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CFT News: 7.31.09
Education News: 7.31.09
California's higher education system could face decline -- The state's budget cuts to the three-tiered system -- UC, Cal State and community colleges -- may threaten the system's world-class reputation and the future of a generation of students. Larry Gordon, Gale Holland and Mitchell Landsberg in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/31/09
Students scrape to meet rising state college costs -- Fresno State student Phillip Bautista borrowed money from his parents and exhausted his savings after California State University trustees hiked undergraduate fees by $306 for the coming school year. Cyndee Fontana in the Fresno Bee -- 7/31/09
Colleges gently asking students for more money -- The late request requires college leaders to balance their need for money with an understanding of students' often-shaky financial situations. Matt Krupnick in the Contra Costa Times -- 7/31/09
LAUSD mounts its own campaign for federal grants -- Cash-strapped Los Angeles Unified wants to compete on its own, rather than as part of a statewide effort, to secure federal stimulus money for education, officials said today. Connie Llanos in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 7/31/09
UCLA kicks Undie Run off campus -- University officials cite rising number of fights and injuries, as well as rising costs. Students mourn the end of a finals week tradition that began seven years ago. Corina Knoll in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/31/09
Anthony Adams political suicide watch: He was one of 10 GOP lawmakers to provide necessary votes for $11.2 billion CTA bribe
Anthony York has a fascinating story in Capitol Weekly about how the CTA forced through a statutory guarantee of a future $11.2 billion payoff for schools early Friday morning as the budget deal was finally enacted.
Schools can cut paper shufflers
By ALLAN BOEHNE
Guest commentary
Updated: 07/31/2009
The budget cuts to K-12 schools will require California schools to cut spending without ways to streamline the state requirements placed on school districts. If a district has to spend money on documents sent to the state Department of Education, that usually means more employees at the school or county level to write those documents. I believe the state, county and district level offices of education should be cut first. Schools administrators should not increase teacher/student ratios, or offer less classroom equipment, supplies and books to balance their budgets.
California's education system broken
To better understand why California's public schools - once the envy of the nation and, perhaps the world - have fallen deep into the pit of academic despair, one has only to follow the recent interaction between federal education officials, and the folks who oversee this state's school system.
Teachers unions, listen up
As concerns in education shift, unions risk being left behind if they don't abandon hidebound positions.
When even your best friends aren't on your side, it's time to pay attention. Teachers unions in California would be wise to listen as new challenges to their most cherished doctrines come from the very politicians they have counted on as allies.
Court says English-only tests OK in schools
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, July 31, 2009
California is entitled to administer school achievement tests and high school exit exams in English to all students, including the nearly 1.6 million who speak limited English, a state appeals court ruled Thursday.
State News: 7.31.09
FPPC chief questions trips supported by polluters -- The chairman of California's Fair Political Practices Commission, Ross Johnson, said widespread overseas travel by top state climate and energy officials on the tab of nonprofits funded by industry "raises very serious questions of propriety." Tom Knudson in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/31/09
California could have $15 billion shortfalls -- The plan signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this week to balance the state's budget could leave California facing shortfalls in future years of more than $15 billion, according to an analysis released Thursday by a major Wall Street credit rating firm. Richard Procter in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/31/09
Walters: California tax changes may lie ahead -- Arnold Schwarzenegger believes - correctly - that a huge factor in California's chronic budget travails is the feast-or-famine nature of the state's revenue stream. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/31/09
CFT News: 7.30.09
Education News: 7.30.09
Cal state professors accept two furlough days per month -- California State University instructors have agreed to take two furlough days per month, clearing the way for the 23-campus university to deal with $564 million in budget cuts. Matt Krupnick in the Contra Costa Times -- 7/30/09
Amid huge campus cuts, some full-timers get raises -- Despite the cuts, many of the same colleges are spending millions to give their full-time employees raises. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/30/09
Jack O'Connell Says State Budget Cuts Totalling 18-Billion Dollars Will Result In Thousands Of Teacher Layoffs.
By: Steve Shadley
Wed Jul 29, 2009
Aired 7/29/2009 on All Things Considered
Aired 7/30/2009 on Morning Edition
(Sacramento, CA)
The top state schools official says the state budget means a lot of teachers could be out of work.
Capital Public Radio's Steve Shadley reports...
Obama Urges Schools to Pay Teachers More and Open Charter Schools
July 29, 2009
School districts across the country are about to get a lot of money under President Barack Obama's "Race to the Top" program, but only if they follow specific rules set out by Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
The Department of Education will distribute $4.3 billion in grants to pay teachers based on how their students perform and to allow more charter schools, among other reforms.
Money for the program comes from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus bill, which President Obama signed into law shortly after he became president.
Students, teachers remain concerned
By REBECCA PLEVIN / Vida En El Valle
Wednesday, July 29th
FRESNO -- Pedro Ramírez, a junior at California State University, Fresno, recently learned that three of his fall courses have been canceled.
Two of those classes are required for his political science major, and Ramírez is worried limited course offerings might force him to graduate a semester later than he had planned.
Ramírez and other CSU students are also facing a 20 percent increase in student fees.
Law keeps state out of running
07/29/2009
The California Teachers Association fought strongly and effectively last week to at least draw a line on spending cuts. It lobbied legislators not to suspend Proposition 98 and eventually to repay billions of dollars owed to schools.
But the union's stand on another money issue may prevent the state from obtaining hundreds of millions of dollars in additional federal money. It's hypocritical. The union must reverse its position on student performance and teacher evaluations.
CSUMB hikes tuition and turns away students in fallout from state budget mess.
By Zachary Stahl
Asharp increase in tuition will put a big dent in CSU Monterey Bay student Van Nguyen's checking account. Nguyen says she'll have to work extra hours to help pay for a 30 percent increase in student fees this year. "I have to take less classes because I have to work more," Nguyen says. The CSUMB junior will pay nearly $1,000 more in tuition compared to last year.
COC fees increase 30 percent
School officials say lower-income students will be hardest hit
By Tammy Marashlian
Signal Staff Writer
July 29, 2009
Enrollment fees will take a 30-percent hike at College of the Canyons this school year, and college officials say lower-income students will be the hardest hit.
The increase from $20 a unit to $26 a unit is due to the state budget signed Tuesday and affects community colleges statewide.
State budget slashes health, school funds
PHCD chief criticizes budget cuts; local schools, health-care district face challenges
By DAN JOHNSON,
ARGUS-COURIER STAFF
Published: Thursday, July 30, 2009
The chief of the Petaluma Health Care District pulls no punches when expressing his feelings about some elements of the recently adopted 2009-2010 state budget, such as significant reductions to health-care programs for children, the poor and the elderly.
"I'm outraged by the cuts to the Healthy Families program," said Daymon Doss, the PHCD's executive director. "And any significant changes in Medi-Cal affect Petaluma Valley Hospital, which has the second highest Medi-Cal admissions among hospitals in Sonoma County.
LASD board discusses possible ‘financial emergency'
Written by Traci Newell - Town Crier Staff Writer
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Fearing an additional $2.5 million in cuts to their already adopted 2009-2010 budget, the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees discussed Thursday the possibility of declaring a financial emergency.
California lawmakers wrangled overtime last week to close the state's $26 billion budget deficit, forcing the school district to return to the drawing board to make up the millions of dollars in further cuts.
State News: 7.30.09
Schwarzenegger's approval numbers hit an all-time low -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has sunk to an all-time low among Californians in a new survey that also finds that residents, while strongly in favor of environmental regulations, want to slow down on environmental reforms while the economy is still taking a beating. Steven Harmon in the Contra Costa Times -- 7/30/09
Governor, Legislature sink to record-low approval -- As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature were completing their latest budget deal last week, their standing with Californians was sinking to record-low levels, a new Public Policy Institute of California poll found. Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 7/30/09
Governor's cuts could be challenged in court -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's cuts of hundreds of millions of dollars from state health and welfare programs are probably headed for the courts, which will decide whether he has the power to reduce spending that lawmakers have already lowered from previously approved levels. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/30/09
Schwarzenegger blasts unemployment appeals board over backlog -- Stung by criticism, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger blasted his administration's Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, plagued by a massive backlog in handling appeals of jobless Californians denied unemployment compensation. Marc Lifsher in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/30/09
Andrew McIntosh in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/30/09
Schwarzenegger takes hard line on furloughs -- You can say a lot of things about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's furloughs, but you can't say he's caved to pressure to let some employees go back to being furlough-free. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/30/09
CFT News: 7.29.09
Education News: 7.29.09
A State of Confusion editorial: Schools: Not just about the money
Tuesday, Jul. 28, 2009
The latest budget dance reveals, once again, that California's education finance system is a mess. It needs an overhaul.
