According to Governor Schwarzenegger's web site our districts still must meet the goals of the NCLB act. Below is his outlook on how he plans to ensure that!!!
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell to announce their recommendations to improve 97 districts that have persistently failed to meet the goals of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. With this action, California becomes the first state in the nation to take an individualized approach to districts in program improvement under NCLB. NCLB requires states to take action or risk losing federal funding.
"Students who have persistently lagged behind have suffered too long and they need our help right now. I have joined forces with Superintendent O'Connell to craft individualized reform plans to make sure the solution fits the district. By working together, I know we can make great strides for the children of our state," said Governor Schwarzenegger.
"In all cases we embrace a singular goal - to make sure that all districts and schools are working effectively to improve student achievement," O'Connell said. "The state has an obligation to not only implement federal law but to assist our school districts to close the achievement gap and help all students succeed in school."
The Governor has proposed four levels of individualized assistance to support challenged school districts. Every district has been analyzed individually to arrive at the most appropriate level of intervention to improve student achievement. These include:
- Intensive: The State Board of Education will assign a state-approved education assistance provider to the lowest performing districts to conduct an independent analysis of district performance. Based on this analysis, recommendations will be presented to the Board for further corrective action under federal NCLB.
- Corrective actions can include: replacing school district personnel, appointing a receiver or trustee, permitting students to transfer to different schools, putting new curricula in-place and-in the most serious cases-abolishing and restructuring the district.
- Moderate: The school district will choose its state approved education assistance provider in consultation with the local county superintendent of schools. In these districts, as above, the assistance provider will create a plan of action for the district's improvement that the district will be required to implement.
- Light: The school district will choose a state-approved technical assistance provider. This provider will help develop a tailored plan to assist the school district in meeting federal accountability targets.
- Other: Districts that narrowly missed federal accountability targets will be directed to revise their Local Education Agency (LEA) plans, which outline how they will implement NCLB. Additionally in this category, there are LEA plans that require special attention based on extenuating circumstances, such as voter approved consolidation/elimination of school districts.
The Governor is committed to getting the $45 million in available federal funds to turn these school districts around. The Governor will be working very closely with the Legislature to ensure these funds are allocated to maximize results and boost student achievement in these school districts.
Since taking office, Governor Schwarzenegger has increased education funding by almost 34 percent. In 2003-04, the state's contribution to K-12 education from its General Fund was about $29.8 billion. In the budget Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed for 2008-09, that same number would be $39.9 billion - an increase of nearly $10.1 billion dollars. Including federal and local dollars, the amount of money going into California classrooms per-pupil, has increased by 20 percent.
Information above was retrieved from the Office of the Governor's web site under issues: sub-section Education: Improving Student Achievement With Stronger Accountability at: http://gov.ca.gov/issue/education
There is a major problem here; with our districts having to result in drastic solutions for their budget cuts this program is not going to work!! It has not worked and now with the massive layoffs , programs being eliminated and schools being closed. How does the "TERMINATOR" think this will work? This state was already in dire need of MORE teachers, now we are thanking our mentors with a pink slip and a see ya later! Where is the promise of securing our child's future and protecting our education programs? Where is that AD commercial of the Governor sitting down at a lunch table talking about making sure our schools don't foot the bill for our deficit? Am I the only one who remembers that? I don't think so? Hey Governor this is how you repay those educators who supported you!?
Shouldn't WE have a say in what budgets should be cut? Aren't WE the ones who are going to suffer from those? A tax increase proposal should have been an option for the tax payers to ensure the educational funding be available. We are just at the beginning of the budget cuts and the stories I read are just saddening and will only increase. Sending educators out of state, to the unemployment line and into foreclosures due to lack of income.
Your proposed budget cuts overall is just as well. Releasing criminals, lifting the monitoring on them and closing our state parks!! Man you are on a role!!
Let's cut the budget on illegal immigrants FIRST!! Not our American children, NOT our American public Safety AND NOT our American family bonding!!! Let's put some funding into screening illegal immigrants within our system, let's ensure that they are deported and let's ensure our boarders!!! We are suffering in every way here, and our government is still allowing others to benefit from our systems. It is time to sever the ties; re-build and restore our education, economy and health care. Lets start by taking care of Americans and American children!!
That should have been added to our budget not cutting education and freeing criminals!
Thanks a lot "TERMINATOR"!!!
I see that LAUSD is complaining about the 10% budget cuts it will face along with all the school districts in CA. It states that our children will lose funding on programs, teachers and materials.
I read that last year school district officials spent an estimated 4.5 million on illegal personal expenses. And it could be even higher the year before. And we are paying for it all tax wise and education wise. In an CBS investigation it showed spending on district credit cards meant for office supplies like paper, staplers, and pens being spent on vacations, Lakers games, flowers and day spas.(etc..)
I want to know, now that their budget is slashed will the spending continue? Will our children suffer on behalf of the district's expense? Who is held accountable for the millions of dollars spent on district employees personal use; instead of reading, math and after school programs?
We need to know where are money is being spent within our school districts. We need to ask questions about our budgets and programs. Like what ever happened to," no child left behind?"
I see so many still struggling with basic reading and math that they were left behind and forgotten!!
