our members.”

Jung will work with the board of trustees and the new executive director to ensure a smooth transition of leadership for the system.

April 22, 2010
Committee takes on class size and teacher contracts
The Select Committee on Public School Finance Weights, Allotments, and Adjustments met to consider a number of issues including cost drivers such as class size requirements, student characteristics, school operations and student achievement. However, instead of addressing the real cost drivers, the committee focused on the class size limit of 22 students to one teacher and on teacher contracts.

Commissioner of Education Robert Scott said the class size ratio is usually a problem in smaller districts but noted that the fast-growth districts also complain about it. Districts want an average, more flexible requirement rather than having to file the waivers that are required now. Senator Robert  Duncan, R-Lubbock, said he didn’t think that 22-1 is a magic number and questioned why the same standard didn't apply to higher grades. He said the costs involved should be re-evaluated. House Public Education Chairman Rob Eissler suggested that teacher quality impacts student achievement more than class size, based on certain studies.

The other cost drivers identified by the Legislative Budget Board are building maintenance strategies, bus routes, and food services. Another concern addressed by Senator Patrick regarded legal services and how much districts have to spend on attorneys fees.

Cheryl Mehl, chair of the Council of School Attorneys, testified on behalf of herself regarding Chapter 21 of the Education Code with a focus on teacher contracts. Mehl recommended that a district be allowed to conduct a hearing to terminate a contract mid-term. It also was suggested that districts be allowed to suspend a teacher without pay without having to hire an independent hearing examiner to consider the case. She recommended amending Chapter 21 to allow suspension without pay for 30 days by the local school board and allow the school board to conduct the hearing instead.

Mehl also suggested that a district be allowed to terminate an employee under SBEC certificate revocation procedures without having to go through Chapter 21 requirements. Mehl said that this should also include termination of a teacher with a voided certificate, including a teacher in a classroom without the proper certification. Mehl also said districts should have the right to negotiate employment terms outside Chapter 21 or an infinite number of probationary contracts for retire/rehire educators.

Senator Dan Patrick asked about the cost of terminating versus the cost of keeping an educator and whether that hinders the districts' ability to dismiss poor performing teachers. Dr. Curtis Culwell, another member of the committee, said that districts can just not renew a teacher's contract for the next year but keep that educator through the term of the existing contract. It would be up to the teacher whether to appeal.

Patrick said adding more money to help the under funded districts might solve the problem. But Senate Education Chairwoman Florence Shapiro said throwing more money at the current school finance structure is not the solution and that the current system is what the select committee needs to address. Patrick said he agreed saving money on cost drivers is the primary goal but that bringing the bottom districts up should also be a priority. Patrick noted all this must be done without raising taxes.

It also was suggested that maybe school finance shouldn’t be driven by WADA (weighted average daily attendance) due to the inherent unfairness to some districts. Commissioner Scott also noted that all the grant programs need to be streamlined into the funding structure rather than having districts applying from year to year for grants with no guarantee that they will be awarded.

TSTA had the opportunity to respond. Richard Kouri, TSTA Director of Public Affairs, said he wasn’t going to talk about class size or teacher contracts as neither is really a significant cost driver for school districts. However, since the issue had been discussed at length, he said certain things needed to be addressed.

First, Kouri pointed out that TSTA has conducted a moonlighting survey of teachers every two years since 1980. In the 1980s, he said, the primary reason for a teacher to leave a district was salary but that in the last survey in 2009, reasons for leaving were tied both to salary and working conditions. The problem is that when teachers reach five years in the classroom, they have reached 80 percent of their likely career earnings. This makes it hard to retain good teachers.

The second point made by Kouri was that we need to move forward on class size ratios and not backwards and suggested that the state should be striving to attain a 15 -1 ratio rather than 23 or higher. Kouri also pointed out that most of the waivers are requested by low performing campuses, again the wrong direction for Texas students.

Kouri then proceeded to discuss the real issue that the select committee was formed to review -- school finance. According to the data he provided to the committee, Texas teacher salaries have increased by only $2,347 over the past 10 years, if a 27.8 percent inflation adjustment is factored in. The per-pupil expenditures for instruction over the past ten years have also declined by $1,406, when you factor in inflation. For a more complete analysis year by year of average salary and per-pupil spending in Texas go to http://www.tsta.org/news/current/hearing.pdf. 

Kouri stressed that HB 3, or the new accountability bill passed last session, will also add significantly more stress to the system once it is fully implemented and that we won’t get there by just "rearranging the buckets." Kouri pointed out that the select committee should be looking at the big picture and not making a fuss over 22-1 class size ratios and teacher contracts.

The select committee also heard from TEA on the mechanics of the weights, allotments and adjustments that go into calculating a district’s state funding levels; from organizations and civil rights groups regarding student characteristics and the changes to the student population in Texas and the challenges they face; from rural and local school districts on school operations and how smaller and mid size districts are affected by the current school finance system; and from associations for gifted and talented, career technology and TEA on student achievement allotment.

The Select Committee will be traveling to San Antonio on May 19^th to conduct its next hearing.

NEA president and Desmond Tutu co-author editorial
The Most Rev. Desmond Tutu, an honorary chair of the Global AIDS Alliance, and NEA President Dennis Van Roekel co-authored an editorial on The Huffington Post entitled Facing the Future: Global Education at the Crossroads. more

April 21, 2010
House Higher Ed discusses several issues
The House Committee on Higher Education met to discuss interim charge numbers four and eight. The committee first heard from Commissioner Raymund A. Paredes about interim charge number eight, directing the study of the feasibility of offering an optional curriculum that emphasizes ethics, Western civilization, and American traditions to satisfy portions of the Texas Core Curriculum.

Commissioner Paredes said he is concerned that there is not enough course work to make up an independent study in this area. However, the consensus of the witnesses invited to testify on this issue agreed that liberal arts coursework in this area is important to help students develop independent thinking skills. There is a need for space in degree programs for these humanities classes. It was suggested that maybe universities could offer sequences of courses that are integrated but still keep flexibility in the degree programs.

Core principles and core morality and ethics are central to our society, and one witness testified that higher education has a duty to continue to address these principles in the curriculum. The recent housing crisis was cited as an example of how our society has faltered in its ethical principles. Consumers bought houses they couldn't afford, realtors handled the sales, banks financed the mortgages, security firms sold the mortgages and bonding companies rated the securities. Paredes later testified that putting together a coherent program of lower division courses in these subject areas would not be difficult as long as the student had some guidance in coordinating it.

The committee also heard testimony on interim charge number four, which directs the study of strategies for improving community college participation and success; and to further examine the role of community colleges within the state higher education system. The review is to include a review of programs, practices, and incentives to improve efficiency and productivity, such as expanding dual credit options, encourage credit by examination, and improving student preparation in high school.

Growing percentages of students are going to two year public institutions. Two year institutions constitute 57 percent of the student population, compared to 43 percent for four-year institutions. The cost of attending community colleges also can be much lower than attending four-year universiities, an important consideration in Texas, where incomes are much lower than the national average.

Community colleges have been doing an extraordinary job over the past eight years in Texas, according to Commissioner Paredes. But there are a few areas that need attention, including strengthening dual credit, facilitating transfers, aligning state funding with community college missions, and keeping schools accessible to Texas students. Community colleges have also been dealing with “harder to educate students,” while enrollments have been increasing.

But state funding has not kept up with growth, which hurts students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The total number of state dollars allocated to community colleges has grown, but the state revenues are not keeping up with enrollment growth. Less than thirty percent of community college funding comes from the state.

