Let me get this straight – you’re pregnant and the decision weather or not to let the unborn child live is a sacred right to choose. The Mainstreet Partnership Preaches social tolerance, right?

Now that same child survives the pregnancy and grows up some… these same socially tolerant people think that only failing Government Schools should be allowed to educate/brainwash that child.

Recently, the Rocklin School Board comprised of 4 Republican Ose-Endorsing members torpedoed the charter for the Rocklin Academy. I suspect that their teacher’s union suitors were pleased with the results.

The following article illustrates that the Mainstreet Partnership drew an important line – siding with Democrats to deny poor families the right to have their children educated elsewhere than Government Schools, many of which resemble minimum security prisons.

AP Online 1/17/2001 Anjette McQueen AP Education Writer

Republicans Stand Against Vouchers

WASHINGTON (AP)—President-elect Bush can reform federal education programs without turning to private-school vouchers, moderate Republicans in Congress said Wednesday.

``Many see that as an issue that will immediately freeze anything substantial getting done,’’ said Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, 60 House members and 11 senators who are moderate Republicans.

``The Republican Main Street Partnership urges bold action to strengthen our public schools,’’ the group says in the eight-page plan that it will send to Bush and Education Secretary-designate Rod Paige.

The moderate Republicans, who say their plan is not a blueprint for the session’s first education bill, suggested Wednesday that federal lawmakers concentrate on raising classroom standards, increasing money for disabled students and making federal regulations more flexible. They also should back Bush’s multibillion-dollar literacy plan to help all pupils read by age nine.

Vouchers, or government aid for children to attend private or parochial schools, are not in the picture for the partnership.

Castle and other moderate Republicans have voted against voucher plans introduced by more-conservative leaders. This year moderates of either party will have more power to tilt the balance in a closely divided House and evenly split Senate.

There also have been some reports that Bush would back off a campaign pitch to crack down on lagging schools by offering their students the ability to transfer, even to nonpublic campuses.

Still, Republican congressional leaders are not pronouncing vouchers dead.

Paige, who pushed a similar but smaller program as chief of Houston’s schools, said at his nomination hearing for the incoming Bush Cabinet that vouchers wouldn’t ``be a priority’’ for the administration.

Some other education plans backed by the GOP centrists could draw almost as much fire as vouchers. The group has suggested English-language immersion for students who are now taught in a combination of English and their native tongues, which has emerged in several places as hotly debated ballot measures. Moderates said the government should encourage states and local districts to consider teacher-quality alternatives such as bonus pay.

The main priority, they say, is the renewal of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the federal K-12 law that got bogged down last year with unrelated fights over gun control and hate crimes.

Castle said members will be willing to compromise to finish the bill.

``I don’t mean to suggest that you’re not going to be dealing with all manner of divisive political issues,’’ he said. ``Reasonable people have to make reasonable decisions about what they are going to push for.’‘

Any of you “Children First” apologists rethinking your position on education funding yet???

By Deb Kollars – sacbee.com

“If I were to get laid off, I’d get my last paycheck and then get booted out the door,” Young said. “To see administrators soaking up the gravy is really infuriating.”

Young was referring to the March 19 decision by the Grant school board to give big buyout checks to as many as 19 top tier administrators in the district. The proposed individual payouts range from about $100,000 to more than $250,000. If all 19 take the buyouts, it will cost $3 million, according to Dave Gordon, Sacramento County’s superintendent of schools, who is investigating the buyout package.

The retirement deals included $10,000 cash incentives that were required under employee bargaining agreements at the time.

LINK

By Gayle Garbolino-Mojica –
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, March 13, 2008
Story appeared in SOUTH PLACER ROSEVILLE section of the SacBee, Page G5

This sad story of poor, whiney school officials doesn’t tell both sides.

“In Placer County, our districts stand to lose more than $25 million in general fund revenue and another $8 million in categorical funding, for a total of $33 million in loss of revenue. That equates to about $580 less per-student funding for our county.”

Full story link

Oh please! Every time state budget cuts come up the schools and firemen all scream bloody murder. Schools are very top heavy with administrators getting 6 figure salaries; almost 100% job security, a pension, etc etc while the private sector pays for this. What Garbolino won’t tell you is that she (or a close relative) is in the teaching profession, or related, so there’s a conflict of interest. Also she fails to let the reader know that by law, over 50% of the entire state budget of CA is earmarked for K-12 alone. This doesn’t include all the money going to the community colleges, the California State Univ or the University of California campuses. It’s almost a scam folks the amount of money the taxpayers of this state throws at education. Any yet we don’t get much for our money. Please be smart and informed about this issue and don’t fall for these fear stories in the media. The schools of CA do very well for themselves monetarily and the budget already reflects that to a fault.