Sen. Harkin to Chair Education Committee

EdWeek has the story.

Let's hope this doesn't slow down much needed reform that the Obama Administration is pushing.

Summary of Sumner School Board Meeting

from last night:

Highlights:
Central Office presented a list of possible deductions that made it possible for insurance to remain at 85/15.
Discussions on the proposed reductions lasted about 45 minutes. Board Members Cox, Wheeler, Harris, and Wise expressed the sentiment that although they did not like the budget cuts, they would vote for the budget with the reductions.
Mr. Wheeler said, “Our responsibilities are to our employees, the taxpayers, County Commission, and our students…..even though I do not like this budget at this time I will defer to our responsibility to the County Commission to present a budget and vote for this budget.”
Mr. Wise commented, “ As I thought back to my school years I could not remember a favorite textbook, but I could remember my favorite teacher, my favorite coach and the people that taught me. So with this survival budget we have preserved our people … our teachers.”
Motion made by Mr. Wise: Accept recommended reductions, move into balance budget , and pass this budget on to the County Commission.
MOTION FAILED
Yes – Cox, Wheeler, Harris, Wise, Duncan No – Fussell, Gregory, Long, Brown
Mr. Fussell and Mr. Long stated that before they could sign off on this budget because they wanted to see and study a 4th column added to the draft budget showing the difference between the actual monies spent in 08-09 to the proposed budget for the SY 09-10.
Motion made by Mr. Fussell: Direct the Central Office to go back and add a 4th column to the draft budget showing the difference between the actual monies spent in 08-09 to the proposed budget for the SY 09-10.
MOTION FAILED
Yes – Fussell, Gregory, Long No – Cox, Wheeler, Harris, Wise, Duncan, Brown
At this point the meeting was adjourned.

This means there is still NO budget -- the board continues to delay the passage of a budget, though it seems the final agreement will be favorable to teachers. It is not clear what Mr. Fussell and Mr. Long hope to accomplish by these continued delays.

Sumner County School Board meets TONIGHT

Here's the agenda. Only item: the budget! Will they pass it?

President Obama's Remarks to Kids

Today, President Obama will speak to schoolchildren about the importance of working hard and staying in school. You can read his remarks here.

Dr. Dan -- On the Move

Here's the email I received today:

Dear Andy,
Before you begin your celebration for the Labor Day weekend we thought we'd share with you some great news:
Daniel Strengthens Lead in New Poll
In a new independent poll conducted by Daily Kos/Research 2000 released today, Daniel has a strong seven-point lead over his primary opponent, AG Jack Conway (37-30), and is in a statistical tie with Republican Secretary of State Trey Grayson (41-45).
Check out the poll here.
In the primary, Daniel has a strong lead of 12 pts among women, wins among men, and in the general election match-up, Daniel performs better than Jack Conway among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
This is the second poll in the last month that shows Daniel as the strongest Democratic candidate to take on the Republicans in 2010 - further proof that Daniel is the one candidate to stand up for all Kentuckians from all over the Commonwealth. Other candidates may have more money, but Daniel is the only candidate in this race with a record of standing up for Kentucky's working families.
Join Us With the Governor
Governor Beshear will be the special guest at a fundraiser for Daniel in Northern Kentucky on September 23rd at Crosswind Farms from 5-8 p.m. Earlier this year, Governor Beshear endorsed Daniel, saying, "Now more than ever, we need strong representatives in Washington to give voice to Kentucky priorities and values. I believe Daniel Mongiardo, can be that voice." This will be the first in a series of three events that Gov. Beshear will be attending for Daniel.
We hope you'll join us for this exciting event. For information on attending please contact: Eric Richardson at eric@drdan2010.com.
On this Labor Day
This weekend we celebrate the working men and women of our country with parades, cookouts, and for some, a day of much needed rest. Daniel has long been a supporter of the labor movement and we're proud to have the endorsement of the Owensboro Building & Trades Association, the Tri-State Building & Trades Association and the statewide endorsements of the Kentucky Pipe Trades and Operating Engineers.
Daniel has a busy Labor Day weekend and will be at events in Wolfe County, Maysville and Catlettsburg! We hope to see those of you in the area there! For more information visit our website.
Even if you can't make it out this weekend, we hope that you all have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!

SCORE at Education Oversight

You can watch the video here from todays (9/2) meeting of the committee. Interesting presentation, interesting statements from Rep. Tommie Brown.

The Launch is HERE

check out my new website, the beginning of my newest venture:

www.spearsstrategy.com