We now know, based on a large-scale research study by EdSource and Stanford University, why some middle-grade schools do better than others, irrespective of the socioeconomic level of their students. According to the findings, school practices related to instruction mean more than family income in predicting student success.

City Hall Diary
Monday: No Impact Man Film at City Hall
Nearly 300 San Jose residents attended to watch this documentary, which portrays a family that adopts environmentally friendly choices over the course of a year.  For example, they bike instead of driving, buy only locally produced food and give up their television. The main point of the evening was that we do not have to wait for government to mandate behaviors that help the environment but that collectively we as residents can choose to compost, use less electricity, bike vs. drive today, etc..

In San Jose Inside’s weekly open forum, observations and opinions on any topic are welcome. What’s on your mind?

There seems to be no end in site for San Jose’s budget woes. On Wednesday, city officials announced that because of market losses pension costs for city employees will jump up as much as 43 percent—$60 million—in the coming budget year. This year retirement expenses were $138 million.

The Merc’s news columnist, Scott Herhold, reminded his readers in a recent piece that, “It’s no secret I think the DA is outclassed by her opponent.” It’s a disclaimer he has made on several occasions of late, while taking potshots at District Attorney Dolores Carr as she prepares to face-off for her job in June with her subordinate, Deputy DA Jeff Rosen.

While San Jose may not exactly be the Capital of Silicon Valley, it certainly is at the center of many important things. The San Jose area is home to some of the most expensive real estate in the country. A lot of wealthy and smart people live or work in San Jose and its surrounding cities and towns. What happens here matters. I wonder if the citizens of San Jose would take it upon themselves to provide leadership for the rest of the nation by questioning the legitimacy of the 2010 Census in its present form.

Mayor Chuck Reed had some grim news for City Council yesterday. “Although this is the ninth year we’ve faced a significant budget shortfall, this year is by far the worst.” He went on to warn that the city’s expenses are expected to exceed its revenues for many years to come. The only solution, he suggested, is to cut services to community centers and libraries, and to reduce pay and/or benefits to municipal employees.

Former councilman-turned-evangelical Larry Pegram is getting a lot of attention in the District 9 council race, while the candidacy of Robert Cortese, the second cousin of County Supervisor Dave Cortese,  has not been getting much press. Which is somewhat surprising, since the 37-year-old Cortese is a nationwide star on the U.S. karaoke circuit.

On March 15 President Obama sends to Congress the next incarnation of the 2002 legislation we know as No Child Left Behind. Is it possible for this legislation to enjoy a little more bi-partisan support than the health care revamp? Will it be possible for the legislation to make a difference in achieving its aim? If history is any guide the answer to both questions is a resounding NO.

Below are a few observations from last week.
 
Monday: Council study session on Airport
Overwhelming majority of Council thought outsourcing of janitorial to save $3 million was a bad idea so it looks like we will lay people off and consider getting rid of the night time curfew in the future.

Monday Night: General Plan 2040 Task Force Meeting
Although the General Plan board members were informed that the City’s budget problems are partially due to most of our land being dedicated to housing instead of jobs, the Task Force voted in favor of adding 300,000 people with a 14-11 vote. The two options were 200,000 or 300,000 new residents. Several task force members shared that they voted no because they wanted to see higher growth of 500,000 more residents to San Jose! I voted for the option that added 200,000 people by 2040.

This is SJI’s open forum, where comments on any topic are welcome. What’s on your mind?

After much hemming and hawing, the California Department of Education released its list of 188 of the state’s most “persistently low-achieving schools” on Monday, a most dubious honor bestowed on seven schools in San Jose: Joseph George, Ocala, August Boeger, Herbert Hoover and Peter Burnett Middle Schools, Escuela Popular Accelerated Family Learning, and Cesar Chavez Elementary.

In a recent Open Forum article published by the San Francisco Chronicle, the city auditors for Oakland and Berkeley advanced the argument that city officials and citizens need to work together to define what the core services are for their respective cities: “Local government cannot afford everything it’s doing, so where do cities cut spending? To bridge budget gaps, lawmakers can choose either to implement across-the-board cuts-or they can define core services and cut strategically. Defining core services means aligning what services citizens expect with what cities can afford.”

Larry Pegram, president and co-founder of evangelical group Values Advocacy Council, today declared his candidacy for the District 9 seat on the San Jose City Council, which is being vacated by termed-out Judy Chirco. Pegram was a member of the City Council from 1974 to 1980. His most recent political venture was a short-lived run for the GOP nomination in the 11th Congressional District.

San Jose Rep managing director Nick Nichols may have devoted his career to those who strut and fret upon the stage, but he was put off by the melodramatic tone of a Merc article last Sunday, which seemed to predict the 30-year-old theater’s imminent demise: “Last Curtain for the Rep?” the header wailed. “Well, the fact of the matter is, we’re here, we’re opening our next show, we were successful in the fundraising we needed to do—we’re in better financial shape than we’ve been in a while,” Nichols says.

This afternoon at 1:30 the Council will gather for a special meeting to discuss the City’s airport. The expansion was voted favorably by the council in 1997 with then-Councilmember David Pandori casting the only vote against. The airport, with the hands artwork that is visible driving on Highway 87, was approved in 2005. Through the selling of bonds (borrowing) the city of San Jose has spent $1.3 billion on the renovation.