KL Board Buzz

Bedford-Katonah board to review costs

The School Board of the Katonah-Lewisboro Union Free School District will hold a special public meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 31 to review the per-pupil costs of educating young students in the district.

Members of the Finance Committee will give a PowerPoint presentation to provide a comparative financial analysis of the costs per student in the Katonah Lewisboro, Harrison, Bedford,...

via newyork.newsday.com

Should be an interesting conversation.

Censoring Naomi Riley - John Fund - National Review Online

Though it was far away, this hubbub attracted attention from some of the speakers at the Oslo conference. A couple noted how surprising it is that political correctness in academia is now shutting off debate in the U.S., the country where academics supposedly prize vigorous discussion and vigilantly guard against any sign of McCarthyism.

via www.nationalreview.com

Four Vie for Katonah-Lewisboro School Board Seats | The Daily Lewisboro

LEWISBORO, N.Y. – When Katonah-Lewisboro School District voters go to the polls on Tuesday, May 15, they will have a choice among four candidates to fill two seats on the school board. The top two vote-getters will be named to the board.

via www.thedailylewisboro.com

With no kids in the school, I have a different perspective on the BOE elections. I feel a bit out of the loop.

It great to see such interest in serving on the BOE.

Four Vie for Katonah-Lewisboro School Board Seats | The Daily Lewisboro

LEWISBORO, N.Y. – When Katonah-Lewisboro School District voters go to the polls on Tuesday, May 15, they will have a choice among four candidates to fill two seats on the school board. The top two vote-getters will be named to the board.

via www.thedailylewisboro.com

With no kids in the school, I have a different perspective on the BOE elections. I feel a bit out of the loop.

It great to see such interest in serving on the BOE.

School survey results call for no cuts to education but lower taxes | Acorn-Online.com

Despite the feelings of excessive spending and taxation, 53% of phone respondents said that they do not want to see cuts to programs or staff, and 19% even said that the district should restore past cuts of staff and programs.

via www.acorn-online.com

Hmmm? Tough assignment.

Conte did a survey for the BOE 10 years ago. It would be interesting to compare results. I was very impressed by the quality of his work.

What They Don't Tell You at Graduation - WSJ.com

Class of 2012,

I became sick of commencement speeches at about your age. My first job out of college was writing speeches for the governor of Maine. Every spring, I would offer extraordinary tidbits of wisdom to 22-year-olds—which was quite a feat given that I was 23 at the time. In the decades since, I've spent most of my career teaching economics and public policy. In particular, I've studied happiness and well-being, about which we now know a great deal. And I've found that the saccharine and over-optimistic words of the typical commencement address hold few of the lessons young people really need to hear about what lies ahead. Here, then, is what I wish someone had told the Class of 1988:

via online.wsj.com

As we head into graduation season, this one is a "must read." It was the WSJ's most forwarded email.

Teachers walk fine line with students on Facebook

Should students and teachers ever be friends on Facebook? School districts across the country, including the nation's largest, are weighing that question as they seek to balance the risks of inappropriate contact with the academic benefits of social networking.

At least 40 school districts nationwide have approved social-media policies. Schools in New York City and Florida have disciplined teachers for Facebook activity, and Missouri legislators recently acquiesced to teachers' objections to a strict statewide policy.

via www.sfgate.com

I can't imagine when it would be appropriate for a K-12 teacher to friend a student on Facebook. Maybe I am old fashioned, but that seems like a recipe for trouble.

New York City’s Tutoring Industry Grows With Competition for Admissions - NYTimes.com

The students in the Manhattan center, all high achievers in their elementary schools, were practicing for the state standardized tests that begin this week, exams that for years had typically been overlooked, if not ignored, by the parents of top performers.

But competition for top middle schools has intensified as more families choose to remain in the city and others find themselves unable to afford private schools, and performance on fourth- and fifth-grade standardized tests is crucial to getting into one of those schools. So many parents — some wealthy, some not — are now shelling out hundreds and even thousands of dollars for tutors and for courses like the eight-week Saturday morning boot camp in TriBeCa. And that is on top of test preparation that almost all elementary schools now provide in class.

via www.nytimes.com

Special fund on Santa Clara County property tax bill pays for employee pensions - San Jose Mercury News

Since 1945, Santa Clara County is the only county in California where taxpayers have been subsidizing those retirements through a special fund that appears on your property tax bill. That fund also helps pay retirement costs for the county's other

14,550 employees.

via www.mercurynews.com

And you thought that pension problems were bad in NY! Posted by Brent from California.

Unions in New York State Get Raises Even Without Contracts - NYTimes.com

And the same trend is unfolding at the county level. The New York State Association of Counties surveyed 17 counties at the request of The New York Times and found that 41 of 67 labor contracts had expired.

Each side blames the other for the holdup. But it is clear that in many cases, unions are strategically deciding they are better off stalling negotiations now, given the grim financial picture. That is partly because New York’s 30-year-old Triborough Amendment guarantees that the terms of public labor contracts remain in place even after they expire.

In Westchester County, where all eight labor contracts have expired, the executive, Robert P. Astorino, a Republican, has sought to have union members pay a share of their health care costs. But in December, the county’s largest union, the Civil Service Employees Association, balked and declared negotiations at an impasse.

And that is where negotiations remain — stalled. Before Triborough, “if you declared impasse, labor would be putting itself at considerable peril,” said Stephen Madarasz, CSEA’s spokesman, adding, “Before they used this principle, you basically had a situation where management could impose its will once a contract expired.”

via www.nytimes.com

Katonah-Lewisboro's budget plan cuts 24 jobs | The Journal News | LoHud.com | LoHud.com

CROSS RIVER — A plan to balance next year’s Katonah-Lewisboro school district budget by eliminating 24 positions will be put up for voter approval next month.

