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September 2009
 | Flu fighters
Government guidelines on combating influenza in the new school year focus on maintaining school attendance by preventing the spread of flu. Proper hand washing and other practical strategies can help. See related story below. |
Web Only Articles
29 September 2009 - As ordered by the courts in a lawsuit brought by CSBA’s Education Legal Alliance, the Commission on State Mandates on Sept 25 restored reimbursement of state mandated costs it previously determined existed in the School Accountability Report Cards program and certain Brown Act open meeting requirements retroactive to 2005 and the statutory Mandate Reimbursement Process retroactive to 2006.
29 September 2009 - In a wide-ranging discussion of the Top 10 issues facing public education in California, CSBA President Paula S. Campbell and CSBA staff reviewed the latest developments involving the state budget, federal stimulus funds and federal accountability, among other issues, during the Back-to-School Webcast Sept. 24.
29 September 2009 - An appellate court has upheld a district’s effort to terminate a certificated employee for her failure to obtain certification to teach English learners. The case was Ripon USD v. Comm. on Professional Competence, Theresa Messick, RPI.
22 September 2009 - The proportion of California schools meeting the state’s goal of 800 on the Academic Performance Index is up 6 percent—but the state’s percentage of schools meeting the federal government’s separate accountability goals slipped slightly, according to the Accountability Progress Report released by the California Department of Education Sept. 15. “When you see numbers like this, you have to question your accountability system,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, while CSBA Executive Director Scott P. Plotkin noted that contradictions between the two accountability systems were foreseen from the start.
18 September 2009 - Despite the suspension of California’s “24-month rule,” which requires school districts and county offices of education to purchase new math or English-language arts textbooks and instructional materials for grades K-8 within 24 months of adoption by the State Board of Education, they still must meet other state requirements regarding the sufficiency of instructional materials, according to Judy Cias, CSBA’s director of policy update services.
15 September 2009 - CSBA has joined a chorus of opposition from education groups to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appointment of Raneene “Rae” Belisle to the State Board of Education. Belisle has until March 11, 2010, to be confirmed by the full Senate.
3 September 2009 - State policy changes continue to influence the results, and O’Connell—who authored the CAHSEE law as a legislator in 1999 and has shaped its administration through two terms as the state’s elected schools chief—criticized deficit-driven decisions enacted this year by the state Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In California School News
California’s public schoolchildren continue to make consistent improvement in mastering the state’s academic standards, although a gap in achievement between white students and their black and Hispanic peers remains unchanged for the seventh year.
The complimentary Back-to-School Webcast will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Sept. 24. It can be viewed from the convenience of registrants’ computer desktops; participants are also encouraged to organize group viewing opportunities at county offices of education or other sites where they can discuss how the insights they glean will affect school governance in their community and beyond.
Local control makes sense to those whose obligation it is to meet the diverse and occasionally conflicting challenges in our state. But reinvigoration of this concept must start with reform of the state-local government relationship and an understanding of the interests of both sides.
CSBA, School Services of California and Dave Long & Associates have recently partnered to offer school districts and county offices of education a comprehensive, integrated approach to enhance student performance through the Achievement Collaborative.
Nominations for CSBA directors-at-large, American Indian, black and county are being accepted until Friday, Sept. 25. Nomination forms and information related to the election process are available to download from the CSBA Web site.
“We feel it is important to develop school reforms not only to meet the requirements for the Race to the Top funds, but more importantly to provide high-quality education to all students throughout California,” said CSBA Executive Director Scott P. Plotkin.
In preparation for the fall flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidelines to help decrease the chances of spreading H1N1 and seasonal flu while limiting the disruption caused by closing schools.
Building upon the success of the nation’s largest conference on critical health and wellness issues and their impact on student achievement, held in 2007, the 2009 School Wellness Conference is poised to provide education and health leaders with the information, strategies and resources they need.
School board members and other policymakers planning to attend CSBA’s Annual Education Conference and Trade Show in San Diego Dec. 3-5 are encouraged to arrive early and take advantage of four information-packed preconference symposiums on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
Collective Bargaining Summits will be offered in eight locations this year. They’re in a new half-day format that’s designed to save members money on travel costs, and the registration fee is reduced to just $135 per person, or $125 each when sending two or more participants.