Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Hitting the books again

Summer came to an end for about 5,500 Greene County children and young adults as classes got under way Monday in all five county school districts.

In each district, the first day of school was reported to have gone well, school officials said. The high temperatures also didn't seem to be much of a problem for the first day of the new year.

"It's been excellent," said Dr. Jerome Bartley, superintendent at Central Greene. "I visited the buildings this morning, and everything is business as usual; we're in great shape," he said.

During his visits, Bartley said, he checked in on several classrooms and students "were engaged." He also checked in on some of the district's new teachers and they seemed to be doing well, he said. "Everything is going as planned," Bartley said.

The district will be monitoring classrooms this week because of the expected high temperatures. "We'll have water on hand and if it becomes too extreme, we'll lead students to other areas (of the school) where it's cooler," he said.

This year, the district hopes to develop its own cyberschool, working with VLN Partners, Bartley said. The district also updated its student information system using Pro-Soft software, automated the libraries and implemented an "accelerated reader" program for all schools.

The district, in addition, will be updating its "Study Island" software for reading and math. The district serves about 2,100 students.

Southeastern Greene also reported a good start to the new school year.

"So far, so good," said Bill Henderson, the district's new superintendent. "The kids are where they need to be, and everything is taking its proper course," he said.

Monday's high temperatures didn't seem to be a problem, Henderson said early Monday afternoon. The staff had left some of the windows cracked open in the evenings, he said "The buildings take a while to heat up, and the cool nights are helping," he said.

The district, which has about 650 students, started its own cyberschool this year, the Southeastern Greene Digital Academy.

It also began using "Study Island" software in the elementary school and departmentalized the sixth grade, which involves having the students taught specific subjects by different teachers rather than having one teacher teach all subjects.

The district also continues to build on its inclusion program, under which students with special needs are taught in the regular classrooms, Henderson said.

In the Carmichaels Area School District, the first day of classes went smoothly, Superintendent Craig Baily said.

"It's been a very quiet day. We're right back into the groove of learning," he said. The district had a few minor transportation problems in the morning but had worked them out for the afternoon runs. Besides that, the first day has been "excellent," Baily said.

Baily said it also appeared that many students were ready to return to school after the long summer.

He said he had talked to a number of them during the past weekend at the Coal Show and they indicated they were ready. "I think many of them may have been getting a little bored," he said.

The district also saw somewhat of a build up for the start of school with many activities, such as band and football practice beginning in August. "The first of August many (students) were already in the swing of things," he said.

The district should not have any problems related to the heat having completed the air conditioning of the junior high school this summer and having air conditioners in rooms in the high school that normally would get hot, he said.

The district, which has 1,100 students, has provided staff this year with intensive training on an anti-bullying program in the junior-senior high school. A similar program had been started earlier in the elementary school.

The district also will continue a program held each morning in the junior-senior high school that prepares students for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams. The program, begun last year, proved to be successful, he said.

Donna Furnier, superintendent at Jefferson-Morgan, said the first day went well.

"It was a great day, excellent," Furnier said. Teachers had been busy earlier preparing for the start of the school. "They were all ready to go for the first day," she said. The students also seemed happy to be back. "I think they were ready."

Though parts of the buildings seem to be a little warm, Furnier said she had heard no complaints.

The district, which has about 855 students, hired a new high school principal, David Bates, as well as a new first-grade teacher, second-grade teacher and elementary librarian.

Because of enrollment, the district started an additional kindergarten classroom and second-grade classroom. It also updated computer software and is in the process of developing a new Advanced Placement English course.

"We're looking forward to having an excellent year," Furnier said.

In the West Greene School District, the first day went "exceptionally well," district Superintendent Thelma Szarell said.

"We've had no problems, no glitches," she said. Szarell visited each of the schools and said elementary students in particular seemed "eager" to get back to school.

Several of the younger students told her they couldn't wait to return. They also were happy to talk about their new shoes and their new haircuts or what they did over the summer, she said. "It's nice to see them and greet them on the first day," she said.

Szarell said that though parts of some of the district buildings were getting warm during the afternoon, teachers were doing a good job of using fans to keep the air moving.

