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Sign up for Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s free newsletter to keep up with news on the city’s public school system. Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington is preparing to defend the district’s school closure and modernization plan at a marathon board meeting Thursday. He’s got his work cut out for him. The plan would close several schools starting in 2027. Some buildings would be handed to the city, others sold, and many repurposed as district swing space or administrative offices. Officials say the Board of Education won’t vote on the plan Thursday. Late Wednesday, the district quietly released plans to upgrade some 60 buildings. However, those changes come with a big caveat: Academy at Palumbo, for example, may get new bathrooms “if the district is granted additional government and/or philanthropic funding.” In other words, that funding is far from guaranteed. Meanwhile, reactions to Philadelphia’s school closure plan underscore the political and policy tightrope district officials are now tiptoeing. The district’s closure plan has been shouted down by community members, teachers, elected officials, public school activists, and union representatives since its introduction. City Council members told district representatives earlier this month that though they don’t get a vote on the plan, they’ll make their feelings known through the budget process. At community meetings across the city, district officials have been on the receiving end of blistering tirades and passionate pleas from Philadelphians who say the proposed closures and mergers will decimate communities, spur gentrification, crater student achievement, and wipe away any iota of trust and goodwill the district has gathered. District officials have maintained the plan would be good for Philly. They say it’s necessary to shift students from half-empty, aging buildings into schools more equipped to give them the academic opportunities and staffing support they need. They say there will be a transition year during which district staff will support schools through the challenges of merging and relocating. Ultimately, students will benefit from these changes, Watlington has said. The students of Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Social Justice, one of the schools targeted for closure, don’t feel the same. They walked out of their classrooms on Wednesday singing “we shall not be moved” and carrying signs that highlight their high graduation rate and their commitment to public service. State representatives have shown up to community gatherings and protests to voice their support for the schools in their neighborhoods. “I’m concerned. I’m annoyed because it’s too fast,” State Rep. Darisha Parker said at a recent community meeting at Fitler Academics Plus in Germantown. She told district representatives “if you’re going to disrupt, uproot, and destroy our community then we need to tell you what we ain’t going to do for y’all.” Philadelphia ninth grader Dane McFarland spoke passionately about how much Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Social Justice has meant to him and his friends. Parker said the district was being “unfair” and should have convened meetings with local and state representatives to walk them through the plan and give the community time to raise funds before putting closure on the table. Watlington has said the plan will cost $2.8 billion, using $1 billion in district funds and $1.8 billion in new public and philanthropic dollars. But getting the political support for that funding will be an uphill battle. “I know we at war,” Parker said. “They never convened a meeting with the Representatives who’ve gotta pay for these bills.” People at the district “just come up with a number and say, ‘find the money and make it work,’” Parker said. State Rep. Morgan Cephas said on Instagram that in her nine years as a state representative, “a school has never closed in my district and it will not start now!” She rallied to protect Overbrook Elementary School, another school the district plans to close. At a packed community meeting at Overbrook recently, students sobbed into microphones begging district staff not to close their building. School staff and the unions that represent them also aren’t sold on the plan. Ahead of tonight’s board meeting, the five unions representing district employees are planning to hold a “save our schools” rally to protest the closures and are demanding to see the data underlying the district’s decisionmaking. “Our schools need fixing and funding — not closure,” Philadelphia Federation of Teachers Chief of Staff LeShawna Coleman told the City Council earlier this month. The union conducted its own review of the plan and said they are “gravely concerned” that the plan will “provoke distrust and anxiety among beloved, established educators in schools designated for closure.” But the community opposition to the plan has also revealed something more fundamental about Philadelphia neighborhoods: Residents want the chance to turn things around. Ala Stanford, a congressional candidate who graduated from Fitler, said at a recent community meeting that if the district was serious about investing in schools, district officials could start by having more of a presence in the communities they serve. “Come show up so we can show you who we are and what we’re doing,” Stanford said. “Maybe there could be a philanthropic effort where we can donate. The state can give some, y’all can give some. The community gives what they can.” Parker and others who spoke at Fitler said they want to host a fish fry, raise money, “and do what we can” to keep their school open. Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.

