In case anyone read the Washington Post or saw our environment blog, The Dirt , and was saddened, concerned and, let's face it, grossed out by the allegations of animal abuse at a California meat producer that supplies beef to the national school lunch program, you may want to read this press statement.

Who knows what's gotten through to schools and what hasn't but at least there's some action by the CDE.

 
        & nbsp; SACRAMENTO - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today released a statement in connection with the United States Department of Agriculture placing an administrative hold on all Westland Meat Company products amid allegations of animal abuse. The products affected by the hold may have been provided to school lunch programs across the country.
         ( ... )
"I have sent out an Information Alert to our food distribution agencies not to use beef products from Westland until further notice. Also, the agencies should not use any processed end-products containing beef pending further instructions."

 

I took an online class in college - something to do with the environment. We read books, wrote timed essays and responses to the online questions, took timed online tests and engaged in class discussion over message boards.

Even though I typically procrastinated on the work (not unusual for me anyway), I loved the freedom to do the work when I wanted, in my faded pajamas and slippers if I wanted, listening to music if I wanted, eating a bowl of spaghetti if I wanted. Especially because I was working full time at a bank (god help me, and we all know what bankers hours are like).

But that was college. I had no idea there was such a thing as online K-12 classes until I heard a couple of trustees say they were interested in what it could do for their district. So I started reading more about this and sure 'nuf, programs in pockets of the country have varying degrees of do-it-on-the-computer learning.  And California had a multi-year pilot program for a handful of districts.

The idea is you could offer, say, AP classes for students in rural districts, or other difficult-to-staff classes,  or for particularly ambitious students who want to take a core class online that could free up their day to take an elective.

Is this the wave of the future for education? What other industries can you see going to more and more virtual offerings?

I was wondering about something robbwillis said on an earlier blog ... what about all these districts in Kern County.

When I first started this beat and found there are 47 districts in Kern County my eyes fell out of my head. I wonder has anyone ever proposed merging some of these districts?

I heard the county used to have a100 districts or something crazy like that back in the day but does anyone see a future in consolidating ... maybe lump all the districts in Bako proper, say, into one monstrosity K-12 district?

Do smaller districts make things easier to manage? Is there a significant advantage to keeping things separate - different needs for elementary v. high school, etc.?

just curious ...

If you or your kid went to an underperforming school, a dropout factory, and had the chance to get a "Pell Grant for Kids" to go to a private school, would you take it?

That's what Pres. Bush suggested at his curtain-call SOTU address Monday. Low income students whose schools have failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress toward having all students proficient in math and Enlish by 2014 (No Child Left Behind) or have significant dropout rates could receive grants to go to an out of district public school, a private school or a religious school.

I'm not a parent, but I'm guessing if someone's kids are stuck in a school that just can't seem to get its act together and here's this new opportunity to get the heck out to a better school where they see a future for their kids -- they just might jump at the chance.

But on the other hand, what does that do for the kids who stay in that school, who don't qualify for the grant? Are they going to be left with deal with the consequences of shrinking funds for a school that cities, districts, states have left behind?

Does this suggest that schools threatened with the thought of lost revenues from shrinking enrollments would be enough to get a school back on track? or are we to forget about those schools altogether?

What's the big picture here?

Back in 2006, KHSD thought the district would break the 40,000-student mark by  2010. That would have meant  they'd need a new school or two.

KHSD typically saw about one new student for every four permits. But as everyone knows, people just aren't building homes these days. December 2007 saw the lowest level of permits (74) on record. And last year there were just 1,900, down from the recent peak of 5,200 permits in 2005.

So updated enrollment projections show the numbers look more like 37,150 in 2010, just 100 students more than this year's enrollment. And with two new schools opening up next fall populated by freshman and sophomores from other campuses, plans for future sites will be pushed back a few years.

But KHSD gets a little positive on its outlook for the 20-teens and figures there may be need for another new school around 2014, although the district isn't likely to hit 40,000 even by then.

KHSD's manager of planning and research, Chuck Rosengard, painted this picture at Monday's special board meeting.

When my band director was laid off (back in Michigan) it was one of the most traumatic experiences of my high school career. He had been such an inspiration to everyone - students and parents alike - building up our little rinky-dink music program into a competitive force.

We begged and pleaded with the board to consider how much he meant to us but in the end, our fiery new director was gone.

We still had band, but the old cranky director who took over the program seemed to struggle filling his shoes and I began to dread the class. The loss of our favorite teacher impacted so many of us very deeply.

I wasn't here the last time California faced severe cut backs in education funding but I'm hearing next year could be worse than other "fiscal emergencies."

So with districts chopping at least 10 percent from their budgets for 08-09, I'm wondering, what did your kids notice the last time there were teacher or program cuts?

Got tips, questions or oddities I should check out?

Lemme know on the blog or hit me up via e-mail or phone:

tmclaughlin@bakersfield.com

661 395 7239

Cheers,

Tara