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"I know firsthand of the need to increase funds for construction," the secretary said. "There can be some dialogue on those issues, and I'm sure there will be."
In general, Mr. Paige added, "the president has promised increased funding, and I expect his budget will reflect that."
Mr. Bush is expected to propose his first budget later this month.
The president's sweeping education plan aims to raise the academic achievement of black and Hispanic students to the levels of their white and Asian-American peers, the secretary noted. "That means getting help to where students are the neediest, and that gives urban people a place to hang their hat," he added.
Urban educators are not likely to back away from seeking a federal policy specifically on urban education. Currently, the closest approximation is an urban education grant program that was authorized in the 1994 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, but has not been funded.
Historically, it's been hard to get Congress to single out inner- city schools for aid, observers note, especially if it is perceived that such efforts would trim money from rural or suburban constituents. The $8.6 billion Title I program, the flagship federal effort to aid disadvantaged K-12 students, dispenses aid widely to schools throughout the nation.
Urban districts also suffer an image problem in the Congress, said Vic Klatt, the former education policy coordinator for Republicans on the House Education and the Workforce Committee.
"While being supportive of their goals and getting money to where it's most needed, members of Congress have been skeptical about [urban districts'] ability to spend money and manage it wisely," said Mr. Klatt, who is now a vice president of Van Scoyoc Associates, a Washington lobbying firm.
Mr. Thompson of the 1.1 million-student New York district said such stereotypes are less true these days.
"A lot has changed here. When you ask for things, you don't talk about need, but what the outcomes will be," he said. "All urban systems across the nation must talk about that."
Still, urban leaders hold out hope that Mr. Paige eventually will take the lead on forming a federal policy for urban schools.
"Our work as advocates needs to be complemented and supported by a federal policy, so the work we do isn't resonating just with those voices in urban America," Mr. Janey said.
Thomas W. Payzant, the superintendent of the 64,000-student Boston schools and a former assistant education secretary under President Clinton, said such a policy is also good business: "Rather than distributing dollars over lots of different things and getting a mile wide and an inch deep, you need to get deep in a few areas."
If Mr. Paige is reluctant to sign on to an urban policy, that is fine with Judie S. Budnick, who sits on the Broward County, Fla., school board. "I don't believe in top-down management," said Ms. Budnick, who stressed that she's a Republican. Yet she welcomes direction from the new secretary.
"He can preach to us because of what he has accomplished," she said of his well-regarded tenure in Houston.
Meanwhile, in showing openness toward President Bush's proposal for test-based accountability, urban school leaders may be making their best case for help from Congress.
Mr. Bush would require states to administer annual reading and mathematics tests to all students in grades 3-8 as a condition of receiving federal Title I aid. The federal government would not develop those tests itself, but would help pay for their creation.
"Now, you see more interest [in Congress] in getting money to urban schools, coupled with accountability," Mr. Klatt said. "That makes it easier to consider."
Openness toward testing proposals emanating from the White House hasn't always been the case. In 1997, when President Clinton called for a system of new national examinations, urban districts balked.
"The difference is that President Clinton's proposal emphasized a single national testing program, while President Bush would let tests be developed by the local and state processes," said Roger C. Cuevas, the superintendent of the 361,000-student Miami-Dade County schools in Florida. "Accountability with flexibility. That's what I like."
While conceding his reservations about some of the potential penalties for poor performance outlined in the Bush plan, Mr. Janey said he hoped that approach would ultimately force states to pay closer attention to their own cities.
"The fact that states will be held to some standard of accountability is refreshing," the Rochester superintendent said. "The focus has always been on districts and schools."
In another signal that many urban districts are less hostile to new testing initiatives than they once were, as many as 15 members of the Council of the Great City Schools are poised to volunteer for a trial program to give the National Assessment of Educational Progress to their students. The NAEP governing board, which oversees the assessment given to samples of U.S. students, has voted to support the exam, which would yield the first nationally comparable student-performance data on urban districts.
Congress must approve the trial, and provide the money to pay for it.
"This could allow us to compare Houston, Philadelphia, and Seattle, as we can now make comparisons between Washington [state] and Texas," said Roy Truby, the executive director of national assessments for the governing board. "The board is hopeful that the new secretary will support this."
Secretary Paige also will have to try out his political skills on Capitol Hill, where testing remains a sticky issue for many members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who joined with Republicans in opposing Mr. Clinton's national-test proposal.
Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-S.C., a member of the caucus, said the group has many of the same concerns with Mr. Bush's testing proposals as it did with Mr. Clinton's plans for new national tests.
"The notion that black people oppose testing is not true," he said. "The problem we have is how testing is used. If they're used to track students for the rest of their lives, then we have a problem."
