• Katrina & Education: How
to Help Relocate Children
Thousands of homeless children are being assimilated
into Houston’s public schools. No clothes.
No texts. No familiar friends or teachers. “We
have supplies and are
hoping to have backpacks
and clothes for all the children by Monday
,” commented a Houston staff member. "The district
has a You
Can Help webpage. But immediately…the children
and teachers could
use some uplifting messages.”
Our upper New England schools could write write
letters of support and friendship to these
children and teachers.
Jennifer Yould
of the Houston, Texas,
Independent School District said she’ll personally
see that packets of support letters reach these
displaced children. “Send packs for
entire classrooms. And don’t forget the teachers.
They need support, too.” There are enough displaced
children to use all the friendly letters
we can provide. For guidelines to classroom-to-classroom
friendship letters, click
here.
For Mississippi,
the DOE website has an adopt-a-school project:
Offers for school donations and assistance:
Adopt-A-School: 601-359-3764
For Alabama, the Commissioner of Education
has set an example of waiving school entrance requirements
so displaced Katrina students can enter
new schools more easily. Children will relocate
everywhere in the country
All states should clarify entry-to-school guidelines. “I
am waiving the usual and customary requirements
for students who transfer into Alabama’s public
schools from other states, systems within the state,
or home schooled-private school students in or
from outside Alabama due to circumstances caused
by Hurricane Katrina. Many people escaped with literally
the clothes on their backs and have no humanly way
possible to produce birth certificates,
immunization records, school records, information
for qualifying for the child Nutrition Program.”
For
Anywhere: Hurricane emergency packs for education
The Council of Chief State School Officers website
provides a guideline: Each kit should include $1.00
and be packed in a ziplock bag or bookbag. The idea
is great and there are many
small towns where parents and community groups are
pulling together to create schools and teaching
groups. Creating student education packs—a helpful
way to sponsor a
small classroom.
• Franklin Career Academy Update
Franklin’s Career Academy will
receive state and federal student funding withheld
all year by leaders of Hill, Franklin, and Winnisquam
school districts. The Commissioner
will redirect state funds to a charter school if
funds are withheld. Statutory compliance came too
late for FCA to re-open this September,
however. New education commissioner Lionel Tracy
wrote to Superintendents heading up districts intentionally
violating student funding laws:
“… our children who are attending charter schools are having their
resources withheld. As commissioner, I am responsible for carrying
out the legislature’s policy decisions ..It is my obligation to provide
regulatory direction and general supervision to public schools. Under
RSA 194-B: 11 I am also specifically authorized to pay tuition for
charter schools directly to the charter school. In light of the current
circumstances, my intent is to pay the amount owed to the Franklin
Career Academy. Therefore, this amount will be subtracted from your
district’s next education grant payment in September.”
The provisions of RSA 194-B: 11 are clear in section
IX: “The student’s resident school district or
department of education shall pay tuition in
cash or may issue reimbursement anticipation notes…” The reimbursement anticipation note idea created
confounding confusion, but payment in cash…this
was an option all year for the districts or
the state. Pennsylvania’s similar handling of district
payment refusals was discussed in our Newsletter
#20 .
Franklin Career Academy’s Board Chairman Bill Grimm’s
reaction: “We appreciate the action of the Commissioner. We’re sure
that he made this
action a priority. Unfortunately, we needed to have
this solution in May or early June
of this year to continue operations this fall. We
certainly hope to be able to open the school again.”
• Surry Saga Update
Frustrated parents wonder why young children
are bussed 60-90 minutes in different directions
with crazy gas prices when Surry’s perfectly fine
little village school
is down the street, empty. Retired teachers
are offering to re-open the school.
The transition year promised
northern towns—ignored. One court hearing
and another proposed. Towns that collaborated are
now stressed in ways that will dismantle
the multi-town district. Why? Apparently the Board
thought there were 10 too few children to justify
teachers. A solution: welcome displaced children
and let the beautiful
Town of Surry and its village school become an
emergency charter school. Being good neighbors
to Katrina victims could solve Surry’s own displacement
concerns.