The district has about 800 students. This year, it will introduce eight new Advance Placement classes. It also has introduced the Study Island software at Graysville Elementary and FastForward software for reading.

The district made adequate yearly progress on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment and this year hopes to continue with that success, Szarell said.

Labels:

Monday, August 30, 2010

Burgettstown still facing water woes

Burgettstown Area School District still is trying to determine why it’s middle/high school has rusty water.
Superintendent Deborah Jackson said this week that there’s a conflict between Pennsylvania American Water Co. and the district’s architect, Eckles Architecture and Engineering, about what and who is responsible for the problem.
The architects think it’s the responsibility of the water company because it increased water pressure to the building, while the water company feels there are problems with the new plumbing system that is part of the building’s recent renovation, she said Tuesday.
Students have been subjected to orange-colored water for two years, Jackson wrote in a recent letter to the water company. They shower in orange-colored water; the kitchen staff has to run the faucets for 15 to 20 minutes each time they use water for cooking to get clean water; washing machines leave clothing discolored; and science labs cannot use the water for experiments, she said.
Administrators and school board members recently met with representatives from both companies and the district decided to do more testing of the hot water system. The district is waiting for test results on valves in the hot water system, she said. Those results should be back in about a week. If the results are fine, Jackson said she will talk to the water company about what steps to take next.
She said the district is considering whether to put a filtering system on the input pipe coming into the school to determine if that solves the problem. The water company will not pay for that, she said.
The state Department of Environmental Protection has tested the water and said it does not represent a health problem, Jackson said. That statement was confirmed by a DEP spokeswoman.
Spokeswoman Katy Gresh said DEP sampling showed the middle/high school cafeteria water has 900 micrograms of iron per liter and the maintenance room has 2,400 micrograms of iron per liter. The standard is 300 micrograms per liter.
Gresh said there is not a health risk with the iron in the water. It’s simply an aesthetic issue, she said.
“Parents need not be concerned,” she said.
Water also was tested at the water main connection and had 53 micrograms per liter, she said. That means the problem is not with the water, Gresh said. She said the DEP suggested the district have the plumbing checked because the problem could be with the hot water recirculation.
Jackson said the water in the elementary school is fine. Gresh said the DEP also tested water in the elementary school and bus garage and the amount of iron was less than the standard.
Jackson sent a letter this summer to the water company detailing all the steps the district has taken to resolve the problem and again asking for the company’s help to resolve the issue.
The water company suggested flushing the water system occasionally to rid it of rusty water, but said it would not credit the district for water used in the flushing.
Jackson said the district tried that, but the water remained clear for just a few days.
In February, the district hired CEC Forensic Engineers to review the plumbing design, especially the hot water system. The company suggested redesigning the hot water tanks to drain off the rust to prevent it from flowing through the water system. That was completed in May. However, that did not resolve the problem, Jackson said.

Labels:

Friday, August 27, 2010

State giving less to districts than originally budgeted

McGuffey School District is curtailing its tutoring program because it expects to get less than money than anticipated from the state.
Though the state budget was approved a few months ago, the federal government decided to give Pennsylvania less money than anticipated. The original state budget had a $250 million increase for basic education funding. Gov. Ed Rendell wants to cut $50 million of the increase to help balance the state budget, meaning all districts will get a smaller increase.
McGuffey business manager Scott Burchill said the new amount calls for McGuffey to get $74,159 less. That’s the equivalent of one mill for the district, he said.
“That’s a big number for our school district,” Burchill said.
Find out about other districts in Monday's Observer-Reporter.