While sensitive to such concerns, Mr. Paige is unapologetic. "People will use tests poorly if their intentions are wrong," he said. "But the worst thing that can happen to urban and minority kids is that they are not tested—people can say they are improving when they are not."
Staff Writer Karla Scoon Reid contributed to this report.
"Paige Hits the Ground Running in New Post," Jan. 31, 2001.
"Bush Selects Houston's Paige as Education Secretary," Dec. 29, 2000.
"Urban Education: A Radical Plan," Dec. 8, 1999.
"Amid Funding, Teacher Shortages, Urban Educators Find Hope," Oct. 28, 1998.
"Pa. Panel Takes New Look at Urban Education," Oct. 8, 1997.
"Urban Educators Lament Negative Public Perception," Nov. 6, 1996.
"Open Letter to the Next President of the United States," published in the November/December 2000 issue of Urban Educator, is co-signed by Rod Paige.
The Council of the Great City Schools registered its approval of Rod Paige's selection as education secretary in a statement published in Urban Educator, January 2001.
Our story inadvertently mischaracterized the position of some urban districts toward President Clinton's 1997 proposal for national tests. According to the Council of the Great City Schools, 15 urban districts agreed to participate.
Pacific Gas & Electric moved forward with its plan to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy Tuesday. Even after the company reported $1.7 billion in profits last year and Cal Fire placed the blame for the 2017 Tubbs Fire on a private party, PG&E faces potentially steep liability costs in connection with the 2018 Camp Fire. The City of San Francisco is exploring options to take its electricity public.
NPR correspondent Eric Westervelt joins Insight to discuss the California’s largest utility and its plans to reorganize its liabilities from recent wildfire damage. He reported for NPR about the bankruptcy filing and also about PG&E's plans to potentially sell its gas division.
In a press release put out to announce the bankruptcy filing, PG&E Interim CEO John Simon said that wildfire safety remains a priority for the utility despite the bankruptcy.
State Sen. Bill Dodd responded to PG&E's filing with a press release of his own, saying that he was disappointed but not surprised by the decision to file.
For those of you who are worried that the fashion industry is ignoring America's gun owners, stop worrying. According to a recent article in the New York Times, Woolrich, the long-established clothing company, is now making clothes that come with a place to hide handguns and other weapons. So the next time you're doing your holiday shopping, you might hear the customer in front of you saying, "I'd like to buy a pair of pants with cuffs, a low rise, and a gun holster waistband. And please wrap that as a Christmas gift."
Woolrich makes it clear that this clothing is not for self-styled commandos. Instead, it is for the "fashion aware gun owner." I guess that means soon there will be fashion shows with models walking down the runway wearing Glock-concealing thongs.
Several other clothing manufacturers now make clothes for people who carry concealed handguns who have been annoyed by that pesky gun bulge in traditional clothes. What's the point of carrying a concealed weapon if your clothes don't allow it to be concealed?
The sales of this kind of clothing has increased dramatically over the past few years as more and more states have allowed people to carry concealed weapons. I've never understood the point of carrying a concealed weapon for protection. If you really want to deter someone from attacking you or robbing your house, wouldn't they be more discouraged if they saw you were carrying a gun? You know, as in, "I'm not going to mess with that guy. He's got a gun." I'm sure I'll become enlightened on this when I receive explanations from those readers who carry concealed weapons. I just hope they are wearing clothes that allow them to email comfortably while carrying.
Under Armour is another company that will soon be weapons-fashionable. Under Armour is known for its athletic wear. Soon, fans will be able to wear their weapon hiding Under Armour clothes while attending high school, college, and pro sports games. This is great, because there's not enough fan violence at sporting events.
Fans? Wait a minute. Why limit weapon hiding clothes to the fans at games? How about the players? Wouldn't they be perfect for athletes who want a little extra protection? I can hear the slogan now: "Sometimes a helmet and shoulder pads just aren't enough." Crowds won't be limited to shouting, "Defense, Defense" during games. Soon they'll be crying out, "Self-defense, Self-defense."
I'm sure aggressive manufacturers will not forget another important demographic: babies. The National Rifle Association's website talks about safety and how important it is to educate young children about firearms. They even have suggestions for a school program for kids in pre-kindergarten. So if parents hide their guns in their babies' special diapers, they'll be accomplishing two things. First, they'll get their tots to feel more comfortable around guns. Secondly, they'll be prepared to ward off any violent parents who cut in front of them at Babies R' Us.
There is bound to be a bit of a transition time. So don't be surprised if you see someone turn to a cop to say, "I swear. I didn't know the diaper was loaded."
Marion County is launching a needle exchange program that will enlist a vehicle the size of a small school bus to combat Indianapolis' soaring hepatitis C rate by distributing clean syringes and collecting used ones.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Marion County is launching a needle exchange program that will enlist a vehicle the size of a small school bus to combat Indianapolis' soaring hepatitis C rate by distributing clean syringes and collecting used ones.
The vehicle unveiled by Wednesday the county's health department will begin visiting two east side Indianapolis neighborhoods next week. But it could eventually make stops in other neighborhoods, based on recommendations by police and health officials.
Marion County's hepatitis C cases soared 1,000 percent between 2013 and 2017, mostly due to intravenous drug use tied to the opioid epidemic.
Public health director Dr. Virginia Caine says needle exchanges aim to reduce needle-sharing that can spread infectious diseases.
The Indianapolis Star reports that Marion County will become Indiana's ninth county with a needle exchange.
This may come as a surprise, but not all phones are designed to be smart. Not all phones are designed to give you the ability to surf the web, tweet your thoughts and then still have time to play a couple of games. Some are just there to look good.
And so Motorola, who it appears is still in freefall when it comes to following up on the massively popular RAZR, has launched the AURA. Yep, that's right, it's a £1400 (without contract), yes £1400, mobile phone that does little else than let you make phone calls.
But don't let price put you off. There will be people interested in this handset (bankers? heiresses?) who won't see the Motorola AURA as expensive. In fact as it is cheaper than Nokia's Vertu range, the AURA could be seen as a veritable bargain, to them at least.
Let's start with the design. The full stainless steel jacket is hand etched and crafted like the fuselage of an old war bird. It's got feeling to it. Shiny, detailed, there is no mistaking it feels as good as it looks. You might not be able to surf the Internet, but you'll get plenty of "oohs" and "aahs" when you whip it out.
Then there is the amazingly clear 62 carat sapphire crystal 16 million colour circular screen (the world's first of course) that is incredibly crisp, like really crisp, that gives you a window into the phone and all this before you've even opened it to reveal the keypad.
Push the top layer either to the left or right and it swishes around to the top, fully open, with such gusto you could probably cut a cake with it.
Revealed is a metal keypad that is, compared to the outside of the phone, rather disappointing we have to say. It's as if Motorola has suddenly fallen back into RAZR mode. It's metal, it's flat, it's not the easiest to use. The button configuration is awkward, especially at the top, but luckily your attention will be drawn to the metal cogs (just a few of the 700 parts the phone has) around the back of the handset surrounding the digital camera that you can see when you swivel that switchblade style top.
Get past the luscious, rather industrial, design and you get an interface that unfortunately has been shoehorned into that circular display rather awkwardly.
While the video and stills camera use the full extent of the circular screen, your photos won't come out circular. In fact, you'll capture plenty of "picture" that you won't actually be able to see at the time because the photo is bigger than the screen.
Of course, as we said at the beginning, this is a phone for people who want just that rather than a miniature computer in their pocket. Therefore, when it comes to making calls, looking up contacts, and sending text messages, it's all very straightforward. Think all the functionality of the RAZR in a casing that will set you back a pretty penny.
Before someone says, "but you can…", you're right you can surf the web on the AURA, just like you can play games, but why you would want to is another matter. Any feature that is present beyond the basic dial and contacts operations are here because they tick a box, not because they are any good or even useable.
So to that end you'll get the usual array of alarm clock, calculator and world clock settings to keep you interested while you dream of personalising your phone with apps from all walks of life. But you can't, this is a closed OS.
Photos are stored on the phone's 2GB of memory and there is no way of increasing the capacity as it doesn't feature a microSD slot either.
So what do you really get? Well there is the 1.55-inch diameter circular screen, GSM/EDGE/GPRS connectivity, a 2-megapixel camera, 2GB of built-in memory and the usual array of calendar, messages, email and the such like plus a wooden box so you can see where your money has gone.
You don't however get Wi-Fi, 3G, a microSD card slot or the ability to add apps to let you Twitter or check your eBay results (no checking the progress of the kidney you auctioned to buy the phone huh?).
But for most this phone isn't about that: like an expensive watch, it's about having a device that looks good.
So not one for the tech geek, more one for those who want to look good without the hassle of any confusing functionality.
Have your tattoo your way.
Throughout the years we've asked the BuzzFeed Community to send us pictures of their brilliant tattoos. This very scientific quiz will reveal what tattoo you should get based on your Burger King preferences.
post balance sheet event. InvestorGuide.com. WebFinance, Inc. http://www.investorguide.com/definition/post-balance-sheet-event.html (access:April 20, 2019).