For more than two decades, after adjusting for California's high cost of living, the state has ranked in the bottom 10 in many school spending categories. Yet the state continues with the same convoluted, complicated formulas that fail to match needs and academic performance.
A bad law on evaluating teachers
From the San Jose Mercury News
07/28/2009
The California Teachers Association fought strongly and effectively last week to at least draw a line on spending cuts. It lobbied legislators not to suspend Proposition 98 and eventually to repay billions of dollars owed to schools.
Opinions mixed on SAT prep courses -- Kevin Chang is spending about six weeks this summer studying for the SAT. ERIN WALDNER in the Riverside Press -- 7/29/09
California schools chief reacts to U.S. criticism on teacher evaluation -- Jack O'Connell visits Long Beach to show that districts in the state are allowed to tie test scores to educator assessments. Obama and his Education secretary chided California on the issue last week. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/29/09
A new crop of school gardens -- Even as state funding wilts, support for school gardens is growing. Krista Simmons in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/29/09
Central California School District Gains Emergency Loan Is LAUSD Next?
July 28
The California State Budget was reconfigured on Friday to close the $26 billion gap. Of the $15 billion cut to services, education seems to have been hit the hardest. The K-12 budget, which includes community colleges, lost $6.1 billion, while universities only lost $2 billion. While the state is in already feeling the belt tighten, it will only continue to get worse as these cuts are implemented.
Community college fees rise by $6 a unit
By Jean Cowden Moore
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Community college fees will rise from $20 a unit to $26 this fall, bringing another increase to the cost of a public college education in California.
The expected fee increase, approved today by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as part of an education trailer bill to the new state budget, comes as state funding for community colleges has been cut by 20 percent, or $936 million.
Future uncertain for K-12 education
By Andrea Goodwin
Education Desk
July 28, 2009 8:34 p.m.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a California State budget solution on Tuesday that will solve $24.2 billion of the state's budget woes. The bulk of the budget deal is $16.1 billion in expenditure reductions, with the biggest cuts to education funding.
California lawmakers settled on the budget deal on Friday after several days of deliberations.
Three districts slash bus routes
Saugus Union, Sulphur Springs and Castaic Union reduce transportation services for students
By Tammy Marashlian
July 28, 2009
State budget cuts in education have forced three local elementary school districts to cut school bus service.
Instead, school officials are encouraging families to carpool and walk to school.
State News: 7.29.09
Governor Signs Budget Plan, Makes New Cuts
Tuesday the Governor signed the budget revision approved by lawmakers last week. But before he did so, he slashed an additional 500 million dollars from health and welfare programs and state parks.
By: Marianne Russ
Walters: California state budget deficit still looms for next year -- Even the most cockeyed optimist in the Capitol, if there is such a thing, would not contend that the much-revised state budget that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Tuesday is the final fiscal word. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/29/09
Schwarzenegger signs budget bills, cuts $489 million more -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a 27-bill budget-balancing package Tuesday, but only after making another $489 million in spending cuts and likening the experience to "the good, the bad and the ugly." Steve Wiegand in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/29/09
State could be in for an encore unless everything goes right -- Don't get too comfortable, California. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/29/09
CFT News 7.28.09:
California's budget process as sausage-making
Behind the scenes leading up to last week's agreement -- well, it wasn't always pretty.
By Shane Goldmacher
July 28, 2009
Reporting from Sacramento -- Beyond the mind-numbing numbers, the partisan bickering and the all-night legislative sessions was a web of forces that helped shape the state budget package Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign today. Some scenes from behind the scenes:
...
It wasn't enough. Soon Steinberg's irritation echoed through the Capitol hallways.
"We don't have time to waste," Steinberg snapped at Yee, as they huddled with a representative of another teachers union, the California Federation of Teachers.
Education news: 7.28.09
Budget deal could give special-ed students diplomas -- While fiscally insignificant, changes to the California High School Exit Exam policy tucked into the state's budget deal last week could offer a different future for thousands of disabled children denied diplomas over the past two years. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/28/09
School districts still awaiting final word on state budget cuts -- School district officials are anxiously waiting for details on the recently approved state budget and how it will affect the upcoming school year. Canan Tasci in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 7/28/09
UC Santa Cruz defeats conservatives in court -- A federal appeals court has rejected a conservative group's attempt to take away federal funding from UC Santa Cruz on the grounds the school allowed protesters to interfere with military recruiters. Bob Egelko in the San Fran cisco Chronicle -- 7/28/09
Monterey County schools lose big in state budget deal
Education suffers $9 billion in cuts
By LAITH AGHA and CLAUDIA MELÉNDEZ SALINAS
Herald Staff Writers
Updated: 07/27/2009
California's students are the biggest losers in the new state budget deal, the president of the California Teachers Association said Tuesday.
"They said we were all going to share the pain," said David Sanchez, the association's president, who is attending a CTA conference at Asilomar Conference Grounds this week. "This is not sharing the pain."
Info 101: Education wins, losses
July 27, 11:10 PM
While the beleaguered education sector has something to rejoice in President Barack Obama's unveiling of his education plan, it has also lost momentum when California closed its $26 billion budget deficit at the expense of education, among others.
Obama's education plan was hailed by the president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten. Obama's stimulus plan includes a $5 billion incentive plan to reward states for, among other things, boosting the quality of standards and state tests.
Editorial: Bad law on evaluating teachers keeps California out of running
Mercury News Editorial
07/27/2009
The California Teachers Association fought strongly and effectively last week to at least draw a line on spending cuts. It lobbied legislators not to suspend Proposition 98 and eventually to repay billions of dollars owed to schools.
But the union's stand on another money issue may prevent the state from obtaining hundreds of millions of dollars in additional federal money. It's hypocritical. The union must reverse its position on student performance and teacher evaluations.
State News: 7.28.09
Schwarzenegger signs budget with more welfare cuts
By JUDY LIN Associated Press Writer © 2009 The Associated Press
July 28, 2009, 1:33PM
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is making another $656 million in cuts to build a reserve fund for California as he signs the state's new budget.
Schwarzenegger sharpens veto pen -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to line-item veto more than $600 million in state programs to rebuild California's reserve fund when he signs a budget revision today. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/28/09
Walters: California politicos chant reform mantra in budget aftermath -- The Capitol's political machinations have become increasingly convoluted as the state's fiscal crisis has deepened, with the latest deal, another mélange of gimmicks aimed at once again postponing the day of reckoning, typifying the trend. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/28/09
Education News: 7.27.09
Budget cuts aside, educators continue to close the achievement gap -- State cuts to education haven't distracted educators from their goal of narrowing the achievement gap. Canan Tasci in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 7/27/09
Private school enrollments decline -- Enrollment is falling at many Inland private schools as families choose free public school over tuition during tough economic times. MICHELLE L. KLAMPE in the Riverside Press -- 7/27/09
What is the "Dance of the lemons"? Bad teachers being passed around
July 27, 8:04 AM
Why are school districts prevented from laying off or firing under-performing teachers? The unions. At a time when our financial education crisis is at an all time high, school administrators' hands are tied. How much influence is in the hands of the teachers unions with respect to school personnel matters? Plenty.
Gimme your test scores or your money, California!
July 27, 10:22 AM
California's test scores are not reported with teachers' names
The policy of blocking money to a state which has one of the worst records in collecting and using data to evaluate teachers and schools is well-intended. But this is not the solution to solving the demand for accountability.
The fact that statewide, California students' test scores are not reported with responsible teachers' names could cost the state millions of dollars in federal education funds.
Why music education is important in the valley
Louisa Castrodale • Special to The Desert Sun • July 27, 2009
It is no news to anyone that the state of California is in dire straits financially, and that is having a direct result on the educational system. On a daily basis, Palm Springs Unified School District is sorting through the alternatives of making it all work with a drastically reduced budget and educational goals that are as critically important as always.
Education News: 7.26.09
California education cutbacks: bigger classes, less summer school -- Timothy Dominguez was surprised to hear he'll have six more classmates in his seventh-grade classes when school resumes. Sharon Noguchi in the San Jose Mercury -- 7/26/09
Novice teachers can still count as "highly qualified" in California -- A challenge to federal rules defining a qualified teacher has fallen short in federal court. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/26/09
Scientist conducting noble social experiment -- UCSD professor Antonio De Maio is on a mission to change the face of biomedical science, and Mohamud Qadi and Jonathan Okerblom could serve as his poster boys. Keith Darcé in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 7/26/09
Budget cuts aside, educators continue to close the achievement gap
Canan Tasci, Staff Writer
Created: 07/26/2009 09:16:42 PM PDT
State cuts to education haven't distracted educators from their goal of narrowing the achievement gap.