Labels:

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Trinity teachers get technology training


Shar Hope urged Trinity Area School District teachers Thursday to use tools that students love to teach them content.
Hope, a teaching and learning consultant for Promethean, was the keynote speaker for a daylong training session about the district’s new technology. Every classroom will be outfitted with a Promethean or Smart Board. The interactive boards allow teachers to bring more information into the classroom. Trinity has leased 207 Promethean Boards and 12 Smart Boards.
“I have found the best way to get your children to do work is to find out what tools they like and then assign them work using those tools,” said Hope, who is a former teacher, guidance counselor and administrator.
Just using the tool, however, isn’t enough, she said. Students need authentic learning experiences, Hope said.
“Connect them with people, places and events,” she said.
After her speech, teachers broke into small groups to learn how to use the technology. Some were beginning lessons while others were more advanced. Trinity East teachers Mollie Deegan and Kelly Shaw taught one of the sessions about getting started with the boards. They used the boards last year.
“You’re going to be amazed at what you’re going to be able to do,” Shaw said. “Our students love it.”
When her students were studying the Erie Canal, Shaw said she pulled in pictures on the interactive board to show how the canal works. It was more detailed than what they could read in a textbook, she said.
“It created a lot of excitement,” she said
They explained how to create flip charts on the computerized screen and how the “pen” that comes with the system works. Regular pens and markers cannot be used because they will ruin the board.
The system also has surround sound, which works well for students with hearing problems, Shaw said.
The screens are connected to teacher laptops. They can create text boxes anywhere on the interactive screen and then type just like it’s a computer, Deegan said.
The teachers also gave a website to use for tutorials and existing flip charts for different subject areas. Shaw said teachers can use those or come up with their own.
“Really, the possibilities are endless,” Shaw said. “My experience with Promethean has been nothing but fantastic.”

Join the Observer-Reporter’s conversation about education at our blog at http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/behinddesk/.

Labels:

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Fort Cherry Superitendent sends out letter about gas drilling

Fort Cherry School Board plans to enter into a non-surface lease with Texas-based Range Resources, according to a letter Superintendent Robert Dinnen sent to parents and residents this week.
The board tabled a vote on the lease Monday. Financial and other terms of the lease are not yet finalized, according to Dinnen’s letter.
The board has maintained three principles about gas wells: no surface drilling on school property, addressing environmental and safety concerns from drilling on adjacent property and exploring non-surface drilling for financial benefit, according to the letter.
A non-surface lease would allow horizontal drilling under district property and would take place from a surface well on an adjacent property, about one-half mile from the school.
Dinnen said in the letter that school officials have been working with governmental agencies and company officials to make the school as safe as possible.
He said four areas of safety are being addressed. Crisis drills and training with first responders and educational sessions with industry experts in the event of an accident are being planned. Annually, students and staff will participate in crisis drills.
Drilling companies have been asked to mitigate noise and traffic problems, especially during school hours, Dinnen said, adding that they have been cooperative.
The district has contacted the state Department of Environmental Protection for water testing. DEP officials indicate the school water is safe in regards to drilling, the letter states.
There are also plans to have air quality tested and monitored, Dinnen said. Air quality monitoring in the area is already taking place and the DEP has indicated results should be available in about a month, he said.
He said more water and air quality testing will take place and that Range has indicated that drilling will not take place at the property adjacent to the school for at least a few months.

Join the Observer-Reporter’s conversation about education at our blog at http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/behinddesk/

Labels:

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Pennsylvania again not chosen for Race to the Top federal grant

ATLANTA (AP) — Pennsylvania will not be part of the second round of federal "Race to the Top" grants.
More than 13 million students and 1 million educators will share $3.4 billion from the second round of the federal “Race to the Top” grant competition, the U.S. Education Department said Tuesday.
The department chose nine states — Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island — and the District of Columbia for the grants. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said 25,000 schools will get money to raise student learning and close the achievement gap.
The “Race to the Top” program, part of President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan, rewards states for taking up ambitious changes to improve struggling schools. The competition instigated a wave of reforms across the country, as states passed new teacher accountability policies and lifted caps on charter schools to boost their chances of winning.
“These states show what is possible when adults come together to do the right thing for children,” Duncan said in a conference call with reporters. “Every state that applied showed a tremendous amount of leadership and a bold commitment to education reform. The creativity and innovation in each of these applications is breathtaking.”
In the first round of the contest in the spring, just two states were winners — Tennessee and Delaware — and they scored more than 440 out of a possible 500 points. In this round, Duncan said all 10 winners scored more than 440 points, showing improvement in the applications.
The department wanted to choose more winners but “simply ran out of money,” Duncan said. He said he hopes to reward more applicants next year with another $1.3 billion for a third round.
For the winners, the grants mean a cash infusion at a time when education funding is dwindling, forcing teacher layoffs and program reductions. The awards range from $75 million for Rhode Island and D.C. to $700 million for New York.
“While this has seemed more like a marathon at times, now the real race begins,” said Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, whose state is getting $400 million. “This is truly a unique opportunity to implement a Georgia-created plan that will accelerate our work in improving student achievement.”
Georgia came in third in the first round of the $4.35 billion competition in March, losing out to Tennessee and Delaware, which are sharing $600 million. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia applied for the second round of the competition, and the Education Department named 19 finalists in July.
The applicants named winners Tuesday will share $3.4 billion. Another $350 million is coming in a separate competition for states creating new academic assessments.
In their applications, winners promised to support charter schools, create tracking systems that follow students through their academic careers, and improve teacher training programs at state colleges.
One notable absence on the list of winners was Colorado, which passed a controversial law this year that ties teacher pay to student performance and allows the state to strip tenure from low-performing instructors. Colorado officials said they will forge ahead with reforms, though progress will be slowed without the federal cash.
“They clearly in Washington have a tin ear about how we do things in the West,” said Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien, who helped make the state’s pitch to the competition’s judges.
Like Colorado, at least 17 states vying for the money reformed teacher evaluation systems to include student achievement, and more than a dozen changed laws to foster the growth of charter schools. Dozens also adopted Common Core State Standards, the uniform math and reading benchmarks developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association.
“The change unleashed by conditioning federal funding on bold and forward-looking state education policies is indisputable,” the Democrats for Education Reform said in a statement. “Under the president’s leadership, local civil rights, child advocacy, business and education reform groups, in collaboration with those state and local teacher unions ready for change, sprung into action to achieve things that they had been waiting and wanting to do for years.”
In a speech announcing the finalists last month, Duncan called the change a “quiet revolution.”
“This is not about funding a few states on a pilot basis. This is about a national movement,” he said Tuesday.
But some education groups said “Race to the Top” rewarded states that have weak reform efforts while leaving out those like Colorado and Louisiana that have made strides to overhaul their schools.
“It becomes clear that the vagaries of peer reviewers and the prowess of grant writers are what drive results in such competitions, not true policy change, political courage, leadership or public commitment to reform,” said Mike Petrilli, a former Education Department official who is now vice president at the Fordham Institute.
Between both rounds of the competition, 46 states and the District of Columbia applied.
The competition for many states was an uphill battle, with teacher unions hesitant to sign on to reforms directly tying teacher evaluations to student performance on standardized tests, and education leaders concerned winning meant giving up too much local control.
Florida was among the states that got resistance from many teachers unions in the first round of the competition but won their support after taking a more collaborative approach in round two.
“I think it shows that when the governor brought all the stakeholders together, we came up with an application that was strong and doable,” said Andy Ford, president of the Florida Education Association, the statewide teachers’ union.
Other states, like Indiana, dropped out of the competition because of the lack of union support for the state’s application.
© 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Labels:

Monday, August 23, 2010

Cash course

As Washington and Greene county students head back to school this fall, many will learn about personal finance, even though it is not a state requirement.
Twenty-six states, including Pennsylvania, have no mandate about personal finance education, though it may be taught as an elective, according to the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.
However, four states require at least a one-semester course devoted to personal finance and 20 require personal finance instruction be incorporated into other subject matter, according to the coalition website.
Laura Levine, executive director for the coalition, said most requirements are set at the state level; however, in Pennsylvania, it’s determined at the local level.
Levine said personal finance needs to be taught in schools because so many people are struggling financially and children may not get guidance at home.
“Parents ought to be the first teachers of personal finance and money management,” she said. “Schools need to help with this.”
Levine said she’s not sure there’s a conventional wisdom of the best approach to teaching about finances. Most experts say introduce it early in an age-appropriate fashion when kids are learning behaviors and habits. Just as you teach kids about brushing their teeth and eating healthy, teach them about savings, she said.
“When they get to middle and high school, they will have something to build on,” she said.
More than half of kids in this country don’t get financial education at school, she said.
There’s been a recent increase of states with personal finance education requirements, but she doesn’t attribute that to the latest financial meltdown.
Those requirements were in the pipeline ahead of the recession.
“I think we will see an even greater amount as we come out of the recession,” she said.
Washington Superintendent Roberta DiLorenzo said that some personal finance information is available in elective business courses. The district also offers Career Planning 1 and 2, which offers some personal finance information.
However, the staff has been discussing revisions to the family consumer science curriculum to add personal survival skills, which will include caretaking and finances, DiLorenzo said. Should that revision happen, it wouldn’t be until the 2011-12 school year.
“I think there’s a greater need to educate our students about that before they leave,” she said. “Managing your money is a priority.”
DiLorenzo said the district is also working with the Washington Area Teachers Federal Credit Union to potentially bring an age-appropriate finance program into the school.
Credit Union CEO Joe Marzullo said the credit union doesn’t have a prepared program and is waiting for the go-ahead from the school board.
However, he said officials are talking about creating a program that teaches little ones about savings and “growing it up” as they get older.
Financial institutions do have an interest in educating students, Marzullo said.
“An educated consumer is a better consumer,” he said, adding that it’s important for people to know how to get along financially.
Marzullo wouldn’t say classes about personal finance should be required.
“I won’t go there. I wouldn’t be so presumptuous to say it should be mandatory,” he said, adding he would leave that to educators. “But do I think it’s important? Yeah. I think it’s a good idea.”
Charleroi Superintendent Brad Ferko said the district has personal finance lessons in family consumer science classes, but they are electives. Charleroi also has a Life 101 class that goes over the transition into adulthood.
It’s about “things they need to know to be successful,” such as renting an apartment, buying a car and buying furniture instead of renting it, Ferko said.
Ferko said he wishes he had the staff to run family consumer science for every senior.
“It’s such an important message,” he said.
Charleroi probably won’t hire more staff to teach that, but the district needs to fit it into other classes, Ferko said.
West Greene Middle-Senior High School Principal Anthony Paull said the district doesn’t have standalone courses about personal finance, but it is included in family consumer science classes. West Greene also has an elective called home management, which includes lessons about everything from food preparation to financial resource management, he said.
Family consumer science is mandatory in seventh grade at West Greene. The district offers career education in seventh and 11th grades, which includes personal finance information, Paull said.
The school also offers a political science/economics course, where students can spend several weeks learning about economics.
Paul said schools should teach this kind of information.
“It’s a lifelong skill,” he said “It’s a skill that needs to be used every day.”

Join the Observer-Reporter’s conversation about education at our blog at http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/behinddesk/

Labels:

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Pulling an all-nighter for the college application

Cree Bautista’s application for next year’s freshman class at New York University isn’t due until Jan. 1, but Cree, an incoming high school senior from Pflugerville, Tex., was not taking any chances, reports the New York Times.

Just after 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 1 — when this year’s version of the Common Application, the passport to N.Y.U. and more than 400 other institutions, was first posted on the Web — Cree sat down at the computer in his parents’ bedroom and began filling out the form. The room was dark, because they were sleeping.

After listing his extracurricular activities (including cross country and show choir), tallying his Advanced Placement courses (seven) and putting a final polish on his essay, he pushed the “send” button. It was about 3:30 a.m. Never mind that he had never visited New York, let alone New York University. This, he said, was his “dream school,” and he was determined “to be the first to apply.”

As it turned out, Cree, 17, was the first applicant for the class of 2015, not just at N.Y.U. but to any institution that accepts the Common App, including those of the Ivy League. By Tuesday he had plenty of company: Nearly 1,000 applications had been filed by students to colleges — Harvard, Miami of Ohio and Vanderbilt, among many others — a nearly fourfold increase over the comparable period last year.

