Delaware legislators want to take the fat out of school lunches

Sponsor Representative Kowalko

House Bill # 3 w/HA 1

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO LIMITING ARTIFICIAL TRANS FATS IN FOOD AVAILABLE OR SERVED TO STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, INCLUDING CHARTER SCHOOLS.

This Bill prohibits public schools, including charter schools, and school districts from making available or serving food with more than 0.5 gram of artificial trans fatty acids to students in grades K through 12.

Well it is long overdue but the legislators are stepping up! John Kowalko is very passionate about this issue and bill. Kilroy give this bill a thumbs up!

So what’s your beef on this bill ?

Delaware charter schools need to be revamped

It’s time for changes in Delaware charter school laws. The first change should be is, the Delaware Department of Education should be the sole authorizing authority and oversight authority. The second would be changes in the “specific interest” preference. Even Governor Markell eluded to these preference as creaming and skimming of students. We cannot continue with a discriminatory charter school admission process that weights intelligence. If so perhaps traditional public school should be allowed to reject students using same preference criteria.

In the Hockessin Community News there is this:

Red Clay renews Delaware Military Academy charter for 5 years

What was contested was the separate vote to approve a committee that will examine DMA’s wish to change the way it gives preference to Red Clay students in favor of putting students who express an interest to attend the school. The board split 5-2 for that measure, with board Vice President Leah Davis and member Kim Williams voting nay.

Delaware Military Academy’s initial charter states that Red Clay students are the first priority when it came to applicants, Williams said.

“First, inviting students who express an interest is very broad,” Williams said. “Second, DMA is chartered by Red Clay and Red Clay students should be the first priority.”

DMA is the most unique charter school in Delaware and perhaps in the nation. Though not like some hardcore booth camp but DMA isn’t for students who have no sense of discipline. I am sure there are parents who want their child to attend DMA for purposes of discipline as in they have no control of their own child. DMA is not a treatment center nor is their staff trained behavior interventionists.

I agree with board member Williams in the specific interest is broad. One would think if a student didn’t have a specific interest they wouldn’t apply. Same goes for Charter School of Wilmington. But again, DMA is totally unique and they do accept students who may be at-risk who displays real desire. DMA has a student poverty population of 19.2% and a Special Ed population of 1.4% in whereas CSW as 0% in both groups. DMA has that military component and we all know parents tent to make decisions or push their children into schools that they want them to  attend. DMA is not Ferris! So for both CSW and DMA that specific interest might be that of the parent not the student.  If Red Clay really wants to compete for student perhaps they should get a few JrROTC programs going in Dickinson, McKean and even Conrad. I think it is long overdue.

Then there was  this in the Hockessin Community News:

Red Clay board delays enrollment reduction at Charter School of Wilmington

The Red Clay charter has stipulated that the popular and successful school’s enrollment be capped at 900, allowed to deviate from that up to 5 percent over capacity. Red Clay granted the highly successful school’s charter back in 1995, when it was looking to optimize use of the Wilmington High campus, whose traditional school enrollment was plummeting at the time.

Specifically, the measure passed by the Red Clay board allows Charter to reduce enrollment within three years. In a motion read by board member Kim Williams, Charter will keep enrollment to for the 2011-2012 school year at 970 students and the incoming freshman class’s enrollment shall not exceed 241 students. Then, Charter will reduce enrollment to 958 for the 2012-2013 school year and to 945 for 2013-14.

Charter School of Wilmington may be crying victim but it was they who “violated” the charter agreement. Rumor has it CSW is mounting a campaign to unseat Jack Buckley whose board seat is up this May. Red Clay’s former school board president is now president of CSW’s board. But I think he is wise enough not to engage in such battle. Picking off one board member at a time as each seat comes up for reelection will take years to seat all pro charter school board members. Personally I say once CSW complies with their charter agreement Red Clay needs to sit down with them and consider enrollment increases and perhaps requiring CSW to accept at-risk students and Special Ed like DMA. CSW is use to doing their things regardless of the charter agreement because Red Clay’s board use to be founding member of the original charter agreement. But I do know for a fact the board did keep pressure on CSW re: Red Clay student preference. Do make the all the preference set by the charter school law are under the clause, “may” not shall. If there is no stipulation in the charter agreement between Red Clay and CSW or DMA to set a specific % of Red Clay students then the “may” applies.

