________________________________________  THE VERMONT EDUCATION REPORT June 06, 2005 - Vol. 5, No. 23 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯  Covering education news in Vermont and beyond... Informative, provocative, unique... Published by Vermonters for Better Education  VBE is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to enlist parents and the public at large in achieving quality educational opportunities for all the children of Vermont by monitoring the state of education in Vermont; promoting the value of educational freedoms for all parents; and giving parents the evaluative tools with which to identify excellence. Libby Sternberg, executive director: VTBetterEd@aol.com NEWS & ANALYSIS... BUDGET BILL'S EARLY ED LANGUAGE CHANGES Last week, the conference committee on H.516, the budget bill, did change language in the bill concerning early education. Instead of including a specific ADM calculation for preschool students, the conference committee language reads as follows: "School districts may offer early childhood education services through direct provision of services, collaborative programs, or direct contracting with other public or private providers, or any combination of these, and a school district may obtain funding for these services by counting resident early education pupils in its full-time equivalent enrollment pursuant to Vermont State Board of Education Rule 9200.4, as in effect on June 1, 2005. School districts are encouraged to collaborate or contract with existing public and qualified private early education service providers." The good news is that the ADM language is gone. The bad news is that the SBOE Rule cited in the new language includes an ADM calculation for universal preschool. Therefore, this new language offers no substantive change from the old language. It merely codifies current practice - drawing down Education Funds for public preschool, underwriting preschool for rich and poor alike.  WHY THE LANGUAGE ANYWAY? The SBOE rule cited in the conference committee early education language was originally approved in 1998, and then re-approved in 2000 -- despite the fact that it represents a sweeping addition to taxpayers' education burdens by including ALL children, not just those deemed at risk (low-income or those for whom English is a second language) in public preschool programs. Statute only includes language about "at risk" preschool students. The Vermont Department of Education has used this rule to justify its encouragement and approval of publicly-funded universal preschool programs. And, according to one Statehouse source, Commissioner Richard Cate feels secure enough about this rule's language that it doesn't matter if the legislature codifies current practice or not - the VDOE will continue to encourage it. So why the need for new language that puts the ADM calculation DIRECTLY into statute? The only conclusion we can come to is...protection against lawsuits. The Vermont Coalition of Municipalities, after all, is suing the state over use of Education Fund money for adult literacy programs, claiming those programs are not spelled out in Act 60. Placing the early education ADM calculation directly into statute would definitely remove any ambiguity from current practice.  WHAT WILL THE GOVERNOR DO? When the conference committee considered the budget bill, they had in hand a 12-page letter from the Administration, outlining the governor's objections to various parts of the bill. While the media has focused on two key components of the budget bill (related to health care and the Vermont State Colleges system), some of the letter's strongest language dealt with the early education issue. In the letter, the Administration's position was articulated as follows: "Sec. 162b, which adds 16 VSA Sec. 4001 (1) (c) Early Childhood Education Program "The Administration strongly recommends that the new Senate language in this section with respect to ADM funding for early childhood pupils be eliminated. Absent a broad discussion regarding the standards and accountability for early childhood education programs, this language reinforces the view that the public school system seeks to dominate the pre-school delivery system with minimal collaboration with private childcare providers. In addition, the cost of this program to the Education Fund is open-ended and potentially immense. Given both cost and policy implications, this issue must be fully debated in the appropriate committees of jurisdiction before inclusion into the Appropriations Act."  WHAT WILL THE LEGISLATURE NOW DO? The legislature is likely to return for a special session to iron out differences on the budget. It's not too late to contact them. You can leave a message by phoning: 1-800-322-5616 or by faxing: 802 828 2424. Many email addresses are also available. For a full legislative directory (including home addresses and phone numbers and email addresses) go to: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/legdir/legdir2.htm DO YOU WANT TO SERVE ON THE STANDARDS BOARD? The Vermont Department of Education is looking for teachers, administrators and school board members to serve on the Vermont Standards Board of Professional Educators. This 23-member teacher-majority board develops and recommends policy related to improvement of educator quality. The VDOE is seeking to fill three teacher vacancies, one administrator vacancy and one school board member vacancy. According to the VDOE, applicants should have the following qualifications: Hold a current position as a teacher/administrator/school board member in Vermont Be committed to student learning and well-being Understand the issues related to educator licensure and relicensure (for example, prior service on a local or regional standards board is desirable) Maintain objectivity when considering policy issues, regardless of other affiliations The Board seeks to maintain a diversity of instructional levels and geographic representation on the Board and will consider these issues as it reviews the applications. The Commissioner of Education will interview all prospective candidates before recommending anyone to the State Board for appointment. Information about the VSBPE can be found on the Department of Education's website at: http://www.state.vt.us/educ/new/html/pgm_prostandards/vsbpe/vsbpe.html. Contact Beth-Ann Willey (e-mail: bethannwilley@education.state.vt.us) for more information about the VSBPE and about how to apply for membership. To ensure a prompt reply, please e-mail before June 9th or after June 27th.  SUMMER SCHEDULE The Vermont Education Report will appear irregularly throughout the summer. Although we'll strive for a twice-a-month schedule, we might show up in your email boxes at unexpected times as news breaks!  *   *   * FROM ELSEWHERE... The June 1 NEW DEMOCRATS TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SCHOOLS BULLETIN On the web at: http://www.ppionline.org NCLB The last few weeks have brought some good press for the No Child Left Behind Act. The New York Times' Sam Dillon takes an interesting look at how NCLB is driving state policies and school practices across the country to focus on closing achievement gaps for minority students, and offers examples where they are succeeding. And a cover story by former Kerry education advisor Robert Gordon in The New Republic argues that Democratic politicians do themselves no favors by attacking NCLB, but should instead support the law's goals to close achievement gaps and raise performance. These ideas should sound familiar to frequent Bulletin readers. Even Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings is getting some good press with a soft NYT Magazine interview that presents her as a charming, if somewhat "salty," "earth mother" and also let her get in some good shots at state legislators who want to resist NCLB, and the message that sends to minority parents. Also worth reading, a new online article by education analyst Denis Doyle looks at the significance of NCLB in the broader history of ESEA and federal involvement in education, as well as implications for the future and present. It's not all good news, of course. In Florida, the feds are allowing the state to amend its accountability program so that racial and ethnic minority subgroups count for AYP only if they comprise at least 15 percent of a school's enrollment. But advocates for poor and minority children fear this could allow too many minority students to fall through the cracks, perpetuating the substantial achievement gaps that exist in Florida. In addition, the Title I Monitor reports that following release of guidance from the Department of Education on its new "flexibility" approach on testing students with disabilities, it's clear that many states will not meet conditions to be eligible for the flexibility without changing some features of their accountability plans. And, the new "flexibility, particularly in the short term, is not going to help as many schools avoid identification for school improvement as some may have hoped. In other NCLB-related news, the administration officially announced Texan Tom Luce is the president's choice for the newly created position of assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy development at the Department of Education. Luce is a long-time Bush supporter but also has a long and widely respected history of involvement in education reform, both in Texas and nationally. He is a founder of Just 4 the Kids, a nonprofit group that makes accountability data available online and also helps educators use it to improve student achievement, and Luce is also the former board chair of the National Center for Educational Accountability.  Further Reading: "School Law Spurs Efforts to End the Minority Gap," Sam Dillon, New York Times (05/27/2005): http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/27/education/27gap.html "School Work," Margaret Spellings interview by Deborah Solomon, New York Times Magazine (05/22/2005): http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/22/magazine/22QUESTIONS.html "Class Struggle," Robert Gordon, The New Republic (05/26/2005): http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?pt=aQv7Q66Pcy65XAVIyW2UIX%3D%3D "At 'Light Speed' Ed Releases Special Ed. Testing Guidance," Title I Monitor, May 2005: http://titleionline.com/libraries/titleionline/news_desk/tio050524.html "Calculating the AYP Adjustment for Students with Special Needs," Title I Monitor, May 2005: http://titleionline.com/libraries/titleionline/news_desk/tio050523.html "Will Rule Changes leave Kids Behind?" Ron Matus, St. Petersburg Times (05/21/2005): http://www.sptimes.com/2005/05/21/State/Will_rule_change_leav.shtml "108 NCLB -- Once More Once," Denis Doyle, The Doyle Report (05/20/2005): http://www.thedoylereport.com/default_article.aspx?page_id=viewpoint&id=1009 "Bush Picks Texas Lawyer for New Education Department Post," Erik W. Robelen and Michelle R. Davis, Education Week (05/23/2005):  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/05/23/38appoint_update.h24.html *   *   * WHO COVERS EDUCATION IN VERMONT? We do! Consider a gift to Vermonters for Better Education, the publisher of the weekly Vermont Education Report, Vermont's ONLY continual source of education news. Send donations to: VBE, 170 Church Street, Rutland, Vermont 05701. VBE is a nonprofit organization and contributions are tax-deductible.  *   *   * The VERMONT EDUCATION REPORT is published by Vermonters for Better Education 170 Church Street, Rutland, VT 05701, 802.773.5240 Contact VTBetterEd@aol.com for more information.   Subscribe Here SubscribeRemove

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