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Monday, May 15, 2006
Did Your Child Pass the Eighth Grade CRCT?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A parent writes:
“I was just informed that my 8th grader did not pass the Math CRCT and will have to go to summer school. I not only blame myself for this, but also the school. I am wondering how many 8th grade Math teachers do NOT issue and use Math books and work books. How many 8th grade Math teachers do not make printed material available to students?”
Parents and teachers: Do you know how your eighth graders did on the CRCT? Is anyone else headed to summer school? Do you think many kids will get held back because of the new must-pass rule for 8th graders? And to address this parent’s central question, do your kids have a math textbook?
(Okay, in response to the question about when to expect the scores… the state Department of Ed. says the turnaround from the time the score sheets are received by the test scoring company is two weeks. To know exactly when you’ll get your child’s scores back, I’d suggest calling the testing coordinator. You need to know how early in the testing window your child was tested and how quickly your district sent in the score sheets.)
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Uncovering Superintendent Pay
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few months back, a new colleague arrived in the newsroom from Charlotte, eager to tackle her new beat covering Clayton and Henry county schools. Over the past few weeks she’s been slumped over her computer most days, decidedly less cheerful. You see, she dared to ask the question: “How much do superintendents around here make?” Not just their base salary, but how much do they really make?
You can read Heather Vogell’s story here. She reports how perks - my favorite are the cash reimbursements for social security deductions - are buried so deep in superintendent contracts and school system records, in some cases it’s impossible to determine how much they really make. In her chart of metro superintendents’ pay, she includes this disclosure: “Because of complexities in the way districts report the information, the AJC’s total perks and total compensation categories do not include reimbursements or payments for documented expenses; health, life or disability premiums; or contributions to a retirement system established by the district. Those items would have added to some superintendents’ total pay.”
Sorta begs the question … why? Why make it so hard for the public to know how much they’re paying the person who leads their school district? And while we’re asking why, why make it such a mystery where the rest of the millions and millions of dollars in the budget goes? As education reporters, we are worn out and fed up after a frustrating budget season of spin and confusing information. Are you?
For another discussion on the supe pay, go here.
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More on the Spin Cycle…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Roswell mama Lynn McIntyre wanted to spend a little time poring over state allottment sheets (Wouldn’t you?) and found someone at the state was busy revising the language from one innocuous phrase, “austerity reductions” to another “amended formula adjustment.”
Here’s Bridget Gutierrez’s story.
What’s in a couple of words? More clarity or just political spin to help explain continued state cuts despite a huge surplus?