All and all, it time to transfer all charter school charters over to DEDOE and let DEDOE be the sole authorizing and oversight authority. We need consist oversight and rules across the board.

Delaware economy sags; Governor Markell too busy playing teacher

Regional manufacturing posts gains; Delaware economy sags:

Also today, the Philly Fed released its coincident index for January, which measures economic growth throughout the region based on . Delaware’s economy was flat from December to January, according to the report. The index, which is intended to reflect the long-term trend of the state’s gross domestic product, suggests that the state’s economy has contracted by 0.1 percent over the last three months even as surrounding states — and the U.S. economy — have posted gains

Delaware Governor  Jack Markell is so obsessed with reforming public schools he somehow forgot the responsibilities of being governor.  He has no problem making sure his reformist trolls get jobs at DEDOE and his old Goldman Sachs pals get education management contracts and no to forget hooking up News Corporation’s subsidiarity Wireless Generation with an $8.2 million dollar deal. Markell didn’t disclose the fact Joel Klein works for News Corporation.

Markell wants to educate Delaware out of the recession but can we wait until a generation of students to go through K-12 and college to see jobs. Markell wants to send our well educated kids out into the global economy while doing nothing about jobs for mom and dad living in Delaware.

Sure the governor has a tough job but he asked for it and he even wrote a book on how to make Delaware prosper. Teachers asked for their tough jobs and Markell wants to hold them to a hire standards than himself.

Markell’s $7,877,517.00 Ax swing at Red Clay

The 27th week pay will cost Red Clay $2,009,500.00

1% Pension Increase to Red Clay $499,384.00

SFSF Reductions

Education Tax Relief gone $2,897,220.00

Other SFSF gone $1.032,361.00

Flexible Block Grant gone $723,538.00

10% cut in transportation funding $715,514.00

Total financial impact to Red Clay $7,877,517.00 OUCH

Interesting , how can the state tell local school boards they must add 1% more of local funds to pension funds?

No don’t tell anybody this because its confidential; Governor Markell wants Red Clay to their $3,250,055.00 set aside EdJobs funding to backfill Markell’s cuts.

Red Clay’s anticipated FY11 ending balance is  $23,085,821.00. If Markell gets his way it looks like Red Clay will need to aggressively react to the financial impact. Folks keep an eye on that ending balance from year to year as it won’t take long with Markell’s Ax swinging to force Red Clay into deficit spending.

For you charter school fans, Markell’s Ax swing will impact your charter schools.

More $$$ waste on education summit trips

U.S. education summit focused on improving teacher quality

This week education leaders, including U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the nation’s largest teacher unions and officials from the highest-scoring countries, are meeting in New York  to identify the best teaching practices.

Its time for Delaware taxpayers to stop paying for these  so-called collaboration trips that are nothing more than a social jerk-circle. Also, why aren’t these summits done in the summer so that there are no disruptions to students? As for Arne Duncan, has anyone ever wonder how much money is spend on his yearly travels around the globe? Don’t you think he should be in his office running the United States Department of Education?

I wonder when Delaware Governor Jack Markell is going to make an executive order ordering all school districts and DEDOE to make public their P-card expenditures?  Seems like Markell’s definition of open government is opening the taxpayers wallets further.

Legislation allows Delaware Schools to compete for quality teachers

146th General Assembly
Senate Bill # 16 w/SA 1

“This Act implements the recommendations of the Senate’s Teacher Hiring Task Force. It will result in the creation of an estimated unit count each March, which the Department of Education will conduct using existing resources. The state will guarantee that school districts receive unit funds for the following school year equivalent to 98% of the estimated unit count. This will allow districts to make offers of employment to new teachers in the late spring and early summer. The Act also requires greater transparency by school districts with respect to their hiring practices. The Act must be reauthorized prior to April 1, 2012, so the state has an opportunity to ensure that the estimated unit count is reliable.”

Delaware Senate OKs letting schools hire earlier: The News Journal

DOVER — Delaware’s 19 school districts would be able to hire teachers earlier to compete for the best talent under legislation that cleared the Delaware Senate on Wednesday on a 20-0 vote.

Senate Bill 16 is a response to a University of Delaware survey that found school districts didn’t hire 60 percent of their new teachers until August or later for the 2009-2010 school year.

These are the kinds of improvements needed to reform our schools. Delaware does not need to waste education funding on costly programs like Teach for America that gives the illusion they teachers are high qualified or better prepared.