Sign up for Chalkbeat Chicago’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the latest news on Chicago Public Schools. Chicago Public Schools will begin transitioning students from two ASPIRA charter high schools to other schools after months of financial turbulence at the network and deep uncertainty for its families and staff. In a letter to the district this week, ASPIRA leaders insisted they will keep the campuses — ASPIRA Business and Finance and ASPIRA Early College high schools — open through the end of this school year. But district officials say the charter has not spelled out a clear plan to pull that off, even after the district steered millions of dollars in cash advances to it this winter. CPS told the charter network in a letter dated Thursday that it will start the transition process this week and expected ASPIRA to assist with providing student records. The district noted it is not moving to close ASPIRA but did not provide more details about what moving students to other schools will look like. ASPIRA’s two high school campuses together serve about 700 students, who are predominantly low-income and Latino. The district said a third ASPIRA campus, an alternative high school on the Northwest Side operated in tandem with the charter network Youth Connections Charter School, is not facing closure. The Chicago Teachers Union, which represents staff at ASPIRA, held a rally with ASPIRA teachers, students, and parents outside of the Chicago Board of Education headquarters Thursday ahead of a board meeting. They called for CPS to help families find new schools now that would “keep students and staff together.” Lavelle Turner, a senior from ASPIRA Business and Finance High School, told reporters he’s “very concerned about my future” and that closing the school will impact many of his fellow seniors. “Will my credits be transferred if I change schools? Will this affect my college applications? I would like CPS to answer these questions,” Turner said, adding that he’d like to attend a school with his peers so he can be around familiar faces. Griselda Hermosillo, parent of a freshman at ASPIRA Early College High School, told reporters in Spanish that she is worried about what happens to student credits and their individualized education programs, or IEPs, which spell out legally required services for students with disabilities, if the school closes midyear. She said Edgar Lopez, president and CEO of ASPIRA, has left her in constant doubt about the school’s future. “If this has been a false hope, we would hope CPS will give us the actual plan,” Hermosillo said. The move comes months after the district said ASPIRA had failed to responsibly manage its finances and was struggling to make payroll. CPS said it has already provided $2.5 million in advance payments to ASPIRA, which faces a $2.9 million deficit, and has reached a state-imposed legal limit for how much it can steer to a charter school. CPS had asked ASPIRA to provide multiple documents by Wednesday, including proof that it could obtain funding from a third party and a plan showing how it would make it through the rest of the school year. ASPIRA provided neither, according to the district. Instead, in its letter to the district, ASPIRA asked CPS to provide the network with the legal maximum amount of funding for the last four school years to reduce or eliminate its deficit. By state law, the district must provide charter schools with per pupil funding that’s equivalent to 97% to 103% of funding at district schools; ASPIRA is requesting 103%. The network also said it was working on other funding fixes, including obtaining a bridge loan, raising money from alumni, and crowdfunding. But in its response, the district said it cannot provide funding for previous fiscal years retroactively, and it will start transitioning students out in light of “the emergency situation created by ASPIRA’s failure to demonstrate financial sustainability, which places the education of ASPIRA’s students at risk.” ASPIRA President Lopez did not respond to requests for comment this week. ASPIRA is latest in string of charter troubles The ASPIRA turmoil is playing out against the backdrop of larger turbulence and uncertainty in the city’s charter and contract sector — schools that are publicly funded and overseen by the district, but operated by private entities. Last year, the Chicago Board of Education voted to absorb five campuses of the charter network Acero into the district to prevent their closure. It also moved to chip in so the South Sides’ EPIC Academy High School could finish out the year before closing and take over the Chicago High School for the Arts, or ChiArts, a West Side contract school. This week, the district held a meeting with ChiArts families concerned that the school would lose its conservatory model, in which professional artists work with students during an extended school day. District officials and charter leaders have said the larger upheaval is due to declining enrollment across the city and tight finances, including a district move to withhold thousands of dollars per pupil from charters to chip in for its massive pension and debt costs. But charter critics say schools such as ASPIRA have also made major fiscal missteps and should have been monitored more closely by CPS. The district has taken ASPIRA to task for budgeting based on wildly unrealistic enrollment projections and for withholding key financial information from CPS. In addition to the documents CPS requested, ASPIRA has not yet submitted a required financial audit or the monthly cash flow reports the district requires of charters such as ASPIRA that it has placed under financial remediation. In a Wednesday interview with Chalkbeat, Conrad Timbers-Ausar, the district’s acting chief portfolio officer, who oversees charters, said CPS will strive to work closely with families to find high-performing schools where students can transfer this spring. “It has to be a process that is first and foremost student-centered and family-centered to provide as many options as possible,” he said. “We have to stay very engaged every step of the way with those families.” The district expects it will have conversations with the Chicago Teachers Union about the possibility of finding other roles for them, Timbers-Ausar said. Reema Amin is a reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org. Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org.

At a panel organized by California Sen. Alex Padilla, attendees emphasize how the SAVE America Act is a broader effort to “take over” federal elections.

Another critic of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has been arrested and prosecuted for insulting him on social media, it emerged on Thursday.

