My son will not have the chance to go to Pre-K for free because we are told that we make too much money. I am a social worker and his father is a satellite technician. We are not rich and just one pay check behind like most Americans. My son is 2 years old as of this past January and will not be able to start free public school until he is 5. We will be paying for a private school for almost 2 years before my son is able to start Kindergarten. That's an average of $10,000 per year. Why is it that my son is not able to go to public school? I feel like we are being punished for making the mere $40,000 a year that I make (his father and I are not married yet so this is based off of one income) Hope this makes sense. Thanks.

Both of my children were in Lynda DiJulio and Sharon Lupinski's classroom in third grade at Brandywine Springs School and thrived in their team-taught classroom environment. After 28 years of continually strengthening and building their curriculum together, DiJulio and Lupinski have been told they cannot co-teach in the 2015-2016 school year. Taking away this classroom opportunity would strip BSS of one of its greatest assets.

There are over 2,000 children in both middle schools in Marlboro. Chromebooks were given on a 1-to-1 basis this past year 2014/2015. They were maintained by the schools as school property and left in the classrooms. They were charged and ready to go. Every child has their own plans in place to access Google and Google Classroom at their own homes to finish homework. Chromebooks do not store any information that anyone cannot access on their own device, even at a library. Mandating that the children bring these Chromebooks home now is an accident waiting to happen. Marlboro Middle has 3 floors and stairs. There are small lockers. Backpacks are already filled to the brim, plus the added weight of a Chromebook even if it could fit would be burdensome. If kept in the protective cases which we are told each child will be given, they will still have to be taken on the crowded seats of the bus. Children also bring drinks to school. If they open and spill, the Chromebook will be ruined. Wear and tear on the devices is inevitable. There are after-school sports and clubs and activities. There is a safety factor. Yes, children bring their smart phones everywhere they go, but they are much smaller and can fit in pockets, leaving hands free to hold their binders. Now, they will have to manage their multiple binders and carry the Chromebook to every class. In MMS, books are not allowed in the lunchroom. We must assume the Chromebook will not either, so it must be able to fit in the locker. There is a fee being attached to the children being mandated to bring these Chromebooks home. What maintenance plan is in place for breakage and water damage? When a device is purchased new, you need to have extended warranties purchased within 30 days. Are the protective cases already purchased or budgeted for in the coming year? Middle school children are still children. There is no need to burden them or their parents with this unnecessary responsibility. This current year has been a test year. Even though you took a survey last fall and said that 60% wanted them home and 40% did not, this is not an accurate picture of all students. This is just 60% and 40% of who answered your survey. However, 100% of the students were your test subjects, and there were no issues. There is just no need for this. Keep the status quo of the Chromebooks remaining in school as school property.

Superintendent Cami Anderson Newark Public Schools 10th Floor 2 Cedar Street Newark, New Jersey 07108 Dear Cami Anderson & Brad Haggerty, As this exhausting school year comes to a close, and while I look at my information via Salesforce with complete dismay, I am disappointed that even this year, the district will not address a deep concern that I have had for the last three years about the overwhelming influx of students with special needs being matched to Central High School. On June 2, 2014, I sent a three page letter to Dr. Katzman, Brad Haggerty, Dr. Honnick and you, Superintendent Cami Anderson, detailing my disagreement and resistance to the plan to send 70 students with disabilities out of 216 freshmen to Central High School. Of the 70 special needs students, 70% of them were improperly placed at Central High School, which is illegal under IDEA and federal guidelines. The reality is that there are no programs at Central to accommodate their needs. When students are inappropriately placed, we are immediately out of state compliance and unable to implement their IEPs. Central currently has two programs: in class support (RCI) and Autism. When I conveyed my concern and provided sound reasoning to my supervisors and to the director of OSE, I was met with resistance and even punished with poor evaluative comments on Competency 5 of my evaluation because I spoke up and addressed this issue. However, I cannot and will not sit idly by and witness the neglect of Central High School without trying desperately to get the district to hear my concerns about how we are being affected by these decisions. Two school years prior in 2013-2014, we at Central High School have never recovered from the One Newark enrollment plan. It has taken toll on our teacher morale and energy. In 2013-2014, Central High School was adversely affected by the open student enrollment process. We submitted our projected budgets in February 2013, and six months later we received more students than anticipated. We went from accepting a freshman class of about 175 in 2012-2013 to accepting a class of 255 in 2013 – 2014. Of the 255 students, we received an unprecedented amount of special needs students, 58, to service. (58) Also, to compound the issue, many of the 58 special education students had classifications for which Central High School did not have the required programs to accommodate their Individual Educational Plan mandates, which details their academic and emotional needs. For example, we received approximately 12 Emotionally Disturbed students, and we do not have a Behavioral Disabilities program to meet their therapeutic, socio-emotional and academic needs. Also, 14 Learning Disabilities-Severe freshmen were sent to us, even though, we do not have a program to service their needs. We are also out of compliance in the Autism program lacking a sufficient number of educational aides. Our plea for adequate staffing has been an on-going struggle in the district. This struggle for adequate staffing has caused overcrowding with many teachers forced to teach extra classes. In addition other grade levels currently have substitute teachers due to a lack of staff, and SPED classes are out of compliance due to a lack of resources and staff. All of these compounded issues negatively impacted the culture, morale, and learning environment causing frustration to the teachers, students and administration. We are still trying to ameliorate many of the unresolved issues aforementioned. As previously stated, Central High School only has two Special Education programs. We have an in class support program and a program for our autistic students. The autism program has had its challenges because it was started with little to no support or direction from the district. We have managed to endure. However, parents are still angry due to the District's non-compliance. Two parents either sought out of district placement or have formed legal cases to ensure compliance. Being out of compliance is a serious matter! When the district makes decisions to send the students to Central inappropriately, I AM THE ONE WHOSE NAME APPEARS ON THE SUBPOENA, as well as the child study team when parents pursue legal action. At best, we have the capacity to service about 25 to 35 SLD students on each grade level. Prior to the extreme school closings and prior to the open enrollment, accepting students from our feeder patterns allowed us to maintain a serviceable number of special education students. However with the open student enrollment process, Central High School received triple that number, forcing us to not service students because we do not have the programs, causing us to be out of compliance, adversely affecting school climate, and creating a major disservice to the students who will be improperly placed. It is the district’s responsibility to place special needs students in their correct learning environments, especially since local schools do not have the authority or input regarding student enrollment. Compliance is not just important. It is the law. This school year (2014-2015) was even more frustrating. Despite my concern and my many attempts to stop the influx of 70 SPED students at the beginning of the year, we continued to get students with disabilities everyday throughout the One Newark Enrollment process. In a normal year, we would receive only 25 to 35 freshmen SPED students, but our special needs population tripled! From 2012-2013 to 2013 to 2014, the freshmen SPED enrollment increased by 120%. From 2013-2014 to 2014-2015, the freshmen special needs enrollment increased by 21%. For the 2014-2015 to 2015-2016, the freshmen SPED enrollment will increase by an additional 15% with no increase in staff due to district mandated budget cuts at Central High School. Overall, within three school years, Central’s SPED FRESHMEN POPULATION INCREASED BY A WHOPPING 220%. I have only included the increases of the freshmen class! All ...

Its about the education of our children. They have voted to close the best performing Elementary school in Park Heights for arbitrary reasons. Want the kids to walk a mile through a high crime, drug infested Neighborhood. To a school built in 1910 with no air, worst performing school in area and may have lead based paint and asbestos issues. Help us fight for our children. Call 410-396-8803. Tell them no way. No name or number needed. Flood the phone system. Takes 10 seconds and sign this petitions . thank you

My first career was as a school teacher, trained in early childhood education. I saw how effective the techniques pioneered by Maria Montessori and Jean Piaget are in stimulating children's learning and creativity I want this opportunity for all of Minnesota's children. With the current surplus, our state can afford to invest in our students.

At Port Charlotte High School, three Algebra 2 Honors class, one Advanced Placement Statistics class, and one Trigonometry honors class filled with students from three grade levels were left for 4-5 months without a consistent and qualified teacher to prepare them for their exams, EOCs, or for their future courses. Although they were given substitutes as temporary replacements, these instructors were simply bodies within the room to take attendance while other teachers from the Math department would occasionally (meaning 3-5 different teachers showing students 3-5 different methods of completing their work which is inefficient) come in. As one of many sophomores that didn't have a consistent and qualified instructor to teach her/him the course material, I am now at a disadvantage against other students from different schools that were offered the learning experience I should have received and am still being required to take a final exam on material that's been simply handed to me through worksheets without adequate instruction.

I have seen way too many students go through the education system and not be properly prepared to get a sustainable job. We worry too much about tests and not about job skills for the real world. Education funding should be increased if we want a strong future for Michigan. We need fewer tax breaks for the extreme rich. I have seen important programs such as music, physical fitness, and art reduced or cut in school systems, although it has been proven that classes like these enhance education in many ways. Because of budget cuts, it is impossible for schools to offer these classes full time. We take so many assessment tests that the students lose a good month of learning to test preparation. We need to incorporate more life skill classes such as budgeting, sewing, and cooking so that students who leave high school know how to take care of themselves. We also need to give workers pay that can sustain them, and less money to CEO's. Even though people on the bottom of the ladder have fewer skills, without them, the ladder falls down as will our economy eventually. I challenge any politician to live like a single mother working at a retail job to really know what it is like.

I am a Utah parent of a special needs child and I am outraged that the school principal of Blue Peak High School would exclude special needs kids from the yearbook for any reason. This constitutes illegal discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). At the very least, this principal needs to be let go to find another career that does not involve working with people, let alone with children or other vulnerable groups such as those with disabilities.

Last year, Governor Brown and the California legislature made the historic commitment to fully fund preschool for all low-income 4-year-olds. But so far, we haven't seen this investment included in the proposed budget. Leading economists agree: investments in high-quality early learning programs like preschool actually save future dollars for everyone. In fact, children who have high-quality early learning experiences are more likely to succeed in school, graduate from high school, gain stable employment, and are less likely to be arrested later in life. Studies show that for every dollar invested in high-quality early learning, we see a return of up to $8.00. Please sign on to our message and our open letter below, asking Governor Jerry Brown and our state legislature to make the necessary – and promised! – investments needed to expand early learning opportunities in our state: *********************************************************************** As a California resident, I am asking you to keep your promise to California families and support a budget that invests in the following top priorities: • Preschool for all low-income 4 year olds in California: Fully fund the commitment made in last year's state budget to provide preschool to all low-income 4 year olds in the coming years. • Access to quality infant and toddler care: Address the state's significant need for access, and ensure quality, affordable care and education for our youngest children ages birth to three. • Affordable programs for families: Increase reimbursement rates so that early learning providers can continue to provide quality, affordable services. • Increase quality in all early learning settings: Invest in quality improvement efforts to ensure strong outcomes for young children in all settings. This should include supporting improvements in the way early learning teachers are trained at community colleges and allowing infant and toddler programs to participate in the Quality Rating and Improvement System Block Grant. Study after study has shown that high-quality early learning and care is one of the best investments we can make to impact a child's future and increase economic sustainability for families and communities. The reality is that parents earning minimum wage would need to spend 71% of their salary on full-day infant care, and the costs of quality child care and early learning programs exceed the costs of higher education for many families. And while we have made some progress, we still have work to do to meet the needs of working families, especially those with babies and toddlers. Last year's budget included a $273 million increased investment for early learning and a commitment to provide quality preschool to all low-income 4 year olds in the coming years. The demand for preschool spaces remains more than 8 times the number of spaces available according to the California Department of Education -- that's more than 32,000 low-income 4 year olds that were still not being served in California this year. The Department acknowledges that the need is likely even greater. Leading economists agree, investments in high-quality early learning programs like preschool actually save future dollars for everyone. In fact, children who have high-quality early learning experiences are more likely to succeed in school, graduate from high school, gain stable employment, and are less likely to be arrested later in life. Studies show that for every dollar invested in high-quality early learning, we see a return of up to $8.00. We can, and must do more for our children, and we need you to stand up and make their future a top priority. California cannot wait any longer to expand access to quality childcare and early learning programs. Investing in California's future means investing in our next generation, and the time to do that is now. I respectfully urge you to prioritize access, affordability, and quality investments for our youngest children and their families in this year's state budget. Sincerely,

On May 7th, 2015, Alliance Collins Family administration announced that all physics classes would be completely phased out by the end of the following school year. Mr. Chu, Alliance Collins Family’s physics teacher, would lose his job by the end of next year. We, as current and former students of Collins Family High School, believe that Mr. Chu is an effective teacher. He has made a deep and lasting connection with countless students, despite having come from a different background. Through his position as a physics teacher, Mr. Chu has worked tirelessly to encourage and prepare students to go into fields in engineering and other sciences, which are fields underrepresented by the Latino student population that Collins Family High school serves. As students, we have seen too many good teachers leave Collins Family High School. Mr. Chu has made a commitment to stay and continue to serve this student body. Collins Family High School should do everything in their power to allow Mr. Chu to stay as a full time teacher.

We have an opportunity to make a real impact on early education in Massachusetts. This move is long overdue. Massachusetts should lead on education, but when it comes to early education, we've fallen behind. Since 2001, we’ve seen a 50% decrease in the state’s commitment to early learning. We can do better. Every child deserves the same strong start. Right now, the Massachusetts Senate is debating their budget, and we have a chance to deliver a win for our youngest learners and their teachers. The relationships young children form with their teachers is critical to their thriving. But, thanks to continual cuts to public programs, we're struggling to keep high-quality educators in the field, which has a 30% turnover rate. These cuts are short-sighted. For every $1 we spend on early education, we save $7 over time as kids require less special education, perform better and earn more in the workforce. It's not just smart, it's the right thing to do. We've got just a few days to build support for two amendments that will make a big difference: - Early Education Rate Reserve Amendment, #547 - which would invest in early educators and stabilize the workforce. - Early Ed Quality Programming Amendment #601 - which helps improve quality in early learning programs. The Senate will vote soon on these amendments. Can you sign our petition right now?