An standing-ovation goes to those bravely crossing party lines to fight bi-partisanly for our children and their education. Democratic Senator Jeff Smith had been fighting (despite point-blank threats from his own party and the teacher unions) for merit pay and open enrollment in St. Louis schools. (Open enrollment means allowing students to move from one public school district to another.)
There are "some wonderful teachers trying to effect change," Smith said. "Unfortunately, I also met people who were just punching the clock toward retirement. The quality was uneven. The systems didn't work. It made me want to do something different."
For years, legislative efforts to reform public school districts in Missouri have stalled, despite the unfortunate trends in school statistics--specifically in urban areas. It is going to take more bold leaders, like Senator Smith, to make real progress.
"I don't think we can afford to be consumed by ideology," he says. "I think we need to find out what works and do it."
President Obama urged for sweeping changes in his first education speech on Tuesday.
"I call on states to reform their charter rules, and lift caps on the number of allowable charter schools, wherever such caps are in place."
Missouri law currently limits their locations to only St. Louis and Kansas City. Furthermore, he said recently in his budget message that he hoped to double financing for charter schools eventually, and that the Department of Education would help create "new, high-quality charter schools" while supporting the closing of those guilty of "chronic underperformance."
He also called for merit pay.
"Good teachers will be rewarded with more money for improved student achievement, and asked to accept more responsibilities for lifting up their schools...treating teachers like the professionals they are, while also holding them more accountable."
A bill was proposed in the Missouri Senate concerning the deed restriction issue that is outraging the St. Louis community.
This act prohibits a board of education or the special administrative board of a school district from placing a restrictive covenant in a deed that prohibits the use of real property as a school providing instruction for grades kindergarten through twelve. In addition, any restrictive covenant on real property previously operated as a public school in any deed that has been filed in the office of the recorder of deeds will be void and unenforceable.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan stated in an interview with the Washington Post:
"School buildings don't belong to us. They don't belong to the unions. School buildings belong to the community."
The statement is extremely relevant to the St. Louis Public School deed restriction issue. The public school board and unions need to listen to the outcries of the community.
The current deed restriction is ethically, economically and logically absurd! And those living in the areas with closed/closing schools and even the U.S. Education Secretary publicly agree.
A bill was proposed in Jefferson City addressing the ridiculous St. Louis Public School deed restriction policy that has the community outraged. It would allow these buildings, that were publicly funded and built for education, to be sold to charter and private schools.
But the bigger question this newscast begs: is the teacher's union really fighting for more vacant buildings in St. Louis? It is absolutely mind-blowing that local 420 and other activists are so selfishly opposed to providing proper education close to home. Maybe if they spent the same time and energy educating our children, as they do actively supporting absurd policies that hurt our community, then maybe they wouldn't feel so threatened by parent's actually being allowed to choose the best school for their children. Abandon buildings only lead to trouble, everyone knows that. Oh, and Charter Schools ARE public schools.
"Although the exact numbers will not be known until April, we're pleased to see President Obama follow through on campaign promises by including an expansion of federal support for public charter schools in the FY2010 budget released today. Here and in his address to Congress Tuesday night, the President has emphasized that despite tough fiscal times, high-quality charter schools deserve increased support - indeed, that they are one of the keys to laying a firm foundation for future prosperity. We will work with the Administration and Congress to ensure that the new funding is paired with conscientious and evenhanded accountability for performance.
There is much else to applaud. The budget brief calls for increased transparency around results for teacher and principal preparation programs - a position that mirrors our call for charter leadership programs whose performance is measured by student results.
Increased support for 'school systems and nonprofit organizations with demonstrated track records of success in raising student achievement' will allow high-performing, gap-closing charters to serve more of the 350,000 students now on waiting lists around the country.
Finally, the budget statement includes an important commitment to research 'promising educational innovations that focus on improving student learning and achievement.' While there have been several outstanding studies released recently, overall there has been a notable fall-off in research on charter schooling in the past few years. We trust that this new support will foster a new round of rigorous, high-quality studies, especially in states that have large charter populations but little current research of value.
Public charter schools have earned widespread bi-partisan support as a result of their success, and consequently we hope that Congress will join with President Obama in supporting this enhanced level of funding."
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. The Alliance works to increase the number of high performing charter schools available to all families, particularly low-income and minority families who currently do not have access to quality public schools. The Alliance provides assistance to state charter school associations and resource centers, develops and advocates for improved public policies, and serves as the united voice for this large and diverse movement. Currently, more than 1.4 million students attend 4,600 public charter schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Over 1,000 schools have opened in the past three years.
Missourians for Teaching Excellence blogspot seeks to celebrate great teachers, while calling out for transformation in districts less fortunate. Many good teachers choose to leave the profession in their first five years, despite a passion to help kids learn.
Missouri's New Education Bills
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
"Increased private school competition leads to higher salaries for public school teachers."
--Ohio University Economist Richard Vedder & Joshua Hall LINK