The committee also heard testimony about curriculum differences in courses among the different colleges and universities in the state. The Higher Education Coordinating Board has been addressing this issue and used engineering as an example of how the lower 17 classes required for an engineering degree can vary from school to school. Learning objectives developed under a grant given by Lumina Corp. will give an understanding of course work completion for lower classes in an engineering degree.

Finally, the committee heard and discussed how two and four year colleges work together in transferring student information. The committee heard about the relationship between Texas A&M and Blinn College and how the two schools transfer credits for students between the schools efficiently.

Commissioner Paredes testified again at the end of the meeting on this interim charge and said K to 12 needs to do its part to assure that students are college ready when they attend an institution of higher education. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) commissioned a study that determined that the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) test was the best assessment tool to determine college readiness. It was found to be better than ACCUPLACER.

The committee again discussed with Commissioner Paredes how most students are not prepared for college math, and how reading and writing developmental courses should be combined at the college level.

The committee still has a number of other interim charges to review before the next legislative session.

April 19, 2010
Model Teacher Leadership Standards: your comments?
Model Teacher Leadership Standards are available for public comment through Friday, April 30. It is important that the Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium hears from NEA members concerning the standards.  The Consortium is meeting again in June to review the survey results and public comments. http://www.nea.org/home/38496.htm 

April 17, 2010
TSTA President praises, challenges delegates
TSTA President Rita Haecker praised convention delegates Saturday for their strong recruitment efforts and challenged them to continue to build on their success.

“We at TSTA will continue to concentrate our attention and efforts on building our local teams so they can move forward toward a common goal,” Haecker said in an address at the House of Delegates meeting in San Marcos.

“That goal is strengthening their ability to have a strong impact on issues that matter to their members – pay, benefits, due process and instructional concerns – as well as (securing) an education-friendly political climate in Austin.”

Haecker and several hundred TSTA delegates and guests gave the political leadership in Austin failing grades on several education issues, including teacher pay, spending on per-pupil instruction, a high dropout rate and an over-reliance on high-stress, standardized testing.

Growing local leadership teams should be a “top priority” for TSTA, and an important part of that effort is developing student leaders, Haecker said.

“The sooner we engage our future educators, the better,” she added. “As our future leaders enter the pipeline, we must quickly identify the interests and strengths they bring to TSTA. We should never hesitate to engage them because if we wait too long we could lose them.”

Haecker said the TSTA flag is “firmly planted” throughout Texas. But she cautioned that TSTA’s work is not yet done, particularly in the face of school district budget cutbacks and an uncertain outlook in Austin, including projections of a revenue shortfall as high as $15 billion when the Legislature convenes next January.

“We have many more stops to make, more places to grow and cultivate, and we aim to do that,” she said.

“Let’s roll TSTA together to the next mountain top, the next challenge for the good of the many people who are counting on us.”

April 16,2010
Chris Bern Goes to Congress to Fight for NEA Members
On Wednesday, Chris Bern, ISEA President, testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education, on the education jobs crisis.  Chris did a remarkable job in representing both ISEA and NEA as he laid out a clear case for immediate passage of an education jobs package.  The hearing was a great success, as both Chairman Harkin (D-IA) and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressed support for an education jobs bill.  That same day, Senator Harkin introduced the Keep Our Educators Working Act (S.3206), which would provide $23 billion for education jobs. 

Read his testimony  at http://www.nea.org/home/38905.htm and watch the video of his appearance before the committee on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0a2MwOLdkw.

Bill White, Van Roekel, Whitmire address TSTA
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White told the TSTA House of Delegates on Friday that it was time for Texas’ top leadership to be held accountable for the state of public education in Texas.

National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel and state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, also addressed the delegates’ opening session in San Marcos. Whitmire received TSTA’s Frank Tejeda Award for Public Service.

White, the former mayor of Houston and the son of two public school teachers in San Antonio, has been endorsed by TSTA in the governor’s race. He said he wanted to thank educators “for what you do at your jobs every day.”

