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10-22-09 News of Note
Press of Atlantic Cty: 'What do the candidates say on education?' A third of the state budget and a lot of property-tax money funds public education in New Jersey. The next governor will decide how that money is spent. Here's what the candidates say they will do.

Associated Press - 'College prep for teachers 'lacking' Thursday, October 22, 2009

Herald News,WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is calling for an overhaul of college programs that prepare teachers, saying they are cash cows that do a mediocre job of preparing teachers for the classroom.

Star Ledger - 'N.J. school construction projects are delayed by state-contractors dispute'

What do the candidates say on education?

A third of the state budget and a lot of property-tax money funds public education in New Jersey. The next governor will decide how that money is spent. Here's what the candidates say they will do.

 JON S. CORZINE

K-12 FUNDING: Used federal stimulus funds this year to help meet his new "money follows the child" school funding formula obligations. Said education remains a top priority, but if less money is available next year, he will still use the formula to calculate state aid.

PUBLIC PRESCHOOL: Called it his "single most important education reform" but had to delay expansion this year for lack of funds. Remains committed to providing it to all low-income children.

HIGHER EDUCATION: Supports private/public partnerships to fund college projects as a substitute for state bonds. Supports more financial aid for needy students, and some government oversight of costs and tuition hikes, possibly through a larger role for the Commission on Higher Education.

SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION: Called it essential to reducing costs in education. Touted new law that eliminates small non-operating districts that have school boards and budgets but send all students to other districts.

SCHOOL CHOICE: Supports growth of charter schools. Promoted efforts to streamline approval process. Supports funding facilities when money becomes available.

 CHRIS CHRISTIE

K-12 EDUCATION: Supports innovation and better use of resources, primarily through expanding charter schools. Supports school-based management of successful schools in failing districts. Wants education funding to come from a recurring revenue resource, which has not yet been identified.

PUBLIC PRESCHOOL: Says preschool is vital to children's development, but opposes Corzine's plan to expand preschool to reach all low-income students. Has not offered an alternative.

HIGHER EDUCATION: Will reinstate program to give state matching funds for private contributions of $1 million or more to state colleges. Will create new Outstanding Scholars scholarship program for high-achieving students. Will ensure expanded tutoring for students in the Educational Opportunity Fund program. Will provide grants to four-year and community colleges to train workers.

SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION: No policy presented.

SCHOOL CHOICE: Would expand the public school choice program to allow more schools to accept children from other districts. Supports rapid expansion and more equitable funding for charter schools and access to federal funds for facilities. Supports a tuition tax-credit scholarship to pay for low-income students in failing schools to attend private or other public schools.CHRIS DAGGETT

K-12 EDUCATION: Admits school funding formula it is going to be difficult to fund next year and less money could mean a proportional cut in aid. Also supports five-year renewable tenure and more intense supervision of teachers. Would eliminate of the alternative test given to students who fail the high school graduation test, except under very narrow circumstances. Would promote 10 $1 million dollar grants to develop "break the mold" schools.

PUBLIC PRESCHOOL: Believes it has been effective in the urban districts. Would like to preserve and expand it, but not until the state has the funds. Supports a public discussion of expansion rather than just a state mandate.

HIGHER EDUCATION: Says the state has been "disinvesting" in higher education, but admits finding more funding will be a challenge. Would emphasize creating partnerships with business and industry to help fund research and development.

SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION: A waste of time. He said the "poison pill" requiring voters in each district to approve plans almost guarantees any proposal will fail, and the money saved is too small to justify the time and money it will cost to develop the plans.

SCHOOL CHOICE: Supports full funding for charter schools equal to traditional public schools, and would encourage more innovative models involving corporations, colleges and public school conversions. Supports facilities funding. Supports a five-year pilot voucher project that would give businesses corporate tax credits equal to their contributions to a private school scholarship fund for students in 10 urban cities.

 

Contact Diane D'Amico:

609-272-7241

DDamico@pressofac.com

© 1970-2009 Press of Atlantic City Media Group

 

 

 

N.J. school construction projects are delayed by state-contractors dispute

By Lisa Fleisher/Statehouse Bureau

October 22, 2009, 6:25AM

 Construction for the Newark school and four others in the state have been delayed during negotiations.TRENTON -- Five New Jersey school construction projects — including one to replace a Newark building destroyed by lightning — have been delayed for months because of a fight between the state and a contractors group about the bidding process.

The state Schools Development Authority said it can cut costs and speed up projects by combining the design and construction phases, but the Mechanical Contractors Association of New Jersey said the process would be unfair to small contractors and would ultimately cost taxpayers more.

The authority wanted to test the process on five of the 25 of school projects it has planned for construction or pre-construction this year, including Newark’s Elliott Street School, which burned after a lightning strike in 2006. The school’s 680 students have been split among three other schools.

The other schools affected by the fight are the Redshaw Elementary School in New Brunswick, the Lorraine Place Elementary School in Keansburg, Jersey City Elementary School No. 3 and Jersey City Early Childhood Center No. 3.

The association sued in April and the state Appellate Division the following month ordered the state to stop work on the $40 million Elliott Street School. The two sides delivered arguments today before an appellate court panel, but it could be months before the judges return a decision.

With traditional projects, the authority receives two sets of bids: one for design plans and another for construction. Last year, the authority proposed streamlining the process so that one contractor would be selected to both design and build a school in a process known as "design-build."

"Many times you can get at the same or lower price a higher-quality performance out of the parties that are building the schools," said Janesa Urbano, vice president and chief counsel for the schools Authority.

The authority used the design-build process once before with success, spokesman Larry Hanover said. In 2006, the authority used the process to build the Summerfield Elementary School in Neptune. The $23 million school cost $216 per square foot, compared with $249 per square foot for other projects that year, he said.

This year, the agency decided to start using the process more, saying it was trying to get projects going as quickly as possible to create jobs amid the recession.

But the contractors association said combining the bidding could open the door to corruption and overcharging.

The process also would make it impossible to evaluate costs from one bid to another, because the state would be choosing from different designs, said Alan O’Shea, executive director of the contractors association.

The contractors also take issue with another part of the process: The schools authority picks four finalists from a preliminary group and invites only them to submit bids.

"They are restricting the number of bidders, and that automatically drives up cost," O’Shea, said.

Authority officials said the process actually increases competition because it doesn’t cost as much for a contracting company to enter the bidding — and because the finalist firms will put more effort into their bids.

"We believe the idea of competition is actually fostered in this process because it encourages firms to put their best foot forward," Urbano said.

 

North Jersey Media Group

 
College prep for teachers 'lacking'
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Herald News
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is calling for an overhaul of college programs that prepare teachers, saying they are cash cows that do a mediocre job of preparing teachers for the classroom.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan called for "revolutionary change" in these programs, which prepare at least 80 percent of the nation's teachers.

In a speech prepared for delivery today, Duncan said he has talked to hundreds of great young teachers while serving as Chicago schools chief and later as President Obama's schools chief. The teachers have two complaints about education schools, he said.

"First, most of them say they did not get the hands-on teacher training about managing the classroom that they needed, especially for high-needs students," he said in the speech to Columbia University's Teachers College.

"And second, they say they were not taught how to use data to improve instruction and boost student learning," Duncan said.

A 2006 report found that three of five education school alumni said their training failed to prepare them to teach, he noted.

The report was by Arthur Levine, a former Teachers College president.

The government is also to blame, Duncan said. Most states have paper-and-pencil licensing exams that measure basic skills and knowledge but not readiness for the classroom, he said, and local mentoring programs "are lacking."