Local School Topics

When Rahm Emanuel was running for mayor of Chicago, one of his campaign promises was to avoid raising taxes as a means of dealing with a major city budget shortfall. Instead, Emanuel pledged to find the waste at City Hall and eliminate it to put the city back in the black. However, Emanuel was careful not to mention how he would fund Chicago schools while on the campaign trail. Mayor Emanuel recently supported a property-tax increase proposed by Chicago Public Schools. Mayor Emanuel defended his decision, but some lawmakers and taxpayers are up in arms about a new city leader who is seemingly so quick to go back on his word.

What the Tax Increase will Mean

According to a report at WBEZ, Mayor Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools are asking taxpayers to fork over about $84 additional property tax dollars a year for a $250,000 home – the maximum amount of a tax increase allowed by law. The additional $150 million in revenue generated from the hike would go to close the $710 million shortfall the school district is currently facing. Additional budget balancing has already come from district officials, who managed to trim $400 million off of the original budget proposal, without increasing classroom sizes or hurting students in other ways.

The tax increase was initially proposed by the school district and will have to be approved by the Chicago Board of Education. However, the school board is stacked with plenty of

It has been nearly two decades since sex education was a requirement in New York City schools. However, an alarming rise in teen pregnancy rates throughout the city has prompted the Bloomberg administration to mandate sex-ed classes in the city school district once again. As schools across New York get ready to deliver the new curriculum to students, many parents and taxpayers are up in arms about the idea of forced sex education for middle and high schoolers.

This video reports on sex-education in New York City schools.

Why Sex Ed?

The Huffington Post reports statistics from the Department of Health that show 83 out of every 1,000 New York City teens become pregnant. This is much higher than the national average of 72 out of every 1,000 teen girls. The figures come from a 2011 study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute. The institute also found that other developed nations around the globe had even lower rates of teen pregnancy, with 31 per 1,000 girls in Sweden and 28 per 1,000 teens in Canada.

“We have students who are having sex before the age of 13; students who have had multiple sexual partners, and students who aren’t protecting themselves against sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS,” New York City School’s Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott told ABC News. “I believe the school system has an important role to play with regard

Last September, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced plans to revamp the teacher tenure program in his city. This summer, Mayor Bloomberg made good on his promise, when the number of teachers receiving tenure was dramatically lower than the previous two years. While some are applauding the move, others, like the teachers’ union for the city, are voicing serious concerns over how the tenure decisions were made. We’ll take a look at both sides of the issue, as well as the potential impact these new tenure procedures will have on both teachers in the city and the quality of New York education overall.

More Teachers on “Hold”

According to a report in the Seattle Times, 5,200 teachers in the city of New York were awaiting decisions on tenure this year. Of that number, 58 percent were granted tenure and 39 percent had their tenure decisions delayed for another year. About 3 percent of teachers were denied tenure outright. These numbers vary considerably from last year, when 89 percent of teachers were granted tenure, and the previous year, when 94 percent received it.

Bloomberg explained to the Seattle Times that for the teachers who were told to wait another year for a tenure decision, it was the city’s way of telling them that “while they have shown progress, they are still developing as teachers and need to improve.” Teachers that did not receive tenure this year will have access to additional training and development to help them

Weight issues among children have become such a problem in this country that some experts are mulling over whether to deem obesity an actual epidemic. According to a report at Explorer News, the number of overweight children in the United States has doubled over the past three decades. Nearly 25 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11 are considered obese by current standards. When children gain too much weight during their younger years, they are at much higher risk for conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. Schools have recognized the obesity problem in this country, and many are taking steps to address it right in their school lunchrooms.

Bringing Nutrition to the Classroom

From coast to coast, schools across the country have taken the necessary steps to ensure their students are treated to nutritious foods throughout the school day. From removing sugar-laden drinks and snacks from vending machines to stocking school cafeterias with an array of healthy fare, these learning institutions are taking the obesity scare to heart. Some even provide their students with home-grown produce, thanks to agreements with local farmers or gardens on school property.

Students are learning to make healthier food choices and discovering that nutrition-packed fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can make for a tasty meal. Some schools are incorporating taste tests or time in the garden with their classrooms to encourage students to try new foods and

It is a high school student's worst nightmare: to have the secondary school he or she attends lose accreditation, directly impacting the student's ability to obtain scholarships or even get admitted to the college of his choice. However, that is exactly the situation facing students and parents in Atlanta Public Schools, where an educational standards agency has placed the entire school district on probation and in danger of losing its accreditation before the end of 2011. We will take a look at just how Atlanta ended up in this situation, and what the school board plans to do to survive the probationary period and come out of it with their accreditation still intact.

Reason for Investigation

The accrediting agency AdvancED was notified of potential problems in the Atlanta school district last year, when bickering among school board members became a matter of public concern. AdvancED scheduled an onsite visit in December to review board documents and make necessary recommendations. At that visit, the accrediting agency found the Atlanta school system's board has failed to meet standards on governance and leadership, according to a report by the Associated Press at Google News.

CEO of AdvancED, Mark Elgart, said at a news conference, "The reason for probation is the issues are serious. They not only affect the effective governance of the board but they affect the future direction of the school system and its ability to provide a quality education for all students." A report in