Education

Rally for LGBTQ Rights and for 2 Fired Faculty Members at Point Loma Nazarene University

April 19, 2023 by Source

By M.G. Perez / KPBS / April 17, 2023

Current students, alumni and allies rallied outside Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) on Friday, April 14, protesting harassment and discrimination of LGBTQ people in schools.

The rally outside PLNU came on the national Day of Silence coordinated by the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The group also rallied for the support of two PLNU faculty members dismissed earlier this spring.

Read the full article → 3 comments

Rock Church Refuses Entry to T-Mobile Crews After Parents Raise Concerns about Health Effects of New 5G Cellphone Antennas on School

April 18, 2023 by Source

From today’s San Diego Union-Tribune:

Activation of nine newly installed 5G cellphone antennas in Point Loma has stalled following an outcry from parents concerned about the possible health effects on nearby schoolchildren.

Parents of students at the Rock Academy, a private Christian school at Liberty Station that has more than 500 students in preschool through high school, say they believe the equipment may pose a threat because of the wireless radiation in 5G technology.

Read the full article → 10 comments

Pt. Loma Nazarene Dean Fired for Supporting Backer of LBGTQ Rights

April 6, 2023 by Source

By Ken Stone / Times of San Diego / April 6, 2023

A Point Loma Nazarene University dean was fired three weeks ago, allegedly for siding with a colleague who lost her job at the church-affiliated school for backing LGBTQ rights.

The dean, Mark Maddix, has hired San Diego attorney Josh Gruenberg to deal with the school. According to Lauren Cazares, founder of Loma LGBTQIA, PLNU Provost Kerry Fulcher fired Maddix, dean of the School of Theology and Christian Ministry.

Read the full article → 9 comments

‘Live Justice’ Swap Event at P.L. Nazarene – Friday, March 31

March 29, 2023 by Source

By Megan Lonsdale / LomaBeat.com / March 29, 2023

Live Justice is an annual Point Loma Nazarene University campus event hosted by the Center for Justice and Reconciliation (CJR). It is grounded in five areas of action where students can live out the principle of justice and create changes with the intention of doing good for people and the planet: Drink, Do, Wear, Eat and Live.

Read the full article → 0 comments

‘If You Can Read This, Thank a Teacher’ – L.A. School District Teachers’ and Workers’ Strike Is On

March 22, 2023 by Source

By Colleen O’Connor

More than 1,000 campuses were closed Tuesday and Wednesday, affecting about 420,000 students in the nation’s second largest school district, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

Tuesday at 4:30 a.m., more than 60,000 LAUSD workers and teachers began walking picket lines in the rain.

To which I respond, good for them.  It is long overdue.

Read the full article → 3 comments

Why Student Debt Cancellation Is Reasonable, Not Radical

March 8, 2023 by Source

By Sonali Kolhatkar / Nation of Change / March 7, 2023

“Nobody’s telling the person who is trying to set up the lawn service business that he doesn’t have to pay his loan,” said U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts during oral arguments about President Joe Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan. Roberts continued his logic on behalf of this hypothetical lawn service operator, saying, “he still does, even though his tax dollars are going to support the forgiveness of the loan for… the college graduate, who’s now going to make a lot more than him over the course of his lifetime.”

It’s remarkable how concerned Roberts and other conservatives have been about the exploitation of the average American when it comes to loan forgiveness.

Read the full article → 7 comments

Student Loan Forgiveness: Machiavellian or Magical Thinking?

March 8, 2023 by Source

By Colleen O’Connor

The attempt to forgive student loans for over 20 million applicants (thus far) is either a brilliant Machiavellian twist or just another Year of Magical Thinking as Joan Didion would understand in hindsight.

Why?  Won’t it ever happen?  What is so Machiavellian (meaning diabolically clever, devious and deceitful) about the suggestion?

A Florentine philosopher and author of The Prince, Machiavelli argued:

“…that his experience and reading of history showed him that politics have always been played with deception, treachery, and crime. He also notably said that a ruler who is establishing a kingdom or a republic, and is criticized for his deeds, including violence, should be excused when the intention and the result are beneficial to him.”

