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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Board of Education are following the lead of other major cities and eliminating gifted school programs in the name of achieving greater racial and social “equity.” Eleven “high-achieving selective-enrollment schools” will be eliminated, according to Chicago Board of Education CEO Pedro Martinez, to reduce “stratification and inequity.” As we have previously discussed, major cities with failing public education programs are erasing performance gaps in their schools by decapitating the top performers rather than elevating the performance overall. Other schools have also eliminated or lowered proficiency standards to achieve higher passage rates.According to the...

Dear TVUSD School Board, The school board’s proposed parental notification policy is both a common sense and worthy proposal to what so many voters, parents, and taxpayers want in our school district as well as in society at large; a return to normalcy. It has long been a normal standard throughout virtually all school districts that parents receive timely and pertinent notifications from school officials for a variety of reasons, including school sponsored field trips, medical, psychological and counseling issues, extracurricular activities, student commendations, as well as disciplinary actions, and the safety and security of the students. It is only...

The terms “male” and “female” are so last year. At least to the New Jersey Board of Education, or NJSBE, which just voted to approve its “equity” policy and dump all gender-specific phrases in favor of the term “all students.” The vote passed six to five, with board members agreeing Wednesday to several language changes, the New Jersey Spotlight News reported. The board is required to vote on its equity code every seven years, according to the outlet.

Temecula’s conservative school board majority has blocked a history textbook because its supporting materials mention slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk. School board President Joseph Komrosky, who opposed the book, called Milk “a pedophile.” In response, the Temecula teachers union staged a rally and plans another, including before the next Temecula Valley school board meeting Tuesday, June 13. Last month, Temecula Valley Unified School District officials brought the adoption of a book called Social Studies Alive to the board and recommended it be approved for students in first through fifth grades for eight years. The textbook would be used starting...

A woman who championed “traditional American values” was booted from the Virginia Board of Education one week after sparring with another board member over whether public schools should present socialism as “incompatible with democracy.” “I thought people celebrated diversity. Whether it’s diversity of thought, diversity of viewpoint or diversity of any of the many characteristics?” Suparna Dutta, who immigrated to the United States from India, told Fox News ahead of the vote. “I’m flummoxed.” Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Dutta to the Virginia Board of Education in July. Dutta was set to be confirmed by the Senate of Virginia Tuesday...

Temecula, California school board members Dr. Joseph Komrosky and Jen Wiersma share their goals for improving their school district's curriculum after enacting a ban on critical race theory.

"It has come to my attention that your educators are distributing essentially what is child pornography in the classroom. I've spoken to a judge this evening; she's already confirmed that," Shubert said. "So I'm going to give you a simple choice. Either choose to resign from this Board of Education, or you will be charged." While we respect the Mayor's position within the City of Hudson, in accordance with the State laws of Ohio, the supervision of the public schools of this District is the responsibility of the Board of Education. At this time, no Board of Education member has...

Hudson, Ohio mayor Craig Shubert demands all school board members resign or face possible criminal charges over high school course material that he said a judge called "child pornography." “I'm going to give you a simple choice: You either choose to resign or you will be charged

The Baltimore County Board of Education on Tuesday voted 6-5 against closing schools for two Muslim holidays when they fall on school days. According to the Baltimore Sun, the Muslim community had advocated for more than a decade to close Baltimore schools on the Islamic holidays of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr. The vote followed a heated discussion among school board members as dozens of Muslims waited in the audience. The results of the vote prompted shouts of “Injustice!” by some in attendance, and the board had to call a five-minute recess before continuing. …

SD Unified gets armored vehicle City schools police have obtained their own military-grade Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle through a federal grant. Known as an MRAP, the armored mobile will be converted into a victim rescue vehicle that will be stocked with thousands of dollars in advanced medical supplies and be able to take heavy fire in case of an attack on campus, the San Diego Unified School District Police Department said Tuesday. The MRAP, valued at more than $700,000, was acquired at no cost to the district. The vehicle is expected to be operational in October. “We recognize the public...

The Texas Board of Education gave preliminary approval Thursday to dropping algebra II as a requirement for high school students to graduate, over the objections of critics who say the state is watering down its academic standards.The board opted not to toughen a major overhaul of graduation and curriculum requirements that were unanimously approved by the state Legislature in May and designed to give students the flexibility to focus on career and vocational training—not just college prep courses. …

Teacher who stomped on flag receives $85,000 settlement The South Carolina teacher placed on administrative leave after throwing an American flag on the floor and stomping on it was paid $85,000 as part of an out-of-court settlement in a case arising out of that incident. The settlement does not include the salary that Chapin High School English teacher Scott Compton will continue to receive until June 7, according to The State. He continues to get paid although he was placed on leave in January and submitted his resignation on Mar. 27. “Prior to his resignation, attorneys for Mr. Compton informed...

Poway Unified to Pay Nearly 10 Times What it Borrowed: Report District will begin financing the 40-year loan beginning in 2050 New school, new library, new technology – just a few examples of the renovations and repairs made to Poway Unified School District’s 24 aging schools starting in 2001 under Proposition U. To finish the job, Poway taxpayers passed Proposition C in 2008. Last year, as part of that bond, the district borrowed $105 million. It won’t begin paying it back until 20 years from now. With interest, that $105 million loan will end up costing taxpayers almost $1 billion...

Here's the press release: ...Here are the facts. The direct quotes come from the March 10 broadcast of Fox & Friends. Fox: "Texas board of education begins hearings today on proposed changes to textbooks..." The truth: The State Board of Education today is expected to take a preliminary vote on updated social studies curriculum standards... New social studies textbooks are not scheduled to be selected until 2011. Fox: "So one of the proposed changes is to start history class in the year 1877." The truth: Texas has and always will teach U.S. History from the beginning until present day.... Fox:...

Controversial State Board of Education member Don McLeroy trailed in his re-election bid Tuesday while longtime incumbent Geraldine “Tincy” Miller also appeared headed for an upset primary defeat. Republican Thomas Ratliff, son of former GOP Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff, held a narrow lead over McLeroy, one of the leaders of the board's social conservative faction. Miller, R-Dallas, was trailing high school English teacher George Clayton in a Dallas-area contest. Miller is a former chairwoman and, at 26 years, the longest-serving member of the board. In another key board race, Republicans Brian Russell and Marsha Farney headed for a runoff to...

Judge delays 8th-grade algebra in California schools SACRAMENTO — A Sacramento County judge has agreed to delay a requirement that all California eighth-graders be tested in algebra.

"In the first place God made idiots," observed Mark Twain. "This was for practice. Then he made school boards." The San Francisco Board of Education's 4-2 vote last week to abolish the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program, which has been active in the city's high schools for 90 years, tends to support his view. Why is JROTC being done away with? It isn't for lack of interest. More than 1,600 San Francisco students currently take part in its voluntary activities. "Kids love this program as if it's family," notes the San Francisco Chronicle. It is "a program that students...

Montgomery County school officials announced yesterday that they are temporarily banning outside groups such as parent-teacher associations and the Boy Scouts from distributing fliers about activities and events in student backpacks. The decision comes less than a week after a federal appeals court ruled that the school system's policy for flier distribution was unconstitutional because it gave educators unlimited power to approve or reject materials. The case is the outgrowth of a dispute between the school system and Child Evangelism Fellowship of Maryland. The group filed suit in 2001 after the school system denied its request to distribute fliers about...

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday appointed the president of a San Jose Hispanic university to the state Board of Education. David Lopez, 53, replaces the former board president, who resigned unexpectedly June 30. Lopez has been president of National Hispanic University since 2003. The school's goal is to increase college attendance of Hispanics and other typically underserved students. Schwarzenegger has been trying to shore up support among Hispanic voters as he seeks re-election. Also Tuesday, his campaign announced the formation of “Hispanic Families for Arnold,” a group of more than 60 Hispanic community leaders who support his re-election....

Flap over using 'America' in Michigan schools gets widespread attentionhttp://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060529/News01/60529005 http://tinyurl.com/lpvo9 May 29. 2006 3:01PM By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN Associated Press Writer LANSING — A judge and former state school board member is convinced the state was on track to erase the words "America" and "American" from Michigan social studies classes in favor of "United States" until he raised the alarm. "I feel vindicated in the department's reaction in making a complete about face and abandoning this direction. Hopefully it will put all this to bed," Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Michael Warren said Friday. But state Superintendent Michael Flanagan...