"California and our nation are embroiled in a severe economic crisis that has wreaked havoc with our state budget," said Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction.
"Ensuring that our economy can thrive once again depends on us having a well-trained, analytical and critical-thinking work force.
Education News: 7.25.09
David W. Gordon: Education cuts compromise our future
Another View
By David W. Gordon
Special to The Bee
Published: Saturday, Jul. 25, 2009
Schools open their doors in about a month, and when students and parents arrive on our campuses they will see some changes, and not for the better. Our families will see - and feel - the negative impact that budget cuts are having on public education.
California's schools are being subjected to historic cuts unlike anything we've seen since the Great Depression. Education only represents 40 percent of the state budget, but our schools have been subjected to 60 percent of the cuts.
California schools may miss out on federal funds
By Diana Lambert
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Published: Saturday, Jul. 25, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 1A
California schools may already have lost the Race to the Top.
The state isn't likely to see any of the $4.35 billion in competitive federal grants that will be passed out as part of the American Recovery Act if legislators don't rescind a law that prevents teachers from being evaluated based on student test scores, say federal officials.
Additional Education News: 7.24.09
REGION: Many local schools cut summer programs
Districts maintain high school summer classes
By STACY BRANDT
Brienna Monaghan, 16, raises her hand during an English 1 class during summer school at Calavera Middle School in Carlsbad on Friday. (Photo by Hayne Palmour IV - Staff photographer)
Throughout North County and the state, school districts are scaling back summer school programs to help curb spending.
Districts have mostly maintained summer classes for high school students who are behind in credits or having a difficult time passing the state-mandated California High School Exit Exam. However, many elementary and middle school programs have been trimmed or axed entirely.
The Redlands Council PTA will continue providing enhancement to area schools
By Chantal M. Lovell, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/24/2009 09:18:58 AM PDT
REDLANDS - As school districts experience more and more budget cuts with a weakening economy, members of the Redlands Council PTA say they remain committed to provide enhancement support to local schools.
During the final June Redlands Council PTA meeting, PTA presidents from schools within the Redlands Unified School District discussed the importance of staying true to their traditional goals.
State News:
State workers may authorize a strike, but action is seen as unlikely -- The strike ballots may come back "yes," but history says "no." Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/27/09
Walters: Decisions beget unintended consequences -- This is a tale best told - or at least best understood - sequentially, a story of how political decisions separated by decades interacted to create unforeseen, multibillion-dollar consequences. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/27/09
Stimulus gives, budget cuts take from capital area -- Tens of billions of dollars are cascading into California from the federal stimulus package, but the economic oomph is being weakened by massive cutbacks in state spending. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/27/09
Proposed Schools Policy Says Two Languages Better Than One -- Minerva Espejo remembered her own rocky start in English after moving from Mexico to San Diego as a teenager. EMILY ALPERT Voiceofsandiego.org -- 7/27/09
CFT In the News: 7/24/09
Educational Leaders Decry Cuts To Education in Budget Agreement by David M. Greenwald, Editor, California Progress Report 7/24/09
The California Federation of Teachers (CFT) responded to the announcement of a possible California state budget agreement with dismay. CFT President Marty Hittelman said, "The priorities are wrong. Massive cuts to all levels of education while, at the same time, preserving unproductive corporate tax breaks, is a blueprint for further California decline." Hittelman noted that public education was cut $9 billion dollars, on top of $11.6 billion in cuts already made. He said, "Legislators should do the right thing and reject this budget."
California threatened with loss of funds if it doesn't use test scores in evaluating teachers
U.S. education secretary is expected to withhold millions of dollars in education stimulus money if the state doesn't comply with his demand..."We'd suggest the state look very carefully at that before they made that move," said Gary Ravani, an official with the California Federation of Teachers.
By Jason Felch and Jason Song in the LA Times, July 24, 2009
AFT In the News:
Pro Publica - journalism in the public interest - Eye on the Stimulus
Education Dept. Threatens to Bar Some States From Extra Stim Dollars
by Christopher Flavelle, ProPublica - July 24, 2009 11:04 am EDT
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
States that bar the use of student achievement data to measure teacher performance may be blocked from accessing a $4.3 billion innovation fund of stimulus dollars, The New York Times and others report. New York, California and other states have enacted such
From 7/22:
Cuesta College faces a $4.8 million budget deficit, could ...
KSBY - Amber Lee - 21 hours ago
Wednesday night, Cuesta College's Board of Trustees is discussing ways to help close its budget deficit. The college is facing a shortfall of $4.8 million ...
Possible layoffs of classified staff protested at Cuesta College
Staff could get pink slips
Cuesta College faculty and staff unions demonstrated Wednesday outside a board of trustees meeting to protest the possible layoffs of classified staff members.
Silent protest at Cuesta College
KSBY - Bethany Tucker - Jul 22, 2009
If you're headed to Cuesta College today you may see some furniture on campus. It's all a part of a silent protest against proposed faculty and staff cuts. ...
From 7/21:
California budget deal to sting schools and poor
San Luis Obispo Tribune - Sally Connell - Jul 21, 2009
Cuesta College - Here are initial local reactions to the budget deal Schwarzenegger struck with top legislators, including the Assembly's Republican leader, Sam Blakeslee of ...
Education news: 7/24
Fresno State to cut jobs, classes, workdays -- Fresno State will chop hundreds of jobs, slash class sections and even shut down for several days to offset massive budget cuts driven by the state's poor economy. Cyndee Fontana in the Fresno Bee -- 7/24/09
Budget cuts to hit hard at Sacramento State -- Students at Sacramento State - and those who aspire to study there - will see impacts of the current budget crisis play out over the next two years. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/24/09
State News: 7/24
Sac Bee Capitol Alert - The latest on California politics and government
July 24, 2009
AM Alert: Still slogging
The Senate wrapped up its work on the budget shortly after 6 a.m. this morning after a marathon all-night session, but the Assembly was still picking its way through the budget package.
Some of the most controversial items - local government and offshore oil drilling - had yet to come up.
CFT In the News: 7/23/09
CA Budget: Education Set To Take Huge Hit
Public News Service 7/23/09- 8 hours ago
Marty Hittelman, president of the California Federation of Teachers, is urging lawmakers to reject the plan. "They should tell their leadership the ...
Education Report: California's budget deal, Obama's message to ...
Tri Valley Herald - Katy Murphy - 17 hours ago
The California Federation of Teachers, the union that represents community college faculty and adult education teachers, has taken the opposite position. ...
Link below - CFT - 7/22: Interest groups trying to scuttle California budget deal - From the San Jose Mercury/Steve Harmon - also printed 7/22 in the Freemont Argus, Alameda Times Star, Woodland Daily Democrat
Prisoners off the payroll
IAfrica.com - 5 hr, 59 mins ago
leaders urged the state assembly to reject the budget. The leader of the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) responded to the budget with dismay. 'The priorities
Anger follows California budget crisis deal-see links below
Yahoo! UK and Ireland - 16 hr, 12 mins ago
leaders urged the state assembly to reject the budget. The leader of the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) responded to the budget with dismay. 'The priorities
UK, Ireland:
Australia:
Education news: 7/23/09
AFT:
Adjunct Abuse?
Campus Progress - Emily Rutherford - 18 hours ago
According to data collected by the American Federation of Teachers, approximately two-thirds of college and university instructors are not tenure or ...
California's high school exit exam will remain a requirement for graduation -- The on-again, off-again high school exit exam is back on - but not for everyone. Dana Hull in the San Jose Mercury -- 7/23/09
Peralta board calls for reforms after contract, credit card disclosures -- Peralta College District trustees will require increased scrutiny of contracts for conflicts and the appearance of conflicts; require compliance with existing policies on travel and spending; and rigorously enforce the findings and recommendations of a state investigation, the board president said, reacting to a newspaper probe into the district's finances. Thomas Peele in the Contra Costa Times -- 7/23/09
School districts in Sacramento region were ready for budget cuts -- Most local school districts are prepared for the $4.3 billion in cuts and $1.7 billion in payment deferrals that are part of the state's tentative budget agreement. Diana Lambert in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/23/09
California takes control of strapped Monterey County school district -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger authorizes a $13-million loan to the King City Joint Union High School District. A state administrator will be named Thursday. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/23/09
State News: 7/23/09
Skelton: Budget's a mess, but it's our mess -- No one really likes the latest deal from Sacramento, but it may well be the best that can be done. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/23/09
Hiltzik: Phil Angelides on quest to find truth amid financial rubble -- The former California treasurer is chairman of the 10-member congressional commission to investigate causes of the meltdown. He can only hope that the panel focuses on the empirical, not theoretical. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/23/09
An Appeasement Budget - By Richard Holober, Executive Director, Consumer Federation of California
The latest on California politics and government-up to date budget news
July 23, 2009 AM Alert: Long day ahead
CFT In the News: Reaction on the budget agreement 7/22/09
Inside Bay Area - Oakland Tribune July 22
The president of the California Teachers Association - the state's biggest teachers union - told me yesterday that he just wants lawmakers to "vote for the damn budget."
The California Federation of Teachers, the union that represents community college faculty and adult education teachers, has taken the opposite position. It has urged its members to persuade legislators to vote no.
It's true that this so-called "compromise budget" doesn't close tax loopholes or otherwise attempt to boost tax revenues. It includes a $6 billion cut to schools and community colleges, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office, although that figure includes retroactive cuts made for 2008-09 and, I believe, payments delayed from one fiscal year to the next.
As usual, the governor and lawmakers are relying on cuts, borrowing and accounting maneuvers to close the $26.3 billion deficit.
Do you think the Legislature should vote yes or no on this deal? Why?
Interest groups trying to scuttle California budget deal
San Jose Mercury News - Steven Harmon - 16 hours ago
The California Federation of Teachers is urging legislators to vote down the budget, appealing more to their conscience than applying muscle. ...
California budget deal: Now, the challenge will be selling it to ... The California Federation of Teachers is urging legislators to vote down the budget, which includes $6 billion in cuts to public schools and community colleges, plus nearly $3 billion more to the university systems. Steve Harmon and Dana Hull in the San Jose Mercury News
Anger over details of California budget crisis deal The leader of the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) responded to the budget with dismay."The priorities are wrong. Massive cuts to all levels of education while, at the same time, preserving unproductive corporate tax breaks, is a blueprint for further California decline," CFT President Marty Hittelman said. AFP
Two state teachers' unions on opposing sides of budget deal
KABC - 20 hours ago
More than 17000 teachers, nurses, school librarians and counselors lost their jobs." Said Hittelman: "California invested in preparing most of these ...
Californie: 27 000 prisonniers pourraient être renvoyés chez eux
Cyberpresse - 18 hours ago
Le président de la Fédération des enseignants californiens (CFT), Marty Hittelman, n'est guère plus enthousiaste. «Les priorités ne sont pas les bonnes», ...
California's budget: Something for everyone to hate ...Educators and health care advocates were quick to express dismay. “The priorities are wrong, California Federation of Teachers President Marty Hittelman said in a statement. “Massive cuts to all levels of education while, at the same time, preserving unproductive corporate tax breaks , is a blueprint for further California decline.” People's Weekly World
Education news: 7/22/09
Old Adobe school district draws line in the sand
Santa Rosa Press Democrat - Dan Johnson - 32 minutes ago
School districts that are not able to meet their financial obligations during a current fiscal year can lose some control. Section 42133 of the California ...
Monterey County schools lose big in state budget deal
Monterey County Herald - Laith Agha, Claudia Meléndez Salinas - 1 hour ago
... schools and community colleges during a two-year span and nearly $3 billion from the University of California and California State University systems. ...
Education system takes another hit
Vallejo Times-Herald - Shauntel Lowe, Sarah Rohrs - 8 hours ago
... of California and California State University systems. The budget agreement includes a provision to eventually repay schools about $9.3 billion, ...
Educators predict class sizes will grow, services will shrink
Ventura County Star - 9 hours ago
O'Connell said he was pleased the California High School Exit Exam will remain a condition of graduation for most students. A legislative committee had ...
County joins fight against proposed budget cuts
Enterprise-Record - 9 hours ago
The plan calls for cutting $6 billion from K-12 schools and community colleges. The California State University system and the University of California ...
State Cuts = Local Pain
Modesto Bee - Garth Stapley - 9 hours ago
$9 billion: The amount cut from education, $6 billion from K-12 schools and community colleges, and nearly $3 billion from the California State University ...
Whittier, San Gabriel Valley educators devastated by $6B in state ...
Pasadena Star-News - Tracy Garcia, Dan Abendschein - 12 hours ago
That seems to be the consensus among educators throughout the state, including the nonprofit California Association of School Business Officials, ...
Community Colleges May Suffer With Budget Deal
KGTV, 10News.com - 16 hours ago
SAN DIEGO -- Educators and students of all ages are wondering how much schools will be affected by the state's budget deal announced Monday. Gov. ...
California schools face $12B in cuts
KGO-TV - Lyanne Melendez - 17 hours ago
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Education spending will be hurt by California's new budget as school funding is being cut by more than $12 billion ...
CSU Monterey Bay adjusting plans for future as budget talks roll on
The Salinas Californian - 18 hours ago
Plans for a new academic building to house the schools of business and information technology have been suspended. The combined effect will be a slowing, ...
A mixture of worry and measured relief for state school districts
Los Angeles Times - 17 hours ago
California school districts have been reacting today to the proposed state budget deal with a combination of confusion and measured, qualified relief. ...
Budget deal deals schools a budget blow
89.3 KPCC - 17 hours ago
That's pretty much all California public schools have heard this year. O'Connell told kpcc's Larry Mantle to start with the $4.3 billion in cuts contained ...
O'Connell's response to budget deal
Santa Rosa Press Democrat - 2 hours ago
"I am pleased that the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) will remain as a condition of graduation for most students, but it is unfortunate that the ...
Higher education lose $3 billion under the budget deal -- State universities and local community colleges alike will take deep cuts under the state budget deal. BEN YOUNG LANDIS in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 7/22/09
Students protest as CSU raises fees by 20% -- It just got about $1,000 more expensive to attend California State University for one year - and students are furious. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times Cyndee Fontana in the Fresno Bee Eleanor Yang Su in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 7/22/09
CSU fees hiked 32 percent -- California State University students will pay 32 percent more for classes this fall after Tuesday's approval of a second fee hike in three months. SEAN NEALON in the Riverside Press -- 7/22/09
Peralta College District trustees voted Tuesday night to ask for a state investigation of the district -- Peralta College District trustees voted Tuesday night to ask for a state investigation of the district and were poised to ban the use of district credit cards for personal expenses, citing recent reports by the Bay Area News Group. Thomas Peele in the Oakland Tribune -- 7/22/09
Lopez: Could parents' screams jolt L.A. Unified into action? -- Parents, fed up by the state of public education, are demanding reforms and threatening to pull out their children, try to shut down schools and start charters. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/22/09
State News: 7/22/09
Sac Bee Capitol Alert - On the budget deal, Gov defends cuts.....on ‘Today' and ‘Good Morning America'
The Shame of the Democrats By Peter Schrag, Columnist, California Progress Report 7/22/09
Budget to reshape the Golden State -- Roads will be rougher, classrooms fuller and textbooks more tattered. The odds of encountering someone fresh out of prison will almost certainly be higher. Mitchell Landsberg in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/22/09
Walters: Dead-of-night budget deals may backfire -- One of the more insidious - and corrosive - aspects of the state's perpetual budget crisis is the inclination of Capitol politicians to enact major policy changes on the fly. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/22/09
Details of the California budget deal -- via AP -- 7/22/09
Q & A on the pending California budget -- The plan announced Monday night does not include previous proposals to sell the state's share of the Coliseum and to clsoe 80% of state parks. The item is in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/22/09
Education news: 7/21/09
CSU students face nearly $1,000 in added fees -- California State University undergraduate students could face nearly $1,000 in added fees next year, as the CSU Board of Trustees prepares to vote Tuesday on yet another fee hike. Marcel Honore in the Desert Sun -- 7/21/09
Charter schools surge at San Bernardino City Unified's expense -- Spread across the two-county Inland region's 45 school districts are 41 charter schools. That would seem to average out to less than one per district, but San Bernardino has five. MELANIE C. JOHNSON in the Riverside Press -- 7/21/09
State News: 7/21/09
A Budget Deal at Last, But at What Price?After weeks of intense debate and angry standoffs, lawmakers have struck a tentative budget deal. It includes severe cuts to education, new offshore oil drilling and a requirement that taxpayers send their income taxes in early. Reporter: John Myers.
Sac Bee Capitol Alert July 21, 2009
Odds and ends from last night's budget deal
Legislative aides provided details last night of the budget deal between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders. Here's a roundup of items that didn't make our print story today:
Devastating Cuts for Education, the Poor, Health Care, and Local Governments, by David M. Greenwald, Editor, California Progress Report
Walters: Another tricky budget devised for California -- Were California a corporation, rather than a state, its officers would be playing tiddlywinks with Bernie Madoff in the federal slammer, having engaged in years of hide-the-pea accounting tricks, under-the-table loans and other gimmicks to cover up the state's perpetual operating deficits. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/21/09
Education news: 7/17/09
Stimulus dollars helping local schools through state budget crunch
Record-Searchlight - Rob Rogers - 9 hours ago
Overall, $8 billion in federal funding was given to California schools. "It's not going to correct everything," said Dick Urban, a trustee on the Anderson ...
