Waiting for Superman

Gail Collins has a great column in the NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/)
today talking about the movie "Waiting for Superman" that follows five urban students in their quest to find a better education. NBC and MSNBC have been discussing education all week and there has been a lot of "union bashing". The column is worth reading.


Rick

Jordan School Board ratifies agreement with teachers for lanes and steps

The Jordan School District has ratified the agreement with the Jordan Education Association that resulted from negotiations, mediation and finally a fact-finding hearing. Jordan teachers will receive their lanes and steps for this year, but will not receive them next year unless funding increases to pay for them. JEA went to impasse early in the process and mediation did not solve anything. A fact-finder was hired by the district and JEA (final cost to JEA was several thousand dollars). The JEA leadership and staff prepared extensive material that was presented to the fact-finder in a hearing. The fact-finder recommended that the school district pay the lanes and steps. Jordan did not receive steps last year, but took a one-time 1% bonus instead.

Weber resumes their mediation meetings with the district and our mediator, Lynn Trenbeath, next Monday, Oct. 4.

Ogden has not scheduled any further mediation meetings until we have more information about the federal money coming to our state. Our best information (from legislators) is that we probably will be able to use half of the federal money for salaries and benefits, because the legislature will cut the districts funding for this fiscal year because of the lack of tax revenues. The new tax revenue numbers will be here in November and the legislators tell us that they will meet in special session in November to discuss the money.

Rick

President Obama wants longer school year, fewer bad teachers

Erica Werner writes in an AP story found in the Standard-Examiner today: "Barely into the new school year, President Barack Obama issued a tough-love message to students and teachers on Monday: Their year in the classroom should be longer, and poorly performing teachers should get out."

Read the entire article at www.standard.net

rick

Herbert, Corroon agree education is priority

We can all sleep better tonight knowing that both candidates for Governor "understand educaton is a top priority for voters". Now if our schools had a $1000 for each time a politician had made that statement. I was glad that in their first televised debate that they were both asked the question about education being held "harmless" in the last legislature. What a joke... Corroon said "We have almost 24,00 new students coming into our education system, whether it's public or higher education, yet our budget was cut again. That's not holding education harmless, that's hurting our education system." The truth hurts doesn't it....

The Governor countered by pointing out huge funding increases to education over the past five years. He said, "Public education was facing a $400 million cut. They took a $10 million knick is all"...What BS.. Weber lost that much alone...Davis and Jordan lost twice that much...what is he talking about???

Again, our politicians speak "with forked tongue" when it comes to funding. The Utah Foundation shows that our effort to fund education has declined not increased. Anyone who has seen their pay cut and their class sizes increase realizes this.

Rick

Elementary Prep time for Weber elementary teachers

The W.E.A. has been working hard in negotiations the past several years to give Weber elementary teachers more planning time. We are happy to hear that starting in January each teacher at each building will have a weekly 30 minute prep time. The district is using the last of their PE grant to pay for specialists who will provide instruction to each class once a week. We appreciate the support of Supt. Jacobsen and Mike Skeen in working to help our teachers.

Rick

WEA Mediation to resume Oct. 4

WEA, Weber district and our mediator, Lynn Trenbeath, will resume mediation on Monday, Oct. 4. We will be discussing policy matters and also how we can utilize the Federal "jobs bill" money. Our legislators have informed us that they will probably meet in November for a special session to discuss the money. UEA is pushing for an October meeting. Please contact your legislators and encourage them to meet sooner than later and allow the money to flow to districts for local decision making.

Rick

Report: Teacher bonuses have no effect on scores

Read the AP story in today's Salt Lake Tribune at www.sltrib.com

Dorie Turner writes "Offering big bonuses to teachers failed to raise students' test scores in a three-year study released Tuesday that calls into question the Obama administration's push for merit pay to improve education. The report, conducted in the metropolitan Nashville school system by Vanderbilt University's National Center on Performance Incentives, was described by the researchers as the nations's first scientifically rigorous look at merit pay for teachers. It indicated that students whose teachers were offered up to $15,000 a year for improved test scores registered the same gains on standardized exams as those whose teachers were given no such incentives."

