Two grassroots school board candidates defeat two business-backed ed reform incumbents in Seattle

Four strong grassroots challengers took on four rubber-stamping, corporate ed reform school board incumbents here in Seattle on Nov. 8. All but one race was close. Two of the challengers won!

Martha “Marty” McLaren and Sharon Peaslee both won, and will soon join Seattle’s seven-member school board, hopefully tipping the balance towards sensible, responsible and thoughtful leadership that is responsive to the parents and community of SPS, and not outside political agendas. (They will be sworn in at 4 p.m. today at the JSCEE district headquarters.)

The four challengers all brought a lot to the table. They ran solid, smart campaigns. And they earned many significant endorsements. Kate Martin is a parent activist and member of PAA-Seattle. Michelle Buetow is a parent activist and member of the Alternative School Coalition. Marty McLaren is a former Seattle math teacher (and member of PAA-Seattle) who took the school district to court over the adoption of weak math text — and won (later overturned on appeal, though). Sharon Peaslee is a parent activist who started a petition to save a popular principal who was summarily fired by our new reformist interim superintendent allegedly over test scores (the petition, bad publicity and overwhelming community support for the principal forced the superintendent to reverse herself and reinstate him).

The corporate ed reform powers that be who supported all the incumbents (including the Seattle Times, which prematurely declared one of the losing incumbents the winner) are not happy, and have tried to dismiss the victories as solely due to teacher’s union support, or disparage voters as simply being “silly.”

But the voters weren’t silly. They were fed up.

The four incumbents rubber-stamped the damaging, costly and scandal-ridden ed reform agenda of our previous (and fired) Broad Foundation-trained superintendent, voting to bring in Teach for America, Inc., merit pay, and high-stakes testing. National ed reform lobbyists, Stand for Children endorsed three of the incumbents. In addition to such political connections, the incumbents also significantly outspent the challengers (with money from wealthy donors outside of Seattle).

So this is truly a grassroots victory against ‘ed deform.’

To recap: Here in Seattle, this year we managed to oust our Broad superintendent (Maria Goodloe-Johnson), see our district rid of the last of the costly ‘Broad residents,’ and oust two of the four incumbents who supported and rewarded our superintendent and her corporate ed reform agenda.

The parent activist community in Seattle has also kept the klieg lights on Teach for America, Inc. and the behind-the-scenes political machinations that brought TFA here, as well as the MAP test, which is being misused for teacher evaluations and is a huge waste of time and resources.

Diane Ravitch came to town last week and it was a sold-out event. (In contrast, when Dora and I hosted a forum with her last year via Skype, the local media, and even one of the main education blogs ignored it.)

So perhaps the tide is turning here in Emerald City towards a more organic and community-centric approach to public education.

We still have many challenges ahead of us in Seattle, and Washington as a whole, the biggest being the gathering, moneyed forces that are pushing for charters. We still have the Gates Foundation right here in Seattle, so as long as that foundation pushes for and bankrolls discredited, failed reforms, those of us in the parent activist community will have our work cut out for us.

But, for a bunch of finance-free, grassroots volunteers with little more than blogs and research skills and a willingness to speak and act up, the unofficial ‘Seattle Ed Deform Resistance’ is doing all right.

So I hope those of you who are faced with similar battles in your own districts around the nation can take heart in our story and achieve similar wins of your own.

Sue Peters

A Letter to the PTA from a Parents Across America Member

Hello, PTA leaders!

I am a parent with two children in Portland Public Schools. I have been a PTA member for five years and recently came onto our PTA board as a legislative co-chair. I am writing to see if there is any possibility of the PTA dropping its affiliation and funding from the Gates Foundation. I know that must sound shocking that a parent wants less funding, but the reason is that the Gates Foundation is supporting and pushing education policies that are NOT good for our schools and children. If you are not already familiar with well-regarded experts like Diane Ravitch, Stephen Krashen, Deborah Meier, and other groups like Parents Across America and the national Save Our Schools movement, please become familiar with them to realize that there is a growing body of people completely alarmed and speaking up against the policies Gates and his front groups like Stand for Children and others are pushing. For lack of a better term, it is the corporate education reform movement and it is NOT good for our kids.