School-funding formula illogical and inequitable Ventura County Star
Ripon Unified transfer uproar solution now up to teachers
Manteca Bulletin - Jason Campbell - 8 hours ago
To remedy the situation, Fisher suggested to Nan that the proposals being allowed classroom size increases through 2013 by the State of California - in ...
Old Adobe Union School District trustees say, 'No more cuts' Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Standoff on Education Funding Delays Budget Solution
Earlier this week, it looked like political leaders in Sacramento were about to announce a deal resolving the budget deficit. But it hasn't happened yet and several major issues remain unresolved. The most contentious involves education funding. Reporter: John Myers.
Schwarzenegger nixes school-funding demand Sacramento Bee
California school funding spat has no easy compromise -- The last-minute hurdle that has stymied negotiations over the state budget involves such a narrow matter - when and how to repay schools for billions of dollars in cuts - that it would seem simple enough for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders to craft a way around it. Mike Zapler in the San Jose Mercury -- 7/17/09
Proposition 98, which guards funding for state's schools, is tested again -- In the tug of war over state's deficit, Schwarzenegger would like to suspend it. The California Teacher's Assn. wants reassurances. Eric Bailey in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/17/09
Opposing Changes to Prop 98- By Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa),
Chair of the Budget Conference Committee-in the California Progress Report 7/17/09
CSU to join UC in cutting pay, raising tuition -- Just as the University of California's Board of Regents was voting Thursday morning to cut $813 million from the UC budget, the chancellor of the California State University system announced he will ask trustees to approve a hefty 20 percent fee hike on students next week. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/17/09
2nd furlough begins as Calif. budget talks stall
San Luis Obispo.com - 1 hr, 48 mins ago
owed and when it will be repaid to schools,' said Sandra Jackson, a spokeswoman for the California Teachers Association, considered one of the most influential forces
California State University system cuts hit Monterey Peninsula ...
Monterey County Herald - Claudia Meléndez Salinas - 1 hour ago
At the community colleges, enrollment will necessarily be capped because there will not be enough teachers and classrooms to meet the expected demand. ...
Cal State Inaugurates New Teacher-Training Initiative
Education Week News (subscription) - Lesli A. Maxwell - 4 hours ago
CSU, which has 23 campuses serving 450000 students, is a behemoth of teacher prep. Not only does it churn out the bulk of California's teachers, ...
Cal State Chancellor Reed criticizes low standards at high schools
Los Angeles Times - Jul 15, 2009
Focusing on math teachers in particular, Reed said that "less than half" of algebra teachers "had algebra classes or were taught how to teach algebra.
State News: 7/17/09
CFT In the News: 7/16/09
Ballot measure targets corporate tax loopholes -- As California's financial woes deepen, a coalition of tax reform and labor groups has filed a proposed ballot initiative for 2010 that would eliminate an estimated $2.5 billion worth of corporate tax breaks that the governor and state lawmakers approved since last September. The California Federation of Teachers...John Howard in Capitol Weekly -- 7/16/09
Calif. budget talks stall over cuts, borrowing
abc7news.com - Alan Wang - 11 hours ago
It's a crime," said Ed Murray with the American Federation of Teachers. Similar protests took place at the state capitol and the governor's other district ...
UCSC Furlough Reaction Mixed
KSBW - 16 hours ago
... at this point they must have a serious discussion with us about what furloughs might mean," said President American Federation of Teachers Mike Rotkin. ...
Crowd to Calif. gov: 'Don't let our state go up in smoke!'
People's Weekly World - Marilyn Bechtel - 18 hours ago
The theme of the rallies, initiated by the California Labor Federation and labor councils, was "Don't Let our State's Future Go Up in Smoke" - a takeoff on ... San Francisco City College teacher Ed Murray told the rally Schwarzenegger's proposed education cuts would "steal millions of dollars from our public school and community college students. We know our students are the future of our state," he added. "In simple terms, the governor is killing the goose that laid the golden egg."
Education news: 7/16/09
Educators have fingers crossed over depth of cuts in budget -- Educators continue to plead their case for limiting funding cuts as lawmakers struggle to balance and pass a state budget. Canan Tasci in the San Bernardino Sun -- 7/16/09
UC panel approves 11 to 26 furlough days for employees -- The furloughs would affect as many as 140,000 faculty and staff at the 10 university campuses, with higher-paid employees taking larger pay cuts. Unions would have to approve the plan, officials say. Larry Gordon in the Los Angeles Times Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee James P. Sweeney in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 7/16/09
SSU faculty considers furloughs, pay cut
Press Democrat - 13 hr, 31 mins ago
pay cut. The deep reductions are being met with deep doubts from many of teachers, librarians and counselors at California's 23 CSU campuses. The CSU Faculty Association
California college crunch
Los Angeles Times - Vincent J. Del Casino Jr. - 13 hours ago
... at the potential wholesale abandonment of the master plan, California's commitment to providing a college education to all its young people who qualify. ...
School funding cuts face opposition
Vida en el Valle - 14 hr, 21 mins ago
a minimal level of funding for schools and community colleges around California. But the California Teachers Association (CTA) denounced this action last week in
Fresno State union votes for furloughs -- Members of a union representing nonfaculty employees at California State University, Fresno, voted Wednesday to accept a plan that could lead to two-day-a-month furloughs. The item is in the Fresno Bee -- 7/16/09
No Child Left Behind has effects in California -- Although highly controversial, former President George W. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" program of school testing and accountability is having the effect in California of punishing school boards and principals whose schools are not meeting performance standards, according to a new study by the Public Policy Institute of California. Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 7/16/09
Schwarzenegger, lawmakers working on school cuts -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders have agreed on a way to cut school funding while avoiding a politically unpopular suspension of the state's constitutional guarantee for education, Democratic negotiators said Wednesday. Kevin Yamamura and Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/16/09
"We've Stalled Over Education" -- That was the assessment of Assembly Speaker Karen Bass as negotiations over the state's massive budget deficit ended tonight with no deal, a major change in tone from earlier in the day when a deal seemed imminent. John Myers Capitol Notes weblog -- 7/16/09
Romero in middle of two squabbles
Sac Bee Capitol Alert July 16, 2009
State News: 7/16/09
CFT In the News: 7/15
Suspending Prop. 98 Would Permanently Rob Billions From Public School Students, California schools have been cut $11 billion in the past year. Suspending Prop. 98 would further drain basic resources from schools that have already been ..., By Marty Hittelman, CFT President, for the California Progress Report
Education news: 7/15
Education funding key in budget negotiations
Times-Standard - Thadeus Greenson - 9 hours ago
Proposition 98, passed narrowly by the state's voters in 1988, ensures a minimum level of K-14 education funding, generally about 40 percent of the state's ...
http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_12840779
UC staff protests proposed furloughs -- They're protesting at the University of California, exercising free speech and making demands. But those with the raised fists and angry placards aren't students. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/15/09
Black students gain on tests, fail to close gap
San Francisco Chronicle - Jill Tucker - 11 hours ago
Despite years of expensive, albeit well-meaning academic reforms in California and nationwide, the achievement gap remains public education's most vexing ...
Using budget crisis to ditch exit exam is disingenuous
San Jose Mercury News - 13 hours ago
Yep, their plan would have schools keep on giving the test to all 10th-graders (and pupils beyond that level who previously failed to pass). ...
State News: 7/15
Schwarzenegger fires back with his own TV ad
San Francisco Chronicle - 16 mins ago
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a target of a California Teachers Association TV ad that began airing last week, is going on the offensive with a TV-spot of his own...
WALTERS: New numbers highlight California's budget woes
Santa Rosa Press Democrat - Dan Walters - 5 hours ago
Two sets of data, one from the governor's budget agency and the other from the state controller, neatly frame the California budget deficit ...
CFT In the News: 7/14
Early steps taken in what could be a pitched battle over corporate ...
San Jose Mercury News - Steven Harmon - Jul 13, 2009
... who teamed up with two labor groups, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the California Federation of Teachers, ...
Education news: 7/14
California In Crisis--California Schools Quake From Budget Cuts
by Carrie Kahn - National Public Radio
Californians protest school cuts earlier this year
From budget gaps, to teacher layoffs to growing class sizes, California schools cannot catch a break. Listen:
Federal funds will help local school districts feed students
Mercury-Register - Katy Sweeny - 3 hours ago
California schools received $12.8 million in 2009 Equipment Assistance Grants, while the education department got requests for $70 million in kitchen ...
