It’s the $51 million question: How soon can Idaho school districts expect to see their share of the money that Idaho stands to receive as part of the education jobs fund passed by Congress?

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and other officials from the U.S. Department of Education held a conference call Thursday afternoon, August 12, to share details of how states and school districts will get their shares of the money and how it can be used. More than 800 people joined the call.

As one of the first state education leaders to ask a question, Idaho Education Association President Sherri Wood relayed a conversation she had with State Superintendent Tom Luna in which he said the state may not meet all maintenance of effort requirements for securing the funds. DOE officials assured Wood they’ll be “happy to work with the state superintendent directly” to be sure that Idaho qualifies for its $51 million share of the funds.  

The State Department of Education affirmed in its weekly e-newsletter, “In the coming days, the State Department of Education and the Office of the Governor will be working closely with the U.S. Department of Education to nail down estimates for how much each local education agency (LEA) will receive and to ensure Idaho meets the maintenance of effort requirements. “

U.S. Department of Education officials made it clear that the sooner a state applies for its share, the sooner it will be approved. The DOE sent application materials to governors and state education officials today (August 13), and although states have until September 9 to apply, DOE officials said they hope applications will start arriving as soon as Monday, August 16. (Read the letter to governors here.)

According to an August 6 U.S. Department of Education analysis, Idaho is due to receive $51, 641,026 to fund education jobs. Calling the jobs fund’s passage “an extraordinary victory for children across the country,” Duncan said officials intend to see the money reverse some of “the very tough, brutal cuts” that districts across the country have had to make in recent months. He added that “we also need to see governors act with a real sense of urgency” to be sure that funds flow to local districts as the new school year begins.

Below, we’ve posted some of the top questions being asked about the jobs fund. For other questions, you can email the U.S. Department of Education or the NEA.

How will funds under the Education Jobs Fund be allocated to States?

The $10 billion Education Jobs Fund will be administered by the U.S. Department of Education under the terms and conditions of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF), Title XIV of Division A of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 with exceptions as noted here.

The U.S. Secretary of Education is required to allocate the funds as follows:
(1) one-half of one percent, or $50 million, to the outlying areas;
(2) $1 million for administration;
(3) one-half of one percent, or $50 million, to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior for schools operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and
(4) the remaining amount, $9.899 billion, to the States (defined as the Governor) as was done under the SFSF – 61 percent on the basis of their relative population of individuals aged 5 through 24; and 39 percent on the basis of their relative total population.

Each State may reserve up to two percent of its allocation for administrative costs for the purposes of administering the Education Jobs Fund only. Any funds that a Governor does not award as subgrants or otherwise commit within one year of receiving the funds shall be returned to the U.S. Secretary of Education to be reallocated to other States.

How soon will the money be available?

The U.S. Secretary of Education must award funds to States no later than 45 days after the date of enactment to States that have submitted applications meeting the requirements set in the law. The Education Jobs Fund was signed into law on August 10, 2010, which gives the Department until September 24, 2010 (tentative date).

The U.S. Secretary of Education cannot “require information in applications beyond what is necessary to determine compliance with applicable provisions of law.” The Department anticipates enabling a State to draw down its funds within about two weeks of receiving an approvable application.

What happens if the Governor does not apply for the funds?

If, within 30 days after the date of enactment, or by no later than September 9, 2010, a Governor has not submitted an approvable application, the U.S. Secretary of Education shall provide for funds allocated to that State to be distributed to another entity or other entities in the State under terms and conditions set by the Secretary. Regardless of the entity or entities selected, no distribution shall be made to the State unless the Secretary determines that the State meets the law’s maintenance-of-effort requirements.

How will the funds be distributed locally?

After setting aside up to two percent for administrative costs, a State must allocate the remaining funds to local educational agencies for the support of elementary and secondary education in order to retain or create education jobs for the 2010-11 school year (or for funds received through state reallocations, for the 2010-11 or the 2011-12 school year).

Funds shall be distributed through either the State’s primary elementary and secondary funding formulae or based on local educational agencies’ relative shares of funds under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for the most recent fiscal year for which data are available.

Which local distribution formula should my State choose?

As soon as possible, you should request allocations by school district under both formulas – the State’s primary elementary and secondary funding formulae and the ESEA Title I, Part A federal formula – from your State education agency to determine which formula is most favorable to retaining and creating the most education jobs.

As an interim step, you can calculate a “rough” estimate by school district for each formula as follows. For the State’s primary education funding formulae, you will need to obtain the allocations by school district made under SFSF – Education Grants, preferably in a spreadsheet format, from the State education agency. For each individual school district, calculate the district’s share of funding as a percentage of the total under the SFSF – Education Grants; and apply that percentage to the State’s allocation under the Education Jobs Fund (a link to preliminary state estimates is available above), less two percent withheld by the State for administrative costs. This will give you a rough estimate only.

Similarly, calculate each district’s share of funding as a percentage of the total under the federal Title I, Part A formula (available from the U.S. Department of Education in an Excel spreadsheet for each state at http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/titlei/fy10/index.html); and apply the percentage to the State’s allocation under the Education Jobs Fund. Again, this will provide you with an approximation only. (Note that the amounts by school district provided by the U.S. Department of Education are “gross” amounts and do not reflect subsequent adjustments made by the State.)

The Governor will indicate which funding formula the State will use on the application to be submitted to the Department.

What are allowable uses of the funds?

Funds awarded to local educational agencies may be used only for compensation and benefits and other expenses, such as support services, necessary to retain existing employees, to recall or rehire former employees, and to hire new employees, in order to provide early childhood, elementary, or secondary educational and related services. The U.S. Department of Education has also confirmed that funds can be used to restore furloughs and pay cuts negotiated to avoid layoffs. The Governor or any other State official cannot add any additional requirements on how districts can use the funds beyond what is contained in the law.

Are the funds limited to teachers only?

No. Funds may be used for compensation and benefits and other expenses for education support professionals as well.

Are there any prohibitions on using the funds?

Yes. Funds may not be used for general administrative expenses or for other support services expenditures (as those terms were defined by the National Center for Education Statistics in its Common Core of Data as of the date of enactment of the Education Jobs Fund). For example, funds may not be used for equipment, utilities, renovation, or transportation.

In addition, a State may not use funds, directly or indirectly, to
(a) establish, restore, or supplement a rainy-day fund;
(b) supplant State funds in a manner that has the effect of establishing, restoring, or supplementing a rainy-day fund;
(c) reduce or retire debt obligations incurred by the State; or
(d) supplant State funds in a manner that has the effect of reducing or retiring debt obligations incurred by the State.

What are the maintenance-of-effort requirements?

In order to receive an Education Jobs Fund grant, each State must provide assurance that State support for both elementary and secondary education and for public institutions of higher education (not including support for capital projects or for research and development or tuition and fees paid by students), measured separately, in fiscal year 2011 will be at or above either: (1) the fiscal year 2009 level (in the aggregate or on the basis of expenditures per pupil); or (2) the percentage share of total revenues available to the State as in fiscal year 2010, or; (3) in the case of a State in which State tax collections for calendar year 2009 were less than State tax collections for calendar year 2006, the fiscal year 2006 level or the percentage share of total revenues available to the State as in fiscal year 2006. There are no waiver provisions included in the law.

When do the funds have to be obligated?

The U.S. Department of Education will have to provide specific guidance on this issue, but a preliminary indication from the Department is that section 421 of the Education Jobs Fund FAQs NEA Education Policy and Practice 5 General Education Provisions Act applies, which automatically allows a State to carryover for one additional year any federal education funds that were not obligated during the period for which they were appropriated. If this is applicable, then States, and presumably local educational agencies, would have until September 30, 2012 to obligate their funds.

What other assurances are required?

