"Offhand" question

● IVC EARLY COLLEGE @ TUSTIN HIGH SCHOOLS? ALL ABOARD! See this morning's OC Register: ”Tustin high schoolers can take college courses”. Some excerpts:

Tustin high school students will be able to graduate with a high school diploma and a college associate's degree at the same time after the district and Irvine Valley College agreed Monday on a program that will start in the fall.

The program will put college professors in high school classrooms to teach college courses, giving students a chance to earn college credit throughout high school without paying college tuition.

…The early college program will launch in the fall at Beckman High School, and will be brought to Tustin High and Foothill High schools soon after.

…The district is targeting students in high school honors and college preparation courses…Students participating in the program will be enrolled in Tustin Unified and Irvine Valley at the same time. Credits earned through Irvine Valley will count toward high school graduation.

…The early college idea has been around since November 2005, when the partnership was formed. The possibility for Tustin high schoolers to take college courses at Irvine Valley has been around for years, but never as a program.

…Board President Jonathan Abelove will also be impacted by the program. He is a parent of a Pioneer eighth grader who will be going to Beckman when the program begins. He said he was worried about the idea that college courses would be taught to a young age group….

This program was explained during last week’s IVC Academic Senate meeting. During the meeting, some issues and concerns arose (including Abelove’s sort of concern).


● HOWARD AHMANSON AGAIN. The OC Register is now on the “Let’s call it Christmas” story ('Christmas' comments revive religion claims.) Unsurprisingly, Trustee FUENTES’ pal, HOWARD AHMANSON, pops up:

A question about what to call the winter holiday has resuscitated concerns that three new trustees for the Capistrano Unified School District are backed by religious interests.

Ellen Addonizio – who, with Larry Christensen and Anna Bryson, was elected to the district board in November – asked during a board meeting Monday whether naming the holiday break "Christmas vacation" would be appropriate, Capistrano Unified spokeswoman Beverly DeNicola said.
The question, described by DeNicola as "offhand," came during a discussion of the school calendar.

It was followed by requests from Addonizio and Bryson that district staff look into the legality of the matter. A report will be written.

"The federal government has established the Christmas holiday because most people have asked for it to be in that manner," Bryson said. "That doesn't mean we aren't aware of other values, Hanukah and everything else."

…During the election, the candidates' opponents criticized them for what they saw as a connection to religious groups – including donations from the foundation of philanthropist Howard Ahmanson, who has supported religious causes….

Ahmanson is one scary dude, and he’s got some serious money. (Heir to Home Savings fortune.)

● @ UC/CSU, PISSED OFF AT ARNOLD. In this morning’s Inside Higher Ed:

When he was running for re-election last year, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made much of his work with legislators to find money to cancel planned tuition increases for the University of California and California State University systems. Now that he’s inaugurated for a full term, tuition increases don’t bother him so much, and they were included in his budget plan for higher education, released Thursday. Student leaders are calling the budget “a betrayal,” the Los Angeles Times reported. Community college fees would not increase under the plan.

● BOARD MEETING, NEXT WEEK. Don't forget: there's a meeting of the South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees next week (on the 16th). For the agenda, go to SOCCCD board agendas