But as more students each year seek to get the earliest possible jump on the nerve-racking process of applying to college, as if they were securing tickets to a soon-to-be-sold-out rock concert, the deans of admission at N.Y.U. and elsewhere are sounding a cautionary note. They say that there is no reason to apply five months in advance, let alone two, and that they are far more inclined to put a premium on thoughtfulness and contemplation than speed.

Asked when a member of his staff might first see Cree’s application, Shawn Abbott, assistant vice president for undergraduate admissions at N.Y.U., said it would probably not be until mid-October at the earliest.

“We won’t even download it until months from now,” Mr. Abbott said. “It’s not a horse race.”

While Cree is applying to N.Y.U. in the regular-decision round, several deans said Mr. Abbott’s plea for deliberation and patience was also good advice for those applying to selective colleges through their early application programs.

For example, the deadline for students to file early-action applications to the University of Michigan — which is accepting the Common Application for the first time this year — is Nov. 1. Asked if filing well in advance of that deadline would give an applicant a leg up, Ted Spencer, the longtime executive director of undergraduate admissions at Michigan, said no.

“As long as you pay attention to the deadline, you’re going to be in good shape,” Mr. Spencer said.

Rob Killion, executive director of the Common Application, said he was particularly unnerved by the flood of early submissions through the organization’s Web site because he feared that students were rushing their essays. (This year’s Common Application was actually posted several weeks later than last year’s — not as a prod to get applicants to file later, but instead to allow high schools extra time to send final documents before the new year begins.)

Cree said he felt he was as ready as he would ever be. He said the essay that he submitted in answer to the application’s array of broad questions — including “Discuss some issue of personal, local, national or international concern and its importance to you” — was actually drawn from a paper he worked on last semester in his junior-year English class.

Titled “It’s Not a Phase,” his essay begins: “I grew up in the same neighborhood, in the same house, in the same bedroom, for 10 years. Throughout that decade, I grew into the person I am today, changing who I thought I was just about every five seconds. As I came to terms with what was on the inside, my parents came to realize that no matter what, I was still their son.”

Cree, who hopes to study music at N.Y.U., will not have his application considered until his teachers have submitted their recommendations, his school has sent along his grades and the College Board has sent an official record of his SAT scores. But Mr. Abbott of N.Y.U. — who spoke only in general about early filers, and not Cree in particular — said he hoped that other students would wait to file their applications until they have actually begun their senior years, and can let the colleges know how things are going so far, whether in class or out.

Cree, whose parents are both teachers and who hopes to also apply to three Texas colleges that have not yet posted their applications, said he was just glad to have this one done and out of the way.

After essentially pulling an all-nighter, he was calm and fell immediately asleep.

“I was exhausted,” he said. “I just kind of collapsed.”

Labels:

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Former substitute teacher sues Peters Township

A former Peters Township School District long-term substitute teacher has sued the district for age discrimination.
Susan Rzepecki, of Bridgeville, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Pittsburgh.
She says worked as a long-term substitute teacher for the district in the 2007-08 school year. She received two letters of praise from parents, had satisfactory classroom observations and no concerns were raised with her performance, according to the lawsuit.
She applied for a similar long-term substitute position for the 2008-09 school year, but was not offered a position, the lawsuit states. None of the long-term substitutes hired was over 30, according to the lawsuit.
Rzepecki also alleges the district didn’t hire or schedule her as a day-to-day substitute teacher because she complained about and opposed the district’s decision to deny her employment because of her age.
She wants compensatory damages and other relief the court deems proper, such as reinstatement to the positions.
The school district had no comment.

Labels:

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Washington approves LERTA

Washington School District homeowners will receive tax breaks for improving their property or building new homes.
The school board on Monday approved a five-year Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance resoluation by an 8-0 vote. Board member David Stotka was absent.
The LERTA will give residential property owners a 100 percent break on any increase in school taxes that would stem from up to $56,669 in improvements, including roofing, siding and windows, said district solicitor Ken Baker.
The LERTA also can be used for any new structure built on an existing lot in the school district, though the tax forgiveness will be for the entire amount of building a new home, he said.
Baker said he and Washington solicitor Lane Turturice looked at state law to determine if the dollar figure could be higher for improvements. However, that amount has to be determined by a state formula, he said.
Those who apply will get the LERTA for three years, Baker said.
He said he is sending a letter to the city, notifying representatives of the school board’s approval of the LERTA. The city and school board have worked together to draft the LERTA and Baker said a city vote may come soon.
He said it’s also possible that the county may sign on to the LERTA.
The school district’s LERTA is effective immediately.