As far as I can tell, our Oregon PTA hasn’t really gotten on-board with advocating for some of the things Gates supports, such as expansion of charters, on-line learning, data-driven models, merit pay, etc. I hear in Washington state, it is quite different. Apparently the PTA there is pushing for charters schools.

I think we have some really wonderful people who are a part of their PTA, and I would love to see PTA grow. A group that is truly genuine and has parents and teachers working together is a worthwhile thing to support. However, the policies of Gates do not do this. I am thinking that PTA accepted or went after this money due to desperately needed funding. When you look at the grant Gates gave to PTA, it says it is to support education reform, and then you see the focus on the Common Core Standards on the National PTA page and it is just so disappointing. Common Core, as it is now, will line the pockets of Microsoft and testing companies, while narrowing the curriculum and lowering engagement levels of our kids.

Our parents who are in their PTA’s do so much just to help their own schools. Often,they are focused on fundraisers because they are trying to provide the best education for kids in their communities with the time they have and the most immediate needs in front of them. Aligning with groups like Gates, only will increase the need to have parents focusing on fundraisers, as such groups don’t want to see anymore funding for our public schools. Right now, I am part of a group of parents and educators who are putting out fires within our state….our state is looking to a Gates funded plan of “outcome based budgeting.” Does that really sound good for our kids, our schools? It is a run-around for getting the funding we truly need, and it does not at all address the poverty that so many of our kids are living in…and that many of our PTA members work hard to address, with services like the clothing center.

Common Core Standards sounds like it was a great, teacher driven idea to start with, but has now been co-opted by testing companies that will make pretty profits from it. In Oregon, our state is currently planning to have “standardized, vetted formative assessments” that take place before students are tested on the standards. This is way too much standardization. Where is the rich, engaging curriculum we want for all kids? We will be testing kids before the tests. Not only that, but schools will receive funding based on outcomes of these tests…if the state moves its Gates funded plan forward. Our state wants to collect a great deal of data from these tests. In testimony, a backer of this plan said she didn’t know what data could do until she attended a conference put on by the Gates Foundation.

Perhaps it seems we shouldn’t worry ourselves with what Gates is doing when we have so much to focus on at our own schools. However, if we ignore these destructive policies, our parents and teachers in their PTA’s are the ones dealing with them. They are the ones suffering from lack of supplies, fighting to raise money to add back programs that are cut, such as music, art, sports, etc. We must band together and say NO. The corporate reformers do NOT want PARENT INVOLVEMENT. Getting parents to understand these complex issues is tough, especially when they are so busy just trying to keep their schools funded! I am willing to help educate parents about these issues as best I can, but I need to know that PTA will not counter those efforts by allowing itself to be bought out by the corporate education reformers.

I am saddened that I see people now sharing links about how PTA has succumbed to the corporate education reform movement. I want to change this. I feel in my heart that the only reason PTA did this was perhaps out of desperation for funding. Let’s change this!! Please. We need a parent-teacher group that fights for parent-teacher involvement – true engagement. We need this group to fight for adequate, equitable funding for all school communities, to ensure that our children in poverty are not ignored, to make sure parents and teachers have a say in educational policies and curriculum. This will not happen with Gates leading the way in eduction.

I assume I am the only one who has written you with this concern. I don’t really have time to start a campaign to get other PTA members to share their similar concerns with you, but I know I am not the only one who feels this way. We need a strong PTA. I am happy to do what I can to build up PTA, and take down the corporate education reform movement. But, I also need PTA to shy away from the Gates Foundation and come out against this corporate education reform movement. Will you do this? Who is the right person to talk to at National PTA to see if we can make this happen?