“Nothing is more important for education than great teachers who are respected,” White said. And, he noted, teachers need more support from Austin.

“If you want school personnel to be accountable, you ought to start at the top (the governor’s office),” he said.

White criticized Gov. Rick Perry for misrepresenting one of the more critical problems facing the public schools – a high dropout rate, which the governor’s office has claimed is a low as 10 percent but which experts believe is much higher.

When 3.2 million kids enter the public high schools as freshmen and only 2.1 million graduate on time four years later, Perry’s math “doesn’t add up,” White said.

The Democratic nominee also rapped Perry for appointing a right-wing leader to chair the State Board of Education, which has brought national ridicule to Texas for rewriting history curriculum to reflect a conservative political bias.

“Wouldn’t it be great to have a governor who appoints somebody chair of the State Board of Education who understands you need to leave the curriculum to professionals,” he said.

Van Roekel said the National Education Association was continuing to fight education job losses nationwide and to assure that the Obama administration and Congress listen to teachers in reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

The ESEA blueprint laid out by the administration, he said, relies too much on high-stakes standardized testing and competitive grants.

“We’ve had enough winners and losers (under the No Child Left Behind Act),” Van Roekel said. “One size fits all won’t work.”

“We (educators) need a good law that we can support,” he added, urging TSTA delegates to be actively involved in this year’s election campaigns.

Whitmire said he worked the state Senate last year to assure that a mandatory pay raise for teachers became law, and he said he remains convinced he did the right thing, every time he reads a newspaper account of a school superintendent complaining about the pay increase.

Whitmire, who chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, said a strong education system was essential to Texas’ future.

“You either pay now or you pay later,” he said, noting that many school dropouts end up in prisons, which cost much more than public schools to build and operate.

April 14 2010
TSTA House of Delegates starts Friday
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White will address the opening session of the Texas State Teachers Association’s state convention in San Marcos on Friday, April 16.

Also scheduled to address about 600 delegates on Friday are National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel and state Senator John Whitmire, D-Houston.

The convention will be at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1001 E. McCarty Lane.

Van Roekel is expected to speak about 3 p.m., White at 3:30 p.m. and Whitmire at 4 p.m. The times are approximate.

TSTA President Rita Haecker will speak to the convention about 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Webinar on RTI for English Language Learners 
On April 29 at 2 p.m. EDT, the National Center on Response to Intervention (RTI) is hosting a free webinar entitled, “RTI for English Language Learners: Appropriate Screening, Progress Monitoring, and Instructional Planning.” This webinar will focus on improving educational outcomes for ELLs through culturally and linguistically responsive implementation of an RTI framework in elementary reading. Specifically, the presenters will discuss critical considerations for appropriately utilizing screening and progress monitoring data with ELLs to improve reading outcomes. A case study of a first grade ELL student will be presented to illustrate the recommendations. Special guest presenters for this webinar will be Dr. Julie Esparza Brown, Dr. Amanda Sanford and Erin Lolich. Pre-registration is not required.  This webinar will be archived at  http://www.rti4success.org.

April 12, 2010
Reminder: Important elections, April 13
Several runoff elections for seats in the Texas House of Representatives are extremely important to educators. TSTA has endorsed the following candidates:

• Rep. Delwin Jones, Lubbock, District 83 Republican runoff.

• Mark Griffin, Lubbock, District 84 Republican runoff.

• Mabrie Jackson, Plano, District 66 Republican runoff.

• Humble School Board President Dan Huberty, north Harris County, District 127 Republican runoff.

• Rep. Norma Chavez, El Paso, District 76 Democratic runoff.

You can vote in a Republican runoff if you voted in the Republican primary on March 2 or didn’t vote in either party’s primary. You can vote in a Democratic runoff if you voted in the Democratic primary on March 2 or didn’t vote in either primary. Turnout for runoff elections is often low, so please vote if you live in one of these districts. You can make a difference in critical legislative races.

Urgent: Contact senators for jobs bill
The NEA’s campaign for an Education Jobs Fund is in full swing, and there is strength in numbers. Please use this link to contact your U.S. senators and the President, urging them to take immediate action on a jobs package that includes an Education Jobs Fund – to save and create hundreds of thousands of education jobs. Please do this before the Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, April 14. http://www.capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=144746
36&type=CO

April 9, 2010
DOE approves new certification options
The U.S. Department of Education has agreed that highly qualified teacher determinations made for new elementary school teachers who began in the 2008-2009 and previous school years under the prior interpretation can remain valid for the teacher as long as the teacher remains in the same teaching assignment.

Now teachers have the option of using the Texas HOUSE provision to keep their certificate portable between assignments and between districts. You can become HQ by taking the TExES examination and be eligible to teach all subjects PK - 6.

Teachers with 4 – 8 Single-Subject or 4 – 8 Double-Subject Certificates

If you began teaching in 2007 or 2008, you will need to use the Texas HOUSE provision to become Highly Qualified to teach grades PK - 6. The 4 - 8 certificate will not allow you to do this.

Special Education Teachers without a Generalist Certificate

Special Education teachers that began teaching in 2008 or earlier are eligible to use Elementary HOUSE to document subject competency for Special Education teacher of record assignments in classes PK - 6.

Teachers Who Began Teaching in 2009

Unfortunately, you were caught in a transition phase, and you must take the Elementary Generalist TExES test to be a Highly Qualified teacher in grades PK-6.

NOTE: The Texas Education Agency was granted a waiver for those teachers with single-subject licenses in Art, Music, and Theater.

State Board for Educator Certification meets
State Board for Educator Certification met on Friday, April 9, at the Texas Education Agency building. Curtis Culwell, the Superintendent from Garland ISD, was introduced as the newest member of the board. For the first time in more than a year, the board is fully seated.

The board made several decisions in keeping with recent legislation. SBEC is now a functioning arm of the Texas Education Agency, so the board issued a memorandum of understanding to that effect. Administration procedures will now be handled in the same manner as with TEA and State Board of Education procedures.

Educator preparation programs (EPP’s) will be scrutinized more closely in coming years. This is due to Senate Bill 174. Following these guidelines, SBEC staff produced a set of surveys that will be given to principals and beginning teachers certified through EPP’s. The survey is a pilot only this year. Board members gave suggestions. Staff will take these suggestions and incorporate them into the surveys. The surveys are due to be sent by the end of the month.

New End of Course examinations (EOC’s) and an increased number of Career and Technology Education courses (CTE’s) have led to questions regarding certification. SBEC staff compiled a lengthy chart of required certifications that included new CTE courses. The certification rules were approved quickly.

The board reviewed the Educators’ Code of Ethics. This document has been amended several times in the past two years; however, rule states that they be officially visited every four years. While there were no changes at this meeting, staff indicated there will be amendments offered at the June meeting.

Board member Christi Pogue had requested a discussion on the definition of the term, student, in certification and ethics code. Mrs. Pogue was absent Friday, and the discussion was postponed until June.

April 7, 2010
Increasing autism awareness
An estimated one in 110 births in the United States is affected by autism, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. April is Autism Awareness Month, and the National Education Association has resources to help support teachers who teach children with autism in their classrooms.

