California is simultaneously implementing two major – even historic – changes in its 6-million-student public school system, and all adults involved pledge that they have the best interests of those kids at heart.
They may be telling the truth about their motives.
Nevertheless, the adoption of Common Core academic standards and Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to give more money to districts with large numbers of poor and English learner students are venues in which old adversaries can renew their old power struggles.
Once again, parents, reformers, unions, administrators, school board members, etc., are sparring over such issues as academic standards, testing, teacher accountability and charter schools. State schools Supt. Tom Torlakson and teacher unions, for example, are pressing legislation (Assembly Bill 484) to abolish the current accountability system, based on testing, with the promise to create one aligned to Common Core standards. School reform groups such as EdVoice fear that the shift will undermine the legal tools used by parents to take control of failing schools and convert them to charters – a process that the unions have long opposed. Not coincidentally, the Legislature has passed and sent to Brown a bill (Assembly Bill 917) that would expand union influence over charter school creation. Meanwhile, the same groups are sparring over the State Board of Education's implementation of the school finance overhaul – specifically over whether extra money will be tightly allocated and monitored, or given to districts with wide flexibility, thus putting more on the table for staff salaries. Legislation (Senate Bill 344) that would have tightened the allocation of the funds was watered down due to opposition from school officials, who want maximum flexibility. A lengthy hearing before the state school board last week put the sharp differences on display, with civil rights groups demanding that the extra money be concentrated on kids it's meant to help. Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/08/5716658/dan-walters-old-school-battles.html#storylink=cpy
It is legislative corruption, mismanagement by union leaders, and most importantly we have a clearly uneducated force of teachers that created this mess. Add to the mix is the inherent racism and hatred of the Anglo minority. The source of the ignorance and racism? UC Berkeley combined with John Pwerex and Darrel Steinberg. Three institutions who we can blame for 20 years of floundering government in California.
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