Thank you for listening and considering this. I truly appreciate it, and thank you for all the hours you spend volunteering to help our schools and students.

Susan Barrett
NE Portland, OR

Seattle Teacher Arrested Protesting for Education Funding in Olympia

Jesse Hagopian, a teacher in the Seattle Public School System and Founding Member of Seattle Equality Educators (SEE), was arrested on Monday for standing up for his students.

Jesse Hagopian standing at the rail with other Seattle Public School teachers.

After the banner was unfurled, Jesse Hagopian called out “mic check!” and the teachers responded. Then the chant began:

It is immoral
It is illegal
These cuts will hurt families
These cuts will hurt kids
These cuts will hurt educators
King county Superior Court judge
Ruled that these cuts are constitutionally illegal
The Constitution of Washington state reads it is the paramount duty to fully
Fund education
We therefore issue a citizen’s arrest of this Washington State Legislature
We call for taxing the rich
We call to fund the schools

Police officers rushed in and Jesse was heard saying “I’m not resisting but I’m also not leaving. Our legislature is the one breaking the law!”

Meanwhile teachers outside in the hallway were offering handcuffs to police officers to use to arrest the legislators who were willing to break the law by cutting the education budget in our state.

Jesse was arrested later that afternoon after leading the following mic check during the legislative meeting:

Jesse Hagopian was released this morning. Below is what he said in an e-mail to friends and members of SEE:

I was arrested today at the capital for protesting against the budget cuts. Still no bankers in jail, but they have arrested teachers trying to get money for the schools. And as we pointed out, it is the Washington State Legislature that is breaking the law by failing their constitutional duty to fully fund education. Anyway, I’m out now and back to school tomorrow! They can’t jail an idea whose time has come!

Thanks to everyone who helped protest for justice today!

Seattle Public School teacher Rick Harlan holds up one of the many banners used to offer advice to the legislators. See his comment below.

According to one teacher who participated in the peaceful disobedience action, later that day several people were dragged away as teachers sat in the rotunda and sang “Which side are you on?” to the police and the legislative observers.

The teacher went on to say that “The sweet a cappella was beautiful and brought many to tears”.

There were legal witnesses present to observe the peaceful actions.

Police officers "protecting" the Rotunda.

At 6:30 PM more officers arrived to “protect” the Rotunda.

The teachers who were not dragged away stayed until about 8:30 PM yesterday evening.

God bless those teachers, each and every one of them.

Dora

See the post below for what happened the following day:

Seattle Public School Teacher Jesse Hagopian on Keith Olbermann

The Washington State PTA, the League of Education Voters and Stand for Children : The Unholy Trinity

There will be PTA members saying that they represent our children while visiting with our legislators and speaking in committee hearings in Olympia during the legislative session that started on Monday. They will repeat the phrase Every Child One Voice while pushing the charter school agenda. They will say that a resolution was passed by the PTA Legislative Assembly in support of charter schools and they will stand in support alongside the League of Education Voters (LEV) and Stand for Children (SFC) on this issue.

What I have found out is that the representatives of LEV, SFC and the PTA are all one in the same.

Ramona Hattendorf who was President of the PTA Seattle Council is also referred to as an “LEV Key Activist” on a document that she signed along with other LEV “Key Activist” in support of the RTTT proposal, Bill 6696, during the last legislative session. Ms. Hattendorf is now a paid lobbyist for the Washington State PTA. Her title is Government Relations Coordinator and she has her office in Olympia where she is in daily contact with our legislators.

Chad Magendanz is also referred to as an “LEV Activist” who with the support of the League of Education Voters was voted in as a school board member in Issaquah. Last year he was busy writing the proposed plank for merit pay based on student performance to be a part of the WSPTA platform. Unfortunately it passed without fair representation from anyone describing the other side of that issue. This year, he was part of the committee to write the proposal for charter schools. For more on that proposal see Whoa Washington State PTA, Where Did That Come From?! Charter Schools? The proposal when presented to the PTA members provided no counter argument to having charter schools in our state.