New to the Surry Saga topic? Read Saga
of Surry: Part I&II and Saga
of Surry:Part III and Have
your say. The weblog lives. At the moment, groups in Surry
are meeting to discuss: 1) withdrawal,
2) going to court, 3) making the village school a
choice, charter school, and 4) ask why this is
happening when they were guaranteed a year of transition
to plan for their children.
• Two Charter School Applications Move Forward
The current chill from changes in governor, commissioner,
and state board chairmen seems to have passed.
People are again discussing the potential of charter
schools for cities, towns, and regions.
Legislators have voiced their commitment to fix
NH’s charter school funding scheme so it is
equitable, sensible, and allows for sustainability.
We still have no “city” charter school proposals
despite many city school
concerns. (Our calendar has
legislation deadlines for 2005-2006).
Two school proposals are on the State
Board’s September 14th agenda, seeking authorization. The
New Hampshire Equestrian Academy has a revised charter
application with a clearer definition of its high standards academic
program; insurance
information; and …a facility. This school has been offered space
on a 120-acre equine facility in Rochester and a
commitment to assist with fundraising. There is tremendous
statewide support for this
proposal inside and outside school districts
because it offers students career
options not currently available. There’s
still time for a
letter of support. [At the gas
station this morning, D. Mitchell had this article:“There
are 9.2 million horses in the US that have an impact
of more than $39 billion on the
economy. …so many communities are unaware of
the economic benefits of having horses and equestrian
facilities within their borders…”
Strong
Foundations is
a well-thought-out K-4 elementary charter school proposal.
The mission: To assure children have strong academic
foundations for grade level
achievement in reading, writing, and math. The goal:
To demonstrate that students at risk for developing
learning disabilities can reach
grade level academic achievement, when proven methods
are skillfully used. The vision: To lessen the need
for long-term remedial services
by giving elementary school children the foundations
for success in academics.
Founders are
learning disabilities specialists who think best
methods applied earlier will result in fewer children
with pronounced long-term difficulties
and remedial needs in upper grades. Read about
this school’s proposal. There’s still time to contact
founders. They seek space in the greater
Concord area. This school will be fully inclusive
for students identified as learning disabled or
at risk for learning disabilities.
• Our Weblog:
New topic: Deaf
Education. Do hearing school administrators know
all the methods for teaching deaf students and the effectiveness
studies for each?
New Hampshire has one of the highest drop-outs
rates in the country for deaf students. Early education success is
imperative…and…who
knows what teaching approach is best? Your
comments are welcome. To hear 40 minutes of e-dialogue on this topic, click
here.
• On Air with SCHOOL TALK
Currently playing: Susan Brule
on Deaf Education…different theories over the
decades and what each hoped to accomplish. To listen: click
here.
Art Education
and Concord’s
Kimball Jenkins Estate School of Art aired Wednesday,
September 7 at 1:07 p.m. Darryl Furtkamp, Director,
explained the importance
of art training and portfolio development for
aspiring young artists. Will the Kimball Jenkins
consider a charter school?
We’ll post this
interview soon. Bookmark our Calendar to
check future shows: The Equestrian School on 9/14;
the Right to Know Law on 9/21. Listen
in worldwide from WKXL1450
audiostreaming.
To
be more informed on school reform topics, visit our web
site. Read up on the basics
of charter schools in New Hampshire. See the complete
listing of schools and projects; check out our publications.
We
provide start-up
resources and helpful information in newsletter archives,
e.g. reports on charter
school funding, what's new in other states,
and progress of new schools in New Hampshire We welcome your questions and suggestions. So contact
us. Can we help you? We offer free seminars and/or assistance
with grants or proposals.Know
someone who might like our newsletter? Let
us know!