Petition training at JTF world HQ

Now that we are just about ready to hit the streets and collect signatures to repeal S.B.5, we need to make sure everyone who is going to help is fully trained. Our adversaries are waiting to pounce on the smallest irregularity, and we're determined to not only win by a huge margin, but fair and square.

To that end, you are cordially invited to the JTF world HQ for petition training.

When: April 18th
There are two sessions to choose from:
Session 1: 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Session 2: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Where: 947 Goodale Blvd., Columbus, OH. 43212

Parking is available at the rear of the building, and the training will be on the second floor.

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Referendum is Go for Launch

The Secretary of State, John Husted, has certified that enough valid signatures have been collected to allow the full repeal effort of SB5 to begin. The Dispatch via Twitter informs us that "SoS Husted says 2,506 of 2,835 valid (88 percent)".

Furthermore the Attorney General, Mike DeWine, has certified the short referendum language. The long referendum language was rejected as being too long.

The effort to collect signatures to place the SB5 repeal on the ballot is now clear to take place.

OHIO SENATE BILL 5, AND WHY WE NEED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

By James J. Brudney, the Newton D. Baker-Baker & Hostetler Chair in Law, Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law

Ohio’s new law on collective bargaining, (Senate Bill 5) eviscerates rights for teachers, police, firefighters, and other public employees, rights that have been in place since 1983. In order to understand how this has happened, it makes sense to start with the question why should we care? Does access to collective bargaining really matter to us as Americans, beyond those workers who are represented by unions?

The short answer is an emphatic Yes. Collective bargaining is important to us as a nation for several reasons. First, there is our economic welfare. The growth of collective bargaining promotes a fairer distribution of resources and enhances mass purchasing power. For teachers, police, firefighters, health care workers, and others, it helps create and maintain a robust middle class. A sizable middle class enables these millions of Americans to contribute to economic well-being for the rest of us, by purchasing consumer goods, investing in higher education for their children, buying homes, taking family vacations, etc.

[readon2 url="http://www.acslaw.org/acsblog/ohio-senate-bill-5-and-why-we-need-collective-bargaining"]Read more...[/readon2]

Notes from Colorado

We thought this might interest a few people.

Almost a year ago, Colorado passed a controversial bill, S.B.191. The Denver Post gives us this synopsis

The legislation would revolutionize teacher and principal evaluations in Colorado, basing 50 percent of their performance on supervisors' reviews and the other half on student growth on standardized tests and other measures. It also would change the way teachers achieve tenure and make it easier for them to lose that job protection — a controversial move that attacks a core tenet held by the teachers union.

Opponents call the legislation an unfunded mandate that places too much financial burden on cash-strapped school districts. They fear it would create a school system where educators "teach to the test" to save their jobs and one where longtime teachers are picked off without due process.

A play by play of this bill, can be found here.

So why do we mention this now? Well the Colorado Department of Education just released their proposal for implementing this bill. The full details can be found at the link, here's the executive summary.

SCEE Executive Summary

The Colorado Education Association's response can be read here.

Public school battles city over charter

Excellent read of a NY City schools battle with the city over a charter school

But on Dec. 20, city officials unveiled a holiday surprise. The department said it planned to move a middle-grade charter school — Brooklyn East Collegiate, a member of the Uncommon Schools charter chain — into the space opening up at P.S. 9.

In the four months since, P.S. 9 parents have fought City Hall, scoring a few upset victories. But they have also learned a hard lesson: once the mayor’s people set their sights on a location, the chances of successfully challenging a charter are slim. Supporters of district schools fear that once a charter moves in, it will take over the building. They resent being compared academically, when on average, charters in New York City have fewer poor, immigrant and special-education students.

Even before the P.S. 9 parents got started, they were too late.

To add a middle school, department regulations required P.S. 9 to have filed a letter of intent by April 13, 2010; the final application was supposed to have been filed by July 15, 2010.

A classic Catch-22: There was no reason to apply until space was available, but by the time space was available, it was too late to apply.

[readon2 url="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/11/nyregion/11winerip.html?_r=1&src=recg&pagewanted=all"]Keep reading...[/readon2]

Two Sides of the School Staffing Coin

An interesting panel discussion titled Two Sides of the School Staffing Coin: Innovative Models and Class Size Reduction Policies"

Featured presenters:
Matthew Chingos, Fellow, Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution
Julie Kowal, Senior Consultant, Public Impact

Featured panelists:
Michael Hansen, Research Associate, Education Policy Center at the Urban Institute
Donna Harris-Aikens, Director of Education Policy and Practice Department, National Education Association

Moderated by:
Raegen Miller, Associate Director for Education Research, Center for American Progress