VERMONT BILL WOULD SHIFT AUTHORITY OVER STATE CHIEF FROM BOARD TO GOVERNOR — A bill to transfer the authority to hire the state education chief from the Vermont State Board of Education to the governor awaits the governor’s signature. The measure creates a cabinet-level secretary of education and converts the department of education into an agency. Gov. Peter Shumlin has pushed for the authority to appoint the education chief and thus will likely sign the bill into law. The state board will review applicants for the secretary position and trim the list to three candidates, from which the governor will choose. While the secretary and agency will assume the authority now held by the commissioner and department, respectively, the state board will still be the state’s education policymaking authority. The changes take effect January 2013. Sources: Bennington Banner (4/24/12), Brattleboro Reformer (4/17/12), Vermont Bill H. 440
ILLINOIS MOVES TO DISBAND TWO LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS — The Illinois State Board of Education is moving to dissolve two local school boards in historically low-performing districts. East St. Louis School District 189 and North Chicago School District 187 are both slated to have their boards removed due to poor academic performance and corrupt leadership. The East St. Louis district has not made adequate yearly progress in nine years—or for almost as long as that has been a federal requirement—and has a $12.5 million budget deficit. In North Chicago, the federal government charged the local district board’s ex-president with taking more than $800,000 in bribes from bus companies. She is currently serving time in a federal prison for a multi-state Internet fraud conviction. Under Illinois law, the State Board of Education or state superintendent can remove a local board if the district does not make sufficient yearly progress for seven consecutive years. Upon the removal of the boards, the state will appoint a new panel to take over all school matters until academic benchmarks are met. The current local boards may appeal the respective takeover decisions to the State Board of Education. Sources: Belleville News-Democrat (4/21/12), Quincy Journal (4/25/12)
MARYLAND STATE BOARD HIRES NEW SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS — The Maryland State Board of Education’s search for a new chief state school officer ultimately did not lead them farther than Delaware. The board chose Delaware Education Secretary Dr. Lillian Lowery as its new superintendent as of July 1. In Delaware, Lowery was credited with overseeing and facilitating Delaware’s winning Race to the Top grant application. The Maryland office is now filled by an interim chief, who was named when longtime Superintendent Nancy Grasmick retired last June. Source: Washington Post (4/20/12)
MARYLAND STATE BOARD RULES ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY DID NOT MEET FUNDING REQUIREMENT — The Maryland State Board of Education supported the November decision by Interim Superintendent Bernard Sadusky that Anne Arundel County failed to meet its education funding mandate by $12 million. In Maryland, counties must meet the requirements set by the state maintenance-of-effort law, but Anne Arundel County fell short of meeting its target when it shifted those funds to debt service. A state attorney general’s opinion held that debt service cannot be included in the maintenance-of-effort calculations unless the same figures had been used in the preceding year. Source: Baltimore Sun (4/25/12)
RHODE ISLAND TAKES OVER FINANCES OF CENTRAL FALLS SCHOOL SYSTEM — The finances of the troubled Central Falls School District–which made national news two years ago when state Education Commissioner Deborah Gist fired all of its teachers–are being taken over by the state. The Rhode Island Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education and Gist assumed control of the district’s daily budget and negotiations with the teachers’ union. These duties were run by the city receiver’s office, but a bankruptcy judge recently decided that the schools were not legally a part of the city, leading Gov. Lincoln Chafee to ask Gist to get more involved. The school district’s superintendent and board of trustees will continue to oversee educational matters, and Receiver Robert G. Flanders Jr. will continue his work. Source: Providence Journal (4/19/12)
MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR APPROVES STATE TAKEOVER OF ABERDEEN DISTRICT — After months of investigation and hours after a recommendation by the Mississippi State Board of Education to take over the Aberdeen School District, Gov. Phil Bryant approved the action. Aberdeen recorded persistently poor student achievement, violated accreditation standards and state and federal laws, ultimately meeting just met six of the 37 state accreditation standards. Aberdeen also owes the federal government $215,000 for failure to follow special education mandates, and must repay the state more than $50,000 because the district did not actually record time worked by some employees. On top of all that, officials gave diplomas to a number of students without providing appropriate documentation that they met graduation requirements. One of the first priorities of the state will be to ensure all seniors document requirements in preparation for graduation. As part of the takeover, Bryant fired the local school board and demoted the interim superintendent to his former position of operations manager. Additionally, the state board hired a veteran conservator to oversee the district. Aberdeen becomes Mississippi’s eighth state-controlled district. Source: Associated Press (4/21/12)
