These administrators are willing to look at their salaries and benefits and make concessions in order to make the budget numbers work better. Kudos. (more…)

So the money is going to reverse the need for layoffs through Title I and IDEA funding. Were all of the students qualifying for Title I aid and IDEA funding (special education) the ones targeted for layoffs? That hardly seems fair or equitable. Students qualifying for Title I aid are our most in need of high quality consistency. Students qualifying under Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act are also in need of specific educational attention. By supplementing school budgets in order to save jobs in these arenas, we are demonstrating where our priorities need to change. We need to find sustainable solutions to staffing that serves all students equitably.

Lots of good news and insights here.

Where will it go? To be determined.

According to Nicholas Kristof, TEACHERS hold the answer to improving education. At the classroom level is where the magic of education happens, the primary interaction of learning. (more…)

It seems that the stimulus package will avoid layoffs in our local schools. From an employment standard, this is good news. But essentially a large part of the stimulus will supplement shrinking local and state funds to retain public sector jobs. I’m glad that our school budgets won’t be bludgeoned for the time being. The long term problems are not going to be solved without hard work at changing the budget structure. If we don’t take a more comprehensive approach to reforming education, including how it is funded, we will be facing even more dire budgetary woes in relatively short order. We need to take this opportunity to put real planning resources into solutions for long term, public education sustainability.

The other night I attended a local school board presentation by the consultants analyzing options for redevelopment of the only centrally located school facility in our district, which happens to be in the heart of our urbanized Village. As the consulting firm discussed their process and options - ranging from $10M for infrastructure basics to $26.9M for a building that addresses more state-of-the-art options, I found myself wondering if, in another community, we would be having this discussion. (more…)

In this article by Mark S. Tucker, published in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, despite the highest dollar investments per pupil, the US is not achieving acceptable results in our public school system. This is unacceptable from an equity perspective. Mr. Tucker argues that organizations like Teach for America, Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) and Green Dot are taking precious financial donations away from public education, soliciting tremendous funding from “boutique grant makers.” (more…)

It appears that one way the economy is impacting schools is to create a reverse flight. A return if you will. Parents who had previously chosen private over public schools and can no longer afford them, will be enrolling their students in the public system. This may impact on equity, and only time will tell how. (more…)

A friend forwarded me this link regarding proposed merger of BOCES (Board of Cooperative Education Services) in Sullivan County (rural) with Orange and Ulster Counties (urban/suburban/rural). The initial reaction is “NO.” But it seems like one of the key areas of consolidation is administration, not where services are delivered. The entire concept of BOCES is shared services, uniting resources to provide services to a broad group of people effectively. (more…)