Congresswoman Cathy Castor and Congressman George Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor

need our help...I recieved a call from Congresswoman Cathy Castor's office asking for help. Read the following email. Teachers interested in participating please contact Keri Eisenbeis who's contact info is listed at the end of this email. It is my understanding that you should be excused from school and provided a substitute. I do not know if the time off is paid or not, she will be able to tell you. Parents who have experiences in regard to NCLB are also encouraged to come and share them. Hope to see you there.


Thanks April for your help with this! We hope you can help us incorporate the voice of parents.
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Congresswoman Kathy Castor would like you to participate in the upcoming NCLB Listening Session on Monday, August 27.
Because of Congresswoman Castor's hard work, Congressman George Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor has agreed to visit the Tampa Bay area. This NCLB Listening Session will ensure that the needs and concerns of parents, teachers, and children are heard and that the reauthorization of NCLB will incorporate their experience.
While Chairman Miller is a leader in the field of education, he is also a close friend of Speaker Pelosi and is very influential in the House. Chairman Miller's personal website and the Education and Labor Committee website are listed below for your information.
As discussed, the Listening Session will be from 10-11:30 AM at the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association auditorium, located at 4505 N. Rome Avenue, Tampa, FL 33603.
Please encourage teachers to come and tell Congresswoman Castor and Chairman Miller about their classroom experiences with NCLB in Florida. We are interested in having dialogue and hearing first-hand stories about NCLB in Florida classrooms.
Congressman George Miller (7th District, CA)
www.house.gov/georgemiller/
http://edlabor.house.gov/



Keri Eisenbeis
Outreach Director Congresswoman Kathy Castor
4144 North Armenia Avenue, Suite 300
Tampa, FL 33607
Tel - 813.871.2817 Fax - 813.871.2864

Superintendents Evaluation

Superintendents Evaluation was publicly released last night.

I would like to get your feed back.

Read complete evaluation here

Read the St. Pete Times article here

Read the Tampa Tribune article here

Read the Gradebook blog here

Give me your feedback, and if you like, evaluate me...I am open to honest critiques meant to better our school district.

JOIN ME

I don't want to sound sappy...

but, school is ready to start. Kids have new tennis shoes they are not allowed to wear yet. Bus drivers are getting their routes and dealing with great change. Nutrition workers are preparing to feed our student's bodies and minds. Custodians are making sure the schools are ready for a clean learning environment. Administrators are making sure all i's are dotted and t's are crossed. And teachers are preparing for the new year in too many ways to describe. And I am excited!

We are all starting to gear up for our only job...preparing our students for future success. Whatever that means to each student. We are all a cog in the wheel of forward progress and don't work if one cog is missing.

I am excited and hope this is a year of growth and positive change. Know that I am your voice and want to know what you think. Your opinion matters to me. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Like I say in the title "you have a voice...use it".

I hope this blog picks up some momentum as the year progresses, spread the word. I started it at the end of the school 06/07 school year and just as it was really starting to gain speed when the year ended.

Good luck this year! Let me know how I can be of service. April

Hillsborough county public schools has historically provided more courtesy busing than any other county

With almost 100,000 students being transported to and from school the transportation department has not been efficient. Both from a financial standpoint and for the fact that our students are not getting to school on time and are on the bus longer for the ride home.

There are going to be changes in levels of service. For instance children may have to walk a little further to the bus stop, but they will be getting to school on time. I have always said that if kids are not in the classroom they are not learning. And that is our number one mission...education.

Safety is the primary concern of the school board and we will do everything to insure our children's safety. I for one will not allow financial considerations to override safety and want to know if parents feel their children's bus stop is not safe. I will personally investigate.

I am pleased with the progress that we are making. Once we get some of these new processes in place we will be able to focus on other areas of inefficiency and save the taxpayers even more money.

Read more in the recent St. Pete Times article.

Thoughts?

New technology is driving change in school policy

This year there are new rules regarding cell phone use, cheating, and cyberbullies to name a few.

Read more in the St. Pete Times article here.