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“We could have seen the first generation of performance-pay systems, and perhaps we’ll start seeing [a new generation of systems] that are more robust, more meaningful, and have an impact on recruiting people to the teaching profession,” Ms. Christie said. |
She pointed to Florida as one example. Since the 1970s, Florida has tried a number of models with limited success. The voluntary nature of its last performance-pay effort found only 5 percent of the state’s districts participating. Still, Florida is trying again. |
Its winning Race to the Top application in 2010 included a proposal to implement teacher salary increases linked to student performance, and this past year, the state legislature passed a law that will require districts to put new salary schedules in place for teachers by 2014-15, linked to recently revised state teach... |
Under the new plan, 50 percent of a teacher’s summative evaluation will be tied to student performance, and, based on locally negotiated contracts, teachers can earn increases if they are deemed effective or highly effective. Teacher payouts will be determined by each district, depending on its budget situation. |
Kathy Hebda, Florida’s deputy chancellor for educator quality, said the state is optimistic the program will be more effective than Florida’s earlier merit-pay plans, given lessons learned from the past. The new system uses salary increases rather than one-time bonuses, which will provide more incentive to teachers, Ms... |
The Florida Education Association has filed a lawsuit to block the teacher-evaluation and -pay law. |
Virginia is also moving in the direction of state-supported merit pay. Using a combination of state and federal funding, Virginia is implementing a pilot this year. An incentive package was offered to 169 schools listed on a “hard to staff” list, that will provide bonuses to teachers in those schools that receive exemp... |
Charles Pyle, the education department’s communications director, said he hopes the pilot program will encourage more districts to restructure their compensation practices; 25 schools accepted the state’s offer this summer. |
Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich, a Republican, has gotten behind a proposed merit-pay system for his state, too. While a number of the state’s Race to the Top districts are already implementing some form of performance pay, the governor’s proposal this past spring for a new state-supported teacher-compensation system would ha... |
Even the new models are controversial. |
Several large urban districts have adopted performance pay the past few years and have kept the programs going despite limited supportive research, disagreements with local teachers’ unions, and declining finances. The varied incentivized-compensation models some districts have implemented, which take into account more... |
Denver’s Professional Compensation System for Teachers, or ProComp, one of the oldest surviving merit-pay programs, is a joint effort between the teachers’ union and district and uses local taxes for funding. ProComp factors teacher education level and skills, as well as student achievement, into account in determining... |
In the District of Columbia’s IMPACT-Plus, supported through private dollars, teachers can earn higher bonuses based on the school they work in and the subject matter they teach, in addition to their students’ test scores. And Baltimore’s teacher-contract system, adopted last year, allows teachers to earn annual salary... |
Mr. Springer of Vanderbilt’s performance-incentives center said that many of the existing programs add on incentives or bonuses rather than redesign compensation practices in ways that could potentially yield greater results and cost less. He estimates 80 percent of districts’ operational expenses go toward outdated ed... |
“Union Buy-In Varies Among Big TIF-Grant Winners,” October 6, 2010. |
“Baltimore Contract Embraces Merit Pay, More Teacher Input,” October 6, 2010. |
“Needed: Fresh Thinking on Teacher Accountability,” June 9, 2010. |
Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt on Monday, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for physical custody of their six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Viviennne. |
E! News spoke with attorney Troy Slaten who said the fact that Angelina is asking for sole physical custody could "mean [Angelina] thinks that [Brad] is doing something that is endangering her children." |
He continued, explaining, "In order for the court to grant a request like that—giving one parent sole physical custody—the judge has to have clear and convincing evidence. It's a standard that's in between preponderance of the evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt that that is what's in the best interest of the childr... |
Though the court documents do not state why she's asking for physical custody, Angelina's manager, Geyer Kosinski, told E! News, "Angelina will always do what's in the best interest of taking care of her family. She appreciates everyone's understanding of their need for privacy at this time." |
As for the physical custody battle, Slaten explains Brad would "have a court order that determines what his visitation will be," unless the parties can agree on visitation themselves. |