Any state that has an approved application under phase II of the SFSF is deemed in compliance with the “education reform” assurances (achieving equity in teacher distribution, improving collection and use of data, improving standards and enhancing assessments, and supporting struggling schools) contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. As of August 11, 2010, the only states that have not been approved under phase II are CA, HI, NY, OK, and PR. Section 442 of the General Education Provisions Act shall not apply to a local educational agency that has previously submitted an application to the State for funding under the SFSF. The assurances provided under that application shall continue to apply to funds awarded under the Education Jobs Fund.
 

Monday, August 02, 2010

AYP reports out (updated Aug. 3 with media coverage)

0 comments Monday, August 02, 2010 at 04:30 PM

Scroll down to read excerpts from and links to media coverage.

The Idaho Department of Education released Adequate Yearly Progress reports for the 2009-2010 school year today. Nearly two-thirds of the state's schools (62 percent) attained their AYP goals. That figure is down slightly from the 66 percent meeting AYP for 2008-2009, but state officials pointed out that the state increased its standards last year.

State Superintendent of Public Education Tom Luna announced the results at Caldwell High School, which attained AYP for the first time in 2009-2010. Other schools making AYP for the first time included Twin Falls High School and Farmin Stidwell Elementary School in Sandpoint. Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Idaho must calculate and report the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) of every public school, based on results of the Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT).

To make AYP this year, 85.6 percent of students in a school had to reach grade-level proficiency in reading, compared to 78 percent last year. In math, 83 percent of students in a school had to reach grade-level proficiency this year, compared to 70 percent last year.

In the state news release, administrators were quick to point out teachers' roles in boosting student achievement. A few examples:

Caldwell - Superintendent Roger Quarles attributes the district’s success to recruiting, hiring and retaining the very best teachers with the intent of increasing student achievement. Focus in the classroom is on the individual needs of each student. Each of Caldwell's 10 schools has an instruction coach who assists each teacher and their needs to be successful. Quarles also credits tremendous community support as members of the Caldwell community have donated their time and money and supported 50 years of supplemental levies.

Twin Falls - Dr. Wiley J. Dobbs, Twin Falls Superintendent, attributed the success to the dedication and hard work on the part of school leaders, teachers, parents and students. “Teachers, administrators and parents have worked diligently on the TFHS Building Leadership Team to develop strategies that helped to lead to their success.”

Blackfoot -  Fort Hall Elementary School made AYP this year for the first time in four years. Scott Crane, superintendent of the Blackfoot School District, attributes their schools’ success to efforts district-wide efforts to improve student achievement. For example, the district created Professional Learning Communities at every school and gave teachers the time they need to collaborate and use standards, data, and best teaching practices to meet individual student needs.... The district hired a consulting teacher to further support Fort Hall Elementary teachers as they worked to raise student achievement. “I contribute the success at Fort Hall Elementary to the district-wide implementation of research-based programs, a determined academic advisory task force and a hard working school staff,” said Crane.

Sandpoint - Farmin Stidwell Elementary School in Sandpoint made AYP for the first time this year. As the largest elementary school in the Lake Pend Oreille School District with 630 students, it has been a struggle to move all sub-groups to meet proficiency, despite relatively strong overall school ISAT scores. The school and district attribute Farmin Stidwell’s success this year to an ongoing after-school tutoring program taught by classroom teachers, more focused attention on specific student needs through the RTI process, curriculum taught with fidelity, and improved scheduling for students most in need of academic interventions. Teachers and staff at Farmin Stidwell are also responding more effectively to student data and ongoing assessments.

The full news release is here. You can search the results by school and district here.

Update, August 3: Here are excerpts from some news coverage of the AYP reports:

• From the Idaho Statesman, Boise:

Former Boise schools Superintendent Stan Olson, a Democrat who is running against Republican Luna in the November election, said any improvement in Idaho schools is due to the efforts of teachers, principals and students, not Luna.

"If anything, Mr. Luna has negatively impacted school improvement efforts by failing to support local school districts and by not having a real plan in place to help schools sustain improvement initiatives," Olson said.

He also said AYP is not the standard by which Idaho's schools should be judged.

Some of Idaho's best schools don't make adequate progress under the law, and educators consider AYP flawed, he said.