Budget talks center on education spending -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the top four legislative leaders haggling over the state's $26.3 billion deficit plan today to debate the thorny issue of education spending. Matthew Yi in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/14/09
Slashing Budgets at the UC -Hundreds of University of California employees are expected to demonstrate in San Francisco today. They're protesting proposed furloughs and budget cuts that even UC President Mark Yudof calls draconian. The UC Regents will be discussing the budget plans beginning today.
Maricopa school layoffs clouded in controversy
Taft Midway Driller - 14 hr, 22 mins ago
or discuss the effects of layoffs,??? said Carol Georges, labor relations specialist for the California School Employees Association (CSEA). The board met again in
Teacher loses fight to keep job -- Judge gives L.A. Unified permission to terminate Matthew Kim, who has done no work for seven years. Jason Song in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/14/09
LAUSD voting on plan to let public have more say -- The Los Angeles Unified school board is scheduled to vote today on a bold plan that would transfer the power of deciding how new schools operate from the district to the community. Connie Llanos in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 7/14/09
Statewide busing cuts protested -- In a show of yellow force, dozens of school buses from across the state encircled the Capitol on Monday as drivers and other school officials protested possible budget cuts. E.J. Schultz in the Fresno Bee -- 7/14/09
Arne Duncan pushes for teacher merit pay - the politics and ...
Examiner.com - 17 hours ago
Prior to making a formal complaint under the California Education Code, the California Department of Education requests that you first talk to "your local
State News: 7/14
Cries for reform of California government come from all sides -- If Schwarzenegger and the Legislature fail to act, others are poised to step in. Eric Bailey in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/14/09
Walters: Two data sets neatly frame state's budget crisis -- Two sets of data, one from the governor's budget agency and the other from the state controller, neatly frame the budget deficit that top political officeholders are trying - and so far failing - to close. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/14/09
http://www.sacbee.com/walters/story/2023571.html?mi_rss=Dan%20Walters
CFT In the News: 7/13/09
Oppose budget cuts in California! Defend jobs and education! Unite workers behind a socialist program!
Statement of Socialist Equality Party 13 July 2009
The Schwarzenegger administration, in collaboration with the Democratic Party-controlled state legislature, is carrying out an unprecedented attack on the population of California. With the backing of the Obama administration, the politicians in Sacramento are seizing on the economic crisis gripping the state to gut basic social programs upon which millions of people depend.
The municipal and state unions-including the Service Employees Industrial Union (SEIU), the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), the California Teachers Association (CTA), and the state workers unions
Education news: July 11-13, 2009
Inside Higher Ed - CALIFORNIA BEAT
Tarnished Jewel
July 13, 2009
There's blood in the water, and Vicki Ruiz knows everyone can smell it.
"The privates have come calling," says Ruiz, dean of the University of California at Irvine's School of Humanities. "I've lost very valued faculty members to Yale, to Northwestern, to Penn, to Pomona, to Scripps, as well as to even.... "
Unionized workers rally outside UC president's Oakland home to protest proposed cuts -- Unionized employees of the University of California rallied outside the North Oakland home of UC President Mark Yudof on Sunday morning to deliver what they called a "wake-up call" about his proposed cuts to the university system's budget. Sean Maher in the Oakland Tribune -- 7/13/09
Furlough Plan by UC Met with Mix of Support and Opposition by David M. Greenwald,
Editor, California Progress Report 7/13/09
Our Embattled Public University System Deserves Better, California Progress Report, 7/13/09 By Andy Merrifield, Associate Vice President, California Faculty AssociationProfessor, Political Science, Sonoma State University
7/12/09
Jeremy Adams: Budget forces dimming our dreams for education
Sacramento Bee - Jeremy Adams - Jul 12, 2009
As the current budget crisis worsens without end - and its attendant funding cuts, teacher layoffs and program exorcisms - a sinister but palpable collusion ...
Eureka teachers try to disprove necessity of district layoffs
Willits News - Jul 12 2009
to me, Wanda Naylor, a Blue Lake resident, said of her classes at the school. She called the layoffs and related elimination of programs scary. The Eureka ...
Youth hit hard by lack of jobs, school grants -- Jordan Atkinson had all the trappings of a typical Marin County childhood. Carolyn Jones in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/12/09
Banks: Struggling school gets a boost -- Through Chaka Khan's education foundation, low-achievers at Drew Middle School in Compton receive help from people who care about their future. Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/12/09
Schwarzenegger's call to suspend Prop. 98 jolts Capitol -- Not once in the two decades since California's Proposition 98 school-funding formula became law have lawmakers bucked education groups to suspend it - so Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's push to do so has rocked the Capitol. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/12/09
Alameda County college leader's business partner gets $900,000 contract -- Peralta Community College District Chancellor Elihu Harris helped steer a $940,000 no-bid contract to one of his business partners without disclosing the relationship to district trustees before they approved the deal, documents and interviews reveal. Matt Krupnick and Thomas Peele -- 7/12/09
At Peralta, lavish spending becomes routine -- Leaders of the Peralta Community College District have spent thousands of tax dollars on lavish hotels, East Coast trips and even clothing in the past 18 months. Matt Krupnick and Thomas Peele in the Contra Costa Times -- 7/12/09
Peralta raises at odds with district rules -- Chancellor Elihu Harris violated Peralta Community College District policies when he unilaterally approved raises for dozens of managers throughout the course of several months, according to district trustees and documents. Matt Krupnick and Thomas Peele in the Contra Costa Times -- 7/12/09
7/11/09
This is not a drill - brace yourself for cuts in California school ...
Examiner.com - Jul 11, 2009
It was just announced on July 9, that a $4 billion apportionment to the Department of Education will not be made as scheduled. ..
State News: July 11-13, 2009
California Federation of Teachers In the News: 7/10
California Tax Reform Association, Budget Advocates File Initiative To Repeal $2.5 Billion in Corporate Tax Loopholes
California Desk July 09, 2009
SACRAMENO, CA - The California Tax Reform Association and a series of budget advocacy groups including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees California, AFL-CIO (AFSCME) and California Federation of Teachers, filed an initiative with the California Attorney General´s Office that would repeal permanent corporate tax loopholes, which are estimated to cost $2.5 billion annually, that were passed as part of the September 2008 and February 2009 budget agreements.
California Tax Reform Association, Budget Advocates File Initiative ...
Los Angeles Chronicle - 11 hr, 15 mins ago
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees California, AFL-CIO (AFSCME) and California Federation of Teachers, filed an initiative with the California Attorney
Education news: 7/10
CSU Closes Admissions to Save Money
Later today, the president of the University of California system will unveil a game plan to tackle the loss of $800 million in state support. The Cal State system has its own approach; it's freezing admissions for two upcoming terms. Reporter: Sarah Varney.
CSU shuts door on spring enrollment -- For the first time, the California State University will accept no new students for its spring semester, CSU announced Thursday. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle Larry Gordon in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/10/09
Grant Will Help Sac State Recruit Migrant Students
Fri Jul 10, 2009 - Sacramento State is getting about $2.5 million in federal money to help children of migrant farm workers graduate college.
Calif. rejects district plan to make up class time
Macon Telegraph - 2 hr, 48 mins ago
need and deserve and that the district was paid to provide,' said Ted Mitchell, board president. Interim district Superintendent Wayne Joseph did not immediately
State leaders suspend budget talks amid numbers confusion
Orange County Register - 7 hr, 23 mins ago
needs to be done. Now sit down and do it! CUT SPENDING. As I laid off teacher, I resent the influence the unions have in California. They have destroyed public education
Guaranteed school funds complicate budget -- As the budget clock ticked, the state's school funding guarantee complicated talks this week due to questions over how much money the state owes education now and in future years. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/10/09
Bills giving Legislature control of UC shelved -- A controversial move to give state lawmakers direct authority for the first time over the University of California has been quietly shelved by the Legislature's Democratic leaders and appears to be all but dead. James P. Sweeney in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 7/10/09
State News: 7/10
Illegal immigrants again in the budget spotlight in California
Los Angeles Times - 1 hour ago
State officials estimate that they add between $4 billion and $6 billion in costs, primarily for prisons and jails, schools and emergency rooms. ...
Initiative to Eliminate the New Corporate Loopholes - Lenny Goldberg, Calif. Tax Reform Assn.
State Worker Strike Authorization Vote May Be Imminent Calif. Progress Report
CFT In the News: 7/9/09
School funding in doubt as state revenues plunge -- Plunging state revenues -down in May and June by as much as $1.8 billion below official expectations -- could wind up costing public schools as much as $8 billion in money they say is owed to them by the state... The California Federation of Teachers has already filed a lawsuit claiming there should be a maintenance factor in Test 1 years. When the suit was filed, ... Anthony York in Capitol Weekly -- 7/9/09
Education news: 7/9/09
Two-year colleges nearly full -- Enrollment at San Diego County's community colleges is up this summer despite fewer classes being offered because of state funding cuts. Leonel Sanchez in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 7/9/09
Union sues UC over financial records -- A union representing health care and service workers at the University of California is suing the Board of Regents, claiming UC is illegally barring access to public financial records. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/9/09
Schools chief releases updated high school exit exam results -- In a continued effort to show the Legislature's recent proposal to eliminate the California High School Exit Examination would harm student achievement, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell released updated exam results Wednesday that show students making progress. Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell in the San Bernardino Sun -- 7/9/09
FEDS award school bus grants -- The Obama Administration has committed $1.56 million to help clean up 125 dirty diesel school buses in San Diego County. Michael Gardner San Diego Union-Trib weblog -- 7/9/09
CSU student fees could hit $5,000 to offset budget cuts -- The cost to attend California State University this fall could rise by 30 percent compared with the year just ended, an increase experts said could drive students out of school. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento
District may boost class sizes in budget maneuver
San Diego Union Tribune - Bruce Lieberman - 8 hours ago
But with California's budget deficit at $26 billion and no state budget in sight, the shortfall of $6.5 million in Carlsbad is still uncertain, ...
Editorial: Legislators can't avoid school cuts
Sacramento Bee - 10 hours ago
But given the sorry state of California's economy and its budget, a school spending plan that leaves per-student funding intact over a two-year period and ...
College of Marin faces $700000 shortfall
Novato Advance - Kelly Dunleavy - 20 hours ago
If the revised projections haven't been built into the county's numbers, on which the college is basing its budget, there could be additional cuts of ...
Teachers v. Arnold: The Sequel -- The debate over erasing California's massive budget deficit may now be headed into a new, and particularly bitter phase... as arguably the state's most powerful interest group hammers Governor Schwarzenegger for his suggestion to further reduce spending on public schools. John Myers Capitol Notes weblog -- 7/9/09
CTA launches TV attack on Schwarzenegger - Sac Bee Capitol Alert - July 9, 2009
State News: 7/9/09
Governor's borrowing plan risks stimulus funds -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget package, which he has touted as a way to solve the state's entire deficit, has a glitch that may jeopardize $10 billion in federal stimulus funds for California's public schools, colleges and prisons. Matthew Yi in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/9/09
State leaders still analyzing impact of June 30 inaction - Sac Bee Capitol Alert, July 9, 2009
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/023723.html
Education news: 7/8/09
CSU union makes tentative deal for furloughs -- The California State University Employees Union, representing about 16,000 employees, announced a tentative agreement Tuesday with the university system to have members take 24 furlough days next year. Connie Llanos in the Long Beach Press -- 7/8/09
Cal State system may raise student fees up to 20% more -- The increase would come on top of a 10% hike approved in May. Faculty members bitterly denounce trustees and the chancellor at a special board session called to address fiscal crisis. Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/8/09
Hundreds of top UC scientists slam planned cuts -- More than 300 of the nation's most noted scientists from all 10 University of California campuses have warned Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that proposed cuts in the UC budget would endanger the future of science and technology in California and threaten the state's economy. David Perlman in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/8/09
State News: 7/8/09
Schwarzenegger holds his ground on budget
San Francisco Chronicle - In 1 hr, 10 mins
to show up at a budget negotiating session with the governor Monday. This week, the California Teachers Association union, a powerful and well-funded force in state
Voters' ire fails to fire up process -- If the May 19 special election scared Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers into action, they aren't showing it. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/8/09
Karen Bass is a target atop the California Assembly -- The Assembly speaker, a Democrat from Los Angeles, still has critics despite new assertiveness in the state budget wars with Republicans. Eric Bailey in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/8/09
California leaders in no hurry to break budget impasse -- Despite plunging tax revenues, Wall Street's unwillingness to loan the state money and billions of dollars worth of IOUs hitting mailboxes, California's leaders are displaying a seeming lack of urgency to close the state's $26.3 billion deficit. Mike Zapler in the San Jose Mercury -- 7/8/09
Walters: Public worker unions are seeking more clout -- The state's ongoing budget crisis provides ample evidence that public employee unions wield immense - even hegemonic - influence over the Capitol's Democratic majority. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/8/09
Unions send mailers to constituents of Inland lawmaker Cook over state budget -- Two public-employee unions have sent thousands of mailers to constituents of Inland Assemblyman Paul Cook, pressuring him on the state budget. JIM MILLER in the Riverside Press -- 7/8/09
Education news: 7/7/09
District's Error Axes Summer Break For 2 Schools
WSBTV - Jul 06 2009
lose all the $7 million allotted for the student attendance. Its solution is to spend $200,000 on teachers and other costs to keep the kids in school for 34 more
Why no cuts at the top?
Victorville Daily Press 7/6/09
Since the 2006-07 school year, the Apple Valley Unified School District has eliminated 45 teaching positions, 177 classified positions, four school site administrators and two administrators at the district office are scheduled to retire. During this same period, administrator positions within the district office have increased by 8.
Teachers Stage Budget Cuts Protest Downtown
10News.com - 12 hr, 50 mins ago
SAN DIEGO - Teachers across California are pleading with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to pass a budget that protects education, 10News reported. Nearly 1,000 members
CSU trustees to discuss $584 million deficit
San Francisco Chronicle - Nanette Asimov - 4 hours ago
Therefore, it is impossible in this budget climate to give assurances of anything," said Clara Potes-Fellow, a CSU spokeswoman. California's budget deficit ..
CSU faculty undecided on unpaid days off
SGV Tribune - 21 hr, 19 mins ago
days a month off work to save money has been floated, but would have to be negotiated with the California Faculty Association. Susan Green, president of the CFA Chico Teachers union defends Prop. 98 --
UC Davis chancellor's actions cause concern -- New e-mails released by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggest that Provost Linda Katehi - who arrives as chancellor of UC Davis next month - knew of and may have played a role in at least one of the improper "clout admissions" under investigation in that state. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/7/09
CSU to defer fees for students getting IOUs instead of grants -- California State University officials said Monday they will defer school tuition fees for students who depend on state financial aid but receive IOUs instead. Paul Eakins in the Long Beach Press -- 7/7/09
The powerful California Teachers Association launched an offensive Monday against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to suspend the Proposition 98 school-funding measure to help bridge this year's budget gap. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/7/09
Retired school librarian fears unhappy ending for profession
San Diego Union Tribune - Maureen Magee - 8 hours ago
One in eight California schools has a full-time or half-time credentialed librarian. That's far below practices in most other states that mandate staffing
State News: 7/7/09
Walters: Ideology divides tax reform panel -- As they struggle - so far in vain - to balance the state budget, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders have hoped that a bipartisan, blue-ribbon commission on taxation would show them how to mitigate future budget crises. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/7/09
CFT/Affiliates/Locals In the News: July 3-6, 2009, 2009
Look who's talking, union heads, recall Prop. 1A?
San Francisco Chronicle - Jul 05 2009
our priorities straight, and that starts with real leadership.' And radio spots purchased by the California Federation of Teachers 'tell(ing) legislators and the...
Congressional candidate gets national attention
Sacramento Bee - Jul 04 2009
of Congress, and he has a long list of labor endorsements, from the California Federation of Teachers, California Nurses Association, and the United Food & Commercial
By Rob Hotakainen | McClatchy Newspapers - National Story
WASHINGTON -- Anthony Woods says he grew up without health insurance, struggled to get an education and fought in Iraq, a war he didn't believe in.
Then he got kicked out of the military for violating its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy after telling his commanding officer he was gay... a long list of labor endorsements, from the California Federation of Teachers, the California Nurses Association and the United Food & Commercial Workers, among others.
Fair Budget Coalition:
Political "Hit Mail" Misses Its Targets - Signal - Paul Strickland - Jul 4, 2009
... the California School Employee Association (CSEA) and the California Federation of Teachers (CFT). Elected California Dems have a long history of not ...
As it turns out, the Fair Budget Coalition consists of public employees unions including the AFSCME, the California School Employee Association (CSEA) and the California Federation of Teachers (CFT).
Victorville Daily Press
Politically Speaking: Arnold pitches reality show for Sacramento
July 6, 2009
…. The Fair Budget Coalition, a group of labor unions and other interest groups, recently sent out some 40,000 mailers blasting Assemblyman Steve Knight, R-Palmdale, for proposing to solve the state budget crisis through deep cuts over taxes….
http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/reality-13184-revealing-arnold.htmlGay veteran's military dismissal puts spotlight on California congressional race
Education news: July 3-6, 2009, 2009
Anna Tuttle: We could chalk up school reform to a 'Blackboard Revival'
Sacramento Bee - Anna Tuttle - 10 hours ago
Assigning students responsibility for the upkeep of their place of learning could revitalize California's public schools. The Blackboard Revival begins with ...
