After a great deal of education and advocacy, including the many voices of our members, the Board of Regents has proposed certain changes to the Common Core Learning Standards rollout. Reply
Please click link for story….
Teachers head to Florida for PowerSchool training 5
From this mornings Republican-American
FALLS VILLAGE
Teachers head to Florida for PowerSchool training
Training to provide for increased competency for elementary schools in the use of Power-School, the data-based student information system, is continuing.
Region 1 Business Manager Samuel Herrick told Board of Education members Monday that $25,000 is part of the proposed 2014-15 central office budget for that purpose.
Between half and two/thirds of the funding will be shared between the six elementary schools and the rest divided up to be available for individual support needs.
“The principals feel this is so new that some are sending staff to PowerSchool training using grant money. The schools are at all different levels and they hope to be on the same level next year,” he said.
Some staff will be attending the PowerSchool University in Florida next week. Of the $25,000, $10,000 will come from the in-service line in the central office budget.
Region One Board of Education March 3 Reply
Region One Board of Education March 3
Region One Board of Education Budget Workshop March 3 Reply
Region One Board of Education Budget Workshop March 3
From The Republican-American report on The Region 1 Budget
FALLS VILLAGE — The Region 1 Board of Education on Monday formalized some changes to the proposed $15.2 million school budget.
As the board grappled to get the bottom line under a 5 percent increase, Salisbury’s Jennifer Weigel wondered what would happen if they couldn’t achieve that goal.
“In Sharon you have to,” said Marilyn Yerks, who represents that town. “I’m hearing they want the numbers below 1 percent.” Chairman Andrea Downs of Falls Village said that’s not realistic considering increases in such areas as health insurance, which is up 22.9 percent. The board agreed to the addition of an interventionalist to help students who need extra help in certain areas of study. Originally the chairmen of the math and English departments each requested one more staff person who would teach one class a day and spend the rest of the time intervening. But the board rejected that proposal. They also vetoed adding another science position.
Region 1 Board of Education
2013-14 approved:
$14,440,572
2014-15 proposed: $15,242,418
Increase: $801,846 or 5.55 percent
Next: Budget workshop on March 20 at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile in New York….New York Assembly set to delay Common Core today Reply
From today’s Poughkeepsie Journal
Assembly set to delay Common Core today
By Joseph Spector
Journal Albany bureau
ALBANY — The state Assembly has introduced legislation to delay the use of the Common Core testing standards on students’ grades and teachers’ evaluation, the latest move by state officials to address the outcry over the controversial program.
The bill (A.08929) is set for approval by the Democratic- led Assembly today, Assembly officials said. “The implementation of the Common Core has caused significant challenges that have strained our school districts, administrators, teachers, parents and, most importantly, students,” the bill states. The bill would delay much of the Common Core testing, particularly for third through eighth grades, from being used in evaluating the performance of students and teachers for two years. After its first year last school year, Common Core testing led to a major drop in test results. The legislation would order the state Education Department commissioner to look at ways to eliminate some testing and ban standardized tests in kindergarten through second grade. The bill would also delay the implementation of an online-data portal to collect student information until July 2015. And it would give parents the right to opt out their students from participating in the portal, which has been met with skepticism about whether it would be secure. The portal was set to start in September.
“This legislation will provide much needed adjustments relating to Common Core implementation, teacher evaluations and student data privacy to alleviate some of the strain experienced by our teachers, school administrators and, most importantly, students,” the bill says.
The bill, sponsored by Assembly Education Committee chairwoman Cathy Nolan, D-Queens, doesn’t yet have a Senate sponsor, and it complirequirements cates an effort by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Board of Regents to address Common Core concerns.
The Board of Regents voted Feb. 11 to delay Common Core graduation for five years, but tabled a change to the state’s teacher-evaluation system until April after it drew criticism by Cuomo. For his part, Cuomo has established a Common Core review panel, and he has urged education officials and the Legislature to hold off on any changes until the panel reports back. But there is some urgency, education advocates said: Another round of testing in schools is set for April.The Legislature could overstep the Board of Regents’ changes by adopting a new law, and the Senate, controlled by a group of Republicans and Democrats, have said it too supports a delay on the use of the new testing on grades and evaluations. Joseph Spector: jspector@gannett.com; Twitter: @gannettalbany
School districts prepare for Common Core testing BY MICHAEL PUFFER REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN Reply
Click for link (full story behind paywall)
School districts prepare for Common Core testing BY MICHAEL PUFFER REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
Jonathan Moore and The Kent Board wants to use surplus taxpayers school money (not let the taxpayers or the Board Of Finance be involved in the process to decide what to do with that surplus) Reply
From the Sunday Republican American…..
The Kent Board of Education is planning to propose using all or part of the anticipated $74,870 surplus from the regional education budgets.
The budget subcommittee met Tuesday and listened to a suggestion from Jonathan Moore, the town’s representative to the Region 1 Board of Education.
Moore shared a memo from Region 1 Business Manager Samuel J. Herrick that detailed the entire surplus is expected to be $393,600, with $80,499 from the Housatonic Valley Regional High School budget, $330,330 from Pupil Services and there was an overage of $17,229 in the Central Office Budget, following the completion of the financial audit. Moore said there were several ways that the money might be able to assist with the tough budget year coming up.
“By law you can keep 1 percent of it for capital expenditures,” Moore said.“This money was approved for educational purposes so why not use it for that, rather than sending it to the highway department.”
This is just another glaring example of Jonathan Moore’s total disregard of taxpayers and the local Kent Board Of Finance. In our opinion, the proper action would be for the Kent Board Of Education to return the surplus to the town, and then, at a town meeting ask taxpayers to vote on where to spend the “surplus”. Town residents and The Board Of Finance very well may want to spend it on reducing the cost of education, but it should be their choice, not Jonathan Moore’s or the Kent Boards choice.
North Canaan Board of Education, February 27,2014 Reply
North Canaan Board of Education, February 27,2014
Lifelong pals top academics at Housatonic: Emily DeMazza has been named valedictorian and Ana Horowitz, salutatorian of the class of 2014 Reply
BEST FRIENDS, BEST STUDENTS
Lifelong pals top academics at Housatonic
BY RUTH EPSTEIN
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
FALLS VILLAGE — They’ve known each other since age 5, growing up together. Now they will sit on the stage at the June graduation ceremony for Housatonic Valley Regional High School as the top academic students.
Emily DeMazza has been named valedictorian and Ana Horowitz, salutatorian of the class of 2014.
When the news was heard at Town Hall Thursday, officials gave a resounding cheer and were quick to point out that the young women were products of Lee H. Kellogg School, the smallest in Region 1.
(full story available on-line) Best friends, best students Lifelong pals top academics at Housatonic BY RUTH EPSTEIN REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN