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Florida Education News
April 2008
Copyright © 2008 Queue, Inc.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Study Finds Loss of A+ Vouchers Hurts Public Schools
2008 Finalists for $1 Million Broad Prize
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Assesses Writing
School Board of Brevard County, Florida
Two New Academic Projects by the School Board of Broward County, Florida
Colbert
Elementary Buildings Ready for Demolition to Create New Facilities
A new empirical study examines Florida's A+ Program
finds that the loss of vouchers has reduced the program's beneficial effects on
public schools. Greg Forster, the study's author, says "The academic
performance of failing public schools in Florida responded to changes in the
status of vouchers in the A+ Program." Forster's research offers the
first scientific analysis of the post-2002 voucher effects in the A+
Program.
The study is released jointly by the Friedman
Foundation for Educational Choice, the Foundation for Excellence in Education,
and the James Madison Institute.
In 2002, before vouchers were widely available, the
study finds the A+ Program produced reasonable improvements in failing public
schools. But in 2003, the first year when substantial numbers of vouchers
were available, the A+ Program produced dramatically larger improvements.
Public schools whose students were offered vouchers outperformed other
Florida public schools by 69 points on the state's developmental scale.
In later years voucher participation rates dropped
due to procedural obstacles that prevented many eligible families from using
vouchers. As a result the positive A+ Program effects were not so large
as in 2003. In 2007, after the removal of vouchers, the A+ Program's
positive impact on public schools dropped to below what it had been five years
previously.
"Looking at the changing effects of vouchers
across multiple years gives us a much deeper understanding of the role they
played in the A+ Program," said Dr. Forster, a Senior Fellow at the
Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. "While Florida public
schools continue to benefit from the program, it's clear that vouchers were a
key element in the program's positive impact. The loss of vouchers has
been a stinging blow to the performance of Florida's failing public
schools."
The complete report is available here:
Two
Urban School Districts in Florida Honored for Significant Student Gains
Five school districts are finalists for the 2008
Broad Prize for Urban Education, an annual $1 million award that honors urban
school districts across the country that are making the greatest progress in
raising student achievement.
This yearÕs five finalists are:
á Aldine
Independent School District, near Houston
á Broward
County Public Schools, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
á Brownsville
Independent School District, on the Texas-Mexico border
á Long
Beach Unified School District, Calif.
á Miami-Dade
County Public Schools
The Broad (rhymes with ÒroadÓ) Prize for Urban
Education honors urban school districts that demonstrate the greatest overall
performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement
gaps among ethnic groups and between high- and low- income students.
The
winner of The Broad Prize, to be announced on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at the Museum of
Modern Art in New York City, will receive $500,000 in scholarships for
graduating seniors. Each of the four finalist districts will receive $125,000
in scholarships.
One commonality among this yearÕs finalists, all of
which serve significant percentages of Hispanic students, is that Hispanic
students made notable gains in each district on multiple indicators. For
example, Hispanic students in all finalist districts both outperformed and
showed greater improvement than their peers in similar districts in their
respective states. In addition, all five made notable progress in narrowing
achievement gaps between Hispanic students and their white peers.
In the running for the 2008 Broad Prize are two
neighboring school districts: Miami-Dade County and Broward County, the
nationÕs fourth and fifth largest districts, respectively. This yearÕs
finalists include three previous finalists, one of which is a former Broad
Prize winner. This is Miami-DadeÕs third consecutive year as a finalist, and
the third time Aldine has been one of the top five districts since the Prize
was first awarded in 2002. Long Beach, which won The Broad Prize in 2003, has
been a finalist every year it has been eligible. In addition to Long Beach,
previous Broad Prize winners include the New York City Department of Education
(2007); Boston Public Schools (2006); Norfolk Public Schools (2005), Va.; the
Garden Grove Unified School District, Calif. (2004); and Houston Independent
School District (2002).
This year, 100 of the largest urban school districts
nationwide were eligible for The Broad Prize. The five finalist districts were
selected by a review board of 19 prominent education researchers, policy
leaders, practitioners and executives from leading universities, national
education associations, think-tanks and foundations. The review board evaluated
publicly available academic performance data compiled and analyzed by MPR
Associates, Inc., a leading national education research consulting firm, and
selected the five districts that stood out in areas that included:
á Academic
performance and improvement on state exams compared with other districts in the
state with similar low-income student populations
á Closure
of income and ethnic achievement gaps
á College
readiness indicators such as graduation rates, SAT, ACT and Advanced Placement
exam data
Over the next two months, teams of educational
researchers and practitioners led by SchoolWorks, an educational consulting
company, will conduct site visits in each finalist district to gather
qualitative information, interview district administrators, conduct focus
groups with teachers and principals and observe classrooms. The teams will also
talk to parents, community leaders, school board members and union
representatives. A selection jury of prominent individuals from business,
industry, education and public service will then review both the performance
data and the qualitative site visit reports to choose the winning school
district.
For more information about The Broad Prize, this
yearÕs finalists and the review board, please visit www.broadprize.org.
FloridaÕs Minority
Students Rank Top of the Nation in 2007 NAEP Writing Results
The performance of
FloridaÕs eighth graders moved the state to ninth in the nation overall
FloridaÕs Hispanic
students rank second in the nation, and African-American students fourth, in
the number of students scoring Proficient and above on the 2007 National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Grade Eight Writing assessment.
Overall, Florida improved its ranking to ninth in the nation for students
scoring Proficient and above; two places higher than in 2002 and 16 places
higher than in 1998.
The results also indicate
that Florida is now equal to or above the national average in nearly every
scoring category and student subgroup. In comparison, FloridaÕs 1998 NAEP
Writing performance placed it equal to or below the national average in these
same measures.
A score of Proficient
and above on the NAEP Writing assessment indicates a high level of student
performance in this subject area. Students who achieve this score have
demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, including
subject-matter knowledge, application of that knowledge to real-world
situations, and analytical skills appropriate to the subject matter. A score of
Proficient and above on the NAEP
assessment is comparable to a score of 4.5 Ð 5.5 (out of six) on the Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Writing essay.
Details:
The National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) assesses writing for three purposes identified in
the NAEP framework: narrative, informative, and persuasive. The NAEP writing
scale ranges from 0 to 300.
Other
States Eye Model Plan as Deadline for Compliance with New IRS Regulations Nears
Billions of dollars may be at stake for the 90 or
more investment companies that currently offer tax-sheltered 403(b) accounts to
Florida educators, as a first-of-its-kind Òpreferred providerÓ program nears
adoption in FloridaÕs 67 school districts.
The program is sending shockwaves through the
investment marketplace, as school districts across the nation struggle to meet
new IRS regulations that take effect next January 1. These new regulations not
only require significantly greater oversight and monitoring by the districts,
but invalidate all current plans not in compliance with the new regulations.
The change potentially affects more than 1 million Florida educators and their
families.
ÒIt shouldnÕt come as any surprise that Florida is
the incubator for a change of this magnitude,Ó said Wayne Blanton, Executive
Director of the Florida School Boards Association. ÒA plan of this caliber has
been a long time coming for school employees. WeÕve got the best vendors
offering the best products at the best prices. In terms of shaking up the
marketplace, on a scale of 1 to 10, IÕd rank this a much-needed 11.Ó
Dubbed the ÒModel Plan,Ó the five investment companies
selected by the stateÕs ÒBig FourÓ education associations -- the Florida
Education Association, the Florida School Boards Association, the Florida
Association of District School Superintendents and the Florida Association of
School Administrators Ð were vetted by two independent consulting firms, the
association representatives and a group of school district risk managers.
The stateÕs K-12 teachers and education staff
professionals (ESPs) currently contribute about $380 million annually to their
403(b) retirement accounts. The balance in these accounts is said to be in the
billions of dollars in Florida alone. District employees will not be permitted
to make any new contributions to unauthorized plans after the January 1
deadline.
ÒEducators, and the school districts themselves, are
sometimes overwhelmed by the sheer number of investment plans they have
available to them and may not necessarily have the time or resources to discern
which offer the best value,Ó said Blanton. ÒThe new IRS regulations present a
golden opportunity for school districts to approach investment plans with a
simpler, more cost-effective process that offers the highest quality investment
plans.Ó
FloridaÕs education associations were among the first
in the nation to recognize the impact of the pending regulations. Coming
together under the umbrella of the Independent Benefits Council (IBC), the
associations set an ambitious agenda:
á
Development of a Model Plan that would meet the IRS
requirements and decrease or eliminate the cost of compliance to local school
boards.
á
Begin with a clean slate and select a handful of ÒBest
in ClassÓ investment companies that would be authorized to offer products to
local school districts.
á
Negotiate favorable rates for teachers and ESPs, who
have been paying markedly higher fees than other professionals.
á
Ensure that the plans offered to teachers would offer a
wide range of investment options.
The school boards in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach
counties soon will be deciding whether to adopt the Model Plan, to amend and
adopt the Model Plan, or to go it alone. A great deal is at stake for
educators, as the Model Plan is predicted to put billions of dollars into their
investment accounts over the next 20-30 years that otherwise would have been
paid in vendor fees.
While some of the larger districts may have had the
clout to negotiate lower rates than smaller districts, no existing plan in
any of FloridaÕs 67 districts offers teachers and ESPs anything comparable to
the Model Plan.
All five of the Best in Class vendors, which include
AIG Retirement, AXA, PlanMember Financial Corporation, American Century
Investments, and Waddell & Reed, have signed Letters of Commitment, which
adopting school districts can rely on and reference in executing individual agreements
with Model Plan vendors. Commitments include:
á
Providing the best plan available in Florida K-12.
á
Upgrading all existing contracts to newer, enhanced
products.
á
Selling only the products they bid under the Model Plan
(no bait and switch).
á
Reduced fees to all adopting school districts as
statewide plan assets grow.
á
Guaranteed rates for three years.
Additionally,
the Best in Class vendors demonstrated the ability to provide superior
performance in the following categories: plan conversion and implementation, administrative
services, account administration services, investment options, participant
services and expense charges. They also were evaluated on company experience.
During the evaluation process, each of the Best in Class vendors provided full
fee disclosure broken down by proposed investment and were scored on their
average total expense ratios.
ÒThis is the first time in the nation that a plan
this comprehensive and with such outstanding terms will be offered to
educators,Ó said Tom Herndon, IBC spokesperson and former Executive Director of
the State Board of Administration. ÒMore of educatorsÕ dollars Ð perhaps
billions more in Florida, alone Ð will be available to them when they retire.Ó
For additional information, visit the Model Plan Web
site, www.themodelplan.com
Survey Shows 12 States Offer No Programs, Others
Falter; Gains are Threatened by Possible Recession
State-funded preschools served over one million children
last year, yet public pre-K was unavailable for most 3- and 4-year-olds,
according to the annual survey released by the National Institute for Early
Education Research (NIEER).
Funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, The State of Preschool 2007 (http://nieer.org/yearbook/) ranks all 50 states on the percentage of children
served and spending per child. It also compares the number of quality
benchmarks each state meets for the 2006-2007 school year. The survey found
that enrollment, quality and state spending per child increased.
Yet, 12 states offered no state-funded preschool education
and others faltered in their commitment to the quality of their early education
programs. The report showed that nationally less than half of all 4-year-olds
were enrolled in government-supported preschool education programs and one
quarter received no preschool. For 3-year-olds the situation was worse, with
only 15 percent enrolled in public programs and 50 percent receiving no early
education.
Children from wealthy families can attend expensive
private preschools while the federal Head Start program and most state-funded
preschool education is targeted at lower income families.
Research shows that high-quality preschool education for
disadvantaged children improves later high school graduation rates and college
attendance, employment opportunities and earnings, even marriage rates. It
lessens future crime, delinquency and teenage pregnancy. In economic terms,
high-quality preschool education returns to the individual and the public up to
$17 for each $1 invested. New studies find educational benefits for
middle-income children as well.
Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho,
Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North
Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming have no state-funded programs. Serious problems
also exist in four states Ð California, Texas, Florida, and Ohio Ð that are home to one-third of all American preschoolers."
California, Texas, Florida, and Ohio are among
only seven states that meet less than half of NIEER's quality benchmarks. All
four spend less than the national average per child. Texas and California do not limit class size. Ohio, Florida and California do not require preschool teachers to have education
comparable to public school teachers. Ohio serves not even 5,000 of its nearly 150,000 4-year-olds.
On a more positive note, the yearbook reported that in
2006-2007:
¥ Average state spending per child was $3,642, halting a
trend of declining per-child commitments that had persisted since at least the
2002-2003 school year.
¥ More than one million 3- and 4-year-old children
attended state-funded preschool education programs.
¥ Thirty states increased enrollment. Nationally,
enrollment was up by 80,000.
¥ Eight states met higher quality standards. Yet, some
states still require preschool education teachers to have little more than a
high school diploma.
¥ Of the 26 states that served 3-year-olds, enrollment
increased in all but five states. Overall enrollment of 3-year-olds was up 10
percent, mostly due to increases in Illinois, which became the first state to commit to serving all 3-year-olds.
Pre-K funding could be attached to state funding formulas
for K-12 education to ensure that funds increase proportionally with enrollment
as it expands and that funding per child is more dependable the authors say.
They also said the federal government could play a vital role by providing an
inducement to states to expand enrollment, particularly at age 3, by offering
matching funds.
The 2007 Yearbook
pointed out that one-quarter of all 4-year-olds and half of all 3s had no
access to preschool education. State and federal regular preschool education,
special education and Head Start combined served 39 percent of the country's
4-year-olds, and some attend private programs, leaving one-quarter of
4-year-olds with no preschool program at all. At age 3, state and federal
programs combined to serve only 15 percent. Even with some others attending
private programs, 50 percent of 3-year-olds had no access to a preschool
education.
Other key findings in the yearbook include:
Access:
¥ Enrollment increases in most states tended to be modest,
but some states made large gains. Enrollment increased by 52 percent in Tennessee, 33 percent in Pennsylvania, and 17 percent in Illinois, Florida, and New York.
¥ State pre-K programs served 22 percent of 4-year-olds
and 3 percent of 3-year-olds nationwide.
¥ Three states with "Pre-K for All" served more
than half of their 4-year-olds: Oklahoma
(68 percent), Florida (58
percent), and Georgia (53
percent). When Head Start and preschool special education enrollments are taken
into account, Oklahoma served 90
percent of all 4-year-olds; Florida,
71 percent; and Georgia, 65
percent.
Quality:
¥ North Carolina
and Alabama once again met all
10 of the NIEER quality standard benchmarks. Eight additional states--Arkansas, Illinois, New Jersey, New
Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington--had a
state-funded pre-K initiative meeting nine of the 10 benchmarks.
¥ Of the 38 states with preschool education programs, Kansas met the fewest benchmarks, three. Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, Ohio,
and Texas met only four.
¥ Fewer than half the 38 pre-K states required all lead
teachers in their programs to hold a bachelor's degree. Eight states did not
require any state preschool teachers to have bachelor's degrees -- Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Minnesota, Ohio, and Washington.
Resources:
¥ The average state spending per child enrolled was
$3,642. Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of $175 per child
before adjusting for inflation (and an increase of $32 after adjusting for
inflation).
¥ Of the 38 states with preschool education programs,
state pre-K spending ranged from just over $3 million in Nevada, a state with about 72,000 3- and 4-year-olds, to
$533 million in Texas, which has
about 758,000 3- and 4-year-olds.
¥ States still spent much less per child on pre-K than on
K-12.
¥ States continued to vary greatly in their per-child
spending. New Jersey was the top ranked
state, spending $10,494 per child. Twelve states continued to spend nothing on
state pre-K.
The State of Preschool 2007 is available at
http://nieer.org/yearbook/pdf/yearbook.pdf
State Profiles are available at:
http://nieer.org/yearbook/states/
Florida profile:
http://nieer.org/yearbook/pdf/yearbook.pdf#page=50
Technology Counts is
a joint project of Education Week
and the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center. As in previous years,
the EPE Research Center surveyed the states to assess the status of K-12
educational technology across the nation in the areas of access, use, and
capacity. The report assigns grades to the states for their technology
performance overall and in those three categories. The state report assembles
key findings from the survey and other sources.
FloridaÕs scores:
Access to technology B-
Use of technology A-
Capacity to use technology B
Overall grade B
Complete Florida report:
http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/tc/2008/30CA_STR2008.h27.pdf
Located along Florida's eastern seaboard, Brevard
County is home to Cape Canaveral. The economy is focused primarily on the
federal government's space program, with ancillary defense and aerospace
contractors playing a significant role in the economy. The county's proximity
to Orlando coupled with the presence of the Kennedy Space Center and numerous
beaches help to spur tourism activity and provide a sound employment base.
Population growth has been steady, increasing 12% since the 2000 census to
534,359 through 2006. Income levels are slightly below average and the
unemployment rate, at 3.3% in 2006, has historically been below that of the
state and nation. The unemployment rate has increased on a year over year basis
from 3.2% in December 2006 to 5.0% in December 2007. The county cites a
slowdown in the construction as being a key factor in the rise in unemployment.
District student enrollment has been moderate averaging 0.5 % over recent years
with negative growth in the past two years.
Financial management is sound, leading to stable
operations and solid reserve levels. The district ended fiscal 2007 with a
small general fund operating deficit of $1.7 million, due to an acceleration of
their annual insurance payment, and a healthy unreserved general balance of
4.7% of general fund spending and transfers out, well in excess of the
district's policy requiring an unreserved general fund balance of at least 3%.
Despite state aid being reduced twice during the year
for a total of $14.0 million, the district expects to end fiscal 2008 with
balanced operations. State revenue sources generated roughly 55% of district
general fund revenues in fiscal 2007. Growth in taxable assessed valuation
(TAV) has been strong, averaging 15% annually since fiscal 2000 with more
pronounced growth of 23% and 27% in fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2007, respectively.
However, growth slowed to 4% in fiscal 2008 and the county expects growth to
slow going forward.
The district's overall debt levels are low at $1,785 per
capita and 2.4% of TAV. Amortization is slow at 25% in ten years, although not
uncommon for a Fitch-rated Florida school district. The district's five-year
capital improvement plan (CIP) is manageable, totaling $532 million, although
some capital needs are expected to be deferred due to slowing enrollment
growth.
Orange County Schools, Florida
Orange County's local employment base has diversified
moderately with increases in the business and professional services,
healthcare, and education fields. This has somewhat reduced the county's
susceptibility to downturns in the tourism industry due to the presence of Walt
Disney World, the largest employer. The unemployment rate has fallen in each of
the past four years after spiking in the early part of the decade; however, the
January 2008 rate of 4.3% (preliminary) was a full percentage point above the
January 2007 rate, signaling a weakening economy. County income levels are
slightly below the state and national figures, reflecting the large proportion
of lower paying service sector jobs that cater to the tourism market.
District financial operations are sound. Fiscal 2007
ended with a $20.7 million general fund surplus, bringing the unreserved
general fund balance to 10.6% of spending ($135.9 million), a strong level for
a Florida school district rated by Fitch. The surplus resulted from careful
fiscal management, including prudent expenditure controls, as well as higher
than budgeted ad valorem tax revenues and unfilled teacher and administrative
positions. Fitch believes that the district's reserve levels position it well
to manage revenue pressures associated with a softening economy, reflected in
weak county sales growth data, and state funding reductions led by the broader
housing market downturn. County taxable assessed value (TAV) has grown an
average of 13% annually over the past five fiscal years, including strong 17.2%
growth in fiscal 2008; preliminary estimates for fiscal 2009 show more modest
4% TAV growth. The fiscal 2008 general fund budget grew 5.1% over fiscal 2007,
reflecting mainly increased instructional costs related to the class size
reduction amendment. The district expects to end the current fiscal year with
breakeven financial operations.
The district's overall debt levels are moderate at $3,769
per capita and 3.7% of TAV. Excluding approximately $2.7 billion of overlapping
debt of the county and underlying municipalities, direct debt ratios are
moderately low at $1,236 per capita and 1.2% of TAV. Debt amortization is below
average, with 32.1% of principal retired over 10 years, and increased COP
payments in future fiscal years could pressure financial operations. However,
the district's debt burden should remain manageable due to the board's practice
of extensive pay-as-you-go funding of capital projects. The fiscal years
2008-2012 capital improvement plan (CIP) identifies $2.5 billion of capital
investments, including the construction of 15 new schools. Approximately 19% of
the CIP is funded with additional COPs proceeds; pay-as-you-go sources
contribute the remainder. Slowing economic growth is reflected in declining
impact fee revenues, which may hinder growth-related capital plans. However,
modestly declining enrollment figures compliment this trend. The district does
not plan to prefund its moderate $132.8 million other post-employment benefits
liability through the use of a trust.
Colbert
Elementary School to break ground on $14 million Administration/Student Services
Facility project; Fort Lauderdale High School set for $29 million
Cubellis has been selected by the School Board of
Broward County as the Professional Architectural Consultants for two new
academic projects in the school district: Colbert Elementary School and Fort
Lauderdale High School.
The $14 million construction project of a new
Administration/Student Services facility at Colbert Elementary School will
include Administration, a Media Center, an Art Lab, a four-classroom ESE Suite,
Custodial spaces, a Dining Facility, a Music Lab, covered PE play area, play
courts and play grounds. The $29 million concurrent replacement for Fort
Lauderdale High School will be completed in two phases consisting of design
services for the construction of a three-story classroom building, inclusive of
administration suite, demolition of existing buildings, construction of
athletic complex and new parking complete with drop-off lanes.
After the demolition of a few of the schools older
buildings, the construction plans call for a new Administration/Student
Services Facility of 30,542 SF complete with: administration, a media center
with related spaces, an art lab, a four-classroom ESE Suite, custodial spaces,
textbook storage, and student, staff and public restrooms. The Dining Facility
plans include: kitchen/cafeteria multipurpose room and stage with related
spaces, teacher dining, student and staff restrooms, a music lab, and custodial
receiving. Construction will be concluded with a covered PE play area with
related spaces, play courts and play grounds.
The Colbert Elementary School and Fort Lauderdale High School awards follow other successful Cubellis projects for the School Board of Broward County, including Colbert Elementary School (Phase I), AC Perry Elementary School, Harbordale Elementary School, Deerfield Beach High School, and Pompano Beach Middle School.