Labels:

Friday, August 6, 2010

Senate approves $26 billion in aid to states and schools

By CARL HULSE
New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday approved $26 billion in aid to states and school districts to prevent the layoffs of tens of thousands of teachers and government workers while allocating $600 million to strengthen border security as senators headed toward an August recess, the New York Times reported.

Both measures require approval by the House, which is being rushed back into session next Tuesday from its own extended August break to consider the state and local aid that had been caught up in a partisan impasse.

Democrats hailed the passage of the $26 billion package, which was approved by a vote of 61 to 39, saying it could prevent disruptions in the start of the school year. Two Republicans, Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, joined 57 Democrats and 2 independents in backing the measure; 39 Republicans opposed it.

“As our children prepare to go back to school, I am thankful that we were able to keep teachers in the classroom, school bus drivers on their routes and school nurses and counselors in place to ensure our children’s safety,” said Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Democrat of Maryland.

The legislation provides $10 billion to retain teachers who might otherwise lose jobs to cutbacks, and an additional $16 billion to help states struggling to close budget deficits because of rising health care costs. Backers of the measure said the state aid would prevent the loss of emergency and law enforcement workers who could be let go.

The bill does not add to the deficit since the money is generated by closing a business tax loophole and making spending cuts.

In a rare agreement, Senate Democrats and Republicans also cut a deal on the immigration money, providing a 10 percent increase in current year spending that would be generated by increasing visa application fees on a handful of companies that import foreign workers. Among other things, the money would pay for 1,000 new border patrol agents for a strike force to be deployed in vulnerable areas. The legislation would also provide money for the Department of Justice to handle the increased caseload.

“This bipartisan effort shows we are serious about making the border more secure than ever,” said Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York and one of the authors of the plan. “Now our attention must turn to comprehensive reform, which is the only way to fully address the problem of illegal immigration.”

Labels:

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Bentworth High School getting upgrades

Bentworth High School is getting a face lift.
The facility, constructed in 1973, is undergoing a renovation, said Superintendent Charles Baker.
He said the work includes a complete renovation of the hot water boiler system, bleachers in the gymnasium, carpeting and paint in the library, carpeting and seating in the auditorium, lockers in the hallways and dressing rooms, and upgrades to the telephone and Internet communication system. Much of the work will be completed by the district’s maintenance staff, he said.
The project is expected to cost $500,000 and will be taken from the $1.5 million left over from the construction fund for the middle school that opened in January 2009, he said. That money was set aside in the capital budget, which means it can only be used for construction or renovation.
Baker said other projects are under way. Fencing has been installed at the middle school multipurpose field, allowing for more athletic areas for the school and community, he said.
Bids are currently being received for site preparation for a facilities/maintenance building. A facilities building will provide increased space for the storage of equipment and general supplies.
Everything except the bleachers in the high school gymnasium will be completed by the beginning of school, Baker said. The facilities building will not be started until all bids have been reviewed and approved by the school board, he said.

Join the Observer-Reporter’s conversation about education at our blog at http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/behinddesk/

Labels:

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Canon-Mac discusses financing of construction projects

