Click here for the full “Our Schools, Our Money” report.

Click here for the full “Our Schools, Our Money” report.  

Click here for the full “Our Schools, Our Money” report.  

The “Our Schools, Our Money” series, which starts today in The Journal News and on LoHud.com, looks at school performance and taxation throughout the Lower Hudson Valley. Here on The Hall Monitor, we will be featuring a series of polls over the next five days to help gauge public opinion and spark conversation. We hope you find the series to be useful, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Today’s newspaper features the first installment of The Journal News’ special five-day series, “Our Schools, Our Money,” which examines test scores, property taxes and student achievement in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties. Read it all here.

The project, a joint effort with School Evaluation Services, a unit of Standard and Poor’s, caps months of work by a team of reporters and editors, including myself and other writers, Diana Costello, Randi Weiner and former staff reporter Alice Gomstyn, education editor Lanning Taliaferro and a long list of photographers, graphic artists and copy editors.

The goal of the series is to examine the relationship between the school property taxes residents pay and the achievement of students as measured by state test scores. Read on for more details about the series. Read more of this entry »

Caught up in hostile contract negotiations, lay teachers from three area high schools — Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, Maria Regina in Hartsdale and Kennedy in Somers — are planning to stage a “sickout” to protest their expired contract with the Archdiocese of New York.

Click here for more information.

The union representative this morning told me it looks like the sickout is going to happen over the next few days, although he would not be more specific.
This morning, a representative for Kennedy told me the school will remain open regardless of whether or not the sickout occurs.  Plans at the two other schools remain unclear.

Please stay tuned for continued coverage. If you are a parent or student at one of these schools, please call me at 914-694-3528.

When more than 700 people suddenly go silent, it’s an odd feeling.

That’s what happened last night when North Rockland schools Superintendent Brian Monahan explained what he thought would be needed to cut $13 million from his district’s current $183 million budget.

His suggestions: close one of the district’s 10 schools, eliminate 91 teaching positions, 5 administrative positions and other staff, reduce the program to the minimum required by state law by eliminating arts, music, honors and other courses, change the bus pick-up distance from 1/2 mile to the state minumum of 2 miles for k-8 and 3 miles for 9-12 grades and close the schools in the evenings, among other suggestions.

To read a copy of the news story, click here

The North Rockland schools superintendent was asked by his school board to see what next year’s budget would look like with $13 million less than the current budget.

School board and public gets a look at the plan at 7:30 tonight. Keep watching this space and when the information is available, see what the plan would entail.

The people putting together the regional competition for National History Day are looking for judges. In all, about 50 volunteers are being sought to look at entries including video and performance pieces, posterboard setups, papers and projects. Judging includes how well the project follows a specific theme as well as how well it’s put together.

The competition is March 8 at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill. Middle and high school student projects are involved.

For more information on National History Day or on being a judge, visit the New York State History Day Web site, www.nyshistoryday.org. Questions also can be addressed to Christine McLaughlin at Rockland BOCES by e-mailing her at cmclaughlin@rboces.lhric.org or calling 845-627-4855.

ABC’s Charlie Gibson drew laughs during Friday night’s presidential debate when he estimated the pay for Saint Anselm College professors at $200,000 per couple. How far off was he? Inside Higher Ed and blogger Sherman Dorn follow up today.

There’s been a lot of serious and not so serious discussion about children’s self-esteem, and the relative necessity of adults to build it, fix it or pander to it.

I thought the self-esteem obsession reached its zenith during my kids’ years in recreational sports, when everyone got a trophy for everything.

But here’s a new angle, from a public relations firm seeking a creative spin for a product:

“Over the years, teachers have been notorious for using red marks to correct students’ papers. However, research has shown this can often cause a negative impact on children and lower their self-esteem and attitude toward learning. I thought your readers might have interest in a cool pen that will help the learning process instead of hinder it.

Gelly Rolls by Sakura of America are incredible gel ink pens that give paper that little something extra. No need to shake, pump or squeeze – these pens are quick and easy to use and leave exceptional marks for any paper project. www.sakuraofamerica.com.”

Can children really be traumatized by the color of the ink with which their teacher corrects  homework?

Kevin McCahill of Monroe has been named assistant principal at Pearl River High School, replacing Brian Alm who resigned to become the principal at Haldane High School in Cold Spring.

McCahill officially started his new job Wednesday. A former math teacher, he holds a bachelor of science in finance from the University of Scranton and a master of arts in teacher education with a concentration in math from Jersey City University.

He has served as an outdoor track and an ice hockey coach.

Pearl River High School has more than 1,000 students in grades eight through 12. McCahill is one of two assistant principals at the school; the other is Cindy Mantas.

Struggling elementary school students spend an extra year building up basic skills through the East Ramapo school district’s new Gift of Time program. For more on the program, see the NewsCenter Now segment below or read my story here. For the school district’s explanation of why GOT is different from “getting left back,” check out this earlier post.

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