"[Since] this is a lawsuit, either the judge can decide or the parties can settle," Slaten added. "The overriding concern is what's best for the children. If it's best not to pull away from this father figure, that's what the court will determine. Courts are not immune to the idea of parental alienation." |
When it comes to the couple's finances, Slaten says it will be treated the same as any marriage. |
"They've only been married two years, which would mean the community estate is very small," he said. "[Since] California is a community property state, anything earned or acquired during the marriage is split 50/50. Everything you earn and everything you owe is split down the middle." |
For this reason, Slaten says the financial settlement shouldn't be as difficult to unwind. Rather, this biggest concern is their children. |
"It looks like this a very serious conflict about what's in the best interest of the children," he explained. |
A lot of rules have changed, and that's created some new opportunities to trim next year's tax bill. |
Right now, your mind is probably focused on things like fruitcake recipes and holiday celebrations. And that's all good. But there's something else you should be thinking about right now: your taxes. I know — it's rather Grinchlike to be thinking about tax breaks instead of toys at this time of year. But... |
If you're self-employed or have some freelance work on the side, then you probably already know about the wisdom of deferring income. The theory is that by billing your clients in the beginning of the new year (rather than at the end of this one) you can postpone some income and defer some taxes from this year to ... |
So if you have some control over your cash flow, this combination of lower rates, higher inflation-adjusted brackets could result in meaningful tax savings. In fact, if deferring income and accelerating deductions never really seemed worth the trouble before, now might be time to change your attitude. And keep in mind,... |
For more on this, see our story. |
Here's a little-known year-end planning jewel, courtesy of the Bush Tax Cut legislation. Starting next year, you may qualify for a new break allowing you to deduct up to $3,000 of college-tuition costs paid for your dependent child/student. This is welcome news for all parents of college kids, but parents of senio... |
So if you pay the final tuition bill this year, you'll get stiffed in 2002. Joint filers are eligible for this new break if next year's adjusted gross income turns out to be $130,000 or less. The income limit for singles is $65,000. (No dice for married folks who file separate returns in 2002.) Keep in mind y... |
Also, for you to claim the write-off, your student-child must be a deductible dependent on your 2002 return. That means you must pay over half the child’s support next year. Plus the child must either be a full-time student for at least five months during 2002 or have no more than $3,000 of income next year. |
3. Did You (Foolishly) Exercise Incentive Stock Options This Year? Sell! |
I know, I know. Right now, the idea of exercising incentive stock options (ISOs) is about as popular as vacationing in Afghanistan. That doesn't change the fact that lots of stocks have looked pretty darned attractive at various times during the year. So you may have exercised some ISOs when your company's sh... |
That's bad enough, but it can get a lot worse. Your ISO exercise could trigger a big 2001 alternative-minimum-tax (AMT) liability. Why? Because you must include the "spread" (i.e., the difference between the exercise price and the higher market price at the time you exercised the options) in income for AMT purpose... |
Bailing out before yearend will have therapeutic effects on your 2001 return. First and foremost, you'll wriggle off the AMT hook, because the spread that existed at the time you exercised your ISO will no longer have any impact on your tax situation. Instead, you'll simply have a garden-variety short-term ca... |
In contrast, if you're still hanging onto those ISO shares at the dawn of 2002, your AMT liability for this year will be locked in. (There's a proposed bill in Congress that would rectify this obviously unfair situation, but I'm pessimistic about its chances.) One more thing: If you decide to follow this... |
This last point is inspired by a phone conversation I had just this week with my very own 73-year-old father. As you probably know, people in this age bracket (i.e., anyone over age 70½) must take annual taxable withdrawals from their IRAs and SEP accounts. The exact amount that must be withdrawn by no later than Dec. ... |
This has always been a source of frustration for IRA owners who don't want to start draining their nest egg. Fortunately, new IRS rules issued earlier this year allow smaller required withdrawals in the great majority of cases. Smaller required withdrawals mean smaller 2001 tax bills, which, of course, is a good t... |
Now, you'd think my dear old Dad, of all people, would be well-versed on the new withdrawal rules. Think again. In fact, he was poised to follow the old rules, which would've resulted in a larger-than-necessary withdrawal and a larger-than-necessary 2001 tax bill. Then he was going to tell my sainted Mother t... |
Wreck-It Ralph 2 has added the movie’s first new cast member in Ugly Betty actress Ana Ortiz. Although little details have been released, Tracking Board has speculated the role is a fairly minor role. |
Ortiz played the older sister of America Ferrera’s titular character in Ugly Betty while having other TV credits in NYPD Blue, ER, and How To Get Away With Murder. The Wreck-It Ralph 2 casting will arguably be the biggest casting of her cinematic career as her only previous film credit rests with Big Mommas: Like Fathe... |
Although Ortiz is the first new cast member announced for the sequel, she is slated to join John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Alan Tudyk as they reprise their roles from the first movie. |
Wreck-It Ralph 2 is the follow-up movie to 2012’s wildly successful Wreck-It Ralph, a movie which grossed over $471 million at the box office. With a sequel announced just weeks after Wreck-It Ralph debuted, the follow-up is slated to hit movie theatres on March 9, 2018. |
I find it most amusing that John Badham, two years after inappropriately garnering all the success for "WarGames," still finds it important to belittle Marty Brest's contribution while playing up his own ("Badham and Tesich Become Cyclemates," by Roderick Mann, June 19). |
Badham, it should be pointed out once and for all, came on to this movie after the re-write had been closely supervised by Brest; the picture had been cast by Brest; the picture had been designed under Brest's supervision and the picture had in fact been shooting. |
The picture was closed down for such an extremely short period of time that even Badham, with all his self-proclaimed talent and wisdom, would have had a tough time effecting the changes for which he would like to take credit. |
Let it suffice to say that Brest's next movie was "Beverly Hills Cop." Let's see what Badham's will be. |
Now a movie producer, Ufland was Brest's agent during the making of "WarGames." |
Environmental groups and California officials intend to fight any plan that would eliminate the Golden State’s rule-making authority. |
The White House announced Thursday that it is moving ahead on its much-anticipated plan to roll back the fuel economy mandate set by the Obama administration. The move is likely to mean fewer high-efficiency, zero-pollution cars on the road. |
The previous guidelines, which were reached during Obama's first term, call for automakers to steadily reach a fleet average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 — though with credits and other modifications, the actual figure is expected to wind up in the low to mid-40 mpg range. Thursday's announcement means th... |
Acting Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler said the agency also intends to eliminate California’s authority to set its own automotive emissions rules — guidelines that have traditionally been tougher than those put in place by the EPA for the rest of the country. |
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the Trump administration's actions a "dangerous assault on clean air and public health in California and across the nation." |
"President Trump's illegal and unjust attack on the vital clean air protections set by California and the 12 states that join it will choke our communities with smog," Pelosi said in a statement, promising that her state would "continue to work with automakers to overcome the Trump obstruction to build cleaner, mo... |
During a conference call with reporters, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator Heidi King said the mid-term review conducted by the Trump administration concluded the average new vehicle would increase in price by $2,340 by 2025 — with overall costs to the country estimated at $500 million... |
In turn, EPA Assistant Administrator Bill Wehrum said that would have a “detrimental impact…on highway safety” by delaying the rollout of improved vehicle technology. The two agencies estimate the proposal could reduce U.S. highway fatalities by 1,000 lives annually. |
Recently departed EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt outlined the administration’s plans on Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, earlier this year, setting in motion a series of public hearings as well as a meeting between Trump and auto industry leaders to discuss a rollback. |
Auto industry officials, notably including former Ford CEO Mark Fields, had vocally supported a rollback during meetings with the then-new president in 2017. Facing heavy pressure from consumer lobbying groups, they have largely been silent about a cut in mileage targets in recent months and, in some cases, have even a... |
But Ford, along with most of the rest of the industry, does want to eliminate the California waiver. |
“From the automakers' perspective, they’ll be happy not to deal with CARB,” (the California Air Resources Board that sets emissions targets), said Dave Sargent, the head of automotive research for J.D. Power and Associates. “What they want more than anything is one set of rules. Multiple sets of rules get expensiv... |
Environmental groups, as well as California officials, like CARB chief Mary Nichols, have made it clear they intend to fight any plan that would eliminate the Golden State’s rule-making authority and while Nichols had said earlier this year that she was open to discussing a mileage rollback, she was skeptical that it c... |
