Rural Matters

RURAL SCHOOLS

Rural Schools Have Fewer External Supports Than Other Schools. Rural schools are much less likely than urban and suburban schools to have a variety of school partnerships that provide support, funding, and volunteers. A survey of school-community partnerships by DeHavilland Associates (in collaboration with the National School Foundation Association) found that rural schools depend more heavily on the support of local booster clubs than urban or suburban schools, but are much less likely to receive support from business coalitions, non-profits, and post-secondary institutions. Read the survey report, Community/School Partnerships: A National Survey, and the Rural Matters commentary about it.

Online Teacher Training. The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded a $3 million grant to Western Governors University (WGU) to develop a model for web-based rural teacher education and to provide scholarships up to $7,500 for qualified students to become math and science teachers in rural schools. The program was designed, in part, to assist rural educators who live a long way from a traditional college to obtain full certification.

WGU was founded four years ago by governors of 19 western states to offer online programs. It currently provides teacher certification programs at the bachelor’s and master’s levels as well as programs for people with a degree who want to become certified.

Forest County Payments End. More than 4,400 rural school districts received their last payments in December from the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. That Act provides funding to counties in which federal forest lands—which are tax-exempt and do not generate revenue—are located. The six-year bill was not renewed in the last legislative session. Oregon has received the most funding through the Act—more than half of its land is federal forest, and Oregon lawmakers are leading the efforts to renew the law. They have also tacked a one-year extension on to other bills. The Bush Administration has proposed funding the program through a sell-off of selected federal forest land. You can read about it in Education Week.

6th Graders Fare Better in Elementary School. A new study finds that 6th graders do better academically and socially when they attend elementary schools (K-6) rather than middle schools (6-8). The 6th graders in middle schools were more than twice as likely to be disciplined as similar 6th graders in elementary schools; and drug-related disciplinary incidents were nearly four times greater among the middle school group. These differences persisted through the 9th grade.

The report, “Should Sixth Grade Be in Elementary or Middle School? An Analysis of Grade Configuration and Student Behavior” co-authored by researchers at Duke University and the University of California Berkeley, is based on data from almost 45,000 6th graders in North Carolina. The researchers did not look at students in K-8 or K-12 schools (North Carolina has very few such schools). The researchers did not explain the differences in outcomes, but they suggested that the exposure to older students has a negative effect on 6th graders.

While many rural communities have lost community schools (or lost grades from their community schools) as a result of state pressure to create regionalized middle schools, many rural schools are configured as K-8 or K-12 schools with 6th graders in classroom contexts that resemble elementary schools. A news release summarizes findings and links to the full report.

URBAN SMALL SCHOOLS

Many of New York City’s new small public schools have been charged with serving a smaller proportion of students with disabilities and English Language Learners than other schools. In response, the New York City Department of Education has announced that 20 schools that will open this fall will receive extra funding to serve those students. Critics had charged that the success of the schools could not be judged if they were not serving as many students with challenging learning needs.

In Chicago, many large schools have been converted into smaller “academies” often with a career or thematic focus. The smaller schools have higher attendance and graduation rates, but achievement levels have not risen dramatically. Some students also find the “themed” schools don’t hold their interest as expected and some schools are less diverse than their school districts.

TEACHERS

Another Advocate for Performance-Pay. Performance pay for teachers has found yet another advocate. The Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project is recommending performance pay as a way to improve education and get students ready for the global economy. The Hamilton Project is an economic policy initiative of the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank. The paper, “An Education Strategy to Promote Opportunity, Prosperity, and Growth,” also recommends stronger Head Start programs and streamlining the college financial aid process as ways to better prepare a 21st century workforce.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

2007 Budget for NCLB. Congress approved a spending bill for the U.S. Department of Education that will provide a 1.7% increase over fiscal year 2006 and a 5.7% increase over President Bush’s request. The spending bill had been extended in the last congressional session until February, and the new congress opted to continue funding for most programs at 2006 levels. However, the measure includes a 1% increase ($125 million) for Title I grants to districts—to help high schools offer additional assessments under NCLB. It also includes $125 million for a School Improvement Fund that had been authorized by never funded. And, it increases by $200 million grants to states to for education students in special education. The Teacher Incentive Fund, which received $99 million in 2006 for grants to districts to develop teacher performance-pay programs, was funded at $200,000 in 2007. You can read about it in Education Week.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 03:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's no surprise to people who work in rural schools that they receive fewer supports in the form of funding, partnerships, and volunteers than other types of schools. Most rural schools simply don't have the resources in or near their communities that larger towns and cities have.

But the amount of the difference might surprise. And the fact that rural schools seem to be much less likely to get support from post-secondary institutions and regional and national foundations helps explain some of the challenges these schools face. It also points up a glaring inequity.

This difference in external supports is one of the themes that emerges in a survey of school-community partnerships conducted by DeHavilland Associates in collaboration with the National School Foundation Association. The survey report, Community/School Partnerships: A National Survey, found that rural schools depend more heavily on the support of local booster clubs than urban or suburban schools, and they are slightly more likely than urban schools--and less likely than suburban schools--to report receiving support from parent organizations.

But rural schools are much less likely to receive support from business coalitions, nonprofits, and postsecondary institutions than suburban or urban schools. For example, only 7.3% of rural schools received support from regional and national nonprofits compared to 15.1% of suburban schools and 25% of urban schools. And only 2.9% of rural schools reported receiving nonprofit volunteers, compared to 5.3% for suburban schools and 12.9% for urban schools.

Among the biggest gaps were in supports from postsecondary institutions. Only 3.7% of rural schools reported receiving funding from colleges and universities and only 4.5% reported receiving volunteers. By contrast, 9.1% of urban schools and 9.9% of suburban schools reported receiving funding from post-secondary institutions, and 13.8% of suburban and 24.2% of urban schools reported receiving post-secondary volunteers.

Further, the monetary value of partnerships is much lower for rural schools—with more than half of rural schools receiving support valued at less than $25,000.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 03:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Rural Matters provides this sampling of education policy issues that will be considered by a variety of states in the 2007 legislative session. These summaries, however, are not comprehensive reports on likely legislative action, and additional issues may be present or arise during the session.

To see an update from a specific state, click on the state's name in the left column of this blog.

If you would like to add information or updates to a state, simply click on "Comments" (below the entry) and add your information.

Your state isn't listed? To add information from a state that is not listed, please email bog@ruraledu.org or click on "Guest Author" in the right column and follow the instructions. Be sure to include the information that you want to add.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The big education issue this legislative session is shaping up to be school construction. Local school systems are generally responsible for their own new construction costs. Periodically, however, the state issues construction bonds and provides state money to local school systems. Prior to the opening of the legislative session on February 6th, Governor Bill Riley (R) proposed a $500 million bond issue that would be split between K-12 and higher education. State Senate President pro tem Hinton Mitchem (D) has proposed a $750 million bond. Some observers think the bond issue could go as high as $1 billiion. Unclear at this point is how the money will be doled out. Controversy is expected over how bond monies will be split between higher education and K-12. Riley has suggested giving each school system a flat amount plus an amount based on enrollment. High growth school systems and low-wealth districts with serious construction/renovation needs want more targeted distribution of the funds. Riley also proposes expanding the state’s distance learning program, ACCESS, in his Plan 2010.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Both candidates for governor acknowledged a need to increase education funding last fall. But Sarah Palin (R) won the race with an additional emphasis on parental rights and empowerment. Her opponent, Tony Knowles, supported mentoring programs for new teachers, smaller class sizes, early education including pre-K, and the establishment of an education Trust Fund with excess revenue from the oil and gas. Palin may push choice options, though in rural Alaska where communities and schools are very far apart, it will likely have little impact.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Governor Janet Napolitano’s (D) education plan, “One Arizona” includes raising the dropout age; increasing funding for tutoring, mentoring, and special services aimed at students at-risk of dropping out; a minimum teacher salary of $33,000 and teacher incentive pay. A slew of ballot initiatives passed in November will affect schools. One requires schools to determine and report to the Legislature how many undocumented students attend the school; that same initiative requires undocumented student to pay out-of-state tuition at public colleges and universities and bans them from state financial aid. Another initiative increased the cigarette tax by 80 cents per pack and applies the revenue to early childhood development and health initiatives. It is likely that education groups will push this year in the legislature for more funding for the state’s full-day kindergarten program that was started last year. A bill filed in the State House would provide loans for students in teacher-training programs at one of Arizona’s three public universities and would knock one year of tuition and fees off the balance of the loan for each year the student taught in a school with a designated teacher shortage. Vouchers also have a strong start in Arizona, with individual and corporate tax credits already in place, along with private school vouchers for foster children and disabled children. This program has been challenged in court. Still unresolved is a lawsuit asking for more funding for programs for English Language Learner programs.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The long-running Lake View case will continue to be a factor in the Arkansas Legislature. Funding for school facilities is still on the table. Expect also to see more fighting over minimum school district size as well as criteria for districts to be put into fiscal or academic distress. Governor Mike Beebe (D) was elected in November. He supports universal pre-K programs, more support for after-school and summer programs, a statewide broadband infrastructure, and a traveling teacher program. Beebe has also pushed for consolidation in his 20-year history in the state senate. Arkansas is experimenting with pay-for-performance in a limited number of schools.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A pending finance lawsuit in Georgia could influence the budget. Governor Sonny Perdue (R) has proposed using $32.7million to close the wealth gap between school systems. There will also be legislative efforts to limit proceeds from the state lottery going to the state’s HOPE scholarship program, pre-K initiatives, and graduation coaches in middle schools. The state recently installed graduation coaches in all high schools, resulting in an increase in graduation rates in the state. Perdue has also proposed a 3% raise for teachers along with a $100 gift card. The tate’s Senate pro tem, Eric Johnson (R), wants to issue vouchers for special needs children, which some critics say is an avenue toward vouchers for all children.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Idaho is primarily focused on increasing college-going rates and the number of graduates with math, science, and technology degrees. At the end of last year’s session, the legislature passed a bill to reduce property taxes and institute a one-cent sales tax to offset, at least partially, the reduction in revenue. Some critics expect funding problems as a result. Many districts in Idaho will also be significantly affected by reductions in federal payments to school districts with large tracts of national forests within their borders.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A long-running debate in the state over how to fund education will likely continue this legislative session. Illinois has the nation’s widest gap between high spending and low spending school districts. It also has a very large deficit and serious problems with funding for the state retirement system. Incumbent Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) was re-elected and campaigned on not raising income or general sales taxes. He proposes selling the state lottery to address the state’s budget problems and to help fund schools. A “tax swap” bill has been filed in the State House; the bill would increase total income and business tax revenues and provide tax abatement for the education portion of property taxes. Illinois State University is beginning a three-year “school closing” study is being undertaken by Illinois State University. Last year the legislature passed a bill making it easier to consolidate districts and there is ongoing talk in the legislature about reducing the number of districts in the state. This could arise again this year in the funding and tax discussions.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Governor Chet Culver (D) was elected in November. He campaigned for improved teacher pay and accredited pre-K programs in every district. He supports the High Schools that Work model and would like to increase state aid to education by $40 million. As Secretary of State, Culver created the Iowa Student Political Awareness Club, a nonpartisan statewide student organization dedicated to increasing civic and community participation.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

All day kindergarten will likely be an issue in Kansas. Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) was re-elected and campaigned for all day kindergarten, smaller class sizes, more technology for the state’s schools, and more professional development for teachers. She has also proposed an office of rural development and rural enterprise zones,as well as recruiting incentives for math, science, and special education teachers for rural areas.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kentucky’s “short session” this year will decide what to do with a $279 million surplus. The main state budget is set every other year in the “full” session. The legislature will also entertain bills to establish a “sales tax holiday” near the start of the school year and to require all public schools to provide students with at least 30 minutes of daily structured physical activities.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The legislature will open in April. Teacher pay issues are likely to be on the agenda, with the Louisiana Education Association (LEA) seeking a $3000 across the board raise for certificated personnel and a raise for Education Support Professions (primarily teachers’ assistants) that would be the greater of either a $3,000 raise or a raise that brings the salary above the poverty level. The LEA also wants to address the teacher retirement system and to remove language from the funding formula that allows districts to deny raises if the average teacher salary is above the average salary of states served by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). Average salaries in most poor rural districts are considerably below those of wealthier districts in Louisiana and the SREB average, and so the provision would not apply to them, but it would likely increase the salary gap between high and low-wealth districts and the competitive recruiting and retention disadvantage of the low-wealth districts.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Governor John Baldacci (D) was re-elected in November and has proposed one of the most sweeping consolidation measures in recent history. He wants to reduce the state’s 290 school districts to just 26 and eliminate superintendents and many other administrative positions in the current districts, though he wants to have a full-time principal in each school. He says the move will save the state $250 million over three years. State Superintendent of Education Sue Gendron supports the proposal and says it will decrease property taxes. (See Rural Matters blog at www.blog.ruraledu.org for more information.) The Governor’s proposal is part of his $6.4 billion biennial budget for 2007-09, which means the Appropriations Committee will review and work on the bill instead of the Education Committee. If the Appropriations Committee elects to remove the “cost savings” portion of the proposal, it will have to replace the “savings” to re-build the budget. The Education Committee will address the governance aspects of the plan. Baldacci has also called for a freeze on property tax valuations and for the state to make good on its 2004 promise to fund 55% of the costs of local public schools. Several other bills introduced would either force some other type of consolidation and/or encourage other districts to share in purchasing and some central office functions. Look for fireworks in Maine over this controversial issue.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) announced in his State of the State address that he wants to increase funding by 2% for schools that achieve and maintain a “3-Star” rating in the state’s assessment system. He also proposed doling out $75 million to schools that meet his 3-R (rigor, relevance, results) standard. Advocates for rural schools charge that these initiatives will reward schools with the least challenging student populations and put small schools at a disadvantage. Volatility in testing results in small schools could make it difficult for them to maintain a 3-Star rating, and smaller poorer schools could have a hard time competing with large wealthy schools on standard measures of curriculum breadth. Pawlenty was re-elected to a second term as Governor in November.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The major education issue in the Mississippi Legislature in 2007 is full funding of the state’s school finance formula, the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, known as MAEP. MAEP has only been fully funded once since it was passed in 1997. This year has marked a significant shift in the legislative budget process because for the first time citizens and the media have been allowed to be present at meetings. More than two dozen education and community groups from around the state are working together to secure funding. Currently at issue is whether the state will provide a 3% increase in at-risk funding for children in kindergarten through third grade. Governor Haley Barbour (R) has recently said he would support full funding of MAEP, but he previously opposed full funding and backed strategies to delay a vote on the issue. Some proponents of public education are also concerned that the 3% at-risk increase and/or full funding of the basic MAEP formula will be passed at the expense of other essential funding included in the House’s education bill (HB 238).

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A school funding lawsuit just went to trial in Missouri. The state has a budget surplus of between $300 and $500 million and Governor Matt Blunt (R) wants to provide tax breaks. Also, there could be choice initiatives in Missouri, including open enrollment among districts and tax credits for donations for students in “failing” schools to transfer to private schools. The governor recently appointed two people to the state Board of Education who support the use of tax vouchers for private schools. Other legislative issues could include raising the drop out age from 16 to 18; incentive pay for math and science teachers; after-school programs in math and science; and support for professional development for teachers of advanced courses.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Montana has a $1 billion state surplus, but is also in the midst of a school funding lawsuit. Governor Brian Schweitzer has proposed a $40 million inflationary increase in state aid, $25 million for all-day kindergarten, and a $20 million increase in “per educator” payments to help stave off the loss of Montana teachers to neighboring states that have higher salaries. In late January the Montana Quality Education Coalition (MQEC) released a study saying that $100 million more for the next seven years is needed for education in the state, primarily for programs to help at-risk students meet standards. MQEC won a funding lawsuit against the state three years ago, and the state must present a funding plan to the court by July of this year.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The state is under court order to define an “adequate education” and determine its cost by July. So school finance will play a prominent role in this year’s legislative session. Governor John Lynch (D) was re-elected in November. He wants to target more school aid to low-income communities but says he will veto any broad-based sales or income tax. New Hampshire has neither and relies almost exclusively on property taxes to fund schools. It is likely, however, that the legislature will send a school finance package that includes at least one of these taxes to Lynch this session. Voters defeated in November a constitutional amendment that would have stripped the courts of authority to review the constitutionality of the state’s school funding system.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A school funding adequacy study is underway in New Mexico. Incumbent Governor Bill Richardson (D) was re-elected and campaigned for after-school enrichment programs, for a School Improvement Initiative that would extend school days and years at some low-performing schools and offer Reading, Math, and Summer Institutes. He also supports an Executive Educator Turn-Around Specialist program to train 20 principals to work with low-performing schools.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Turmoil reins supreme over both urban and rural education issues in Nebraska, and the session promises to be filled with horse-trading at its best – or worst. LB 1024 enacted last year split the Omaha district into three, arguably along implicit racial lines, and then forced over a dozen districts in the metropolitan area to merge tax bases into a “learning community” that shared resources and had to meet uncertain integration goals. That legislation is stalled by a court order in a suit filed by the Omaha Chicano Awareness Center, and no fewer than seven alternative bills have been introduced to amend or replace it. Meantime, LB 126, a bill passed two years ago forcing the consolidation of Nebraska’s elementary-only “Class I” districts and high school-only Class VI districts was repealed by voters in a referendum in November – but only after it had been implemented. The issue of whether the closed districts are brought back to life is both in the courts and in the Legislature, where at least four bills are pending on the subject. Governor Dave Heineman was the big winner last year, as he vetoed both LB 1024 and LB 126, cultivating the favor of both suburban Omaha and rural Nebraska, although both vetoes were overridden.

There is also pressure to reorganize Nebraska’s educational service units governed by locally-elected boards that some lawmakers call “inefficient.” Meantime, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Nebraska’s funding system is pending a decision from the Nebraska Supreme Court on the issue of whether the state constitution mandates adequate funding. To head that off, the Governor is calling for an additional $171 million to “fully” fund the state aid formula, which the lawsuit plaintiffs say is not enough.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It is likely to be a quiet year for education in the North Carolina legislature, primarily because education got a good bit of money last year and other pressing needs, such as mental health, loom large. Last year the state fully funded, for the first time, the low wealth fund that provides additional monies for designated low-wealth school districts; in addition, the state provided $50 million for the Disadvantaged Student Supplemental Fund (DSSF), which provides additional funding for low-income students. There is likely to be a push this year to add money to the DSSF. The influential non-profit group the Public School Forum issued a report that the state is neglecting high-achieving students and calls for the establishment of mini-high schools of math and science.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A school finance lawsuit is on hold in North Dakota while plaintiffs wait to see if the state will come up with an acceptable solution. Governor John Hoeven (R) has proposed a $200 million boost to education and $116 million in tax relief. The state has a $500 million surplus.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A bill has already been filed in the Oklahoma senate to make it unconstitutional for the state to mandate consolidation or closing of small schools, making consolidation solely a local decision. A similar bill last year passed the Senate overwhelmingly but died in the House. Incumbent Governor Brad Henry (D) was re-elected. The state is in the process of raising teacher salaries to the regional average, has a fully funded all-day kindergarten program (voluntary) and a scholarship program for state colleges.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Voters in Oregon defeated a TABOR amendment that would have capped state spending. They also re-elected incumbent Governor Ted Kulongoski (D) who campaigned for increased per pupil spending, universal head start, smaller classes, and better teachers. In the past Kulongoski has championed consolidation as a way to save money. Look for changes in the make up of the legislature to open the way for changes to the state’s funding formula, which has left increasing numbers of Oregon schools cash-strapped in recent years. It is likely, however, that changes to the funding formula could also be accompanied by calls for consolidation. Oregon stands to lose more funding than any state by the elimination of federal payments to school districts with large tracts of national forests lands within their borders.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A school finance study will soon be undertaken. Incumbent Governor Ed Rendell (D) was re-elected. He campaigned on a variety of education initiative and expansion of early childhood programs, health care for low-income children, and laptop initiatives.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Choice measures have been a major issue in the legislature for the past several years and will likely return this year in some form. In November, however, voters narrowly elected Jim Rex (D) over strong choice/voucher candidate Karen Floyd who had extensive out-of-state financial support. Legislation has been filed this year to establish an open enrollment choice program in public schools; in the past Governor Mark Sanford (R), who was re-elected in November, has been a champion of privatization efforts. Legislation is also filed to establish virtual schools and to require the state to provide school bus transportation for any students who lives within a mile and a half of the school when walking would produce a risk to student safety. There is a lot of talk in South Carolina about district consolidation to the county-wide level that could see legislative action. Governor Sanford has proposed ending the state’s program of providing bonus pay to National Board certified teachers and replacing it with block grants to local districts for teacher pay incentive plans. After a court ruled in December 2005 that the state was spending too little on early childhood education, the legislature is likely to expand the pilot 4-K program they implemented last year for children in plaintiff districts.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pre-K, mandatory kindergarten, learning plans for high school students, higher teacher salaries and performance pay are all part of the education discussion in South Dakota. But funding issues will dominate. A significant number of the state’s districts exercise the “opt out,” which enables them to exceed the state’s property tax cap for education. In addition, the South Dakota State Aid Study Task Force issued a report prior to the session. It calls for retaining the sparsity factor in the state aid formula and making it more restrictive and for retaining consolidation incentive funding. The Task Force did not make a recommendation on minimum district size. However, the education funding bill contains a provision that would require all districts with fewer than 200 students to submit a consolidation plan by July 2007. A fight is expected on this issue. The Indian Education Act would require that some American Indian culture, language, and history be taught in all public schools and would develop content standards; it would also require training on Indian culture and history for new teachers and would create an American Indian education council. Governor Mike Rounds (R) was re-elected. Rounds has not commented extensively on the consolidation provisions in the funding bill, but he has previously supported the elimination of districts that are “small by choice,” and State Superintendent Rich Melmer, appointed by Rounds, is favors consolidation.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Several years ago rural districts won a lawsuit challenging the Basic Education Plan, the state’s finance plan. Their win was based largely on the fact that rural districts had much lower salaries than urban districts, reducing their ability to compete for and retain teachers. Now urban districts in Tennessee are concerned that some of the new provisions of the formula are detrimental to the largest districts. A recent study by the state’s Comptroller supports the claims of the urban districts, which want Governor Phil Bredeson to weigh in on the matter. Governor Bredeson is calling for expanded pre-K programs. He also wants to use state lottery funds for education.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last year the Texas legislature addressed a school funding lawsuit with the state’s budget surplus and some cigarette and business taxes. However, state spending caps may hamstring the plan in the 2008 fiscal year. Look for more discussion on funding in Texas. In addition, Texas has a pay-for-performance system that is opposed by many education groups and will be the subject of much attention from across the nation this year. Last year the legislature discussed district consolidation but did not act. The Senate Education Committee’s most vocal spokesperson for rural property poor districts, Todd Staples (R) who worked on the education finance bill to help address the concerns of those districts is the new Agriculture Commissioner. He has been replaced on the Education Committee by Dan Patrick (R), who campaigned to cut spending and increase financial accountability. This shift could re-align the urban-rural balance of the committee.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Vermont's Commissioner of Education, Richard Cate, is spearheading a statewide "conversation" about his proposal to consolidate districts, reducing the number of school districts from the current 284 to 63. Though he insists this will not involve school closings, opponents of his proposal aren't convinced. To advance this proposal, the Department of Education is sponsoring 30 focus forums throughout the state to ascertain community sentiments about this concept.

Meanwhile, in the statehouse, Governor, Jim Douglas (R) was re-elected in November with campaign promises to curb education spending by instituting a budget increase cap. With a solid Democrat majority in both legislative houses, it seems unlikely that he'll be able to get this legislation passed.

The Legislature, has, however, committed itself to re-examining the funding/taxing system for public education. Many citizens are complaining that continual increases in education costs have made the tax burden (primarily property taxes) unsustainable. Leaders in both houses have indicated that any and all proposals to decrease tax burdens and/or limit cost increases will be examined.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Mountain State is one of several around the country that will consider raising the compulsory school age to 18 this legislative session. Other bills that will likely be taken up this session including setting a cap of 25 students in classrooms in grades seven through twelve, and providing the state’s PROMISE scholarship to students who live in West Virginia but commute to school in another state. Teachers rallied at the capitol for a 6% pay raise; governor Joe Manchin proposed a 2.5% raise, while the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee and the senate Majority Leader have both made statements supporting the teachers’ request. Another bill would prohibit local (county) Board of Education members from acting on their own behalf as school board members unless authorized by law.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A legislative special committee, the Finance Adequacy Task Force is studying potential changes in the school funding formula, with some special attention to the needs and circumstances of rural schools. Also look for efforts to expand the state’s pre-K program and for a fight over a 1993 law that limited property tax on homes, collective bargaining rights of teacher unions, and required the state to pay 66% of public school costs. Governor Jim Doyle (D) will seek increased spending on the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education program, which reduces class sizes in early grades, expansion of preschool programs for four year olds, and increased spending on special education and transportation costs for local schools.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 04:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Small schools, rural schools, and schools in the central region of the country are more likely to be under-enrolled and less likely to be over-crowded than other schools. They are also the least likely to have portable (temporary) buildings, although small schools that have portables are more likely than other schools to have troubles with the temporary buildings that interfere with instruction. The National Center for Education Statistics has released a report, Public School Principals Report on Their School Facilities: Fall 2005 that provides information on the condition of school buildings.

The report finds that schools with “percent minority enrollment” of more than 50% and schools where at least 75% of students quality for free or reduced-price lunch are more likely to have facilities problems than other schools. The most common environmental problems for all types of schools tend to be related to air-conditioning and ventilation.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 02:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

FACILITIES

Small schools, rural schools, and schools in the central region of the country are more likely to be under-enrolled and less likely to be over-crowded than other schools. They are also the least likely to have portable (temporary) buildings, although small schools that have portables are more likely than other schools to have troubles with the temporary buildings that interfere with instruction. The National Center for Education Statistics has released a report, Public School Principals Report on Their School Facilities: Fall 2005 that provides information on the condition of school buildings.

The report finds that schools with “percent minority enrollment” of more than 50% and schools where at least 75% of students quality for free or reduced-price lunch are more likely to have facilities problems than other schools. The most common environmental problems for all types of schools tend to be related to air-conditioning and ventilation.

SMALL URBAN SCHOOLS

A recent study of 14 small New York City high schools, all of which were started with support from the Gates Foundation, found that the schools had much higher rates of attendance and graduation than large schools and that a high percentage of students are attending college. You can read the report, developed by WestEd, here.

TEACHERS

A number of organizations, politicians, and others are urging states and districts to create “pay-for-performance” or “merit pay” programs that pay teachers based on the level of achievement of their students. Sometimes these programs reward teachers with more pay when student test scores increase at rates higher than they were predicted to; some programs reward teachers when student test scores are high or meet specific targets. And, some programs give teachers more money for working in hard-to-staff schools or subject areas. There’s not yet a single definition for this type of salary arrangement. But a variety of interests are seeking to shake up the traditional salary schedule that pays teachers based primarily on their degrees and their years of experience. Texas and Florida have instituted state performance-pay programs, a number of districts across the country are experimenting with alternative pay arrangements.

In Houston a pay-for-performance program is drawing fire, in part because some teachers who are recognized as outstanding—including the teacher named national 2007 Bilingual Teacher of the Year by the National Association for Bilingual Education—did not earn the bonuses. See this article in Education Week for more information.

The Bush administration is also pushing for more funding through NCLB for the Teacher Incentive Fund to provide grants to districts to provide financial incentives to teachers who improve student test scores. You can read more here and here.

Pay-for-performance systems may get another boost if the Commission on No Child Left Behind gets its way. The Commission recently released a report, Beyond NCLB, which makes a number of recommendations for changes to the federal education law when it is re-authorized. The report devotes an entire chapter to teachers and principals and recommends putting all public school teachers of core subjects on performance pay plans. Specifically, the Commission wants to see the Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) requirements revamped so that Highly Qualified status is granted on the basis of student test scores in addition to whether the teacher has met the law’s current rules on subject matter competency (the equivalent of a major in each subject taught). The Commission recommends additional federal funding to help states develop the data systems to track student test scores with teachers. The bottom 25% of teachers in each state would have to get additional professional development and get out of the bottom 25% in order to earn Highly Qualified Effective Teacher (HQET) status. Teachers who did not obtain HQET status within seven years should not be allowed to teach in Title I schools, according to the report.

Beyond NCLB makes a number of additional recommendations for changes to the federal education law. You can read the chapter on teachers here.

This highly readable article in USA Today explores some of the issues with the Commission’s teacher recommendations.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

President Bush has submitted his education budget to congress. The budget targets more money to high school and calls for expanded high school testing; creates vouchers that students can use at private schools, reduces funding for special education, increases funding for the Teacher Incentive Fund in order to increase grants to districts to create performance-pay programs, and increases funding for Title I districts and schools in AYP trouble. A February 14th Education Week article describes the President’s budget.

Posted by Robin Lambert at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Maine’s Governor John Baldacci has presented a plan to do away with the state’s 290 school districts (they share 152 superintendents) and replace them with 26 districts, each with its own superintendent. Each district would also have a regionally elected board.

There is not much detail about how the elimination of governance units will improve education. Maine’s schools do very well by national standards. But, Baldacci claims his proposal will even out spending between districts and save taxpayers $250m over the next three years--mostly by reducing administrative costs. Those projected savings do not, however, include offsetting costs of consolidation--things like transition expenses, new facilities for headquarters for the mega-districts, and contract buy-outs. There’s more information in newspaper reports here and here. You can read the plan here and find a lot of additional information here.

Baldacci’s proposal is not particularly surprising to most people in Maine. Several years ago the state changed the funding formula in ways that are particularly detrimental to small districts. Baldacci’s proposal is not the only consolidation proposal on the table, but it is the most extensive. Susan Gendron, the State’s Education Commission says she supports Baldacci’s plan.

What is surprising is the apparent willingness of some national think tank types to endorse the idea. Check out this January 28th article by Beth Quimby in the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram In it, Jack Jennings of the Center for Education Policy is quoted saying, “This is a very substantial reform in education. This is a courageous thing for a politician to do.” And Kathy Christie at the Education Commission of the States is quoted as saying: “It takes nerves and you know you are going to be blasted.”

Since politicians, think tanks, and journalists tend to recommend all kinds of ways to improve teaching and the running of schools, it seems fair to apply some of these recommended approaches to the proposal in Maine. We’ll take one “education improvement” imperative from current fad, one from NCLB, one from critics of NCLB, and one from progressive educators and apply each to Baldacci’s proposal.

Current Fad Imperative: Data-Driven Decision Making. This imperative says that decisions about schooling should be informed by--well--data. Pretty smart, at least as far as it goes. So let’s look at some of the relevant data.

We’ll start with administrative costs, since that’s the stated rationale for this initiative.
According to Education Vital Signs 2006 produced by the American School Board Journal (click on “State of the States”), Maine spent $479 per pupil on school administration in 2001-02. That’s $34 less than Massachusetts and $32 less than New Hampshire. All other New England states spent as much or more than Maine on administration.

The Quimby article points out that Maine has smaller districts than any states except Vermont, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Montana. But all of these states except Vermont spend less per pupil on administration than Maine does. By contrast Quimby points to three states with large districts: Florida, Maryland, and Delaware—presumably as examples that large school districts exist. But if she is trying to use these states to make the case that bigger means more efficient, she got it wrong. Of these three, only Florida spends less per pupil on administration than does Maine. Maryland averages $568 per pupil and Delaware averages $547, both higher than Maine. Using the states Quimby has chosen for comparison, you might conclude that states with districts smaller than Maine typically spend less per pupil on administration than Maine, while those with larger districts typically spend more.

In addition, it should be pointed out that student achievement levels in Maine are high, generally well above national averages, and on par with other New England states. And, a report by the Education Trust shows that Maine has one of the smallest gaps in achievement levels between poor and non-poor students in the entire country. All this despite the fact that Maine is by far the poorest New England state. It has the region’s lowest per capita income and highest rates of student eligibility for the free and reduced lunch program.

The data suggests that Maine's schools, and the low-income students who attend them, are doing well in their small districts and are doing so while spending less on administration than their more prosperous neighbors.

NCLB Imperative: Research Based Programs. NCLB touts the importance of choosing educational programs based on their proven effectiveness. Yet, the Maine proposal also fails this imperative because research consistently shows little to no cost-savings from consolidation.

Part of the reason consolidation rarely yields significant savings is that larger more regional districts need more mid-level bureaucrats to manage new programs and address problems that arise with larger scale. Those programs tend to add costs and the bureaucrats that run them tend to replace the local superintendents that were eliminated in consolidation.

Another reason district consolidation rarely results in cost savings is that school consolidation almost always follows district consolidation in quick succession. The elimination of buildings in rural areas raises transportation costs, creates the need for assistant principals, and generally results in lower attendance and graduation rates. The Governor says his plan will not eliminate buildings, but there's little in it to stop the mega-districts from closing schools.

NCLB Critics’ Imperative: Importance of Non-Tested Subjects. Critics—as well as many supporters—of NCLB point out that academic subjects that are not tested by NCLB are getting short shrift in many schools. They insist that subjects such as history have much to teach and should be included in all schools' curriculum. Since an educated person should be able to use the tools of all the disciplines, let’s apply some historical scholarship to Baldacci’s proposal.

Contrary to the suggestion that because Baldacci’s proposal is “substantial” there’s also something innovative about it, there is nothing new or innovative about it at all. In fact, district and school consolidation is arguably the most widely implemented education “reform” in the nation’s history. The number of districts in the country has been reduced by over 85% and the number of schools by over 60% since 1930, even though the number of students has doubled during this same period. Despite all this consolidation, there’s been no evidence that it’s led to substantial improvement in student achievement. It does, however, mean that the average school board member now represents about 15 times more students than he or she did seventy-five years ago.

Further, it would behoove decision makers to take a look at education and equity outcomes in the states that have historically had the largest rural school districts. Those states, by no random coincidence, are located primarily in the South. They also have the longest histories of racial and class inequities, weak educational outcomes, and meager public support for education.

In most cases, regardless of region, the larger the school district, the more likely it is to be controlled by elites and by the population center of the district. After districts are consolidated, outlying communities have little political power to challenge the board. Access to school governance officials is decreased for everyone and especially for poor or unfavored families. And, population centers tend to make policies that benefit themselves even to the detriment of other communities and their children.

All these tendencies serve to undermine whatever supposed equity benefits occur through combining tax bases.

In the Quimby article, Jennings suggests that opposition to consolidation is primarily a selfish one: “Local school boards want to raise money for themselves and not share it with other school district.” It may be that in urban areas affluent suburban districts tend to be reluctant to merge their district and share their comparative wealth with poor adjacent cities.

But this little maxim doesn’t hold up in rural areas. Most rural districts that oppose consolidation are poorer than their neighbors that would take them over. Residents of smaller, poorer districts rightly fear that once the unit of the school board is gone, so are the governance mechanisms that protect their school, their community, and their kids.