Then there is Alison Meryweather, PTA, Stand for Children and LEV Activist who along with Mr. Magendanz wrote the PTA proposal for charter schools that is now a plank in the WSPTA platform.

Conflict of interest? Absolutely. I believe that being referred to as an LEV Key Activist means that a member is acting on the behalf of that organization and representing its goals and values. We know that LEV is heavily funded by Gates who is all about charter schools. LEV has showcased over the last year all of the “Stars” of  the charter school industry as well as Wendy Kopp of Teach for America Inc. who staffs charter schools with teaching temps. LEV is now, by the way, championing the online learning industry, another cash cow for businesses and corporations including Microsoft.

And Stand for Children? All you have to do is watch the video of Edelman at the Aspen Institute talking about how his organization was successful in wrenching the bargaining rights of teachers out of the hands of the union and how he plans to begin his attack in our state. The transcript is also available at the Parents Across America website.

So exactly what side of the fence are these people on who are now saying that they speak for us while lobbying our representatives? Who have they been representing all along? Are they advocating for us or their moneyed funders?

Because of the murky line that they have drawn for themselves, all of us as parents, teachers, students and concerned citizens need to contact our representatives and let them know what we want for our children. We need to make it clear that unfortunately the PTA does not represent us or our children at this time and that neither LEV nor Stand for Children are advocating for our children but only for a moneyed few.

Here is a map that can help you locate your representatives and provides contact information.

Here is a list of Education Committee members.

Here is a list of Education Appropriations and Oversight Committee members.

If you want to become part of a chorus of voices demanding that our public schools remain pubic, please consider joining Parents Across America.

Dora

Teacher and Principal Evaluations: New York Principals Say “No”

In a recent post regarding the governor’s budget, I describe how everything has been slashed in the education part of the budget except the ed reform push for teacher and principal evaluations in our state. Well, at least principals in the state of New York are fighting back.

From the New York Times:

Principals Protest the Role of Testing in Evaluations

Through the years there have been many bitter teacher strikes and too many student protests to count. But a principals’ revolt?

“Principals don’t revolt,” said Bernard Kaplan of Great Neck North High School on Long Island, who has been one for 20 years. “Principals want to go along with the system and do what they’re told.”

But President Obama and his signature education program, Race to the Top, along with John B. King Jr., the New York State commissioner of education, deserve credit for spurring what is believed to be the first principals’ revolt in history.

As of last night, 658 principals around the state had signed a letter — 488 of them from Long Island, where the insurrection began — protesting the use of students’ test scores to evaluate teachers’ and principals’ performance.

Their complaints are many: the evaluation system was put together in slapdash fashion, with no pilot program; there are test scores to evaluate only fourth-through-eighth-grade English and math teachers; and New York tests are so unreliable that they had to be rescaled radically last year, with proficiency rates in math and English dropping 25 percentage points overnight.

Mr. Kaplan, who runs one of the highest-achieving schools in the state, has been evaluating teachers since the education commissioner was a teenager. No matter. He is required by Nassau County officials to attend 10 training sessions, as is Carol Burris, the principal of South Side High School here, who was named the 2010 Educator of the Year by the School Administrators Association of New York State.

“It’s education by humiliation,” Mr. Kaplan said. “I’ve never seen teachers and principals so degraded.”

The trainers at these sessions, which are paid for by state and federal grants, have explained that they’re figuring out the new evaluation system as they go. To make the point, they’ve been showing a YouTube video with a fictional crew of mechanics who are having the time of their lives building an airplane in midair.

“It was supposed to be funny, but the room went silent,” Ms. Burris said. “These are people’s livelihoods we’re talking about.”