La ex secretaria de Estado de EEUU y esposa del ex presidente Clinton, quien mantuvo una relación con el depredador sexual según demuestran los archivos de Epstein, declara que no tenía conocimiento de los delitos de Jeffrey Epstein ni de Ghislaine Maxwell “No tenía ni idea de sus actividades delictivas. No recuerdo haber conocido nunca al Sr. Epstein”, ha afirmado Hillary Clinton en una declaración inicial que ha compartido en sus redes sociales. Las declaraciones a puerta cerrada se producen tras meses de tensas discusiones entre los Clinton y el Comité de Supervisión de la Cámara de Representantes, controlado por los republicanos. Los Clinton aceptaron testificar después de que sus ofertas de declaraciones juradas fueran rechazadas por el comité y su presidente, James Comer, republicano por Kentucky, amenazara con presentar cargos penales por desacato al Congreso contra ellos. Será la primera vez que un expresidente se vea obligado a testificar ante el Congreso, lo que refleja la presión por la rendición de cuentas en relación a los abusos de Epstein a menores y al selecto círculo con el que se relacionaba.

INDICATII DE LANSARE : Rachida Dati, ministra franceză a Culturii, şi-a anunţat miercuri seara demisia. Vestea era aşteptată mai demult. Cu două săptămâni şi jumătate înaintea primului tur al localelor, cea care este déjà primăriţă a arondismentului 7 al Parisului, a decis să se consacre pe deplin «luptei vieţii sale», anume cucerirea primăriei capitalei franceze sub culorile partidului Republicanii (LR). Bilanţul pe care îl lasă la cultură este departe de a fi unul demn de semnalat, dar vom încerca totuşi să o facem.

Este jueves 26 de febrero, Chile volverá a decir presente en el escenario internacional de las artes marciales. Eso porque dos destacados exponentes nacionales del Muay Thai profesional, Fabiano Ferreto y Josefa Téllez, representarán al país enfrentando a figuras consolidadas del circuito peruano en una jornada de alto nivel competitivo en Lima. Ambos peleadores, integrantes … Continua leyendo "Chile por la gloria en Lima: Fabiano Ferreto y Josefa Téllez desafían a élite peruana del Muay Thai" The post Chile por la gloria en Lima: Fabiano Ferreto y Josefa Téllez desafían a élite peruana del Muay Thai appeared first on BioBioChile.

Sabemos decir “no estoy listo para algo serio”, pero igual nos quedamos. Sabemos que no vamos a elegir, pero dejamos que nos elijan. En la era del lenguaje emocional sofisticado, la incoherencia ya no grita: se disfraza de honestidad. Se hiere aceptando amor que no se piensa devolver. Y eso no siempre es confusión. A veces es simple comodidad emocional. The post "No estoy listo para algo serio": La responsabilidad afectiva no se declama, se practica appeared first on BioBioChile.

La primera versión del galardón de los Premios Goya pesaba 15 kilos y era de bronce, de piezas desmontables Se cumplen 30 años del estreno de las dos últimas películas que llegó a dirigir Pilar Miró la 40ª edición de los Premios Goya, cuya ceremonia se traslada al Auditori del Centre de Convencions Internacionals de Barcelona y será presentada por el actor Luis Tosar y la cantante Rigoberta Bandini. Una gala en la que se entregarán galardones como el Goya de Honor al cineasta Gonzalo Súarez y el Goya Internacional a la actriz Susan Sarandon. Por qué se llaman Premios Goya Los que son los premios más relevantes del cine español, nacieron hace 40 años, en noviembre de 1985 debido a la reunión organizada por el productor Alfredo Matas en el restaurante O’Pazo de Madrid en la que consiguió unir a representantes de la industria cinematográfica de nuestro país, que daría lugar un año después a la Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España, que organiza los Premios Goya. Jaime de Armiñán y Teo Escamilla, que tenían la misión de organizar los primeros Premios, tuvieron la misión de tener que buscar el nombre que los representara, y aunque se barajaron nombres como Lumière, Buñuel o Soles, se decantaron por Goya por “el carácter universal” y su nombre corto, lo que le daba un toque similar al de galardones como los premios Oscar o César. Goya a los premios del cine español fue más allá, y vinculó la similitud de sus pinturas con las películas, al tener estas “casi un tratamiento secuencial”. En palabras del director Carlos Saura, recogidas por la página web oficial de los premios, aseguró: “No tengo la menor duda de que si Goya viviera hoy sería un cineasta”. La historia de la estatuilla de los Premios Goya La primera versión del galardón de los Premios Goya pesaba 15 kilos y era de bronce, de piezas desmontables. Fue obra del escultor malagueño Miguel Ortiz Berrocal, que se basó en un busto de Mariano Benlluire de 1902 que fue cedido de manera altruista por la Fundación del escultor valenciano. La estatuilla de los Premios Goya ha ido evolucionando con el paso del tiempo, y ha pasado de pesar 15 kilos a loa actuales 2,5 y 3 kilos, siendo actualmente una reproducción “a partir de un vaciado en escayola del busto original”. Así se fabrica la estatuilla de los Premios Goya Actualmente, la estatuilla de los Premios Goya es elaborada por la Fundición Codina en Paracuellos del Jarama (Madrid), con un proceso que pasa por diferentes fases y que comienza con una reducción en resina de la pieza original, que crea un molde de silicona del que salen las distintas copias que se entregan a los galardonados. Las estatuillas se forman con un método que se llama el de sistema de cera perdida, en el que el molde se rellena de cera, se monta la estructura con los bebederos por los que trascurre el bronce en forma líquida, para luego ser metido en un horno durante dos días a 730 grados. El resultado finalmente se dará cuando se derrite la cera y el resultado es una estatua de finas paredes. La estatuilla de los Premios Goya, finalmente, se cincelan y reciben los últimos retoques al bronce antes de pasar a la pátina y conseguir así el color definitivo. El tono deseado se logra también gracias al uso de más cera, ácido y fuego.