UEA has scheduled a meeting tomorrow with members of schools around the state who are involved either in the pilot merit pay program or SIG (School Improvemen Grant) schools who are offering bonuses based on assessments. Ogden's Madison, Dee and Odyssey are using the MAP assessment for a pre and post test to demonstrate growth that will allow their teachers to receive a $1000.00 bonus this year. We will discuss the programs at the state level.

Rick

The UEA: Working for you

Here is a brief overview of what the UEA has been doing to help members:

• Working with NEA, we helped secure $100 million in federal funds to help Utah public schools. The money can be used for compensation and benfefits.
• Utah Governor Herbert and Lt. Governor Bell met with the UEA Board to talk about public education.
• The UEA Education Excellence Coalition-comprised of parents, education, business and community leaders-began meeting during the summer of 2010. One of the goals is to create a sustainable, long-term plan for the state's K-12 public education system.
• UEA staff members are immersed in redesigning the UEA Website.
• UEA and NEA staff have been working with the local education associations and UniServs involved with School Improvement Grants (Ogden has three schools)
• UEA staff have put in thousands of hours preparing for this years 100th Anniversary UEA Convention, Oct. 14 and 15th.
• Leaders and staff from the UEA and urban and rural education associations met for a full day to discuss membeship and organizing around the Taxes, Economic Development and Public Education Funding message.
• The UEA has begun implementation of the transformation recommendations: (1)Advocating for members' needs through a strong public relations/image/member engagement campaign (2) enhancing the UEA's communication structure and (3) developing a system of collaboration between staff and governance.

rick

Extended Kindergarten Program in schools is in limbo

Read Elizabeth Stuart's entire article at www.deseretnews.com
"Citing a need for more comprehensive data about the success of extended-day kindergarten, legislators on the Education Subcommittee declined to make a decision last week about whether to recommend continued funding for a statewide program."

'We are closing the gap by the end of kindergarten,' said Reed Spencer, elementary language arts specialist for the State Office of Education. 'There is no question about that'.

"Legislators raised questions, however, about whether students maintained those gains as they moved though first, second and third grades."

Rick

Ogden/Weber PAC Recommends Legislative Candidates

The Ogden/Weber UniServ Political Action Committee finished their candidate interviews last night and has made the following recommendations:

House District #6 No Recommendation
House District #7 Recommends Ryan Wilcox
House District #8 Recommends Gage Froerer
House District #9 Recommends Neil Hansen
House District #10 Recommends Randy Rounds
House District #11 Recommends Brad Dee
House District #12 Recommends Richard Greenwood
Senate District #18 No Recommendation

Rick

Jordan Education Association settles for steps and lanes

Jordan Education Association has finally settled negotiations after going to mediation and fact-finding. Jordan teachers will receive their contractual steps and lanes this year. You can read the entire article at www.sltrib.com

Rick

Utah to get funds for school testing

A coalition of 31 states, including Utah, was awarded $160 million in federal funding to develop an adaptive testing sytem for use in public schools. Judy Park, associate superintendent for student services and federal programs for the Utah State Office of Education, cochairs the executive committee of the partnership of states known as the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium. Utah was one of two states that applied for and received federal Race to the Top money to develop an assessment system. The tests the consortium plans to develop will be administered on a computer and given multiple times a year to students in grades 3-6 and 11, and will provide real-time results and a chance to chart student progress thoughout the school year.

For more information, visit www.k12..wa.us/SMARTER/ and www.corestandards.org/

Rick

Feds to send $101M for Utah Schools

Read Joseph M. Dougherty's article in it's entirety at http://www.deseretnews.com/

"The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday that Utah will receive $101 million in stimulus funding geared toward teachers' jobs, despite earlier controversy over whether the state should apply for it and ongoing questions about exactly how much school districts will have to spend."

The money must be used for salary and benefits for educators, classified, and school administrators. It could mean as much as $5.6 million for Weber and $2.1 million for Ogden. The legislator must meet in a special session to accept the money. We are asking all of our teachers to contact their legislators (don't use your school computer or school email) and ask them to allow the money to come to the districts for the correct purpose.

Both OEA's and WEA's mediation meetings have been on hold until we know more about the money.

Rick

Deadlines for UEA Awards approaching

Go to the UEA Website at www.utea.org to nominate your colleagues for the Excellence in Teaching Award (deadline Sept. 17). The Honor Roll Award (deadline Sept. 24) is given to community members, legislators etc who are friends of education and the Charles Bennett Award (deadline Sept. 24) is for community members who do work for Human and Civil Rights. All three are given at the UEA Convention.