• From Boise Weekly's CityDesk blog:

"The Department of Education has no strategic plan," Boise Democratic Sen. Elliot Werk told Citydesk. "If I were to go up to Tom Luna and ask 'What do you want to accomplish in five, 10 or 29 years?' I don't know what he'd say."

"Currently, we have more and more school districts going to four-day school weeks and we have legislators touting that as part of the solution, as if that's a good thing when we need to compete on the global economy," said Werk. "We're not just falling backwards, we're rolling downhill backwards."

• From The Times-News, Twin Falls:

(Minidoka) Superintendent Scott Rogers said that with 41 categories to meet, a school can miss its AYP goals even if meeting 40 of them. He said that test scores show growth, even if the categories were missed.

“Just because a school doesn’t meet AYP doesn’t mean it’s not an excellent school,” Rogers said, adding that it’s important for schools to always focus on improving, regardless of whether they meet AYP.

In Gooding School District, all schools made AYP for the first year ever.

“We’ve undergone a lot of changes in the last couple of years,” said Superintendent Heather Williams.

There’s a stronger focus on using data and having teachers that are highly qualified under federal guidelines, with more training and advanced education, Williams said. She added that the district is focused on closing the achievement gaps among different groups of students.

“We’ve really worked a lot on our culture and our focus that all kids can learn,” she said.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Idaho students explore space

0 comments Friday, July 30, 2010 at 06:44 PM

August is blasting off in Boise with a week of space-based activities and special events featuring Idaho’s own teacher-in-space (and Idaho Education Association member) Barbara Morgan and other notable “Women in Space.”

Morgan, the McCall teacher who flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 2007, will be at The Discovery Center of Idaho from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. Thursday, August 5, to sign photos along with retired NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence. Regular Discovery Center admission will apply.

On Tuesday, August 3, at 6:30 p.m., pilot and Idaho resident Gene Nora Jessen will give a free talk about her 1961 selection to NASA’s “Mercury 13” program, in which 13 women were selected to go through the same training as the Mercury 7 male astronauts. Although the program was short-lived, she has interesting stories to tell of those early days at NASA and of her work as a test pilot for Beechcraft.

From model rocket launches to stargazing parties, many other events are planned at The Discovery Center next week. Get a full list here.

August 1-7 also marks the first-ever Idaho Science and Aerospace Scholars Summer Academy. The program was organized in part by Morgan, who is now a Distinguished Educator in Residence in the Colleges of Engineering and Education at Boise State.

According to a news release from the Idaho Department of Education, 44 participating high school juniors “will be learning from the best in the industry as they work in teams to construct rovers, robots and rockets, plan missions and understand the material in the context of the real world.” Activities will be based in Boise but students will enjoy a two-day visit to the NASA Ames Research Center in California.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Editorial: Idaho is just cheap

0 comments Monday, July 19, 2010 at 10:37 AM

Idaho newspapers have published a wave of editorials reacting to the state's 50th-place finish in the recently released Census Bureau rankings of per-pupil investment (for the 2007-2008 school year, the latest figures available).

In the Lewiston Tribune, opinion page editor Marty Trillhaase wrote how Idaho has a long record of stinginess on education spending. "Go back a generation and you'll find the state bouncing along the bottom tier," he noted. "Its per-pupil spending never ranked better than 47th."

"Since then, however, some of the states that shared the basement with Idaho decided to improve," he added, noting:

Mississippi, ranked 51st (of the states and the District of Columbia) in 1992, has increased the amount of money it spends on each student by 135 percent. It's now at 46th place.

Alabama, ranked just below Idaho in 1992, boosted its per-pupil spending by 145 percent. It's now 34th.

Tennessee, ranked 49th nearly two decades ago, spends 110 percent more. It's up to 47th.

Meanwhile, Idaho has only expanded its investment 82 percent in the same time period. "While poor Southern states bettered themselves, Idaho opted to lavish income tax breaks on the wealthy in 2001 and property tax cuts for corporations in 2006," Trillhaase wrote. "Now you see where the money didn't go."

Trillhaase allows that Idaho isn't the richest state in the country, but he makes a sound argument that the state could do much, much better. For example, Montana ranks 28th nationally in per-pupil investment, despite a median family income 7.5 percent lower than Idaho's. 

"Idaho isn't that poor," he concludes. "It's just cheap." 

The Tribune is behind a paywall, but the Idaho Statesman reprinted the full editorial here. The Statesman also excerpted an editorial from The Times-News in Twin Falls, which wrote, "Even before the Legislature mandated a 7.5 percent decrease in funding for public schools, Idaho was sitting in the cheap seats. ... Education has a direct impact on economic development, not the least because it tells companies looking to relocate what a state's priorities are. And when it comes to education, Idaho's priorities are clearly open to question."

(Updated Monday, July 26)

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Apply now for green grants, RTI mentoring help

0 comments Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 10:54 AM

Are you an environmentally minded teacher eager for some "green" to help make your project ideas a reality? Are you involved with Response to Intervention to help all students succeed? Do you have ideas for why the government needs to invest in our children? Here are a few hot opportunities you might want to pursue. Because deadlines are coming up soon, please share this information with others who might be interested.

July 30 is the deadline for green-minded teachers to apply for a “Green Across America” grant from the NEA and Target. Grants of up to $1,000 are available for you to inspire your K-12 students to take innovative, sustainable steps to improve our environment. Get more information and apply via NEA Member Benefits. 

August 15 is the new closing date for applications to the RTI Action Network’s free Leadership Network, a year-long mentoring program to help educators plan and implement Response to Intervention programs on the district or building level. The 250 people chosen will receive mentoring and help the RTI Action Network improve its resources. Learn more and submit an application here. The deadline has been extended from July 30 to August 15.

August 16 is the deadline to submit an entry in a video contest sponsored by the Every Child Matters Education Fund. Entrants must be over age 18 and make an original, nonpartisan video of 30 seconds to two minutes long answering the question, “Why should the government invest in kids?” Cash prizes will be awarded! Get more details here.

Do you have an opportunity you’d like to share with fellow IEA members and public education allies? Please send information to Julie Fanselow.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Idaho ranks 50th out of 51 in per-pupil investment

0 comments Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 10:48 AM

The Census Bureau recently released its latest school funding figures, and the news was not good for Idaho: Out of the 50 states and District of Columbia, our state ranked next-to-last at $6,931 in per-pupil spending in 2007-2008.

The national average was $10,259. Only Utah spent less per student, at $5,765. The rest of our surrounding states invested much more per child: Wyoming, $13,840; Montana, $9,666; Oregon, $9,558; Washington, $9,009; and Nevada, $8,285.

It will be interesting – and probably distressing – to see what happens to Idaho’s rankings a few years from now. Unlike the 2010 Utah Legislature, which managed to hold the line on K-12 spending despite a billion-dollar overall budget shortfall, Idaho lawmakers slashed nearly $130 million from our state’s K-12 education investment.

Idahoans concerned about our state’s disinvestment in education can do several things:

Plan to vote November 2 for people who share your values, especially for the key positions of state Superintendent of Public Education and governor, but also in races for the state legislature. Idahoans across the political spectrum strongly support public education, but we often choose elected officials who routinely balance the state budget on the backs of children and educators. Help your family and friends register and vote this fall, too.

Email Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch to encourage passage of the education jobs funding bill now awaiting action in the Senate. If you have a few more minutes, you can call Senator Crapo - considered a swing vote on the bill - or share your story on his Facebook page and ask for his support of this bill. (Rep. Walt Minnick deserves thanks for his "yes" vote in the House, too.) Although it will not improve Idaho’s national status, the legislation will help keep educators, firefighters, and others on the job this fall so our nation’s economic recovery can continue.

Become involved in the Raise Your Hand community coalition campaign. You can join with other local parents, grandparents, business owners, and community leaders to ensure strong funding for Idaho’s public schools.

Idaho is too great to shortchange its future. Working together, we can do better for our children.