TEXAS BOARD APPROVES NEW MATH AND TEXTBOOK STANDARDS — The Texas State Board of Education adopted an array of changes to its K-12 math standards, with members making one of their goals the development of strong standards independent of the Common Core standards movement. The new standards eliminate most descriptions that include the phrase “such as,” stress problem-solving skills, and add a requirement that elementary school students acquire a level of math fluency before they are permitted to use calculators. The rules for grades K-8 take effect before the 2014-15 school year, and high school standards must be implemented by the following year. The changes were postponed to make sure there will be money budgeted to buy textbooks that reflect the standards. Sources: Texas Tribune (4/20/12), KXXV.com (4/20/12)
ARKANSAS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CUTS LOCAL DISTRICT’S CONTRACTS IN SAVINGS MOVE — The Arkansas Department of Education told administrators in the state’s third-largest district to immediately cut $11 million from its budget and tear up its union contracts. The Pulaski County Special School District, already in financial trouble, faces a projected $33 million deficit by the 2016-17 school year. The state took over the district in 2011 and fired the local superintendent and dissolved its school board, assigning control to a state-appointed administrator. State Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell said the moves had to be made to help repair the district’s finances and put it on a path to restored local control. Source: Associated Press (4/20/12)
FEDERAL UPDATE
U.S. Department of Education Schedules Virtual Rural Education Summit — The U.S. Department of Education scheduled a National Rural Education Technology Summit for Monday, April 30. The plan is for participants to discuss the use of technology to overcome distance, bring resources to rural schools, and engage students, teachers, and administrators. The virtual, interactive event will include science, technology, engineering, and math sessions, professional development opportunities, and comments from Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Federal Communications Commission Chair Julius Genachowski, and Smithsonian Institution Secretary G. Wayne Clough. For more information and to register, go to http://www.ruraleducationtechsummit.org/. Source: U.S. Department of Education (4/16/12)
FEDERAL UPDATE
U.S. Department of Education Releases Blueprint to Reauthorize Career and Technical Education Programs — The U.S. Department of Education released its blueprint to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, which funds various career and technical education (CTE) programs. The law is due to be reauthorized in 2013. The blueprint offered four core principles for improving the law and its programs: effective alignment between CTE programs and the labor market; strong collaboration among secondary/postsecondary institutions, businesses, and industry partners to improve the quality of CTE programs; meaningful accountability for improving academic outcomes and building 21st century skills; and increased emphasis on innovation supported by systemic reform of state policies and practices. A summary of the blueprint can be access by following this link. Source: U.S. Department of Education press release (4/20/12)
WISCONSIN RULE CHANGE WOULD REDUCE TEACHER SALARY INCREASES — An administrative rule change made by Gov. Scott Walker would reduce the inflation-based raises unions negotiate for teachers. The new rule would use teachers’ “base salary” rather than their actual salary (which is calculated using the base salary plus merit increases gained by having advanced degrees or other factors). For example, a teacher with a master’s degree might have an actual salary of $45,000, but a base salary of only $35,000. Using the base salary for a 3.2 percent cost-of-living increase would net the teacher $300 less than if the actual salary was used for the calculation. The rule change is still subject to legislative review, and the Wisconsin Association of School Boards told its members that court challenges are likely. Source: Madison Capital Times (4/23/12)
** ANNOUNCEMENTS **
CONGRATULATIONS to Ken Edmonds on his election as president of the Idaho State Board of Education and Don Soltman as vice president.
NAEP WILL HOST ONLINE TOWN HALL meetings May 2 and 3 to discuss an expert report on the collection and use of background questions. Following a presentation, attendees may participate in an open-ended discussion. Go to http://www.nagb.org/town-hall-meeting/ for more information.
FIND OUT WHAT “GREEN CLEANING” CAN MEAN FOR SCHOOLS in the latest issue of NASBE’s award-winning journal, The State Education Standard. Read “Green Cleaning Schools” to learn just exactly what “green cleaning” means, how to recognize certified green products, examples of how states have implemented green cleaning policies, and more! Go to http://goo.gl/js1hU to purchase copies or examine downloadable articles.
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