Creditors late Tuesday rejected a proposed debt agreement that would have let fallen tycoon Eliezer Fishman repay less than a 10th of some 1.7 billion shekels ($480 million) that he owes them.
The accord's fate was effectively sealed when two of the biggest creditors — Bank Hapoalim and Bank Leumi — said they opposed the terms. On Tuesday before creditors met to hear the plan in detail and ask questions, Mizrahi-Tefahot Bank and Israel Discount Bank also said they rejected the plan.
Still, Joseph Benkel, the court-appointed administrator who had negotiated the terms with Fishman’s attorneys, defended the agreement at the meeting.
“We aren’t pretending that what we did is perfect, but that’s life. You, the creditors, are the masters of the process and you will decide,” Benkel told a meeting attended by financial institutions and the Israel Tax Authority, which is also a Fishman creditor. Outside dozens of protesters shouted slogans against the agreement.
“The negotiations weren’t easy but these are the terms reached,” Benkel said. His presentation was open to the media but the second half of the meeting, where creditors could question Benkel, took place behind closed doors, so there was little information about their reaction.
Under the terms of the agreement, which Benkel stressed was only an agreement in principle, Fishman could end up paying as little as 140 million shekels of the debt now under consideration, meaning creditors would be taking a haircut of 92%. Some 107 million of that would go to the tax authority.
Once one of Israel’s most powerful tycoons, Fishman stopped repaying his debt years ago but was only forced into bailout talks after the tax authority sought to have him declared insolvent last year. All told, Fishman companies owe some 4.5 billion shekels, but only 1.7 billion of it — the part he personally guaranteed but has no collateral to cover — is covered in the agreement.
Benkel had clashed with Fishman, his family and their attorneys over the months they negotiated the accord, but Benkel was forced to compromise by Tel Aviv District Court Judge Eitan Orenstein, who is overseeing the case. Benkel had accused the family of stonewalling in his search to uncover the extent of Fishman’s assets and accused the family of gifting assets to the tycoon’s adult children over the years to prevent them from being used to settle debts in case of bankruptcy.
The sunny weather was ideal for the charity car wash at Blyth RNLI lifeboat station.
The RNLI runs an annual Mayday campaign during the month of May and this year, money donated will help fund vital kit.
The Blyth volunteer crew opened the lifeboat station to the public and they washed more than 70 cars, with support from shop volunteers.
Refreshments were provided by the Ladies Guild. A total of £900 was raised.
Archives|KOSKI HOME FIRST IN JUNIOR MET. RUN; Finnish-American Star Takes Cross-Country Title, Leading Record Field of 145. FAGERLUND PLACES SECOND Trails Victor by 220 Yards, With Osgood Third -- Glencoe Wins Team Prize at Van Cortlandt.
KOSKI HOME FIRST IN JUNIOR MET. RUN; Finnish-American Star Takes Cross-Country Title, Leading Record Field of 145. FAGERLUND PLACES SECOND Trails Victor by 220 Yards, With Osgood Third -- Glencoe Wins Team Prize at Van Cortlandt.
COLUMBUS — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel has created a faith outreach team whose first goal is repeal of a federal law prohibiting religious organizations and other charitable groups from backing political candidates.
With the outreach effort, Mandel joins President Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans interested in easing the restrictions created by then-Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson’s amendment. It prohibits nonprofits with 501(c)3 tax-exempt status, including churches, universities and many foundations, from endorsing or opposing political candidates.
Opponents contend the act restricts freedom of religion and speech. Defenders say it prevents tax breaks on political spending by organizations shielded from certain reporting requirements.
Mandel’s 2018 Republican rival, Cleveland businessman Mike Gibbons, also has sought to politically align with Trump.
Option investors worried about Russia's exposure to the banking crisis in Cyprus have been stepping up their bearish bets in one of the largest exchange-traded funds focused on Russian stocks.
There has been a surge in bearish activity in options of the Market Vectors Russia fund on expectations that shares in that country could lose ground if Russian depositors are forced to pay taxes in Cyprus to help bail out the small island nation.
Russians have billions of euros at stake in Cyprus's crippled banking sector, which needs about 10 billion euros ($13 billion) in aid to stay afloat. In order to get aid, the European Union is demanding that bigger depositors - which include many Russians - take a hit.
Activity in bearish put options exceeded bullish call options by a ratio of nearly 43-to-1 late on Friday, according to options research firm Trade Alert, as put activity has surged and the ETF's price has dropped.
"A flood of put activity has been evident in the RSX, suggesting continued concerns for the safety of Russian deposits in Cyprus," said Gareth Feighery, a founder of options education firm www.MarketTamer.com in Philadelphia.