CANONSBURG – If the Canon-McMillan School Board borrowed $72 million for construction, it would cost the equivalent of 10.82 mills in taxes over six years to pay for the debt service, according to the board’s financial advisor.
John P. McShane, managing director of Boenning & Scattergood, gave the a board a presentation about the district’s financial situation Monday night. He will be back each month until at least December with updates.
The board is considering whether to build new elementary schools, among other construction projects. However, no decisions have been made.
McShane said the dollar figures could change, depending on interest rates. He also said the increased debt service costs don’t automatically mean taxes will be raised by 10.82 mills. Some money will be saved in operational costs of new buildings, he said.
McShane said all of the money cannot be borrowed at once because the board could not raise property taxes enough in one year to pay for the debt service on the loan. School boards can raise taxes only to a certain index level without voter approval.
“It would be great to borrow it all now because rates are so low but you can’t afford it,” he said.
He said there is an exception that would allow the board to raise taxes to cover roughly 50 percent of the project cost in addition to what is permitted to be increased under the index.
There is also a program that runs until Dec. 31 where the federal government pays 35 percent of interest on bonds, McShane said. It’s not clear whether that program will be extended.
Business Manager Joni Mansmann said she asked McShane to present the financial analysis to the board so members could determine whether the district can afford it.
She said she asked McShane to use $72 million because it reflects Option C from the architects, which iss the plan that calls for two new elementary schools at the Wylandville and Muse sites and renovations of South Central and Hills-Henderson with an option of increasing enrollment capacity at Hills-Henderson.
McShane also briefly gave the board an update about one of its swap agreements. The board must decide whether to end the agreement by Dec. 1.

Join the Observer-Reporter’s conversation about education at our blog at http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/behinddesk/

Labels:

Monday, August 2, 2010

Princeton Review names top party schools

ATLANTA (AP) — The University of Georgia won a national title this year — top party school.
The Princeton Review announced Monday that Georgia is the No. 1 party school on its now infamous annual ranking. The school of about 30,000 students has been on the list 10 times since the ranking was created in 1992, but this is the first time the university has taken the top spot.
For the campus — surrounded by nearly 100 bars in tiny downtown Athens — parties are just part of life from August to May each year. Many students gear up for the weekend on Thursdays and sometimes don’t rest until Monday morning.
“That’s what people look forward to starting Thursday — Thursday night is the new Friday night,” said junior Andrew Chappell, 20. “The party atmosphere is such a big part of Georgia.”
University of Georgia spokesman Tom Jackson said the list is not one the school wants to lead. He said he’d rather emphasize that the school made Princeton Review’s top 50 “Best Values” list or the “Green Honor Roll” of the most environmentally conscious campuses.
Georgia beat out Pennsylvania State University, West Virginia University and University of Florida — which were the top party schools over the last three years. Those three made the top 10 this year, while Ohio University ranked second.
The ranking comes after several years of work by University of Georgia administrators to curb drinking on campus and tone down the party atmosphere.
Since 2006 — when a student died of an overdose of alcohol, cocaine and heroin in his dorm room — university police have been hauling underage drinkers to jail rather than simply giving them a ticket. School administrators call parents on the first offense and suspend a student for two semesters after the second alcohol violation.
“The University of Georgia takes student alcohol education programs very seriously and will continue to do so,” Jackson said.
Those efforts weren’t helped when athletic director Damon Evans stepped down last month after being charged with drunken driving. Evans had appeared in a video message played before home football games urging Georgia fans not to drink and drive.
The ranking is based on e-mail surveys of 122,000 students at more than 370 colleges across the country. It combines responses on alcohol and drug use on campus, hours spent studying outside class and the popularity of fraternities and sororities.
The surveys are filled out voluntarily by students, and on average about 325 students from each campus respond, said Rob Franek, author of the 800-page book put out by Princeton Review each year with nearly 60 categories of rankings.
Other rankings include best campus food, least accessible professors and most religious students.
“I want to make sure we’re giving any college-bound student a very clear example of what life could be for them at any of the 373 schools in the book,” he said.
Colleges dismiss the rankings as unscientific and complain that they glorify dangerous behavior.
In advance of Monday’s announcement, University of Colorado President Bruce Benson sent a letter to the Boulder, Colo., Daily Camera newspaper criticizing Princeton Review and the rankings.
“What I get really upset about is this is headline-grabbing, and it’s extremely unscientific,” Benson told the newspaper. His school ranked 16th on the party list this year and No. 1 in 2003.
This year, Brigham Young University topped the list of “Stone-Cold Sober Schools” for the 12th straight year.
The Princeton Review is a Massachusetts-based company known for its test preparation courses, educational services and books. It’s not affiliated with Princeton University.
© 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Labels: