Urban Educators and Students Discuss High School Reform

Fall Conference

Edition

The Nation’s Voice for Urban Education

Vol. 14, No. 9 www.cgcs.org Nov./Dec. 2005

Civil Rights Leader, Author and Scholar Address Council ATLANTA — Julian Bond, chair- man of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, recalled that the best-selling U.S. his- tory textbook in the 1950s had only one paragraph devoted to the experience of African Americans.

The paragraph began with the words, “As for Sambo.”

Atlanta student Shaylithia Copeland, left, shares her views at the Council’s town hall meeting “America, from its symbols to its as fellow students Thu Hien Dang and Devin Thornton listen, along with Atlanta Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall, student Matt Westmoreland, Hillsborough County Schools substance, from the Klan to Katrina, board member Candy Olson and Toledo Schools Superintendent Eugene Sanders. Boston is infused with race,” Bond told con- Superintendent Tom Payzant also participated. ferees at the Council of the Great City Schools’ 49th Annual Fall Confer- Urban Educators and Students ence. Discuss High School Reform Nearly 1,000 urban school leaders ATLANTA — Four high school school leaders at the Council of the attended the five-day conference here students from Atlanta Public Schools Great City Schools’ recent national continued on page 6F shared the stage with four big-city town hall meeting. They were there to discuss an issue that affects students and educators alike: high school reform.

The panel was moderated by Clau- dio Sanchez, education correspondent for National Public Radio, who noted that 100 years ago, only 10 percent or

continued on page 4F Julian Bond

In this Issue And the Winner Is... Urban School Leaders Discuss Katrina Impact...... 3 Find out who won the 2005 Richard Fall Conference Pictorial...... 8 R. Green Award on page 9. Legislative Column: No Thanksgiving for Ed. Spending...... 10 Inside the Council

Complaining Party L.A. Wins Vote Bears the Burden To Build Schools A newsletter published by the In IEP Cases Council of the Great City Schools, repre- Education measures passed mus- senting 66 of the nation’s largest urban public school districts. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ter with voters in Los Angeles, Detroit, ruled that the complaining party challeng- Denver and Toledo, but not in Charlotte Albuquerque Memphis of the ballots cast in numerous munici- Anchorage Miami-Dade ing individualized education programs Atlanta Milwaukee on behalf of special education students pal elections around the nation in early Austin Minneapolis bears the burden of proof to show the November. Baltimore Nashville IEP is inadequate. Birmingham Newark A nearly $4 billion bond measure was Boston New Orleans Broward Co. New York City In a 6-2 decision, Justice Sandra Day passed to build new schools and repair Buffalo Norfolk O’Connor emphasized in the majority existing school facili- Charleston Oakland ties in the Los An- Charlotte Oklahoma City opinion, “The burden of persuasion in Chicago Omaha an administrative hearing challenging an geles Unified School Christina Orange County IEP is properly placed upon the party District, the second Cincinnati Palm Beach largest school sys- Clark Co. Philadelphia seeking relief, whether that is the disabled Cleveland Pittsburgh child or the school district.” tem in the country. Columbus Portland Dallas Providence The Council of the Great City Said Superin- Dayton Richmond tendent Roy Romer Denver Rochester Schools had weighed in on the case, Schaf- Des Moines Sacramento fer v. Weast, a dispute between a disabled of the victory, Detroit St. Louis student’s parents and the superintendent “Voters have made an unprecedented Fort Worth St. Paul commitment, in overwhelming numbers, Fresno Salt Lake City of Maryland’s Montgomery County Greensboro San Diego Public Schools in suburban Washington, to improve the educational environment Houston San Francisco D.C. in the Los Angeles area.” Indianapolis Seattle Jackson Shreveport Detroit Jacksonville Tampa Filing an amicus brief before the Kansas City Toledo Supreme Court, the Council, joined by Detroit voters renewed a non-home- Long Beach Tucson other education groups, countered the Los Angeles Washington, D.C. stead millage, primarily a business levy Louisville Wichita plaintiff ’s claim that the burden of per- that “is critical to the operations of the Newsletter Staff: suasion shall entirely be placed on school Detroit Public Schools,” said the school Executive Director Michael Casserly districts, and that the Schaffers did not system’s chief executive officer, William Editor Henry Duvall satisfy the burden and should not be al- Coleman III. It accounts for 6 percent of Associate Editor Tonya Harris lowed to shift the payment of their son’s the district’s annual budget. Council Officers: private school tuition and expenses. Chair Also in the Motor City, voters went Arlene Ackerman The Council argued in its “friend of to the polls to choose the first elected Superintendent, San Francisco the court” brief, “A rule making it pos- school board since a 1999 state takeover. Chair-Elect sible for parents to prevail without actu- George Thompson III ally carrying the burden of proof would Denver Board Member, Nashville only invite additional litigation designed In Denver, voters said “yes” to a pay- Secretary-Treasurer to shift the costs of private-school edu- for-performance plan for teachers called Carol Comeau cation from parents to public schools.” Superintendent, Anchorage ProComp, or Professional Compensation In a concurring opinion, Justice John System for Teachers, that rewards teach- All news items should be submitted to: ers for their professional accomplish- Urban Educator Paul Stevens commented, “I believe that Council of the Great City Schools we should presume that public school of- ments while linking pay to the school 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 702 district’s instructional goals. Washington, D.C. 20004 ficials are properly performing their diffi- (202) 393-2427 / (202) 393-2400 (Fax) cult responsibilities under this important Editor’s E-mail: [email protected] statute.” Associate Editor’s E-mail: [email protected] continued on page 12F continued on page 7F

Page Council of the Great City Schools Inside the Council

Urban School Leaders Discuss Katrina’s Impact

ATLANTA — Hurricane Katrina cusing on opening schools in the West However, before any schools can devastated not only the city of New Or- Bank of the city because those schools open, the U.S. Environmental Protection leans, but also the New Orleans Public have received the least damage Agency must declare the schools are safe. Schools which served 53,000 students. The district must also find buses to pro- She described the difficulties facing vide transportation because only 13 buses A firsthand account of the -devas her district as a devastating event. remain of the district’s fleet of 300. tation the hurricane unleashed on the school district was given at a session dur- “Challenging is the term we use,” said “We’ve got our challenges, financial ing the Council of the Watson, “when we think and academic,” admits George. “But we Great City Schools 49th about it positively.” have a tremendous opportunity to build Annual Fall Conference. a state-of-the-art, world-class 21st century Conferees also school system.” Entitled “Hurricane heard from William Katrina: The Great City Roberti, the managing Districts Open Their Doors director of Alvarez and Schools Help One An- Many citizens from New Orleans other,” the session not Marsal, LLC; and Sajan George, fled to Houston. As a only featured the leader New Orleans Acting Superintendent t h e result, the Houston Inde- of the New Orleans Ora Watson discusses the challenges pendent School District facing her school district. c o m - school system, but also began registering children the superintendents of p a n y ’s chief financial officer. a week after Hurricane neighboring urban school districts who Katrina. have opened their schools to displaced The private firm was students. hired by the state last “We registered a spring to oversee the little over 7,000 people,” “We’ve been through hell and high school system’s opera- said Houston Schools Houston Schools Superintendent water,” said Ora Watson, the acting su- tions and finances. Superintendent Abelardo perintendent of the New Orleans school Abelardo Saavedra explains how his George recalled that district helped displaced students as Saavedra. Currently, the system. Memphis Schools Superintendent school system is serving in the days following Carol Johnson looks on. “I don’t think that there’s too many Hurricane Katrina he 5,000 displaced students. superintendents who have gone through and Roberti drove through police check- To accommodate evacuees, the dis- the experience of having a school dis- points in an effort to reach the school trict reopened two of the six schools it trict wiped out at the start of the school district’s data center and retrieve impor- had closed last year, although year.” tant information, such as a list of most students from New all the district’s employees. She said that 116 schools are still Orleans are now attending closed and that approximately 30 school The firm and district of- neighborhood schools. system employees are currently working ficials have made a decision to According to Saavedra, to try and reestablish the district. open up schools as quickly as the school district’s main possible. “We needed to send a concern was to serve the The staff carries laptops and cell signal to people that if you come phones to communicate because there children as quickly as possi- back, there will be schools,” said ble and worry about the bills are no land lines. The employees have lost George. Jackson Schools their homes and are staying in temporary Superintendent Earl later. “Now we’re worried,” housing. “We are a homeless administra- The district is trying to reach Watkins listens. said Saveedra. tion trying to set up a school district,” families through a call center and website Houston officials have received a said Watson. it has set up as well as public service an- commitment from the U.S. Department nouncements in neighboring states. She explained that the district is fo- continued on page 12F

Nov./Dec. 2005 Page Inside the Council

Continued from page 1 studies available that tell educators what Thornton participated in a program High School Reform... is needed to fix schools. at his school in which students were given the opportunity to teach in classrooms, so of the nation’s teenagers enrolled in “The heart of high school reform and said this experience greatly increased high school. lies in the quality of teaching that’s tak- his appreciation for the hard work teaching place in each and every high school in ers do every day. “Why are we even discussing high America,” said Hall. school these days?” Sanchez asked the “The best teachers are the ones who panelists. “Why has it become such a big Sanchez asked each of the four stu- don’t care about money,” said Thornton. issue?” dent panelists to explain who their best “In order to be a good teacher, your heart teacher was and why. has to be in it.” “Some of it has to do with the current emphasis on accountability and na- Thu Hien Dang, a student at Fred- Atlanta Superintendent Hall recalled tional standards,” said Eugene Sanders, erick Douglass High School, said she that there was a time, when for women the superintendent of Ohio’s Toledo admires her calculus AP teacher. “He’s and minorities, teaching was the only op- Public Schools. “There is more public smart; he doesn’t need a book to teach,” tion for entering the middle class. But she awareness of high school issues than be- said Dang. “He’s a genius.” acknowledged that this is no longer the fore as a result of NCLB (No Child Left case. Shaylithia Co- Behind law).” peland, a student at “We have lost a lot of other people According to Candy George Washington to other careers and more lucrative em- Olson, board member Carver High School, ployment,” said Hall. “…We want people for Florida’s Hillsbor- said her favorite teach- to begin viewing teaching as a good op- ough County school er is showing students portunity to go on and be a part of the district in Tampa, a large how to be successful American dream.” percentage of jobs in and become million- manufacturing, which aires. “We’ve According to board mem- Student Matt Westmoreland and learned how ber Olson, school systems at- required only a high Hillsborough County school board school diploma, has dis- member Candy Olson to change our tract great teachers and then appeared. “We have an mindset,” said drive them away because of obligation to prepare today’s kids to live Copeland. the demands the central ad- in the world of tomorrow,” said Olson. ministration places on teach- Matt Westmoreland, a stu- ers. Tom Payzant, superintendent of the dent at Henry W. Grady High Boston Public Schools, ob- School, cited his newspaper “We take all the joy out served that the nation has adviser and ap- of teaching,” said Olson, who plauded the fact Toledo Schools believes the challenge for edu- always done a good job Superintendent Eugene educating a certain percent- that this teacher Sanders cators is to find ways just to let age of students, but now all offers his assis- teachers teach. students must be educated tance to students before What is one thing you could do to a under NCLB. and after school and dedi- cates so much of his time high school to make it better tomorrow? He said that the good to helping his students. Sanchez asked the panelists. news is that educators are Toledo Superintendent Sanders said instituting reforms and at- “He has made the big- school systems should impart passion on tempting to make the effort. Moderator Claudio Sanchez gest impact on me other the part of individuals and “try to instill “We must change the culture than my parents,” said West- in every employee this degree of passion of achievement and engage all students moreland. “He makes me want to be- and commitment.” to get them ready to have access past the come a teacher.” 12th grade.” Devin Thornton, a student at Book- Among the Atlanta students, Thorn- ton said there should be more qualified Beverly Hall, superintendent of At- er T. Washington High School, believes lanta Public Schools, said that there are that teachers are underappreciated. continued on page 5F

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Continued from page 4 High School Reform... Dayton, Guilford Supts. Discuss substitute teachers and Dang believes High School Options there needs to be more qualified teachers who can prepare students for testing. ATLANTA-- In an effort to im- All of the students who attend the prove the academic achievement of academy are assigned a teacher-adviser Copeland said the problem is more high school students, a number of big- and the school has a 97 percent atten- of a generation thing because teachers city school districts are developing dis- dance rate. often don’t know what their students ex- trict/university partnerships. perience. “For us to learn, teachers should “Many of the students in this pro- live in our communities,” said Copeland. At the Council of the Great City gram are the students who would’ve Schools’ 49th Annual Fall Conference, dropped out in Dayton Public Schools,” The moderator turned to the audi- two urban superintendents gave presen- said Mack. ence in a question-and-answer session, tations on partnerships in their districts and the issue of testing was addressed to in a session titled “Do Urban Middle Guilford County Public Schools the panelists. College and Early College High School in Greensboro, N.C., has teamed with Programs Work?” several local four- year and two-year col- Student Westmoreland believes leges to design high schools that “fit” students are required to take too many Percy Mack, the superintendent of students. standardized tests and said many of the Ohio’s Dayton Public Schools, discussed things he has learned in class cannot be the district’s Early College Academy in “Our traditional high schools serve taught on a test. which students earn both a high school the top 20 percent of students very well,” said Terry Grier, superintendent According to Boston Superintendent of the Guilford County Schools. How- Payzant, the issue is not whether there ever, he believes many high schools have should be a test, but about making sure not done a very good job educating the the tests adequately measure what students should be learning.

“It’s about good tests and bad tests,” said Payzant. “The goal of testing is to provide checkpoints to see what we know.” Percy Mack diploma and up to two years of college credit toward a bachelor’s degree.

The school is a collaboration be- Terry Grier tween the district and the University of rest, especially those disconnected stu- Dayton and was created in 2003 to pre- dents who have shown academic prom- pare urban students for postsecondary ise but have dropped out of school. education. As a result, the district has created Housed at the University of Day- six middle college high schools. ton, the school serves up to 400 high school students who have trouble learn- The middle colleges maintain a stan- New Council Officer ing in a traditional school setting. Many dards-based curriculum, but the combi- Anchorage School District Su- of them are students of color with nation of smaller classes and innovative perintendent Carol Comeau has been economic challenges who have not had teaching techniques -- all in a college set- elected secretary-treasurer of the the access to the academic preparation ting -- has decreased the dropout rate for Council of the Great City Schools. needed to meet college readiness stan- these students and improved their aca- She has been a member of the Coun- dards. demic performance. cil’s Executive Committee.

Nov./Dec. 2005 Page Inside the Council

Continued from page 1 year full scholarships to public universi- He warned educators that the segre- Civil Rights... ties. gation of black and Latino children has returned to public education with a ven- Bond explained that the NAACP is geance. under the banner “Achieving the Dream: an organization that fights racial discrimi- Great City Schools for All.” nation and is one of the few organiza- He observed that a photo taken tions which concentrate on social justice. today of a typical inner-city classroom In his rousing speech, Bond said would look much like a photo taken in that this year marks the 50th anniversary “We believe that racial discrimination a classroom in Mississippi in 1927 or of the Montgomery Bus Boycott – the is a prime reason why the gaps between 1932 when segregation was the law of beginning of a mass movement that de- black and white life chances remain so the land. stroyed segregation and permanently wide,” said Bond. “And we believe that changed the world. to the degree we are able to reduce dis- “The proportion of blacks attending crimination and close these race-caused integrated schools in America is the low- And he called the 1954 U.S. Supreme gaps, we will see the economic and edu- est since 1968, since Martin Luther King Court decision in the Brown v. Board of cational lives of our people improve and died,” said Kozol. Education case the movement’s greatest their prosperity increase.” legal victory because it changed the legal In a bit of irony, he noted that many status of black Americans. Bond said that the nation has a long of the schools in urban cities named af- and honorable tradition of social justice ter the civil rights leader are in antiquated “I believe in an integrated America: and that every American -- black, yellow, buildings, and have the largest class sizes jobs, homes and schools,” said Bond. “I red and white -- are needed in this fight. and the lowest graduation rates. believe in it enough to have spent most of my life in its elusive pursuit.” “All of us are implicated in the con- “We need to save the name of Dr. tinuation of inequality,” stated Bond. “It King for a school that lives up to his The grandson of a slave, Bond noted will require our common effort to bring dream,” stressed Kozol. that his grandfather, who graduated from it to an end.” college in 1892, belonged to a transcen- The best-selling author said the re- dent generation of black Americans born Kozol Speaks sults of not financing public education into slavery and freed by the Civil War, Also address- are seen in the many who were determined to make their way ing the confer- cities he visits. He as free women and men. ence was award- recalled that a high winning author school he toured in the He told conferees that Martin Luther Bronx was so crowded King Jr. also belonged to a transcendent Jonathan Kozol, whose latest book that the school serves generation of black Americans born into lunch in seven shifts is The Shame of the segregation and freed from racism by and the first shift be- Nation, The Resto- their own efforts who were determined gins at 9:20 in the ration of Apartheid to make their way in freedom. morning. Schooling in Amer- Jonathan Kozol “That the quest for meaningful ica. “These vulnerable equality – political and economic equity children have done absolutely nothing,” – remains unfilled today is no indictment Kozol, who was fired from his job as a teacher in Boston after reading aloud said Kozol. “They are too small to harm of past efforts,” said Bond. “It is testa- us. Their only sin is to be born poor and ment to our challenge.” a poem by black poet Langston Hughes, told urban educators they have one of of the wrong color.” The winner of the National Free- the toughest jobs in America. Kozol also criticized what he called dom Award, Bond criticized the war in the “nonstop obsessive testing,” required Iraq and said the money spent fighting “Running a major school system in the nation,” said Kozol, “is like bearing under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) the war could’ve paid for more than 23 Act. million children to go to Head Start for a the weight of democracy on your shoul- year and given more than 8 million four- ders.” continued on page 7F

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Continued from page 6 She also advised educators to respect Civil Rights... diversity, from color to gender. The col- D.C. Superintendent lege president emphasized she could not Gets Confidence Vote imagine someone in the field of educa- The former teacher said he is not op- tion who would disregard every possible posed to tests and standards, but as an in- form of diversity. Superintendent Clifford Janey dependent voice who loves kids, believes of the District of Columbia Public testing has gone too far. “Without respecting the diversity in Schools has been given this nation of ours,” stated Cole, “how “In some schools I visit, the prin- a vote of confidence dare one even imagine being in a school cipals are so terrorized they are starting from the school board system in one of our urban districts.” high-stakes testing in kindergarten,” ob- after one year at the helm. served Kozol. Cole, who had also served as president of Spelman College, listed funda- The author recalled that his great- The board recently mental aspects that can help improve est mentor, children’s television star Fred extended his three-year public education: Rogers, traveled with him one day to the Cliff Janey contract a year until 2008, giving Janey time South Bronx to visit the kids • Improve teacher to implement his reform measures. Kozol profiles in his books. expectations. “There is a relationship between According to Kozol, teacher expectations and Rogers did not say much but student performance,” let the children talk because observed Cole. “You he believed listening to what Continued from page 2 get what you ask for.” children have to say is very Vote... important. • Tackling poverty and Passage of the annual $25 million tax racism in our country. Kozol said there is increase to pay for higher teacher salaries Cole noted that the nothing in NCLB for pa- will boost the pay for current teachers faces the nation saw tient listening. “What a dif- who chose to enter the ProComp system Johnnetta Cole following Hurricane ferent notion this would be,” and for all teachers hired after Dec. 31. Katrina are not just said Kozol, “if Mr. Rogers had been the particular to New Orleans. “We U.S. Education Secretary.” Toledo cannot build great schools until In Toledo, Ohio, voters approved Cole on Leadership we truly address poverty and racism in our country,” said Cole. a 2.5-mill renewal levy to help fund in- Conferees also heard from Johnnetta frastructure and equipment costs in the Cole, the 14th president of Bennett Col- • Providing schools with adequate Toledo Public Schools. “We did a pretty lege for Women in Greensboro, N.C. resources. “Money and resources good job conveying to the public in a will not alone fix our schools,” clear and concise way where the money Cole shared with urban educators observed Cole. “But I‘d like to see would go,” said Superintendent Eugene what she believes are some of the things how we fix them without resources.” Sanders in the Toledo Blade. that make a strong leader. Cole stressed to conferees that ev- Charlotte The first African American woman eryone must work together-- elected of- to serve as chair of the board of United But in Charlotte, N.C., voters reject- ficials, parents, teachers, school board Way of America, Cole said that leaders ed a bond package, which included $427 members and superintendents – to create must believe in change. “You can’t be a million to build and renovate Charlotte- change and improve public education leader if you don’t honest to goodness Mecklenburg schools. “I’m deeply con- cerned about the message we are sending believe it can change,” said Cole. “You “Dr King said we’ve got to cre- have to believe it will be better.” our children and our teachers who strug- ate change by education and legislation gle each day in severely overcrowded and where necessary by agitation,” Cole schools and aging facilities,” said Super- stressed. intendent Frances Haithcock.

Nov./Dec. 2005 Page Inside the Council

Pictorial of 2005 Fall Conference

Atlanta Superintendent Beverly Hall, left, congratulates the recipi- Charlotte Superintendent ents of the Distinguished Alumni Frances Haithcock chats Awards. Left to right, Rogsbert with Dallas Superintendent Frenzell Phillips, Herman Russell, Michael Hinojosa, center, and Jasmine Guy, Glenda Hatchett Austin Superintendent Pascal and Asa Yancey. Council Execu- Forgione. tive Director Michael Casserly looks on.

Left to right, St. Louis Su- perintendent Creg Williams, Detroit Chief Executive Officer Wiliiam Coleman, Buf- falo Superintendent James Williams and Richmond Superintendent Deborah Jewell Sherman share their views at a session on Council strategic support teams.

Margaret Spearman, one of the winners of the Council’s Marcia Page Johnnetta Cole, second from left, is presented with a painting from Scholarship sponsored by Texas Instruments, addresses conferees. an Atlanta student. Left to right, Atlanta school board chair Michael Holiman, Atlanta Superintendent Beverly Hall, Council Executive Director Michael Casserly and Council Chair Arlene Ackerman. Photos by Clarence Tabb Jr.

Page Council of the Great City Schools Inside the Council

Anchorage Superinten- dent Carol Comeau and Florida’s Orange County Schools Superintendent Ronald Blocker share information at a session.

Anna Dodson, center, receives the Richard R. Green Award from Kelly Green-Hardwick, the daughter of the late Richard Green, as Council Chair-elect George Thompson III looks on.

Former Norfolk Wichita Superintendent Winston Brooks and board Board Member president Connie Dietz give a presentation at a sesion on Wins Top Prize engaging the community. ATLANTA — Norfolk Public Schools was recently awarded the Broad Prize, one of the largest awards in education for improving student achievement.

The district continues its winning streak with the presentation of the Rich- ard R. Green Award for outstanding con- tributions to urban education to former Norfolk school board member Anna Dodson.

She received the award in front of Charleston Superintendent Maria her peers from across the nation at the Goodloe listens intently at a session. Council of the Great City Schools 49th Annual Fall Conference.

“Now I know how an Academy Award member feels when they receive their Oscar,” said Dodson upon accept- ing the award. “Because tonight the Rich- ard R. Green Award is my Oscar!”

Sponsored by ARAMARK and the Boston Superintendent Tom Payzant Council of the Great City Schools, the listens as Norfolk Superintendent award is presented in the memory of Stephen Jones gives a presentation at a session featuring the 2005 the late Richard R. Green, who led the Broad Prize finalists. Minneapolis and New York City public school systems.

Dodson served 12 years as a member of the Norfolk school board and dur- continued on page 11F

Nov./Dec. 2005 Page Inside the Council

No Thanksgiving for Federal Education Funding

By Jeff Simering, Director of Legislation

It would seem that once every de- The measure (H.R. 4241) narrowly sion of the legislation (S. 1932) and in- cade or so a massive fight develops in passed in the middle of the night after cludes a hurricane relief authorization Washington over federal education fund- two weeks of negotiations, which elimi- and its own private school subsidy. ing. The time has come once nated or watered down some again as Congress begins to of the bill’s most controversial At the same time, the FY 2006 ap- rein in its profligate defense, provisions, including Arctic oil propriations bill for the Departments of transportation, and farm drilling, food stamps eligibility Labor, Health and Human Services, and spending and tax cuts of the limits, school lunch eligibility Education (H.R. 3010) was being negoti- last four years. limits, and Medicaid benefit ated by a House-Senate conference com- reductions. mittee. The measure contained cuts of Three major legislative over three-quarters of a billion dollars in initiatives with serious im- The House bill now goes No Child Left Behind (NCLB) programs plications for education are to conference committee with compared to last year. moving through Congress: the Senate, which passed a hurricane relief funding, LEGISLATIVE more modest $35 billion ver- The all-important Title I and Indi- the budget reconciliation COLUMN viduals with Disabilities Education Act bill, and the regular appro- (IDEA) programs received increases that priations bill. fall far short of inflation, about $100 million each, but all other major education The Gulf Coast hurricane relief Great City Grads programs from teacher training to voca- measure has been inching its way through tional education were frozen or cut. Oth- Congress for three months with aid for er programs were terminated. The House school districts directly impacted by the rejected the funding bill, however, in a natural disaster and schools receiving dis- dramatic floor vote; and the Senate sent placed children and families. its members back to the drawing board with instructions to be more generous. Complicating the bill, however, is an Administration-backed, $500 million The juxtaposition of education cuts voucher proposal for private schools en- in the appropriations bill and the voucher rolling displaced students. proposal and other cuts in the reconciliation package—all while Congress debat- The proposal was defeated in com- ed extensions to the tax cuts—sparked mittee, however, and an attempt to add a loud outcry from education and other it into the bill afterwards was also beaten Anthony Kennedy interest groups and a mini-revolution back. among legislators. The voucher proposal was slated U.S. Supreme Court Justice But the fight is not over. Congress to be part of a second legislative pack- will be back after Thanksgiving to pick age—the $49 billion House Budget Rec- 1954 graduate up the battle once again. onciliation measure—designed to cut (valedictorian) entitlement spending in programs like C.K. McClatchy High School Let’s hope that Christmas comes Medicaid, Food Stamps, and college stu- soon. dent loans. Sacramento Unified City School District

Page 10 Council of the Great City Schools Inside the Council

Continued from page 9 writing and arithmetic, they taught us Top Prize... values,” said Jordan. “Whether I’m giving advice to a president, king or queen, I ing her tenure she developed a successful know I stand on their shoulders.” parental involvement program as well as several programs that involved commu- Urban Impact Award nity volunteers. The Council of the Great City Col- leges of Educa- As a board mem- tion, an affiliate ber, Dodson was also group of deans instrumental in helping working with the district narrow the big-city school achievement gap between leaders, awarded students of different racial the seventh an- groups within the district’s nual Urban Im- schools, an achievement pact Award to recognized by the Broad Florida Interna- Foundation, which Council Executive Director Michael Casserly, tional University Hurricane Shreds awarded the district a right, congratulates the Urban Impact Award and Miami-Dade $500,000 prize. winners from Florida International University Broward District and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. County Public As the recipient of Schools for their Headquarters the Richard R. Green Award, Dodson Families Learning at School and Home receives a $10,000 college scholarship to Program (FLASH), designed to improve Hurricane Wilma, one of many present to a deserving high school se- the academic performance of children storms that wreaked havoc during nior of her choice from Norfolk Public by increasing parental participation in the 2005 hurricane season, ripped Schools or from her alma mater. school activities. off the siding of the Broward County Public Schools administra- Alumni Awards The award honors exemplary pro- tion building in late October in Fort grams between universities and school Atlanta Public Schools presented Lauderdale, Fla. After the storm, districts that have had a positive impact on Superintendent Franklin Till said of several Distinguished Alumni Awards to teaching and learning, with each receiving graduates who have excelled in their cho- the building in the Sun-Sentinel, “It’s $1,000. The award is sponsored by Help- not completely destroyed, but it’s sen professions. Receiving alumni awards ing One Student to Succeed (HOSTS), a were Jasmine Guy, certainly unusable for many, many national program to help months.” About 60 employees in actress; Glenda students achieve. Hatchett, judge and the affected offices have been relo- television personali- Queen Smith cated. ty; Rogsbert Frenzell Award Phillips, surgeon; Press Awards Given Herman Russell, Josephine Scott, entrepreneur; and the executive direc- An Atlanta high school newspaper Asa Yancy, surgeon tor of curriculum and and a Houston middle school paper won and former Atlanta staff development for top awards recently at the National Scho- school board mem- Vernon Jordan Ohio’s Columbus Public lastic Press Association Journalism Con- ber. Schools, was the recipient of vention. the eighth annual Queen Smith Award Also receiving a Distinguished for Commitment to Urban Education. In addition to the newspaper honor, Alumni Award was lawyer and presiden- The $1,000 award is named in honor of Atlanta’s Grady High School also won a tial adviser Vernon Jordan, who accepted the late vice president of urban programs top news broadcast award. the award on behalf of his teachers. for Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Publishing Houston’s Marshall Middle School Company. “They taught us more than reading, newspaper won first-place honors in the junior high category.

Nov./Dec. 2005 Page 11 Inside the Council

Continued from page 3 have made a concerted effort to identify Continued from page 2 Katrina Impact... twelfth graders from New Orleans so Complaining Party ... they could graduate. of Education to provide funds, but the appropriation has not been made yet. And Hurricane Katrina has also “With that in mind, this is a victory forced the district to rethink its own for a presumption that school officials The Houston district is also work- emergency preparedness initiatives. are effectively writing and implementing ing with the Federal Emergency Man- the children’s IEPs under the require- agement Agency to identify the costs of “We are revising our own plans be- ments set out in IDEA (Individuals with serving the displaced students, including cause Memphis sits on a fault line,” said Disabilities Education Act),” says Julie providing psychological services. Johnson. Wright Halbert, the Council’s legislative counsel, who wrote the amicus. Saavedra estimates that it is costing Also at the session was Earl Watkins, the district $180,000 a day to serve these the superintendent of the Jackson Public However, the U.S. Supreme Court additional children. Schools in Mississippi. The district has also considered the argument by several 1,900 evacuees from New Orleans en- states to decide “that states may, if they He praised the generosity of the local rolled in its schools. wish, override the default rule and put the community and said that the outpouring burden always on the school district.” of donations has been so generous that The Jackson school system has a the district has received more “school mandatory uniform policy and has pro- Because the Schaffer case arose in supplies than we know what to do with.” vided free uniforms to all displaced stu- Maryland, where such law or regulation dents. does not exist, the U.S. Supreme Court Memphis City Public Schools has declined to decide the issue. also taken in a number of evacuees, ac- “We have also given great attention cording to Superintendent Carol John- to making sure families have received the “Our school districts must be vigi- son. She said that two of the district’s utmost respect,” said Watkins lant on this issue, as disability advocates will approach state legislatures to enact schools that were closed were reopened New Orleans Acting Superintendent statutes to enforce this burden on school as shelter housing and district officials Watson thanked all of the Council dis- districts,” stresses Council Executive Di- created a team to register students in the tricts that have opened their schools and rector Michael Casserly. city’s schools. offered their assistance to the school dis- She noted that school counselors trict. “Please understand you are doing a great service.”

Council of the Great City Schools PRESORT First Class 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. U.S. Postage Suite 702 PAID Washington, D.C. 20004 Washington, D.C. Permit No. 251

Page 12 Council of the Great City Schools