KL Board Buzz

A different kind of parent involvement — in school policy - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

If your district doesn’t keep you informed of opportunities to serve on short term district committees and provide opportunities to hear your input, tell them what you want. If they already do this, give a little time to be part of the process. It’s like being a part of the school board without having to invest as much time.

via www.washingtonpost.com

[posted by Brent]

K-L BOE Meeting: Field Updates, Long Range Plans Discussed - Bedford-Katonah, NY Patch

During the board discussion period of the meeting, board members and Superintendent of Schools Paul Kreutzer discussed the possibility of putting together a long-range plan that would look at the physical aspects of the district buildings and campus.

“The property doesn’t have a 5, 10 year plan,” said Kreutzer.

After the meeting, Kreutzer noted that without a plan or vision the district could wind up jumping from one project to another.

While now the focus would be on data gathering and either appointing a committee or using an existing committee to help, Kreutzer said he would be pleased to see a long-range plan adopted over the next 12 to 18 months.

via bedford.patch.com

[posted by Brent]

When Schools Depend on Handouts - NYTimes.com

Most state constitutions, in fact, guarantee all students a sound, basic public education. These constitutional rights cannot be put on hold, even in tough times. It is unconstitutional to call on parents to pay for textbooks and lab fees for required courses. And art, music, sports, basic educational support services and many extracurricular activities that promote learning, creativity and character are not luxuries; they, too, are essential features of a sound, basic education.

via www.nytimes.com

[posted by Brent]

Teacher turnover in charter, traditional public schools - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Controlling for all other measurable factors in their model, the authors find that the odds of charter teachers exiting are still 33 percent higher than those of regular public school teachers. There is an even larger difference in secondary schools, where charter teachers are almost four times more likely to leave.

via www.washingtonpost.com

[posted by Brent]

“Infinite Campus” Portal Offers K-L Parents Easy Access to Their Kids’ Data - Bedford-Katonah, NY Patch

“The primary benefit of the Infinite Campus Parent Portal is improved home-school communication,” says Maureen Jones, the Computer Systems Manager for the district. “Parents will have read-only access to their children’s data and educational records.”

via bedford.patch.com

[posted by Brent]

The problem school boards have with the public - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

The education landscape is turning into a free-for-all for politicians, billionaires and movie producers who seem insistent on creating new, unproven systems of education choices and assessment.

The only way this will be reversed is if regular citizens stand up for public education and learn what they must know to participate and insist on policies that reflect community realities and the needs of all children. It is time for people to stop believing that standardized test scores mean much, or that media spin is accurate.

via www.washingtonpost.com

[posted by Brent]

N.Y. Teachers’ Union Scores Victory in Ruling on Evaluations - NYTimes.com

A judge ruled Wednesday that the New York State Board of Regents overreached in its interpretation of a new law on teacher evaluations, offering a victory to the state teachers’ union.

The decision, by Justice Michael C. Lynch of State Supreme Court in Albany, invalidated aspects of a recent Regents vote on teacher evaluations, and may further delay the introduction of the law, which is scheduled to go into effect for all fourth through eighth grade teachers, pending union approval, in the coming school year.

via www.nytimes.com

[posted by Brent]

Katonah-Lewisboro, new superintendent shift district focus to students from fiscal flaws | The Journal News | LoHud.com | LoHud.com

With administrators in the Katonah-Lewisboro school district knee deep over the past several years in efforts to strengthen financial controls and improve business operations, the district's new superintendent said they're ready to move on to developing a collaborative culture and focusing on student learning.

via www.lohud.com

[posted by Brent]

Why great teachers aren’t enough to make schools work - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

several states have adopted school reform legislation where one of the centerpieces is ending tenure. The unspoken part of the narrative is something like: We’ll now be able to fire lots of bad teachers and replace them with better ones. Unfortunately, there is no great pipeline of new, brilliant teachers waiting in line to be hired. If we fired just 10% of the current public school faculty, we would need a whopping 320,000 teachers to replace them. We don’t have that, and even if we had the numbers, we would have no assurance any of the new recruits would be more effective than those they are replacing.

via www.washingtonpost.com

[posted by Brent]

Some South Dakota Schools Cut Costs By Cutting a Day - TIME NewsFeed

As schools start to return to session in South Dakota, more than one-fourth of students in the state will only be in class from Monday through Thursday.

Budget constraints have led the Irene-Wakonda school district, for one, to hack off a day from the school week. Larry Johnke, superintendant of the district in southeastern South Dakota, says the change will save his schools more than $50,000 per year. In order to make up for the missing day, the school will add 30 minutes to each of the other four days and shorten the daily lunch break.

via newsfeed.time.com

[posted by Brent]