Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
March 2009
 | CSBA Executive Director Scott P. Plotkin fields a reporter’s questions following state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell’s State of Education address in Sacramento last month. Both men criticize state budget cuts but urge continued work to promote academic achievement for all students. |
Web Only Articles
31 March 2009 - California’s 1st District Court of Appeal recently ruled in favor of a school district’s governing board in an important case concerning whether a part-time employee with greater seniority who is faced with layoff is entitled to “bump” a full-time employee with less seniority in order to avoid layoff. The court’s answer: no.
23 March 2009 - California’s 1st District Court of Appeal recently ruled in favor of a school district’s governing board in an important case concerning whether a part-time employee with greater seniority who is faced with layoff is entitled to “bump” a full-time employee with less seniority in order to avoid layoff. The court’s answer: no.
17 March 2009 - In another victory for CSBA’s Education Legal Alliance, an appeals court has ruled that the state Legislature lacks the authority under the constitutional separation of powers doctrine to direct the Commission on State Mandates to overturn or reconsider its final decisions.
10 March 2009 - This analysis updates the version published Feb. 19 with new and updated information.
10 March 2009 - Promising to get billions in federal stimulus dollars to local education agencies within 30 to 45 days after President Obama signed the legislation Feb. 17, the U.S. Department of Education issued initial guidelines March 7 for how it plans to distribute the $100 billion earmarked for education. Of that, California’s share is expected to be about $8 billion.
6 March 2009 - CSBA is very pleased to announce that a major milestone has been met in the Behavioral Intervention Plan [Hughes bill] settlement.
In California School News
“Although we’re glad the stalemate is finally over and the budget includes some new revenues, school governance leaders throughout the state are deeply disappointed in the choices made by Gov. [Arnold] Schwarzenegger and our Legislature to drastically reduce K-12 public education funding,” CSBA Executive Director Scott P. Plotkin said. “It’s time for lawmakers to stop sacrificing the future of our children and start really investing in their educational progress and success.”
CSBA President Paula S. Campbell led a delegation of more than two dozen school board members from around California and several CSBA staff members to Washington, D.C., last month to glean expert insights and lobby members of Congress and the Obama administration on behalf of public education.
As our students have made impressive gains in academic achievement, our focus on test scores and No Child Left Behind requirements has pushed the issue of school climate to the side. If we make assessing the quality and character of school life an integral part of our district accountability program, perhaps we will find ways to provide the environment our students need while also meeting reasonable academic benchmarks.
With recession and the state budget crisis devastating their finances while demand for their services grows, leaders of organizations representing local governments throughout California convened the first meeting of the Cities, Counties and Schools Partnership State Budget and Fiscal Reform Task Force at CSBA headquarters last month.
Now that a budget deal has been reached, legislative policy and fiscal committees will begin meeting in earnest to review and vote on legislation.
“The state of public education is precarious,” and “our public schools and our state itself face certain, perhaps irreparable, damage” unless major changes occur, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell said in his sixth annual State of Education address Feb. 3.
All workshop and individual proposals must be postmarked by March 20; applications for poster session proposals must be postmarked by May 29. Those whose proposals are accepted will be contacted in June to confirm their participation.
School board members and administrators from across the Southwest will gather in Austin, Texas, March 27-29 for the latest presentation of a distinctive annual forum on student achievement—the newly reinvigorated and renamed Celebrating Educational Opportunities for Students of All Cultures conference.
These events give presenters an opportunity to discuss innovative policies and practices that have proved successful in their areas. The deadline for submitting proposals is April 3.
Solar power systems have become a popular option for institutions interested in clean, renewable energy. Many times, they will finance their photovoltaic solar systems by entering into a power purchase agreement, or PPA, with an energy service company or solar power provider that installs the equipment and then sells the electricity to the client at an agreed price. These long-term contracts usually last about 25 years, after which the client may have the option to purchase the equipment it’s been using.
GAMUT Online: New features aid policy search, exports for editing
CSBA President Paula S. Campbell welcomed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appointment of Glen W. Thomas as education secretary as “a positive sign that the administration wants to work with the education community to solve our problems together.”