Rick

USA Today Editorial: Education

Thursday, Sept. 9, USA Editorial page had a debate over "value added" teacher evaluations being made public. Go to www.usatoday.com to read both opinions.

Rick

Some Districts already counting on federal cash

Read Lisa Schencker's article at http://www.sltrib.com/

"Governor Herbert sent the state's application for the $101 million to the feds on Tuesday. The money is part of a federal $10 billion Education Jobs program meant to help save teaching jobs this school year."

Because the state legislature needs to have a special session (we are hoping for October) to approve the money, you need to contact your legislator and tell them to let the money flow to the districts to help bridge the gaps in the budget. You can find your legislator by going to the UEA website (Under the Dome) at http://www.utea.org/ or go to the UniServ website http://www.ogdenweber.org/ and click on "Political Action".

Thanks Rick

Businesses are banking on education

Lisa Schencker has a good article on how businesses in Salt Lake are offering ideas to support education. Some of their ideas include:

• State-funded optional preschool for at-risk kids
• Statewide optional all-day kindergarten
• Giving the ACT to all students
• Setting goals of 90% of sixth-graders and ninth-graders reading and doing math at grade level

Read the entire article at www.sltrib.com

Rick

UEA President Urges State Leaders to Use Federal Education Money ASAP

"The children of a recession deserve the same educational opportunities as the children of prosperity," said UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh. "Each day we delay getting this money into our classrooms is a day lost in a child's education."

"The reality is we need this money now...for our students and our economy. I am disappointed to hear some state leaders suggest we delay getting this money to the schools where is is so desparately needed. This funding will go to urban and rural school districts and help stimulate Utah's economy."

Ogden could see as much as $2.1 million and Weber would receive as much as $5.6 million that could used for employee benefits and salary.

Rick

Republican Legislators Threaten to Cut Federal Funds in half

House Republicans did not get the opinion from the Attorney General's office that they were hoping. They had hoped to sue to stop the "jobs bill" money from coming to Utah schools. Carl Wimmer, head of the conservative "Patrick Henry Caucus", said "I don't think enough information has been given to citizens how dangerous and unprecedented this is is. It takes away locally elected representatives' authority, it commandeers the state's legislature, and it nullifies their power and bypasses them by Congress' authority."

Read the entire article at www.deseretnews.com


Now, Republican leaders, Speaker Clark and President Waddoups are threatening to take half of the $101 million back to pay for the budget deficit. The money is earmarked for salary and benefits for classified, licensed and school administrators. Governor Herbert met with Utah Republicans to explain his reasons for applying (Sept. 9 is the deadline) for the Federal jobs money.

It shouldn't amaze me (after 25 years in Utah) to see the hypocricy of legislators. They continually usurp local controls and negotiations while crying about Federal intrusion.

Rick Palmer

Five Utah Schools to Give Pay Boosts

Five public schools will give educators the chance to earn up to $2,000 more this year as part of a pilot program to tie teacher pay to student results.

State lawmakers granted the schools $300,000 to develop the perfomance pay model. The plans reward 40% of the pay based on student achievement, 40% on teacher instruction and 20% on parent satisfaction.

Rep. Greg Hughes, a Draper Republican, says the program is a way for the state to reward teachers who strive for excellence.

The schools chosen for the pilot program are Ashman Elementary in Richfield, Manila Elementary in Pleasant Grove, Midway Elementary in Midway, Canyon Rim Academy in Salt Lake City and Wasatch Peak Academy in North Salt Lake (the last two are charters).

Rick

Utah Education Association Endorses Both Herbert and Corroon

In the race for Utah governor, the Utah Education Association's political action committee (U-PAC) has endorsed both Governor Gary Herbert and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon. The U-PAC Executive Council which is comprised of educators from every geographic region of the state, made the decision at their August meeting.

Both Corroon and Herbert met with U-PAC representatives in July to outline their education plans. Both asked for and actively sought the Association's endorsement.

"A quality public school for every child is the Association's top priority," said UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh. "Both Governor Herbert and Mayor Corroon have identified public education as a priority in this campaign. In addition, they recognize the important connection between investing in public schools and growing the Utah economy."

Rick Palmer