News Impacting CA Schools for the Week Ending February 19
Federal
The White House and the Department of Education have announced a new Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge and are inviting public schools across the country to compete to have President Obama speak at their graduation.
Sacramento
The state Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would require Amazon.com and other online retailers to charge sales tax on purchases in California, generating an estimated $107 million a year. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed to veto the measure when Democrats proposed it last year, and it stalled in committee. But Democrats reintroduced it Thursday in a tax enforcement bill that was part of a $5 billion budget package moving through the Legislature.
Reforming State and Local Governance
Labor unions have contributed 1 million dollars into a proposed ballot measure that would change the legislative vote requirement to pass a state budget from two-thirds to a simple majority. The committee is backing the “On-Time Budget Act of 2010”. The proponents have until May 10 to gather valid signatures from at least 694,354 registered voters in order to put the proposed constitutional amendment on November’s ballot.
A few weeks ago, a statewide ballot initiative petition signed by a California voter named Michael Ni was delivered to the clerk’s office in San Mateo County. Strange as it may sound, this is no exaggeration: Ni’s John Hancock may reshape American politics forever. Ni did not sign his name on a piece of paper. His signature was electronic. The anticipated legal case could turn on semantic questions raised by applying century-old rules to 21st century technology. What constitutes a “signed” petition under the state Constitution’s requirement that a petition must be “certified to have been signed” before it can be put on a ballot?
School Districts Impacts
Los Angeles USD
Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines proposed shortening the current school year by six days to help the district save $90 million during its financial crisis. Cortines said he has already come up with various cuts and furloughs to bring the district within $100 million of that goal – and the $90 million saved by shortening the school year will almost close the gap entirely. In an effort to save jobs and soften the impact of budget cuts to classrooms, Los Angeles Unified approved placing a new $100 per parcel tax on the June ballot. The limited parcel tax would generate $92.5 million per year for four years .
Lake Elsinore
The union that represents nonteaching personnel in the Lake Elsinore school district has agreed to take an 8 percent salary reduction in exchange for a pledge from the district to limit the number of classified employee layoffs. Nearly 200 teaching jobs in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District were eliminated in a unanimous vote by the school board. Among the jobs eliminated were nearly 200 certificated positions, including 133 elementary school teachers, 51 middle or high school teachers, counselors, a nurse and a psychologist. Before approving the layoffs — which could be reduced through further negotiations with employees — board members criticized the teachers union for failing to reach an agreement on concessions and avert so many job cuts.
Newport-Mesa
The Newport-Mesa Unified School Board has approved a plan to slash about $13.5 million from the budget by eliminating about 104 jobs, increasing class sizes, reducing summer school, and other cuts. The school board approved cutting about 84 teaching jobs and about 20 classified positions.
Newark
School trustees have ratified a contract with the Newark teachers union that could save the cash-strapped district as much as $2.1 million by reducing the number of workdays for educators, and by increasing some of their class sizes. The contract will decrease the work year for teachers by three days, and allow the district to reduce the schedule by another five days if necessary to help close a $3.5 million shortfall. The three-day reduction in workdays — which will go into effect for the 2010-11 school year — is equivalent to a 1.5 percent reduction in teachers’ salaries.
Lodi
Lodi Unified School District board members decided to issue layoff notices to nearly 400 district workers, including more than 270 teachers, counselors and principals, as they wrestled late into the night with a staggering $30 million deficit.
Long Beach
About 750 employees in the Long Beach Unified School District next month will be warned they may lose their jobs at the end of the school year as a result of budget cuts.
Orange Unified
The Orange Unified School District will be asking the state for permission to raise class sizes at elementary and middle schools. A waiver would allow the district to raise the class size to a 33-to-1 student-teacher ratio for two years, beginning in the next school year. Currently, the state Education Code allows a 30-to-1 ratio for grades 1-3, and a 29.9-to-1 for grades 4-8.
Corona-Norco
A worst-case scenario to lay off 343 full-time teachers and 150 tutors was approved by the Corona-Norco school board. But district officials said they are optimistic that negotiations could save many of those jobs. The resolution to cut 343 full-time jobs lists 220 elementary teachers, 27 counselors, eight student advisers, 10 assistant principals, three district coordinators, 13 special education teachers and five music teachers.
Colton
The Colton Joint Unified School District Board of Education voted 4-3 to issue preliminary layoff notices to 141 teachers.
Vista
The Vista Unified School District board, facing another year of declining revenue, approved a list of spending cuts and voted to send preliminary layoff notices to more than 167 teachers.
Alvord
Layoff notices for teachers in 154 jobs were approved by the Alvord school board.
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