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Star Ledger--On schools, fight Christie | Editorial
Public school systems across the state will soon find out if Gov. Chris Christie is serious about his plan to savage urban schools, forcing massive teacher layoffs in cities like Newark, Paterson, Elizabeth, and Camden.
The administration will send out notices in six weeks telling districts what to expect in state aid, its first concrete step in this crusade. That is D-Day for disadvantaged kids in New Jersey.
Consider the impact in Newark. Christie's plan would cut aid by about two-thirds, forcing the district to reduce its budget by more than half. Christie would shift that money to wealthier suburbs, even the richest ones, to help cut their taxes. His plan amounts to a massive redistribution of wealth, from the bottom to the top.
New Jersey public schools are bleeding after a five year freeze in state aid, and a broken funding formula. Time for a major fix, as Senate President Steve Sweeney proposes.
Democrats need to stop this by settling on a more humane plan before Christie makes his move. That would show both the public and the state Supreme Court that a viable alternative is ready to go.
http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/01/on_schools_fight_christie_editorial.html#incart_river_index
Star-Ledger Editorial Board | Posted on January 22, 2017 at 4:30 PM
Philadelphia Inquirer--N.J. school districts worry about losing out in latest Trenton funding fight
Advanced Placement courses at Kingsway Regional High School are in short supply, but study halls are plentiful. Superintendent James Lavender depends on them to fill scheduling gaps.
In the growing Gloucester County school district, it is not uncommon for a physical education class to have one teacher for 40 students or for middle school class sizes to be at capacity. Beyond the classroom, the high school's track has been deemed too hazardous for meets.
"We are spread so thin, it is very difficult to keep our heads above water," said Lavender, whose district for years has received millions of dollars less than it was entitled to under a state formula. "It's a problem that has absolutely been ignored by the state of New Jersey."
No longer. Lawmakers in both houses are reconsidering how New Jersey funds schools, a decades-old debate involving court battles over aid to poor districts, perennial grief over property taxes, and political battles over money.
Maddie Hanna, Staff Writer @maddiehanna |Updated: January 20, 2017 — 7:49 PM EST
Education Week-- Substitute-Teacher Shortages Put Schools to Test
Recruitment efforts get more creative
Drive down a highway in Michigan, and you might spot a most unlikely help-wanted ad, a billboard emblazoned with an urgent call: "SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS NEEDED."
"We thought, 'What form of media is pretty hard to ignore?' " said Clark Galoway, the president of EDUStaff, the school-staffing company responsible for the signs.
Michigan is not alone in its attempt to find creative ways to boost the ranks of those who fill in for absent teachers. Across the country, districts are confronting a substitute-teacher shortage, and they're making extraordinary efforts, a mix of old-school job fairs and tech-savvy social-media campaigns, to enlist teachers who can lead a classroom at a moment's notice.
Some districts are increasing pay and benefits for substitutes, while others are cutting back the number of college credits required for the job and eliminating qualifying tests. The question is whether such strategies can entice applicants in an improving economy.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/01/18/substitute-teacher-shortages-put-schools-to-test.html
Brenda Iasevoli |January 17, 2017
