www.newrivervalley.com

A few schools across the nation have decided to shut their doors in response to potential swine flu outbreaks, and the Department of Education says that's OK.

In a conference call with a group of educators, Ed secretary Arne Duncan and folks from the Office of Safe and Drug-Free schools said to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control. That agency suggests a closure if an outbreak has occurred.

Montgomery County's assistant superintendent sat in on that conference call, but the school system isn't planning any closures.

Duncan encouraged schools to closely monitor students' health, which they plan to do.

Joni Underwood, health supervisor in Montgomery County's schools, said she doesn't expect much to be different in schools, but she said they'd be a little bit more cautious when it comes to flu symptoms.

School systems also have "pandemic" emergency response plans, which were required in the wake of avian flu scares.

A school district in Arizona facing a tight budget is looking at whether each school in its division needs a full-time principal. Cutting back vice principals and principals to half-time jobs is just one measure suggested in the Tucson Unified School District.

The ideas got me thinking about some of the early plans discussed in Montgomery County's schools.  School board member Joe Ivers later said he was in favor of making schools share some assistant principals or to have them teach classes.

His ideas drew the ire or some, but it's interesting to see that he's not the only one with the ideas. As this article says, the freedom to choose half-time principals also means choosing not to have one at all. "if they can come up with a way to ensure duties typically carried out by principals are still completed."

What do you think?

Amid the news of a national salmonella outbreak in peanut butter, at least one New River Valley school system is temporarily removing its peanut butter products from cafeterias.

Radford City Schools Superintendent Chuck Bishop said the schools in his district are not using peanut butter as a precautionary measure. Bishop said the peanut-butter sandwiches regularly given to students as a substitute for a hot lunch have been replaced with cheese sandwiches.

Although schools are taking the steps, none of the peanut butter used in the school system has been affected by the outbreak. A complete list of the recalls can be found here.

Other school systems, including Montgomery and Floyd, said they have been notified that all their peanut butter is safe and they are not pullling any from school lunches.

Next week, the U.S. Senate will take up the $819 billion  "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009."  that passed last night through the house.

The House Bill outlines a investment to education over two years, designed to boost programs such as early childhood education, construction, technology and charter schools.

The New River Valley looks to bring in about $11.9 million, according to a preliminary breakdown from the House Appropriations Committee. Two-year totals for each of the valley's divisions are:

• Montgomery County - $ 5,074,700
• Radford City -$ 600,800
• Giles County - $ 1,525,200
• Pulaski County - $ 3,512,400
• Floyd County - $ 1,206,200

You can see a complete list of Virginia's share here.

What is your take on the stimulus? Where do you think the money should go?

Thomas Brewster, assistant superintendent in Pulaski Public Schools and state school board member, has been tapped to lead a group studying the drop our crisis.

Here's a news release from the National Association of State Boards of Education:

Alexandria, VA – The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) is pleased to announce that Dr. Thomas Brewster, a member of the Virginia Board of Education, has been chosen to chair a year-long NASBE study group, convened in partnership with Communities in Schools (the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization), to identify unique policy and community-state partnership solutions to the devastating dropout rates facing some of the nation’s most impacted communities.

“With a long track-record of state-based work on high school reform, the NASBE membership has recommitted itself to identifying ways to serve all students, including those most at risk of dropping out of school,” said Brenda Welburn, NASBE Executive Director. “NASBE, the board of directors, and the membership stand to benefit from Tom’s energy, knowledge, and commitment to making our public schools the best they can be. In his role as study group chair, he will help identify and implement state education policies that transform the conditions that contribute to dropping out of school and increase rates of student success, including effective school, family, and community partnerships.”

As chair of the 17-member national study group, Dr. Brewster will meet with other state policymakers, student dropout prevention experts, and education reform leaders over the course of the year to examine high school dropout issues with direct policy implications for State Boards of Education and other national, state, and local education policymakers.

Specifically, the NASBE study group will explore in-depth the various reasons students drop out of school, the unique and complementary roles of schools, families, communities, and businesses in supporting students to stay in school; and innovative state policies, initiatives, and strategies to effectively address the issue.

The study group will issue a comprehensive report in October 2009 at the NASBE Annual Conference in Cincinnati, OH. Policy recommendations also will be distributed to all governors, state superintendents, other state and local education policymakers, national education groups, Congress, and federal officials.

Kindergartners would start learning about fractions and count to 100, while fifth-graders would start working on linear equations, according to proposed changes to Virginia's Math Standards of Learning.

The state's Board of Education is looking for comments on the revisions. On Monday, a public hearing is scheduled at Pulaski High School. It starts at 7 p.m.

Right now, the state has no timeline for when the changes would come forth.

According to research from the University of Chicago (which, as a side note, is well known for its education research), special education teachers are in the top 10 of happiest jobs.

The teachers are No. 5 on a list of jobs in the ""Job Satisfaction in the United States" study that's been smattered in the news today. As far as I can tell, the study is about a year old, though.

Either way, here's what they have to say:

Special education teachers
Job Description: Teach school subjects to educationally and physically handicapped students.

Very happy: 52.6%
Median salary (preschool, kindergarten or elementary school): $41,344
Median salary (secondary school): $43,060

This seems to fly in the face of local concerns that have special education teachers over their workloads and pay.

So, special education teachers, set the record straight.

Are you happy with your jobs? What makes it great, and what leaves something to be desired?

Shortly after reading the story in today's paper about Roanoke students discussing what Barack Obama should focus on, I ran across this.

It's a report on at least one school district in Colorado that asked its teachers to stay mum on politics, and steer from supporting candidates' campaigns.

It made me think about all the times I saw Montgomery school board members Penny Franklin and Phyllis Albritton sporting Obama badges and the number of mock elections held at schools across the valley. Teachers I talked to there said the election was, and will continue to be, a teaching tool for them.

And, I suspect,  with the inaguration coming right after the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday  (as a friend pointed out) and Black History Month the following month, lessons will abound.

What do you think? Teachers, what discussions or lessons are you having in class? Parents, what does the election mean for dinner time topics?

The Senate passed the financial bailout bill yesterday, and it has a few "sweeteners" in it. One is a program that gives rural schools with low property-tax bases a boost.

The House is expected to vote today.

It's likely not suprising, but here's a story from Education Week
taking a look at how the current financial state could affect education in the future.
Current funding levels are in effect through March 6 under a bill passed last week.
" But a multi-billion-dollar federal plan to assist the financial markets may leave the next president with very little room for major increases for K-12 schools, perhaps for the foreseeable future," Ed week says.

Local districts I've talked to still are waiting to see what kind of cuts they'll receive from the state in their budgets for this fiscal year.

Obviously, cuts will need to be made.

What programs or projects do you think we could forgo or cut back?