Parents allege that the Sequoia Union High School Board circumvented the state's open meeting laws by discussing the school's closure in private text messages, which they claim violates the Brown Act.
The last three months have been tumultuous in the district. The community was divided by a surprise move in January to add ethnic studies to the high school curriculum, a class that Chinese and Jewish families felt was discriminatory. When new board member Rowena Chiu said publicly she felt bullied by other "woke" school board members for questioning the class, all hell broke loose.
Ontario's education minister placed a seventh school board under supervision Wednesday in order to prevent dozens of teachers from being laid off, he says, and he is planning to soon take control of another board over financial concerns. Paul Calandra announced that he has put Peel District School Board under supervision and is giving the York Catholic District School Board two weeks to make a case for avoiding the same fate.
The central aspect of the PACE plan calls for removing the state superintendent as the head of the California Department of Education. Instead, that department would be run by an appointee of the state Board of Education. Members of the state board are appointed by the governor to fixed four-year terms. The PACE report envisions the "governor as the chief architect and steward responsible for aligning and advancing California's education system."
While raising my kids in Chicago, I saw a recurring pattern. A neighbor would welcome a second child, or a friend's oldest would be ready for middle school. Suddenly, the city wasn't "enough" for them anymore. Seemingly overnight, they longed for larger backyards, quieter streets, and "better schools." Houses were listed, minivans were purchased, and then loaded to the brim. Those families disappeared into suburban cul-de-sacs.
The offices "will ensure parents have a direct way to raise concerns, get help, and find solutions faster," Education Minister Paul Calandra said in a message to TDSB families last November.
"An internal search, for a position of this magnitude, is not only misaligned with institutional peers, [it] limits our ability to identify the best candidate. Furthermore, it fosters an impression that the slate of potential candidates is already determined," the letter stated. "It is exceptionally concerning that the current Chancellor appears to be soliciting applications for the position, superseding the Evaluation Committee Chair or Board Chair. As the current Chancellor would have affiliations with any internal candidates, this represents a direct conflict of interest."
This is the worst crisis OUSD has ever faced. Period. We don't even know what's possible yet. We never did the work to see what are our options. These are big questions. And I don't have any of the answers. And I have issue with that.
Los Alto School District board trustee Vladimir Ivanovic is resigning in protest over the district's plan to build a new campus for Bullis charter school, a move he believes will impose a large tax burden on residents and jeopardize future bond measures. The long-time trustee announced his decision at the board's meeting on Jan. 12, and submitted his resignation letter. Ivanovic, whose four-year term was set to expire in December, will stay in the position until March 11.
On a chilly day before Christmas, Teresa Rivas helped a tween boy pick out a new winter coat. "Get the bigger one, the one with the waterproof layer, mijo," she said, before helping him pull it onto his string-bean frame. Rivas provides guidance counseling at Owen Goodnight Middle School in San Marcos, Texas. She talks with students about their goals and helps if they're struggling in class. She's also a trained navigator placed there by a nonprofit called Communities in Schools.
"We did not come to this decision lightly," said United Educators of San Francisco President Cassondra Curiel. "We want to be in our classrooms and school sites with all of our students. .... The district has every opportunity to come with the spirit and proposals to make a deal," Curiel said. "This is like, the homework is due at midnight, and it's 11:59."
Teachers have almost no authority over student behaviors or academic grading, and are given little, if any, respect from administrators, parents or even students. Instead, students have all the authority but no responsibility for their success. Students do (or don't do) whatever they wish, while empty-handed teachers are left to take the blame. Teachers no longer have the ultimate tool of flunking students.
A new Bronx charter school is opening with a 50-week calendar and 7 am-7 pm hours, designed to better align with working parents' schedules. School: Strive Charter School (public charter), Bronx - grades K-4 Address: 604 E. 139th St. Hours: 7 am-7 pm Weekday schedule: Drop-off 7-9 a.m. + pick-up 4:30-7 p.m. (both flexible) Extras: Optional weekend programming + planned 50-week calendar Meals: Free breakfast, lunch, and dinner on open days
A group of students who are eager to learn about advanced math are asking for multivariable calculus, and teacher Daniel Nguyen has obtained a master's degree in order to teach it. The school board told Paly to add the class on Dec. 16, but the teachers council said no. Apparently the school is run by a committee of teachers, called the council of administrators and instructors, who oppose adding the class.
Negotiations went later than they have typically been going on Wednesday night as a deal between the SF Unified School District and the teachers' union remains elusive. Around 50,000 schoolkids remain at home or in daycare Thursday for the fourth day in a row, as this historic San Francisco teachers' strike drags on. SF Mayor Daniel Lurie joined the negotiators for the first time Tuesday evening, as Mission Local reports, and left after two hours posting this update to Instagram.