Update - July 15, 2010: In the Idaho Statesman today, opinion page editor Kevin Richert notes, "No one is talking that much about schools. ...  But 51 percent of the budget goes to K-12 - along with some 275,000 students. Those are a lot of kids and grandkids of Idaho voters. Voters may not have noticed that the 2010-11 budget year started on July 1. They probably don't care about how the parties spin their economic soothsaying skills. But they do care - or will, when the academic year starts - that public schools sustained a $128.5 million budget cut. That translates to more than $460 for every kid in K-12. I'm going to repeat that number until voters (or candidates) pick up (on) it." Read more.

Monday, July 05, 2010

NEA president calls for effectiveness

0 comments Monday, July 05, 2010 at 07:16 PM

Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, says it’s time for educators to take the lead—both in creating sound education policies and in taking charge of the teaching profession.

In a fiery speech July 3 to 9,000 educators gathered for NEA’s Representative Assembly (RA) in New Orleans, he said, “Let’s throw open the doors to every school and every classroom and tell everyone they are welcome to come in and see what extraordinary miracles we perform every day.” He specifically offered an invitation to those who see the Association as an obstructionist or defender of the status quo.

Time to take charge

Van Roekel believes it is time for teachers to step up and take charge of their own profession. He called for NEA to create a Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching. Accountants, nurses, doctors and lawyers all have a say in the professional standards, processes and procedures that govern their practice.  Educators should have the same influence over their profession.

“I am calling for this Commission to wrestle with the critical issues facing our profession,” Van Roekel said. “I want its members to focus on the professional practices that make a difference in student learning. The Commission should tackle the questions that have been avoided for far too long. How can we better lead our own profession?”

The Commission will offer recommendations on how teachers can exert greater authority over their profession and on the quality of public schools. Those recommendations will be presented to the 2011 RA, the top decision-making body for the 3.2 million-member NEA.

Van Roekel criticized the Department of Education’s focus on grant competitions that reward just a handful of states or districts. He specifically mentioned Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants, noting "While we applaud the administration for its commitment to fund education, our members are frustrated by the disconnect between what they need each day to support their students and schools and the federal policies that hold up struggling students as products to be tested.”

He urged members to speak up for sound educational policies that would benefit all students. He urged delegates at the RA to write down the specific provisions they want to see in a revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind. Their messages will be delivered to Education Secretary Arne Duncan before the debate over ESEA heats up in Congress.

Focus on student growth

The NEA leader pressed delegates in every state to use their creativity and political might to reach out to every member of Congress. “Tell Congress that the reauthorization of ESEA should include real funding and not require us to compete for resources. Tell them that ESEA should be based on good policies for students and educators…policies that meet the needs of every student and that close achievement gaps. Tell them that ESEA should scrap AYP and instead actually support student learning! Tell them to replace NCLB’s mind-numbing, high-stakes, pass-fail testing system with a system of multiple measures and focus on student growth.”
 
Van Roekel urged educators to create school-transformation models that can be shared and adapted to fit the unique communities across the country. He highlighted NEA’s Priority Schools Campaign, a national grassroots effort to help students in low-performing schools. The Campaign’s website includes ideas the educators can implement immediately.

He pointed to examples where NEA affiliates and educators are already making a difference. At Putnam City West High School in Oklahoma City, Okla., graduation rates for Hispanic students are up by nearly 70 percent because of a combination of targeted academic programs, parental involvement and professional development. In Evansville, Ind., administrators and union officials launched an equity schools project to transform schools through professional development for teachers and extended learning time for students. In Denver, Colo., teachers, the union and parents have teamed up to build the Math and Science Leadership Academy, where teachers emphasize collaboration that focuses on student learning.

The challenges facing public schools are complex, Van Roekel said, and meeting them requires community commitment and collaboration. He urged delegates to develop new partnerships that can energize school communities and support struggling students.

“If we work together, we can open opportunities for tens of thousands of students, day by day, one building at a time, one student at a time. We can seize the moment. We can transform schools. We can turn hope into action.”

You can read the full text of Van Roekel's address here and see video excerpts here.

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