The resources include:

• The NEA “Puzzle of Autism” guide, a top-seller available for purchase from the NEA Professional Library or free download from the front page of the NEA website during April: http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/autismpuzzle.pdf

• The NEA IDEA Cadre Puzzle of Autism video workshop that will be launched on the NEA Academy On Demand site on April 7. This on-line presentation is free: http://ondemand.neaacademy.org/

• NEA President Dennis Van Roekel’s discussion of the challenges posed by autism in a series of radio interviews: http://wtuz.com/NEA-Takes-Aim-at-Autism/6730479

• A press release on NEA’s efforts to provide resources and professional development: http://www.nea.org/home/38852.htm

April 2, 2010
Live chat about teacher certification
The Texas Education Agency’s Division of Educator Credentialing recently launched a live chat system to answer questions about teacher certification. To access this user-friendly feature, look for the grey chat box on TEA’s educator certification page. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 .m. Central Time, M-F, excluding holidays. more 

Texas to get nearly $338 million for low achieving schools 
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that Texas will receive nearly $338 million to turn around its persistently lowest achieving schools through the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program. These funds are part of the $3.5 billion that will be made available to states this spring from money set aside in the 2009 budget and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  

"When a school continues to perform in the bottom five percent of the state and isn't showing signs of growth or has graduation rates below 60 percent, something dramatic needs to be done," said Duncan. "Turning around our worst performing schools is difficult for everyone but it is critical that we show the courage to do the right thing by kids."

The $337,926,594 made available to Texas is being distributed by formula to the state and will then be competed out by the state to school districts. In order for a school district to apply for these funds, it must have a state-identified "persistently lowest achieving" or a Tier III school -- a school that has failed to meet annual yearly progress for two years and is not identified as a persistently lowest achieving school. 

However, Tier III schools can only receive funds once all of the state's persistently lowest achieving schools have received funds. Texas's application, which includes its list of persistently lowest achieving schools, as defined by the state, can be found here: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/summary/index.html.  

School districts will apply to the state for the funds this spring. When school districts apply, they must indicate that they will implement one of the following four models in their persistently lowest achieving schools: 

• TURNAROUND MODEL: Replace the principal, screen existing school staff, and rehire no more than half the teachers; adopt a new governance structure; and improve the school through curriculum reform, professional development, extending learning time, and other strategies.  

• RESTART MODEL: Convert a school or close it and re-open it as a charter school or under an education management organization.  

• SCHOOL CLOSURE: Close the school and send the students to higher-achieving schools in the district. 

• TRANSFORMATION MODEL: Replace the principal and improve the school through comprehensive curriculum reform, professional development, extending learning time, and other strategies.         

Once schools receive SIG funds, they will be able to begin to spend them immediately to turn around schools this fall. States may apply to the Education Department for a waiver to allow them to spend funds over a three-year period. An additional $545,633,000 has been provided for SIG in 2010 and will be awarded to states to fund additional schools in the 2011-12 school year. The department has also made a request for an additional $900 million for the program in the 2011 budget. 

April 1, 2010
Socorro, Ysleta are Broad Prize finalists
Socorro and Ysleta ISDs in El Paso are two of the five finalists for the 2010 Broad Prize for Urban Education. The others are Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, the Gwinnett County Public Schools outside Atlanta and Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.

The Broad Prize is awarded each year to the urban school districts that demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among poor and minority students.

House Public Education Committee hears testimony
The House Public Education Committee met in Austin this week to hear invited and public testimony on interim charges #4 (STEM Education), #3 (Campus Leadership) and #2 (Student Wellness).

On Interim Charge #4, two witnesses from the National Math and Science Initiative and the Texas High School Project testified about the importance of having properly certified math and science teachers in the classroom and that those teachers have the appropriate content knowledge. 

The National Math and Science Initiative CEO outlined the Uteach Program, which started at The University of Texas at Austin in 1997 as a new way to prepare secondary science, math and computer science teachers. It has since been expanded to five more public universities in Texas.  The hope is that every private and public university will some day have a Uteach program.  The current funding for Uteach is $25 million, which is not enough to meet the growing demand for math and science teachers.  It was reported that one-third of teachers are not properly certified in the STEM areas and 50 percent don’t have the appropriate content knowledge.  It also was reported that Uteach teachers are still teaching after 5 years because those teachers are leading AP classes and are finding their work challenging. 

Texas has 85,000 students taking AP courses, but very few minority students take and pass AP classes.  Research suggests that out of 33,000 minority students with high PSAT scores, only 1,539 minority students currently are passing AP math.  The witnesses said they would like to see more funding for Uteach programs and for AP, IB and dual course credit courses. 

To get more teachers for math and science, it was proposed that the state develop programs that would train teachers in the summer, provide incentives to go into math and science, include math and science teachers on vertical teams, and then pay an additional bonus to teachers for every student who performs.  It was also stressed that more money was needed so that AP, IB and dual credit courses could be offered to every student in every district.

The committee next heard testimony from panels regarding Campus Leadership Teams as addressed in interim charge #3.  Their  main concern was that administrators and team leaders on campus turn- around teams are not required to be certified for that purpose and thus may not have the proper training and qualifications for dealing with a failing school.  It was suggested that having a required certification for this purpose might better benefit these schools.

The committee also heard statistics on principal retention and the effect that has on low performing campuses.  The data showed the lowest performing schools have the least experienced principals. And, over the past 14 years, the number of principals participating in masters programs has dropped from 20 percent to 30 percent. Schools, according to the data, need principals and teachers to stay as a team to assure increased quality.  The findings also showed that teachers tend to tune out principals who are short-timers, and principals at high poverty schools usually leave after three years.  It takes most principals about one school year to identify which teachers need help in the classroom.  About half of all elementary school teachers stay at the same school, a third of all middle school teachers stay at the same school and about 30 percent of high school teachers will stay at the same school.

The committee was urged to fix the accountability "death penalty" sanction because it forces administrators out of low-performing schools, which has the effect of ruining careers.

The committee finally heard testimony regarding interim charge #2 dealing with student wellness.  TEA testified about its website and resources for teachers to use when dealing with students with certain kinds of medical conditions.  There also was testimony about students with asthma and the effects of swine flu on school districts.  There also was testimony on the effect of the HB 3 health classes requirement and how some districts are dealing with teaching the TEKS of health in other courses.

There are still more interim charges for the committee to address in the future.  TSTA will keep you informed of upcoming interim meetings. 

March 31, 2010
Legislators to hold SBOE hearing
The Mexican American Legislative Caucus will hold a public hearing on April 28 at the state Capitol on the State Board of Education’s role in setting curriculum standards for Texas’ public school children. The Texas State Teachers Association and other educational experts will be invited to testify.

State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, the caucus chairman, announced the hearing on Wednesday in a news conference, in which TSTA President Rita Haecker participated, at the Capitol.

Martinez Fischer said the caucus is responding to the SBOE’s recent rewriting of the social studies curriculum, a process that received international attention after a bloc of conservative board members succeeded in rewriting curriculum standards to conform to their own political and religious beliefs. Among other things, they downplayed Thomas Jefferson’s role on the world history stage, much to the chagrin of educators throughout the country.

Instead of playing political games with what school children are taught about history, Martinez Fischer said, “I want to play the game of doing what’s right.”

Haecker, a former bilingual education teacher in the Austin ISD, said TSTA will be happy to participate in the hearing.

“The circus-like efforts of right-wing board members to impose their own religious and political beliefs on the public school curriculum have been and still are a national embarrassment,” she said.

“It is time for legislators to enlist education experts to take a thoughtful look at what the board has done,” she added.

The Mexican American Legislative Caucus has 44 members.

March 29, 2010
Share your teaching stories
The NEA Research Department needs your help with an ambitious project to produce a book on the past, present and future of the teaching profession in America. 

NEA asks active and retired K-12 public school teachers to describe their most memorable experiences as teachers, both inside and outside the classroom, in short vignettes of no more than 1,000 words.  

It's an attempt to capture the range of teacher voices across the country, to help the public understand both the successes and challenges teachers face daily as part of their jobs.

They hope to receive stories by April 9 or as soon thereafter as possible. http://www.nea.org/home/38073.htm

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