That is what five Yakima Valley lawmakers have proposed to Washington state legislators.
As a way to cut costs, some rural districts are kicking around the idea of having four-day school weeks. While students may be drooling over the idea, not everybody thinks it's a good solution.
It would not be the first time a state took such seemingly drastic measures. In fact, New Mexico was way ahead of the curve as it experimented with shorter school weeks during the energy crisis of the 1970s
Read the full story from the Seattle P-I.
Four-day school week proposed
P-I STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
OLYMPIA -- Schools could go to a four-day week, under bills proposed by five Yakima Valley lawmakers.
The legislation would allow districts to apply to the State Board of Education to waive the 180-day school-year requirement, as long as the district's students still received the required 1,000 hours of annual instruction.
The bills' sponsors, Sens. Jim Honeyford and Curtis King and Reps. Dan Newhouse, Bruce Chandler and Geoff Simpson, say the goal is to help districts save money on utilities, transportation, maintenance and food.
Switching to four-day weeks would be voluntary under Senate Bill 5112 and House Bill 1292, and districts could choose which day of the week they closed.
The idea "is an interesting proposal," said Seattle Public Schools spokesman David Tucker Tuesday. "We'll evaluate it."
The shorter school weeks would have benefits like fewer long commutes for students in rural districts, or longer class periods for science labs or complex lessons. School days would be longer, to compensate for a shorter school year.
A shorter school week also might have some unintended effects though, according to a House bill analysis.
For example, a longer school day could be difficult for younger students or problematic when scheduling extracurricular activities. Parents would have to arrange an extra day of child care during the work week.
About 100 mostly small, rural school districts in 17 states have adopted a shortened school week, according to a House bill analysis. New Mexico was the first to try four-day school weeks, as a way to save time and money during the 1970s energy crisis, the analysis notes.
Tucker said district officials hope the Legislature will implement the recommendations of the Basic Education Task Force, which called for extra instructional time for students, particularly those who are struggling.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Five Questions for Andrew Schneider
1. Is the situation at the Seattle P-I a sign of things to come in major metropolitan areas? Or an extreme example?
2. How long did you spend researching and interviewing before writing and publishing the Libby series?
3. Looking back on your works, even though they are held in high regard and some even considered the best in their class, do you wish you would have done anything differently? If so what? (Any specific holes, places you may have overstepped moral/ethical boundaries, etc.)
4. What positives are you able to pull from a situation like the one in Libby? You reported on some very inhumane and unjust circumstances, but what was the good in the story for you that made you want to keep pursuing it?
5. What are the most important steps an aspiring journalist can take to be successful once they get into the workplace?
2. How long did you spend researching and interviewing before writing and publishing the Libby series?
3. Looking back on your works, even though they are held in high regard and some even considered the best in their class, do you wish you would have done anything differently? If so what? (Any specific holes, places you may have overstepped moral/ethical boundaries, etc.)
4. What positives are you able to pull from a situation like the one in Libby? You reported on some very inhumane and unjust circumstances, but what was the good in the story for you that made you want to keep pursuing it?
5. What are the most important steps an aspiring journalist can take to be successful once they get into the workplace?
Federal Government to Step up Education Funding
According to an article in The New York Times, Congress was scheduled to vote on a proposed economic stimulus plan Wednesday that would more than double the Department of Education's budget.
The plan would funnel $150 billion into school districts and universities across the country. It would also be the largest increase in federal spending on education since soon after World War II.
The money would be dispersed to states and districts based on greatest need. No matter where it goes, though, it is going to help alleviate some of the largest budget deficits in U.S. history.
“This is going to avert literally hundreds of thousands of teacher layoffs,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Tuesday.
With some of the money tagged for school renovations and construction, it would be the first time federal government entered those realms that have been left to state and local governments. Not everybody is happy with the potential long-term changes this stimulus package would incur.
Representative Howard P. McKeon, Republican of California and the ranking minority member of the House education committee, said, “By putting the federal government in the business of building schools, Democrats may be irrevocably changing the federal government’s role in education in this country.”
There are also some who believe the proposal does not do enough for the future or to solve the root of the problem.
“It’s like an alcoholic at the end of the night when the bars close, and the solution is to open the bar for another hour,” said Frederick Hess, an education policy analyst at the American Enterprise Institute.
Please read more in the New York Times article by Sam Dillon.
The plan would funnel $150 billion into school districts and universities across the country. It would also be the largest increase in federal spending on education since soon after World War II.
The money would be dispersed to states and districts based on greatest need. No matter where it goes, though, it is going to help alleviate some of the largest budget deficits in U.S. history.
“This is going to avert literally hundreds of thousands of teacher layoffs,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Tuesday.
With some of the money tagged for school renovations and construction, it would be the first time federal government entered those realms that have been left to state and local governments. Not everybody is happy with the potential long-term changes this stimulus package would incur.
Representative Howard P. McKeon, Republican of California and the ranking minority member of the House education committee, said, “By putting the federal government in the business of building schools, Democrats may be irrevocably changing the federal government’s role in education in this country.”
There are also some who believe the proposal does not do enough for the future or to solve the root of the problem.
“It’s like an alcoholic at the end of the night when the bars close, and the solution is to open the bar for another hour,” said Frederick Hess, an education policy analyst at the American Enterprise Institute.
Please read more in the New York Times article by Sam Dillon.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Budget Committee Meeting
Floyd Promises not to Squeeze Students
MICHAEL WALSH
The chairs of Washington State University’s Budget Committee, President Elson S. Floyd and Provost Warwick M. Bayly, hosted a public question-and-answer forum Tuesday evening, regarding the University’s budget at the CUB Auditorium. About 100 people attended the second of two meetings, the first being earlier in the afternoon.
The committee was formed in response to Gov. Christine Gregoire’s request for the university to give back more than $10 million from the last biennial budget and her proposed budget for the coming biennium which includes a $31 million reduction for WSU.
“I am determined that we will come out of this fiscal crisis stronger than we went into it,” Floyd said. “We will come out of it much more focused about our direction, much more focused about our goals and much more focused about our priorities.”
While the president exuded confidence about the state of the university, most of the audience was more concerned about what is going to be done in the meantime and how the institution will make it to the future, much less a stronger future.
First and foremost, Floyd made clear that the $10 million shortfall in the current budget has already been made up for. Then the attention turned to questions and suggestions about how the university can further trim spending to meet the expected new budget cuts. The president said nothing is off the table, but noted one potential solution that would not be exploited if at all possible.
“We cannot and we will not balance our budget on the backs of our students through the payment of excessive tuition and fees to our institution,” Floyd said. “It is unfair to do that.”
The president has guided the university through a number of changes to reduce spending in many different areas. He said 41 percent of the reductions to date have come from the administrative level and more cuts could still await that area.
Floyd spoke of one ongoing process that will help determine where spending can be reduced. He asked all academic and administrative units to compile budget scenarios totaling 12 percent less than their current budgets. The committee will gather these proposals by the middle part of February and try to determine which budgets can be cut and where money can be saved while sacrificing the least from the university’s three main missions; to enhance research enterprise, increase graduate education and maintain quality undergraduate instruction.
The committee is focused on resolving the financial crisis, while not directly harming the students, Bayly said.
Audience members seemed disgruntled at the notion that the education would not be compromised. The prevailing thought was, even if the students are not directly affected –as in personally carrying the burden of a struggling economy with higher tuition and fees –there would be a major indirect impact on them due to a decreased quality of education.
Elizabeth A. Siler, an instructor in the English department, commended the president for his devotion to not hiking up rates to students, but said there is a potential downstream effect that is being ignored. Siler said one of the money-saving ideas within her department is to cut back on the use of paper and move to a more web-based learning environment. Ultimately, though, those ideas will cost students money because they will become responsible for printing and a personal computer would practically become a requirement.
That is why, Floyd responded, each department will submit a proposal. When the committee reviews them, they will take into account each suggestion and discount those which could lead the university down an unwanted path, Floyd said. Even if that means some budgets go untouched.