"Our analysis clearly indicates that the car companies are fully capable of meeting the CAFE standards and they are able to do so with great savings for consumers," echoed Jack Gillis, the Consumer Federation of America's director of public affairs. |
California not only supports that target but has put in place guidelines setting a minimum number of zero-emissions vehicles that all but the smallest carmakers would have to sell in that state over the coming years. California is already the country’s largest market for what are commonly referred to as ZEVs, but autom... |
California and 16 other states, along with the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit on May 2 challenging the planned CAFE rollback. Further legal action is expected to follow now that the administration will attempt to block the California CO2 waiver. |
Braids with Mark Webber: Sunday, Sept. 15 at The Pawn Shop. Yeglive.ca. |
Trivium and Devildriver with After The Burial and Sylosis: Tuesday, Sept. 17 at Union Hall. Ticketfly.com. |
Zachary Lucky: Thursday, Sept. 18 at The ARTery. Ticket info to be announced. |
Chali 2na: Thursday, Sept. 19 at The Starlite Room. Ticketfly.com. |
Bliss N Eso: Thursday, Sept. 26 at The Starlite Room, Ticketfly.com. |
Authority Zero: Saturday, Sept. 28 at Brixx Bar & Grill. Ticket info to be announced. |
Rose Cousins with Rachel Sermanni: Friday, Sept. 27 at Avenue Theatre. Yeglive.ca. |
Krewella: Saturday, Oct. 5 at Encore (WEM). Connected Events. |
GWAR with Whitechapel, Iron Reagan and Band of Orcs: Wednesday, Oct. 9 at Union Hall. Ticketfly.com. |
TesseracT with Scale The Summit and Anciients: Thursday, Oct. 10 at The Pawn Shop. Yeglive.ca. |
Deer Tick: Friday, Oct. 18 at Starlite Room. Ticketfly.com. |
Joe Rogan: Saturday, Nov. 9 at River Cree Resort & Casino. RiverCreeTickets.com. |
Gentleman Husbands will open for Matt Good: Thursday, Nov. 14 at the Jubilee Auditorium. Ticketmaster. |
KEN mode with Full of Hell: Thurdsay, Nov. 14 at The Pawn Shop. Yeglive.ca. |
The Devil Wears Prada with The Ghost Inside, Volumes and Texas In July: Wednesday, Nov. 16 at The Starlite Room. Ticketfly.com. |
An appreciation service for Sister Wanda Jordan will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at Eastside Church of God in Christ, 3206 E. Marsh St., Stockton. Jordan has played music at the church for 34 years. |
The guest speaker will be Pastor Itasker Hollins of All Nation COGIC in Sacramento. |
Greater White Rose Church of God in Christ will host its annual women's conference on Friday and next Saturday at the church, 2340 S. Pilgrim St., Stockton. |
Friday evening worship service takes place at 7 p.m. and features guest speaker evangelist Beverly Willis. |
Next Saturday, the day begins with Morning Glory Prayer from 8 to 9 p.m.; Women's Health Workshops, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (women only); and evening worship service at 7 p.m. with Willis. |
The International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services in Rome, Italy, recently re-elected Robert Canton of Stockton to another three-year term to represent ICCRS to the English speaking North and Central America and the Caribbean countries. |
Canton was first elected to the ICCRS Council in 2007 and has served with the Finance and Newsletter Committees. In 2010, he facilitated the ICCRS-sponsored International Leadership Training Program. He also traveled to many countries to speak and to conduct healing rallies at International Catholic Charismatic Confere... |
Canton took an early retirement from his job as senior auditor-appraiser with the San Joaquin County Assessor's Office in 2008 to give more time to his ministry of preaching, teaching and healing. |
Sacramento, California, rockers Deftones, a longtime San Antonio favorite, is one of the headlining acts playing the first Botánica Music & Arts Festival. |
DEL MAR, CA - SEPTEMBER 15: Shaquille O'Neal aka DJ Diesel performs during KAABOO Del Mar at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on September 15, 2017 in Del Mar, California. |
MILAN, ITALY - MARCH 11: Joey O'Brien (L) and Tuk Smith (R) of American rock band Biters open the concert of American Southern rock band Blackberry Smoke on March 11, 2017 in Milan, Italy. |
BRADFORD boss Phil Parkinson will not forgive telly bosses for blanking his FA Cup heroes from the nation's screens today - and robbing the club of a £247,000 TV jackpot. |
Parkinson and his board fully expected that the Fifth-Round clash with Sunderland at Valley Parade would have been beamed live. |
But he points an accusing finger at both the BBC and BT for turning their backs on the giantkillers who came from two goals down to beat mighty Chelsea in the last round. |
Parkinson said: "It was a big surprise for everybody because the day when we beat Chelsea, everybody spoke about the magic of the cup. |
"I really felt we should have been on the telly. We don't want to give the impression we're getting carried away with ourselves. |
"But when you look at the £247,000 which was at stake, that's a lot of money in terms of the percentage for our budget. |
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