> State Board of Education Approves Class Size Changes
>
>
>
> In 2000 the Georgia General Assembly adopted a plan to reduce class
> sizes in all grade levels within four years. This was an effort that
> recognized what GAE has advocated for many years, that lower class sizes
> increase student achievement. Unfortunately, reaching the goal of the
> final phase of class size reductions has not happened and will not
> happen again this year. Due to severe cuts in education funding and the
> necessity to comply with unfunded mandates in the so-called No Child
> Left Behind, there has been no effort to reduce class sizes in the last
> three years.
>
>
>
> This year Governor Perdue proposed and the legislature approved another
> delay in reducing class sizes so that, at the earliest, the final phase
> of class size reduction cannot occur until 2008-09. Therefore the State
> Board of Education (BOE) had to adopt new rules for class size
> requirements in all grade level.
>
>
>
> On July 14th the BOE approved changes to the class size rule for the
> 2006-07 and 2007-08 school year that include changes in high school
> science class sizes.
>
>
>
> Last year GAE opposed an effort of the BOE to increase the size of high
> school science classes from 28 to 30 students. This year the Board, at
> the urging of Superintendent Kathy Cox, lowered the class size to 28
> again. They also established a rule that high school science classes
> cannot exceed the 28 student maximum through the use of system wide
> averages. This averaging, which GAE has opposed, allows school systems
> to divide the number of students per grade level in each subject by the
> number of teachers teaching those subjects at that grade level. The
> current rule on averaging allows the school system to go over the
> maximum class size by two students in each subject, but that will not be
> allowed in high school science classes for 2005-2006.
>
> Click here
> http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/_documents/doe/legalservices/160-5-1-.08.pdf
> for a complete list of class size rules for each subject and each grade
> level.
>
>
>
> If you have any concerns that your school system is not meeting these
> class size requirements please let us know. Plus, if your school system
> has implemented class sizes that are lower than those required we would
> like to know that as well. Please send any information to
> mailto:jocelyn.whitfield@gae.org or mailto:jody.grogan@gae.org
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> If the link above does not work use the web address below for the class
> size rules.
>
> http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/_documents/doe/legalservices/160-5-1-.08.pdf
NEA Study Reveals Teacher Salaries Stagnant for Last
Decade
Schools Struggle to Find & Keep Well-Qualified Teachers
Washington, D.C. –Despite the rise in school enrollments and the chronic
teacher shortages faced by many school districts, a state-by-state report (http://www.nea.org/edstats/index.html)
released today by the National Education Association (NEA) shows teacher salary
levels have barely budged, complicating the nation’s efforts to attract
and retain qualified teachers.
The report, Rankings & Estimates: Rankings of the States 2004 and Estimates
of School Statistics 2005, also demonstrates that other critical investments
in U.S. public schools are not keeping pace with the needs of our children.
Research shows that the quality of a child’s teacher is a key factor in
closing the achievement gaps that exist today and ensuring that all students
are prepared for success in work and life. Yet according to NEA’s study,
the average salary of a public school teacher for the 2003-2004 school year
increased only slightly over the previous year.
Over the last decade, teacher salaries have remained flat, growing just 2.9
percent in inflation-adjusted dollars. Fifteen states saw real declines in average
teacher salaries between the 1993-94 and 2003-04 school years, adjusted for
inflation. States with average salaries declining five percent or more are:
Alaska (-14.3%), Kansas (-10.4%), Connecticut (-9.4%), Wisconsin (-6.3%) and
New York (-5.2%) (Charts C-11, C-14).
Speaking on behalf of NEA’s 2.7 million educators, President Reg Weaver
emphasized that inadequate state and local funding of public schools and the
strict, costly regulations of the so-called “No Child Left Behind”
law are making it more difficult for schools to retain quality employees.
“A career in teaching offers many intrinsic rewards. But teachers should
never have to choose between doing what they love and supporting their families,”
Weaver said. “We can’t continue to ask them to fulfill such an important
mission without providing the support they deserve and need to remain in the
profession.”
Nationwide, at least 2 million teachers will be needed over the next decade
because of teacher attrition and retirement and increased student enrollment.
Research shows that more than one third of all new teachers leave the profession
within three years and almost one half leave within five years due to poor working
conditions and low salaries. The percentages are even higher for minority teachers,
male teachers, and teachers under 30.
“Every child should be able to attend a great public school and have what
he or she needs to succeed – highly qualified teachers, small class sizes,
and up-to-date textbooks and materials,” Weaver added. “It’s
time for policymakers at all levels to step up and provide the resources.”
Other highlights of the annual report include:
• Average per student spending for the 2003-04 school year rose 2.3 percent
to $8,248 – with 29 states below the average. The highest-ranking states
were the District of Columbia, New York and Connecticut. The lowest were Utah,
Arizona and Oklahoma (Charts H-9, H-11, H-16).
• Public school enrollment for Fall 2003 rose 0.7 percent to 48,132,518
students. The fastest-growing student populations were in Nevada, Arizona and
Florida. The largest decreases occurred in the District of Columbia, North Dakota,
Wyoming and Vermont (Charts B-2, B-3).
Using information provided by state education agencies and analyzed by NEA researchers,
Rankings and Estimates has presented selected education statistics since the
1960s.
The complete report can be found at http://www.nea.org/edstats/index.html.
The selected tables mentioned above can be found at: http://www.nea.org/newsreleases/2005/nr050623a.html.
July 25, 2005
Higher Education Act Reauthorization Offers Mixed Bag
As "Legislative Update" went to press, the House Education Committee
was continuing its markup of legislation, the College Access and Opportunity
Act of 2005 (H.R. 609), that would reauthorize the law that provides more than
$70 billion in higher education aid to students and colleges and universities.
NEA has played a significant role in several amendments and saw important victories
in scaling back attempts to make federal funding available to for-profit colleges
and universities.
Among the improvements made:
· An amendment by Michael Castle (R-DE) that limits the scope of federal
funding made available to for-profit colleges and universities. As introduced,
the bill would have expanded the definition of higher education institutions
to include for-profits.
· An amendment by Luis Fortuño (R-Puerto Rico) that protects funding
for higher education institutions that serve blacks and Hispanics.
Setbacks include:
· A lack of focus on student aid by defeating an amendment to double
the maximum Pell Grant award to $11,600 over the next five years. A token increase
passed.
· A provision to include a merit pay proposal. The Teacher Incentive
Fund provides $500 million for grants to design performance-based pay systems.
· An amendment was defeated that would have prohibited the Education
Department from enforcing its new policy that threatens to reverse progress
women and girls have made under Title IX in sports and academics. Under the
new policy, all a school has to do to show it is providing its female students
with equal opportunities to play sports is to send each of its female students
an e-mail survey asking whether they have the interest and ability to play additional
sports.
Issues pending include:
· An amendment by Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) to ensure safeguards in expanding
distance education to prevent rapid expansion to "fly by night" web
programs. The current rule excludes institutions that provide more than 50 percent
of their coursework by distance education from receiving federal funding.
· An amendment by Michael Castle (R-DE) to maintain the requirement that
for-profit schools cannot rely on federal student aid for more than 90 percent
of revenues.
NEA Helps Stop Expansion of D.C. Vouchers to MD, VA
Private school vouchers won't spread from Washington, D.C., to the adjoining
states of Virginia and Maryland, thanks to the efforts of a coalition that includes
NEA, other education and parent groups and D.C. elected and civic leaders.
Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) withdrew his proposal last week to allow D.C. voucher
students to attend private high schools in Maryland and Virginia, saying there
was not enough time to pass legislation in time for the fall semester. Brownback,
chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee on the District, sought to expand
the nation's only federally funded private school voucher program.
The year-old taxpayer funded program provides up to $7,500 for D.C. students
to attend private or religious schools in the city.
Please send email responses to know@gae.org to answer:
Do you think schools should offer cash rewards or other incentives to students
who tattle?
About this issue:
In April, Houston County started offering rewards of up to $100 for reporting
relatively minor crimes like vandalism or theft and $500 for information about
a crime, or plans for a crime, involving a gun. Roughly 2000 schools and colleges
across the nation have adopted similar Student Crime Stoppers Programs that
offer anonymous ways for students report classmates who carry guns, drugs or
alcohol, commit acts of vandalism or break other school rules.
Please email your opinions to know@gae.org
· Please note, opinions may be included in the next issue of the KNOW
magazine. Be sure to include you full name and local association.
THANKS!
Applications for Pre-payment to NBPTS
> Good morning. You are probably aware that the law regarding prepayment
of
> fees to NBPTS and eligibility for the 10% of state base salary supplement
> has changed. Teachers in schools that are and have been on the Department
> of Education's "Needs Improvement" list for two or more consecutive
years
at
> the time of application, are eligible to apply for prepayment of fees if
> they have completed a PSC-approved course, The Knowledgeable Teacher
between
> September 1, 2003 and September 30, 2005.
>
> Those who achieve NBCT will be eligible for the 10% of state base salary
> supplement, even if the eligible school (that they were working in at the
> time of application) comes off the list prior to the time of their
> achievement.
>
> We are currently taking applications for prepayment of fees to NBPTS in
the
> amount of $2000 from eligible educators at www.gapsc.com (click on NB
icon).
> The site will be opened until September 30, 2005.
>
> As a current PSC-approved Facilitator for NB, please share this
information
> with principals and teachers in appropriate schools in your school system.
> Teachers interested in taking The Knowledgeable Teacher may contact GAE
> (mailto:sally.bennett@gae.org) or PAGE (mailto:dray@pageinc.org) for information
about
the
> continuous enrollment opportunities for the online course offered by each
> organization.
>
> We will appreciate your assistance in making this opportunity known to
> eligible educators in your school system.
>
> Gail Sherer, Ed.D, NBCT
> Educator Workforce Research and Development Division
> Georgia Professional Standards Commission
> Two Peachtree Street, Suite 6000
> Atlanta, GA 30303
> Phone: (404) 232-2598
> Fax: (404) 232-2660
> E-mail: mailto:Gail.Sherer@gapsc.com