The Daily News and Post both praise Macchiarola for setting a high standard for schools chiefs to follow.
Across the country, more students are taking community college courses while still in high school. (WSJ)
School districts across the country remain on high alert after the shooting in Newtown, Conn. (WSJ)
Some districts are reconsidering a highly controversial option, arming security guards in schools. (Times)
An internal document shows that Chicago has weighed school closures more than it had said. (Tribune)
Vote NO!
The 250 million dollar increase of state aid tied to a new “evaluation” system, is a little over 1% of the total NYC school budget. It is NOT worth the amount of chaos, and increased costs the new APPR will inflict on NYC schools.
Roma Giudetti
Vote No! I agree completely. My principal is impossible. She’s never been a teacher and clearly doesn’t understand the job well. She wastes our time on minutiae. She can spend hours discussing what an aim is versus an objective without understanding that takes time away from grading and giving kids feedback. All the teachers at our school just want her to get out of the way so we can actually do our job. I can just imagine how impossible she’ll become if she has even more power. Keep the money, it’s only going to be spent on more consultants or test makers.
Larry Littlefield
Speaking of small change, I’m surprised no one seems to care about this. According to a report released yesterday, http://www.statebudgetcrisis.o… , yet another analysis has found thta the New York State pension plans, which also cover local employees outside NYC, are among the best funded in the country, with the NYC plans among the worst — worse than New Jersey.
Specifically, New York City teacher’s pension plan 55.0% funded, the state teacher plan 101.8% funded, based on optimistic assumptions. You can always game these numbers by making the assumptions more optimistic, but every analysis that uses the same assumptions for all plans finds the NYC pension plans are deep, deep, deep in the hole compared with other plans — in a national pension crisis.Not only that, but as the report notes, all the money that was set aside to pay for NYC employee retiree health insurance will have been blown to balance the NYC budget in the short run before Mayor Bloomberg leaves office.You bet $250 million is not much. Good luck cutting $3 billion or more by getting rid of unneccesary consultants.
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