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/story/2002144.html
Fledgling school board coalition wants more flexibility from state
San Jose Mercury News - J.M. Brown - 9 hours ago
... Pajaro Valley Unified, Scotts Valley Unified, Live Oak and other districts met last week with members of the California School Boards Association, ...
Summer school to get ahead? No, to prevent falling behind
Modesto Bee - Michelle Hatfield - 6 hours ago
Districts across California are struggling to make never-before-seen budget cuts that have forced many schools, including those in Los Angeles, to eliminate ...
CSU chancellor hires 2 lobbyists without bids -- California State University Chancellor Charles Reed has retained high-priced lobbyists without competitive bidding, even though CSU has a Sacramento office where it runs a $1.1 million-a-year, in-house lobbying unit whose state employees monitor CSU-related bills and follow state budget hearings. Jim Doyle in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/6/09
High school programs across Bay Area reeling from cuts; some districts relying heavily on parent/athlete contributions -- As California's Legislature struggles to come to a consensus on how to fix the state's ailing economy, school districts throughout Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and San Mateo counties are preparing for the worst when it comes to funding extracurricular activities. Ben Enos in the Contra Costa Times -- 7/6/09
Budget cuts mean more students stacked in Bay Area classrooms -- A teacher since 1968, Barbara McHuron has seen a thing or two in the classroom. Kimberly S. Wetzel in the Contra Costa Times -- 7/6/09
Four school districts are on financial warning list
San Diego Union Tribune - Chris Moran, Anne Krueger - 8 hours ago
The California Department of Education finds that the Julian Union High School District will be unable to cover its entire $4 million budget in either the ...
Cal State system seeking furloughs -- Options for operating the California State University system with a projected $584 million budget reduction will be presented Tuesday to its board of trustees. Debbie Pfeiffer in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 7/5/09
Oakland school district: Is it better off after the state takeover? -- In the months leading up the state takeover of Oakland's public schools, the size of the district's financial problem was a source of speculation. Estimates of the deficit ranged wildly, from $35 million to nearly $100 million. Katy Murphy in the Oakland Tribune -- 7/5/09
Girl suspended for videotaping unruly class -- Allison Moore says she and her 15-year-old daughter complained for months about the chaotic environment in a Clayton Valley High School math class. Theresa Harrington in the Contra Costa Times -- 7/6/09
Furloughs Spread to Ivory Towers
The California State University system has proposed furloughs for its workforce. Professors, administrators and Cal State staff are trying to figure out how they'd do 10 percent less work in an academic environment. Reporter: Sasha Khokha
State News: July 3-6, 2009, 2009
Budget talks as a reality TV show? -- Schwarzenegger says he would enjoy televising or webcasting some of the negotiations on California's fiscal crisis. Michael Rothfeld in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/6/09
Walters: Don't blame Prop. 13 for state's fiscal mess -- The state's budget travails, and those of local governments, have inevitably given rise to demands that Proposition 13, the landmark property tax limit measure enacted by voters 31 years ago, be altered. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/6/09
Governor, lawmakers debate cuts again Sunday
San Francisco Chronicle - 15 hr, 41 mins ago
schools and community colleges. That proposal has upset school officials and the powerful California Teachers Association. The teachers union is poised to launch
CFT/Affiliates In the News: 7/2/09
Senate stalemate could mean windfall for public schools
By Anthony York | 07/02/09 12:00 AM PST
In the wake of the Senate's failure to pass three bills that would have bridged the state cash crunch, uncertainty now reigns over how much discretion the state has to make cuts to public schools, and what the missed deadline means for the rest of the state budget.
"It's always a mixed bag with the budget," said Marty Hittelman, president of the California Federation of Teachers. "There's always good and bad. In a way, it's good that we're going to have the (Proposition 98) ...
Unions Challenge UC President's Proposed Pay Cuts
Berkeley Daily Planet - Richard Brenneman - 17 minutes ago
With California caught in financial turmoil, the University of California wants its employees to share the pain. ... a concern shared by Michelle Squitieri, UCB representative of the American Federation of Teachers Berkeley-San Francisco Local 1474.
Education News: 7/2/09
Financial emergency declared for South Whittier schools
Whittier Daily News - Tracy Garcia - 16 hours ago
That's on top of the 17 classified and 42 teacher layoffs that have already taken place. "We have to make decisions based on fewer and fewer options," said ...
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/subscriberservices/ci_12734954
Stimulus funds go to Monterey County school districts for ...
The Salinas Californian - Maria Ines Zamudio - 5 hours ago
... to California students," said Jack O'Connell, the state's superintendent of education. "Many schools do not have adequate food preparation equipment, ...
Governor Proposes More Raids of Public Education Dollars in the California Progress Report 7/2/09 Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell
Suspend Prop. 98? It's back on the table -- With the close of the fiscal year at midnight Tuesday, a proposed $3.3 billion cut to public education was thrown out the door - lawmakers can't cut money from a year that's already ended. SCOTT MARTINDALE and FERMIN LEAL in the Orange County Register -- 7/2/09
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/year-cuts-funding-2481486-lawmakers-education
School levy failure highlights challenges for big districts -- Rowland Unified gained a majority of votes but couldn't get the required two-thirds support. Experts say larger districts like L.A or Long Beach could have trouble reaching that level as well. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/2/09
L.A. Group In Talks to Run D.C. High School
Nonprofit Manages 18 Charters, Took Over Calif. Campus
By Bill Turque, Washington Post Staff Writer , Thursday, July 2, 2009
D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee is talking to a Los Angeles nonprofit group that has improved one of that city's most troubled high schools about running at least one low-achieving high school in the District, expanding her strategy of pursuing outside partners to manage public schools.
State News: 7/2/09
Assemblymember Evans Sets the Record Straight In the California Progress Report 7/2/09 By Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa),
Chair of the Budget Conference Committee
Governor's Actions Lead To Unnecessarily and Premature Crisis
David M Greenwald.jpgby David M. Greenwald
Editor, California Progress Report
An Op-Ed by the San Jose Mercury news on Wednesday blasted Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger for needlessly pushing the state over the edge. Today, Controller John Chiang will begin handing out IOUs to state workers and to vendors of the state.
Education news: 7/1/09
Opinion: View from the front line: School cuts will harm children
San Jose Mercury News - 13 hours ago
Will never mentioned that California has woefully underfunded schools for decades; the Rand Corp. has completed studies indicating that California schools ...
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_12725636
Cuts threaten classes that teach basic skills
San Francisco Chronicle - Barbara Baran - 11 hours ago
The Legislature created a program to train basic-skills teachers. The need and demand for basic-skills education had become clear. California ranks last ...
Number of school districts on brink of financial trouble, bankruptcy rises -- Unless drastic budget cuts come at the local level, many California school districts may be unable to pay the bills in the next two years, state schools chief Jack O'Connell said Tuesday. Kimberly S. Wetzel in the Oakland Tribune -- 7/1/09
UC employees grappling with furloughs -- Budget cuts at the University of California have already hit students where it hurts. Enrollment caps have made it harder to get in - and those who have been admitted are paying more for their education. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/1/09
State approval of Chino Valley summer session at risk -- The state Board of Education next week will consider its staff recommendation to deny the school district's request to avoid a $7million fine by holding an extra 34-day summer program at two schools. Neil Nisperos in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 7/1/09
Oropeza bill would curb idling school buses -- A legislative committee this week approved a bill that would require idling school buses to turn off their engines the moment they arrive at campuses and start them just before they leave. John Canalis in the Long Beach Press -- 7/1/09
Coach, principal being disciplined over 'Bruno' photos -- Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Ramon C. Cortines said today that he was taking "appropriate personnel action" against the principal and athletic director of Birmingham High School for allowing comedian Sacha Baron Cohen to use the school's football team in a photo shoot. Mitchell Landsberg in the Los Angeles Times -- 7/1/09
State, local budget cuts slash adult education -- California is about to reach another benchmark by offering fewer adult education opportunities to its residents than - well, just about any other state. Chip Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/1/09
Legislators and governor have one more chance to avert
Los Angeles Times - Shane Goldmacher, Michael Rothfeld - 1 hour ago
Officials said the failure to make the cuts means the state will now owe several billion dollars more to schools in the coming fiscal year because the ...
State News: 7/1/09
Puncturing Old Myths About California's Budget Woes New America Media 7/1/09
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=bda31ae71128458cab9e9c4cb948969d
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