Last year New York was awarded $700 million as one of 11 states, along with the District of Columbia, to win a Race to the Top grant. The application process was chaotic, with Dr. King’s office making the deadline by just a few hours. To win a grant, states had to pledge to follow policy priorities of the Obama administration, like evaluating teachers by student test scores, even though there were no implementation plans yet.

New York committed to an evaluation process that is based 60 percent on principal observations and other subjective measures, and from 20 to 40 percent on state tests, depending on the local district.

To read the article in full, go to:

Principals Protest Role of Testing in Evaluations

By the way, how much money do you want to put on the unholy trinity of the Washington State PTA, the League of Education Voters and Stand for Children pushing in unison this evaluation system on our legislators this session?

I’ll take on all bets that they will.

Dora

Truth Values: One Girl’s Romp Through M.I.T.’s Male Math Maze will be at the University of Washington

From the Truth Values website:

Created as a response to former Harvard President Lawrence Summers’ now infamous suggestion that women are less represented than men in the sciences because of innate gender differences, Truth Values: One Girl’s Romp Through M.I.T.’s Male Math Maze is a true-life tale that offers a humorous, scathing, insightful and ultimately uplifting look at the challenges of being a professional woman in a male-dominated field. Performed barefoot on a bare stage with only a chair and small table, writer/performer and “recovering mathematician” Gioia De Cari brings to life more than 30 characters in a hilarious and deeply touching performance that has earned raves from critics and stirred audiences to standing ovations.

December 1, 2, and 3, 2011
7:30 PM
UW’s Ethnic Cultural Theatre
3940 Brooklyn Ave NE

BUY TICKETS NOW

Who Will Run Philadelphia’s Schools? Bill Gates?

A Parents Across America member asked that this be posted far and wide. Note the reference to Montlake Terrace High School in Edmunds, Washington in the article below.

For Philly Public Schools, Barbarian is Gates

by Lisa Haver

WHO WILL run Philadelphia’s Schools?

Last week, Philadelphia became the latest in a long list of cities to be courted by Bill Gates, when his “Great Schools Compact” was presented for consideration to the School Reform Commission. Bill Gates has taken on a reputation as a school reformer as well as philanthropist, dispensing money throughout the country for struggling schools in economically distressed cities while imposing changes in policies and procedures in those locales. Sounds like just what the doctor ordered.

Then how has Bill Gates become the liberals’ Grover Norquist? Just as Norquist, elected by and accountable to no one, tied the hands of the “supercommittee” with his no-new-taxes pledge, Gates undermines the authority of school boards with his pro-charter, pro-privatization contract. This contract requires that cities must sign on in order to benefit from the munificence of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He doesn’t just sign the check and let the city decide what’s best for its students. It’s not up to the school board, elected or appointed, to decide. No, he is the decider. Bill Gates has joined the ranks of school “reformers” such as Michelle Rhee who, despite having no degree in education and virtually no experience teaching, have appointed themselves experts in the field.

Diane Ravitch, in her recent book, “The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education,” describes how Manuel High, one of Denver’s oldest and most prestigious schools, was forced to divide itself into three separate schools because of the “small school” agenda Gates was pushing at the time; the ensuing disruption caused the school board to close it temporarily. Mountlake Terrace High, just outside Seattle, suffered the loss of many teachers and administrators in 2004 after being forced to split into five separate schools in order to receive the Gates funding.

Into the Philadelphia School District’s state of fiscal desperation rides Bill Gates. Who can say “no” to free money when you are so deep in the hole? But the money is not free, and the price is the democratic procedure in the city and the state under which the community and its elected leaders make informed decisions about its schools.

Occupy Seattle – Shopping For Handcuffs On Black Friday

This is written by Jesse Hagopian, founding member of Social Equality Educators (SEE), teacher in the Seattle Public School System and education activist.

Why I am shopping for handcuffs on Black Friday: Occupy the Capital!

A premeditated crime is about to take place on November 28, 2011.

