http://robsiltanen.com Rob Siltanen's Blog Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:45:51 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I think the title just about says it all:   This little, lightly-read blog is going on hiatus (again). Later! http://robsiltanen.com/?p=103 This one may not be for everyone, but I'll go ahead and share the (exciting for some of us) news:  The Legislative Analyst's Office has just released a webcast/video that does a good job of explaining that complex beast at the center of school finance known as Proposition 98. For those ... http://robsiltanen.com/?p=90 I wish everyone would take a deep breath before heading into the public hearing at Tuesday night's School Board meeting. State law now requires that school districts have policies to prevent harassment and discrimination of students based on actual and perceived gender identification and sexual orientation. The law (appropriately) gives local school ... http://robsiltanen.com/?p=82 As you may have read in today's Alameda Journal or seen on Mike McMahon's website or even noticed on AUSD's own vastly improved (and improving) website, AUSD is launching a nine month master plan process.  The result of the process is to be a master plan setting AUSD's long-term course ... http://robsiltanen.com/?p=74 In recent weeks/months as Alamedans.com and the local blog scene have continued to expand and improve, the frequency of my postings here has declined.  In due time, I plan to explain why this has happened.  For now, I'd just like to acknowledge that I am going on a hiatus, probably for several ... http://robsiltanen.com/?p=69 As Michele Ellson reported in July, in 2008 the Paden School PTA completed a multi-year fundraising effort to purchase a new, cool, safe play structure to replace the very old, somewhat dangerous structure that had been in place since the 1990's. In the end, the Paden PTA decided to save thousands ... http://robsiltanen.com/?p=68 2009 is sure to be a critical, busy year for AUSD. Hanging over and shaping all the other issues we face is the question of what the state education budget will look like after (1) the "mid-year cuts" (for the current 08-09 school year) that are likely to be ... http://robsiltanen.com/?p=67 Interactions between teachers and students in the classroom are ultimately where most formal “education” happens.  Even if we may forget this simple truth from time to time, on some level we all know that improving “education” depends to a great extent on teachers teaching.  And, although you might not know it ... http://robsiltanen.com/?p=66 During the course of the debate over Measure H, it has struck me that a significant number of people who should know better still don’t understand the fundamentals of how AUSD's finances work and how essential to our kids and our community Measure H really is. The most important "missing piece" ... http://robsiltanen.com/?p=65 Well, last week marked the end of the “first quarter” of the academic year for public schools in Alameda.  Although we’re less than 25% through the “calendar days” of the 2008-2009 school year, we’ve now passed the 25% mark of “school days.” As we’ve all been working hard doing what we ... http://robsiltanen.com/?p=64