Read the full article → 1 comment

28th Annual Writer’s Symposium by the Sea — Pt Loma Nazarene — Feb. 20–24

February 14, 2023 by Source

Go here for more info and links to buy tickets.

Read the full article → 0 comments

Pt Loma Nazarene to Zero in on Catcalling Incidents

February 9, 2023 by Source

By Sarah Gleason / LomaBeat.com / Feb.8, 2023

An uptick in reported catcalling incidents at Point Loma Nazarene University has led the Assistant Director of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), Kaz Trypuc, to look into the events for patterns and perpetrators. However, Trypuc is unable to say if the increase is due to either a rise in incidents or reporting of incidents.

Read the full article → 20 comments

Teachers Union at High Tech High Reaches Tentative Agreement With School

January 19, 2023 by Source

The Voice of San Diego reports today that “after a year of bargaining, High Tech High’s new teachers union has reached a tentative agreement on a contract with the school’s leadership. The breakthrough comes after the charter network’s board of trustees declared an impasse a few months ago.”

Back in November 2022 there was an impasse with the board. But there has been progress, as VOSD reports:

The two outstanding issues on the table were who would make a final decision if a teacher appealed a firing, and how long of a probationary period new educators would need to complete before becoming established teachers.

Read the full article → 0 comments

University of California Strike Enters 3rd Week — Some Tentative Agreements Reached

November 30, 2022 by Source

By Amy Graff / SFGATE / Nov. 29, 2022

After a grueling 15-day labor walkout by 48,000 academic workers at the University of California, two of the four groups striking announced Tuesday that they reached a tentative agreement that includes wage increases, officials said.

Read the full article → 0 comments

Pt. Loma Nazarene Students Contend With Mold in the Dorms

November 18, 2022 by Source

By Sofie Fransen / Lomabeat.com / Nov. 16, 2022

It is November, the time of year when cold weather and cold symptoms prey on students.

Some students, like third-year organizational communications major Bree Brandon, may not be so quick to peg the long-lasting cough as a cold.

Last October, Brandon got a cold that quickly turned into a two-month-long cough, stopping only when she went home to Colorado for Thanksgiving. Her roommate in Finch experienced the same thing. As soon as they returned to Point Loma Nazarene University’s campus, they got sick again. She then realized that her cold symptoms must be attributed to her living conditions.

Read the full article → 1 comment

Point Loma Provides One of the Best Locations for a Marine Research Facility in U.S.

November 18, 2022 by Source

Quick access to deep water and a unique underwater topography make the Nimitz Marine Facility home to many key scientific expeditions by Scripps Oceanography and a collaborative Navy.

By Tyler Faurot / Pt Loma – OB Monthly / Nov. 13, 2022

For decades, Point Loma has served as home port to dozens of momentous research expeditions in the field of oceanography. The knowledge gained has led to military victories and medical breakthroughs and has taken mankind to realms once unfathomable. Those successes are owed to an amalgam of factors unique to the area.

Read the full article → 0 comments

Thousands of Researchers and Student Workers Out on Strike at All University of Calif Campuses

November 14, 2022 by Source

Edited From KPBS

Thousands of researchers and student employees at the 10 University of California campuses have gone on strike as of 8 a.m. this morning, Monday, Nov. 14, in an effort to secure improved pay and working conditions.

Contract talks affect 48,000 workers, including 17,000 student researchers, at the 10 schools in the UC system, including UC San Diego. They voted to authorize a strike in October. UC officials are in contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers regarding four separate academic bargaining units

Read the full article → 0 comments

Community Colleges Improving Lives of Families on Broadway

November 7, 2022 by Ernie McCray

by Ernie McCray

Just got back from
New York City,
still feeling the electricity
that wonderful town
always vibrates through me,
as I’ve never ended a trip there
without thinking
of better ways
for people to live
and this visit
was no different.

Read the full article → 1 comment

Recommendations for Candidates to San Diego Unified School District Board

September 16, 2022 by Source

Here are Tom Ultican’s recommendations for the two races for the San Diego Unified School District Board, Area B and Area C.

By Tom Ultican / September 12, 2022

San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Public school students 95,250 – Charter school students 19,217 – Percent charter 16.8%

Area B

Area B represents northeastern San Diego from Scripps Ranch to Normal Heights. And Godwin Higa is perhaps San Diego’s foremost expert on trauma informed education.

Read the full article → 5 comments

Making Students Aware Could Get Me in Trouble in a Classroom Today

September 14, 2022 by Ernie McCray

by Ernie McCray

I might be in trouble
if I were in a classroom today,
approaching learning
as I did in the early 60’s,
trying to hip my students
to what was happening in their world,
first, letting them know who their teacher was
as a living breathing human being,
by telling them of my upbringing
as a Black boy
in a city

Read the full article → 5 comments

‘Best Book of 2022’ – Left Behind

September 1, 2022 by Source

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican

Lily Geismer has performed a great service to America. The Claremont McKenna College associate professor of history has documented the neoliberal takeover of the Democratic Party in the 1980’s and 1990’s. In her book, Left Behind: The Democrats Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality she demonstrates how Bill Clinton “ultimately did more to sell free-market thinking than even Friedman and his acolytes.” (Left Behind Page 13)

When in the 1970’s, Gary Hart, Bill Bradley, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, Paul Tsongas, and Tim Wirth arrived on the scene in Washington DC they were dubbed “Watergate Babies.”

Read the full article → 1 comment

Cleaning up the Mess that John Deasy Left at Stockton Schools

August 24, 2022 by Source

By Thomas Ultican / Tulican

The infamous John Deasy resigned his post as Superintendent of Stockton Unified School District (SUSD) on June 15th, 2020. That made his tenure two weeks more than two years which further exacerbated the longtime administrative instability at SUSD.

He apparently steered the district budgets toward deficit spending and left a decimated finance department in his wake while other administrative positions multiplied. Concurrent with his two years in Stockton, money and leaders from organizations bent on privatizing public education were bolstered and became more active.

Read the full article → 0 comments

A Good Time to Question the Militarization of Students in Our Schools

August 8, 2022 by Ernie McCray

by Ernie McCray

So sad
that law makers,
U.S. Senators,
with all the power
in their possession
to do wonderful things,
knowing
that there are ex-servicemen and women
who have fallen ill
from breathing in poisonous air
in the battles in Iraq and Afghanistan,
chose, instead of lending them a hand,
to play games,

Read the full article → 20 comments

Teachers Unions Are Selfless

August 2, 2022 by Source

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican / July 27, 2022

Dr. Keith Benson wrote the research paper “Teachers Teach and Do the World Good ….” In this scholarly piece published by Scientific Research, Keith, an inspirational young man and community leader, described the world wide neoliberal attack on public education highlighting the often dangerous stand teachers take to save public schools.

In the introduction, Benson writes, “To be sure, teachers have a rich and valuable history of standing up and pushing for the best interests of their societies, and it is my intent to discuss just some of that here.” (Benson 218)

Read the full article → 1 comment

Genuine Reforms by Real Education Professionals

July 13, 2022 by Source

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican

The tragedy of modern school “reform” is that it stopped education improvement. Politicians from the Democratic and Republican Parties agreed that government-run organizations were inferior to privatized ones and market forces were the path for lifting all boats.

Their economic theories led to charter schools and vouchers for private, mostly religion sponsored schools. Moguls and legislators, with no education training or knowledge decided that standards, modeled on business practices were, required. It has become a tool for privatizing public schools, controlling classrooms by politicians in capital cities, and is making learning dreary.

It is wonderful to learn of professional educators standing up to this folly and implementing practices promising to undo some of the damage.

Read the full article → 0 comments

Agency that Oversees California School Districts’ Financial Problems Out of Control

June 10, 2022 by Source

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican

California Assemblywomen Delaine Eastin wrote legislation creating the Financial Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT) in 1991. Her legislation was in response to the bankruptcy of the Richmond School District and requests for financial help from four other districts.

In 1992, Governor Pete Wilson signed the legislation into law and located FCMAT (pronounced Fick-Mat) under the auspices of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. Since then, its power has grown and portfolio expanded with little oversight. Today, there is a burgeoning chorus of critics calling for reform or even termination.

Read the full article → 0 comments

Point Loma High School 2022 – News and Video

June 8, 2022 by Source

Point Loma High alumni have put together a video on the school’s grand re-opening. OB Rag readers have enjoyed previous peeks at the rehabilitated old school, nearly 100 years old, thanks to Peninsula News published online by the Point Loma Association. But now we have the official PLHS alumni video and news from their website:

From the PLHS Alumni News:

Hello Pointers!

Today is Monday June 6, 2022 and at long last the ribbon cutting for the modernization of PLHS is taking place. In honor of that event we have put together a sneak peak slideshow of the newly renovated campus.

Come inside for the video

Read the full article → 0 comments

Persistent Shooting Questions

May 27, 2022 by Source

Read the full article → 1 comment

Lessons From the Network for Public Education Conference in Philadelphia

May 19, 2022 by Source

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican

The Downtown Double Tree Hotel where the Network for Public Education (NPE) conference was held has great meeting facilities.

Over the May Day weekend of learning and being inspired, it was an easy trek from the five joint sessions in the large room to the six smaller breakout sessions. The difficult part was picking which of the eight panels available in each breakout sessions to attend.

Read the full article → 0 comments

Fund uses Oligarch Money to Privatize Public Schools

April 29, 2022 by Source

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican

Born in 2018, The City Fund (TCF) is a concentration of oligarch wealth crushing democracy and privatizing the commons. John Arnold (infamous ENRON energy trader) and Reed Hastings (Netflix CEO and former California Charter Schools Association board member) claimed to be investing $100 million each to establish TCF. Their July 2018 announcement was delivered on Neerav Kingsland’s blog “Relinquishment” which recently started requiring approval to access.

The TCF goal is to implement the portfolio school management model into 40 cities by 2028.

Read the full article → 0 comments

A Funny Thing Happened in Front of Point Loma High School

April 19, 2022 by Source

The folks at the Point Loma Association online newsletter have done it again. In their witty and irreverent way, they found out about a funny thing that happened in front of Point Loma High School last week. (If you’d like to get Peninsula News, click here)

Here’s their report:

As you cruise by on Chatsworth, we hope you notice the young Torrey Pine trees in front of the school. It will take many years for them to mature and replace those chain-sawed in June, 2019, when construction began on the new additions. So it’s good the trees arrived early in the landscaping process.

Read the full article → 2 comments

‘My Experiences at Network for Public Education Conferences’

April 13, 2022 by Source

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican / April 9, 2022

In 2014, the first Network for Public Education (NPE) Conference was held at Austin, Texas. My first conference was the following year in Chicago. That was the year after the late Karen Lewis and the Chicago teachers union decided enough is enough and stood strong against a host of privatizers and education profiteers.

Their powerful teachers’ union victory sent ripples of hope to educators across America. That year, Diane Ravitch, Anthony Cody, Mercedes Schneider, Peter Greene, Jennifer Berkshire, Jose Vilson, Jan Resseger, Steven Singer and many other pro-public education activists started dominating social media.

Read the full article → 0 comments

Petaluma Charter School Lessons

March 29, 2022 by Source

By Thomas Ultican / Tultican / March 23, 2022

A Petaluma Argus-Courier headline read, “Petaluma could soon welcome charter school.” Local prodigy, Gianna Biaggi, had come home to establish the Magnolia Global Academy for Leaders (MGAL). Biaggi had spent the previous year as a New School Creation Fellow at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education. She was exited to use her new training to establish a High Tech High inspired school where she grew up. Petaluma is a unique community with a lot of appeal.

Read the full article → 0 comments

← Older Articles