“I am not a fan of across-the-board reductions,” Floyd said. “The only thing that does is to promote mediocrity in our university.”
Part of achieving the long-term savings plan may, Floyd and Bayly said, may include spending money now to save it in the future, especially if the university moves to strictly electronic modes of communication. Floyd said if WSU stops using paper for internal communication, there would be a need for kiosks or computers around campus. Another example was to install timers in classrooms that shut the lights off after a certain amount of time.
No matter how much money can be saved by cutting salaries, saving energy or using fewer resources, there will still be changes to the educational structure at WSU.
“You will see, ultimately, fewer majors,” Floyd said. “We are already seeing fewer course offerings, and we will see larger sections than before. Those are three manifestations of what will undoubtedly occur.”
The biennial budget is currently before the Washington State Legislature which went into session Jan. 12, and is expected to be finalized by March or April. To stay updated on the happenings with the WSU Budget Committee, visit its website at http://budget-committee.wsu.edu/index.html.
MICHAEL WALSH
The chairs of Washington State University’s Budget Committee, President Elson S. Floyd and Provost Warwick M. Bayly, hosted a public question-and-answer forum Tuesday evening, regarding the University’s budget at the CUB Auditorium. About 100 people attended the second of two meetings, the first being earlier in the afternoon.
The committee was formed in response to Gov. Christine Gregoire’s request for the university to give back more than $10 million from the last biennial budget and her proposed budget for the coming biennium which includes a $31 million reduction for WSU.
“I am determined that we will come out of this fiscal crisis stronger than we went into it,” Floyd said. “We will come out of it much more focused about our direction, much more focused about our goals and much more focused about our priorities.”
While the president exuded confidence about the state of the university, most of the audience was more concerned about what is going to be done in the meantime and how the institution will make it to the future, much less a stronger future.
First and foremost, Floyd made clear that the $10 million shortfall in the current budget has already been made up for. Then the attention turned to questions and suggestions about how the university can further trim spending to meet the expected new budget cuts. The president said nothing is off the table, but noted one potential solution that would not be exploited if at all possible.
“We cannot and we will not balance our budget on the backs of our students through the payment of excessive tuition and fees to our institution,” Floyd said. “It is unfair to do that.”
The president has guided the university through a number of changes to reduce spending in many different areas. He said 41 percent of the reductions to date have come from the administrative level and more cuts could still await that area.
Floyd spoke of one ongoing process that will help determine where spending can be reduced. He asked all academic and administrative units to compile budget scenarios totaling 12 percent less than their current budgets. The committee will gather these proposals by the middle part of February and try to determine which budgets can be cut and where money can be saved while sacrificing the least from the university’s three main missions; to enhance research enterprise, increase graduate education and maintain quality undergraduate instruction.
The committee is focused on resolving the financial crisis, while not directly harming the students, Bayly said.
Audience members seemed disgruntled at the notion that the education would not be compromised. The prevailing thought was, even if the students are not directly affected –as in personally carrying the burden of a struggling economy with higher tuition and fees –there would be a major indirect impact on them due to a decreased quality of education.
Elizabeth A. Siler, an instructor in the English department, commended the president for his devotion to not hiking up rates to students, but said there is a potential downstream effect that is being ignored. Siler said one of the money-saving ideas within her department is to cut back on the use of paper and move to a more web-based learning environment. Ultimately, though, those ideas will cost students money because they will become responsible for printing and a personal computer would practically become a requirement.
That is why, Floyd responded, each department will submit a proposal. When the committee reviews them, they will take into account each suggestion and discount those which could lead the university down an unwanted path, Floyd said. Even if that means some budgets go untouched.
“I am not a fan of across-the-board reductions,” Floyd said. “The only thing that does is to promote mediocrity in our university.”
Part of achieving the long-term savings plan may, Floyd and Bayly said, may include spending money now to save it in the future, especially if the university moves to strictly electronic modes of communication. Floyd said if WSU stops using paper for internal communication, there would be a need for kiosks or computers around campus. Another example was to install timers in classrooms that shut the lights off after a certain amount of time.
No matter how much money can be saved by cutting salaries, saving energy or using fewer resources, there will still be changes to the educational structure at WSU.
“You will see, ultimately, fewer majors,” Floyd said. “We are already seeing fewer course offerings, and we will see larger sections than before. Those are three manifestations of what will undoubtedly occur.”
The biennial budget is currently before the Washington State Legislature which went into session Jan. 12, and is expected to be finalized by March or April. To stay updated on the happenings with the WSU Budget Committee, visit its website at http://budget-committee.wsu.edu/index.html.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Robbing the Future
An area that is just beginning to see the ill-effects of budget cuts is scholarship funding. A recent Wall Street Journal article examines the inevitable decline –and potential evaporation –of merit-based scholarships in a number of states. The state of Washington does not have a blanket merit-aid scholarship system, but Washington State University offers a scholarship similar to the ones discussed in the article, called the University Achievement Award. I received this award, which takes into account high school GPA and SAT/ACT scores, upon enrolling at WSU for the fall of 2006. Despite tuition rising, the scholarship, which used to be worth up to $5,000, has declined in value.
This trend is the exact opposite of what the country needs, according to an article in the San Jose Mercury News by Ted Mitchell and Jonathan Schorr. Mitchell is the president of the California Board of Education and the two are partners at NewSchools Venture Fund in San Francisco. The article compares our current recession to the Great Depression and urges our new leaders to review how investing in education allowed us to climb back to prominence. "With resources drained by economic crisis and war, one might imagine we don't have the luxury of making education a high priority right now. In fact, now is exactly the time," Mitchell and Schorr argued.
This trend is the exact opposite of what the country needs, according to an article in the San Jose Mercury News by Ted Mitchell and Jonathan Schorr. Mitchell is the president of the California Board of Education and the two are partners at NewSchools Venture Fund in San Francisco. The article compares our current recession to the Great Depression and urges our new leaders to review how investing in education allowed us to climb back to prominence. "With resources drained by economic crisis and war, one might imagine we don't have the luxury of making education a high priority right now. In fact, now is exactly the time," Mitchell and Schorr argued.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
University of Washington Halts Spring Start
Jan. 16, 2009
No new students at UW in Seattle this spring
NICK PERRY
Seattle Times
The University of Washington has taken the drastic step of closing its doors to new students who want to start classes this spring.
The move, which applies only at the main Seattle campus, comes in response to budget cuts and overenrollment — both driven by an ailing economy. One group of students who won't be affected: athletes.
UW Admissions Director Philip Ballinger said he plans to send out about 325 letters next week to students who would have been accepted for the spring quarter under normal circumstances. Those letters will explain that they won't be admitted at this time.
The students essentially will be given three options: to keep their applications on ice for consideration in the fall; to attend the Bothell or Tacoma branch campuses, which are still accepting spring students; or to apply for a refund of their $55 application fee.
Continued
No new students at UW in Seattle this spring
NICK PERRY
Seattle Times
The University of Washington has taken the drastic step of closing its doors to new students who want to start classes this spring.
The move, which applies only at the main Seattle campus, comes in response to budget cuts and overenrollment — both driven by an ailing economy. One group of students who won't be affected: athletes.
UW Admissions Director Philip Ballinger said he plans to send out about 325 letters next week to students who would have been accepted for the spring quarter under normal circumstances. Those letters will explain that they won't be admitted at this time.
The students essentially will be given three options: to keep their applications on ice for consideration in the fall; to attend the Bothell or Tacoma branch campuses, which are still accepting spring students; or to apply for a refund of their $55 application fee.
Continued
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Colleges Continue to Lose
Private universities across the country are not only losing income (tuition), but are recently losing money that was already in their pockets. As TIME Magazine's Kathleen Kingsbury and Laura Fitzpatrick explain, the failing stock market taking a toll on more than just private investors. Some colleges are getting hit harder than others, but everyone is trying to figure out the best way to manage the mess, including some creative ideas.
Read Colleges Learn to Navigate the Credit Crunch.
Read Colleges Learn to Navigate the Credit Crunch.
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