Fred Klonsky’s PREA Prez Blog

Thousands of California teachers get the pink slip.

Posted in Funding by preaprez on March 21st, 2008

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Those who think that teaching is “recession proof” should look to the West Coast.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing $4.8 billion in school-funding cuts, or 10 percent of education spending.

In the past week, over 20,000 teachers received their pink slips according to the California Teachers Association. The California NEA affiliate estimates another 87,000 out of a total 350,000 public school teachers will be let go if the Terminator gets his cuts.

Republicrat Joe Williams’ program for school reform is taking root in California: Fire thousands of teachers.

You can say “no, thank you.”

Posted in Merit Pay by preaprez on March 21st, 2008

Here is a list (thanks to EdNotes) of NY schools that voted to reject the merit pay plan.

Go the the funding hearings.

Posted in Funding by preaprez on March 21st, 2008

The $400 million that was supposed to end up in school coffers as a result of the budget implementation act signed in January may disappear from their current funding when the General State Aid payments come due in June.

About $370 million will be delayed to the schools, meaning that those districts that most heavily depend on state support may end up back on “financial watch” status lists.

Join me in attending one of the House budget hearings scheduled for this week and next to see just how bad the state’s fiscal circumstances are and how they may affect you, your schools and your communities for years to come.

I will be at the one in Northbrook on Monday, March 24 at 3:00 p.m.
Northbrook Village Hall, City Council Chambers
1225 Cedar Lane, Northbrook

WordPress 2.5

Posted in Blogging by preaprez on March 21st, 2008

I’m looking forward to the release of WordPress 2.5

The beta version is already available and they are saying I will be able to switch over in a month or so. It looks cool.

Not on the test.

Posted in NCLB, culture by preaprez on March 21st, 2008

Tom Chapin.

Where do the tips go?

Posted in Musings by preaprez on March 21st, 2008

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This ain’t a union label.

Tomorrow’s my day for Three over coffee. But I’m off work for a few days for Spring Break (Spring Break! They’re predicting three to eight inches of snow today) and I headed over to Peets for my morning brew. I threw the change into the tip jar.

In California a judge has ruled against Starbucks and awarded present and past baristas over $100 million because they split the tips with the shift managers. The judge found:

Starbucks’ practice was a violation of a state law that prohibits managers and supervisors from sharing in employee tips. Her ruling Thursday on penalties followed her Feb. 28 decision in favor of the baristas in the class-action lawsuit.

I know that shift managers aren’t exactly big-time management. But the lawyers representing the baristas make a good point.

“They were subsidizing Starbucks’ labor costs by helping the company pay its supervisors. This is about getting money back to the lowest-paid employees.”

Starbucks is famously anti-union. They went ballistic when our Logan Square baristas organized a local of the IWW.