The school district’s $113 million budget for 2012-2013 carries a modest tax rate increase for Lewisboro residents and tax rate decreases for people living in North Salem and Pound Ridge. But for people who live in Bedford, the proposed tax rate would jump 6.6 percent.

via www.lohud.com

Education World’s Top 25 Blogs for Educators | Education World Community

In order to recognize the best and brightest voices in the education blogging realm, I watched a while to see what blogs really stood out the most. I narrowed the list of nearly 200 blogs down to about 40. Then, my colleagues Celine Provini and Jason Tomaszewski selected the blogs they thought should be in the top 10. A final once-over pared the list down to 25, including the top 10 selections. The whole process has taken about a month to complete. It was a total group effort, and we really took our time in making top picks.

Without any further ado, here are Education World’s Top 25 Blogs for Educators in 2012.

via community.educationworld.com

From EdWorld. Worth a scan.

Letter to the Editor: RTI Benefits Students, Bottom Line - Bedford-Katonah, NY Patch

Our district, like all others in New York, finds ourselves with what we refer to as a “structural deficit”.  By that I mean that our expenses that are not in our control will rise more than the additional revenue we can generate while staying under the 2 percent cap. The main drivers of these increases are contract, pension or health care obligations, but traditional inflationary issues also affect us: Heating oil and electrical cost increases, rises in maintenance costs and many others make it difficult to hold on to the programming we have that makes the Katonah-Lewisboro School District so special. 

The Board of Education has already stated publically that we will not ask the public to override the 2 percent cap.

All of these issues would be challenging enough if we were just trying to hold on to our program offering.  But holding on is never going to be good enough. The reputation for excellence that the Katonah-Lewisboro School District has in our region, state and even nation-wide did not develop by hanging on to programs, but by expanding the offering and education our students get over a great many years.  As a board member entrusted with nothing less than the education of our children, I want the same opportunity and more for our current and future students as their predecessors received. 

To do that, we must be forever vigilant in watching our expenses and we are.  But we also must look at the education itself and ask ourselves how can we do better…..but for less money.

One of the solutions we are piloting now and the community can expect continued rollout of is Response to Intervention, or RTI.

via bedford.patch.com

Little Joe's Books in Katonah wins national "The Extra Yarn Contest"

When Little Joe’s Books, a brand-new bookstore in Katonah, NY (pop. 5,000), decided to enter the contest, they asked residents to donate balls of yarn and loan them sweaters, blankets, and scarves. The people of Katonah delivered: Little Joe’s received over 200 knitted items, and over 1,000 balls of yarn. The store looks beautiful. But we really loved what’s happening next: When the display is taken down, Little Joe’s is donating all those balls of yarn to the Bedford Women’s Correctional Facility for Women. In Katonah, a town came together to cover a bookstore in yarn, and their generosity means many more sweaters are coming.

via extrayarn.tumblr.com

Congrats. Pretty cool. Jennifer is a marketing force. Follow the link and see the video.

Mercury News editorial: Parent trigger law starting to move despite opposition - San Jose Mercury News

Three years ago, California passed the Parent Empowerment Act, also known as the parent trigger law, which is designed to give parents more power in pushing for school reforms.

via www.mercurynews.com

[posted by Brent from California]

Hudson Valley schools seek voice to reduce state mandates | The Journal News | LoHud.com | LoHud.com

The council brought 62 superintendents from Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Dutchess counties to Tarrytown on Friday to present proposals to 13 legislators and representatives for three other legislators.

The group contends that the costs of 150 state mandates — many out of date or unnecessary — now account for close to 20 percent of a school district's budget.

via www.lohud.com

I was reminded about this article recently. As we enter budget season, I wonder if any additional pressure has been applied in Albany on this front? Is anyone aware of any specific proposals with regard to mandate relief?

Abdul-Jabbar campaigns for science, math studies - Chicago Sun-Times

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — author, ambassador and former Los Angeles Laker superstar — joined Gov. Pat Quinn Sunday in working to score points with Chicago high school students on the importance of learning math and science and preparing for careers outside of sports and entertainment, such as in engineering and technology.

via www.suntimes.com

Appropriate for March Madness. :o)

A solution for pension reform—Harry Wilson - NYPOST.com

As the economist Herb Stein famously said, “If something is unsustainable, it tends to stop.” Likewise, with pension costs growing to unsustainable levels, public employees risk two things: a pension fund that will be increasingly underfunded, threatening their retirement security, and a growing public backlash that can lead to far more draconian reforms.

via www.nypost.com

Kudos to Gov. Cuomo for taking the first step in pension reform. Much more will be needed.

In Albany, Lawmakers Approve Pension Cuts and Redistricting - NYTimes.com

“This bold and transformational pension reform plan is a historic win for New York taxpayers and municipalities,” Mr. Cuomo said in a statement. “Without this critical reform, New Yorkers would have seen significant tax increases, as well as layoffs to teachers, firefighters and police.”

via www.nytimes.com

Khan Academy: The future of education? - CBS News

(CBS News) Sal Khan is a math, science, and history teacher to millions of students, yet none have ever seen his face. Khan is the voice and brains behind Khan Academy, a free online tutoring site that may have gotten your kid out of an algebra bind with its educational how-to videos. Now Khan Academy is going global. Backed by Google, Gates, and other Internet powerhouses, Sal Khan wants to change education worldwide, and his approach is already being tested in some American schools. Sanjay Gupta reports.

via www.cbsnews.com

Really fascinating story on 60 Minutes. Worth taking to time to watch. It makes me wonder if high quality, interactive online learning in cooperation with a great teacher mentor/coach might offer the productivity boost the education industry needs.