With police across the country obsessively focused on enforcing camping regulations on Occupy activists, dangerous criminals who perpetrate truly heinous crimes are being left to run free.

When a crime syndicate recently announced its intention to make another hit on the youth of Washington State, teachers began preparing to take up yet another unpaid task in their day to help enforce public safety.

This organized crime ring is made up of the state lawmakers from both parties who are set to convene a special legislative session on November 28th to cut $2 billion from the state budget, largely from education and healthcare—a clear violation a Washington State court ruling last February that found the State guilty of not fulfilling its Constitutional obligation to fund basic education.

As King County Superior Court Judge John Erlick ruled in his February school-funding decision, “State funding is not ample, it is not stable, and it is not dependable.”

Washington’s constitution declares that education is the State’s “paramount duty”—making the proposed shortening of the K-12 school year by four days and cutting $152 million in levy-equalization payments to property-poor school districts in clear violation of the law.

Beyond breaking the State Constitution and Judge Erlick’s recent ruling, these budget cuts are literally a matter of life and death.  Should the cuts be ratified, it would result in the elimination of the State’s Basic Health plan, ending a program that subsidizes health care for some 35,000 people living in poverty. Denying healthcare to the state’s most vulnerable populations will undoubtedly lead to increased morbidity.

In a feeble attempt to defray these draconian budget cuts, Washington State Gov. Chris Gregoire has proposed a regressive sales-tax increase.  Yet in a state that gives away $6.5 billion through tax loopholes, mostly to big business, taxing already struggling Washingtonians is no solution. Washington-based Microsoft received $143 million last year in special tax breaks, and aircraft maker Boeing got $104 million. JP Morgan Chase, which took over Washington Mutual in 2008, continues to receive a $120 million tax break on interest collected on first-time mortgages. There are also loopholes for cosmetic surgery ($6.25 million this year) and private jet enthusiasts ($5 million this year).  By some measures, Washington State has the most regressive tax system in the entire nation, which has already led to 2.7 billion in cuts to K-12 education over the past three years. This means that even if the legislature passes a proposed sales-tax—a measure very likely to fail—they will still be in flagrant violation of the law.

On Monday, November 28, Occupiers will be attempting to turn the Olympia Capitol building into a scene out of Wisconsin.   I will be taking the day off from school to teach a more vivid civics lesson than I ever could from within the four walls of my classroom by joining with scores of educators to help reclaim our State Capitol building in Olympia. Members of the Social Equality Educators (SEE), a progressive network of Northwest teachers, will be issuing citizen arrest warrants to the state legislature for their failure to uphold their constitutional duty to fund education.

Today I am going shopping—anyone know of a good “Black Friday” deal on a sturdy pair of handcuffs?

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, Occupy Wall Street celebrated unity and community with an open feast at Liberty Square. All members of the community broke bread together.

Thanksgiving day for me is a time of reflection. I have much to be grateful for, my health and that of my daughter’s, the opportunities afforded to me to write and a very special and unexpected treasure that when I began creating this blog never occurred to me would happen, getting to know so many people from around the country and having the opportunity to converse, share and develop friendships with people who I would otherwise have never known. That has added a richness to my life that is beyond measure and I thank each one of you for that.

I would also say that there are many of us who are elated and grateful that two of the school board challengers won their races. Peter Maier conceded to Sharon Peaslee yesterday and Marty McLaren won hands down over Sundquist. Now we will have two people on the school board who are aware of the issues and are Broad-free. Congratulations to both of them for a hard-won victory.

Have a wonderful day and know that I am grateful to all of you. Keep those cards and letters coming!

Dora

 

If you don’t think that you’re part of the 99%, think again. The Governor’s budget request.

Remember  how last year a lot of wealthy people put their money into a campaign to not have an income tax in our state for the top 1% earners? That was the campaign against I-1098. Well, they won and the rest of us lost. Actually, our children lost along with those with the least among us.

So while the 1% have their children in private schools enjoying all of the benefits of a well-rounded education sans TFA, Inc. recruits, the rest of us will have less than we have now and just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse in terms of funding for our schools. There was one program that was spared, the ed-reformy pilot program for teacher/principal evaluations. Great.

To follow is part of the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) Newsletter that was sent out on November 21st.

Dora

Governor Unveils Supplemental Budget Request

Recommends cutting four school days and $151 million in levy equalization, half-penny sales tax increase

Saying she never thought she would be recommending cuts to the very fabric of our state, Gov. Chris Gregoire announced today a $2 billion all-cuts supplemental budget request and a proposal to increase sales tax by half a penny for three years.

The supplemental operating budget for public schools shows a total of $873.5 million in program eliminations and reductions, and payment shifts for savings in the current biennium. The majority of the changes would affect the 2012-13 school year or the 2013-14 school year.

The governor’s proposal still includes $151 million in cuts to local effort assistance (LEA), beginning in January 2013. Her budget also suggests a one-time adjustment of percentage reductions that would have a greater effect in July 2013 than in the spring months of the 2012-13 school year.

Saying she had been persuaded by those who talked with her about not increasing class sizes, the governor reluctantly is recommending cutting the school year from 180 days to 176 days, for a savings of nearly $100 million to the state. By cutting days, state funding for school employee salaries would be reduced by 2.2 percent, while transportation and MSOC would be reduced by a proportional amount.

The governor’s proposed spending plan also shifts the June 30, 2013 apportionment payment by one day, to July 1, 2013, thereby mitigating the impact in the current biennium, and shifting the obligation to the 2013-15 biennium.

Similar to last session, the budget includes a $10 million “financial contingency fund” for school districts that meet certain hardship criteria caused by the apportionment shift and apply to OSPI for a loan that must be repaid in the following year.

The governor indicated she wants the Legislature to act on the supplemental budget in the special session that begins November 28, and to enact her referendum to the people on a half-penny sales tax increase as written.

Her sale tax proposal would direct an estimated $411 million of the new money raised to K-12 education, to buy back school days and LEA. The sales tax would also restore higher education funding. The goal would be to ask voters in a March election and begin collecting revenue immediately.

In addition, $41 million in new revenue would be directed to public safety, while $42 million would help restore program funds for long-term care and the developmentally disabled.

On the balance sheet

In addition to cutting days and LEA and the apportionment shift – which account for two-thirds of the changes to K-12 funding – the governor’s supplemental budget request includes the following cuts or shifts:

• $48.9 million shifting bus depreciation payments from October to August
• $19.9 million in cuts to employee health benefits, from $768 to $745 per month
• $11.7 million in changes to student enrollment reporting, by adding a June count and excluding from the enrollment count students who have accumulated over five days of consecutive unexcused absences
• $8.5 million by reducing the amount of each national board bonus from $5,000 to $4,000
• $4.3 million by reducing the number of teachers in high schools with 300 or fewer full-time students from nine to a minimum of eight instructors
• A number of reductions or full-blown eliminations to programs targeting dropout prevention, STEM skills building, CTE and literacy, for example
• Many “adjustments” based on changes to enrollment, pension costs, payment shifts, and projections that are proposed to be updated in the supplemental budget
• $160 million in cuts to the state’s four-year colleges and universities and community colleges

On the plus side of the balance sheet, all-day kindergarten and K-3 class size reductions were spared, as was the existing teacher/principal evaluation pilot project. Small investments also were made, including $250,000 for Project Lead the Way and $450,000 in aerospace training. In addition, slots for three- and four-year-olds enrolled in the state’s early learning program were maintained.

Click here for a detailed description of the governor’s budget proposal and list of proposed changes to the 2011-13 biennial operating budget. The link titled “Superintendent of Public Instruction” contains the overall review of budget changes. For a detailed explanation of what is being proposed, click on individual links and read the associated budget notes that follow the budget numbers.