(The Center Square) – Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally will not run for reelection, ending a 48-year tenure in state office. McNally, 82, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1978, then ran successfully for the Senate in 1986. He has served as lieutenant governor since 2017. “It has been the honor of my life to represent the people of my community and serve the people of Tennessee,” McNally said. “My public service has been a team effort every step of the way. I offer my deepest thanks to the constituents I have served and to the members and staff with whom I have collaborated. My aim each day was to leave my state and my community a little better than I found them. Together, I believe we have done just that.” The Tennessee lieutenant governor's post is not an elected position, as in other states, but is chosen by the Senate at the beginning of each legislative term to preside over the chamber. McNally received accolades from his colleagues after his announcement. "His retirement brings an end to an era of legislative leadership and service in the Tennessee General Assembly dating back to when he was first elected to the House in 1978," said Sen. Bo Watson in a social media post. "It has been an honor to serve with him." Cosby Republican Jeremy Faison, who announced in January he would not seek reelection to his Senate post, called McNally a "pillar of politics." "His decades of dedicated public service from his first election in 1978 through his leadership as the state’s highest-ranking legislative officer, have been defined by humble commitment, steady guidance, and outstanding stewardship of our state’s future," McNally said on social media. "He’s left an enduring legacy of principled leadership, fiscal responsibility, and genuine care for the people of Tennessee." McNally's retirement means two of the three top positions in Tennessee government will change in the 2027-28 legislative session. Gov. Bill Lee is term-limited and cannot seek office again.

El Alto Tribunal ha rechazado igualmente abrir una causa contra el eurodiputado por la publicación de las conversaciones privadas que fueron intervenidas al exsecretario de Estado de Seguridad Francisco Martínez en el marco de la Operación Kitchen Una jueza imputa a Vito Quiles por difundir la dirección de la casa de la presidenta de Red Eléctrica Lo hizo, en concreto, después de que el líder de Se Acabó la Fiesta publicase en su canal de Telegram un mensaje en el que “indirectamente se le vincula con el 'caso Mediador'”. “Tercera identidad: Javier Alfonso Cendón, Secretario General del PSOE en León, Diputado Nacional y portavoz de Ciencia e Innovación en el Congreso. Que divertido va a ser ir uno por uno”, escribió. El alto tribunal reconoce que el contenido de ese mensaje “puede ser considerado una fuente de afectación del buen nombre del denunciante y, en su caso, de responsabilidad, pero no penal”. El Supremo considera que “la fórmula empleada es demasiado abierta y no precisa qué concreto comportamiento ilícito o reprochable se atribuye a Cendón, lo que impide formular un juicio de tipicidad que, aun provisorio, pueda resultar suficientemente consistente para decidir la apertura del proceso y, además, reclamar de la Cámara Europea autorización para someter al mismo al denunciado”. Es por eso que la Sala de lo Penal aclara que “la no incoación del proceso penal deja expedita la vía de ejercicio de acciones de naturaleza civil en defensa del derecho que se considere lesionado” el diputado del PSOE. Este mismo jueves se ha conocido que el Supremo ha rechazado igualmente abrir una causa contra Alvise por la publicación de las conversaciones privadas que fueron intervenidas al ex secretario de Estado de Seguridad Francisco Martínez en el marco de la 'operación Kitchen'. Según la misma Sala de lo Penal, la difusión de chats intervenidos judicialmente y expurgados puede justificar que se investigue el circuito de filtración y sus responsables “pero, en lo que se refiere al aforado, los elementos aportados no proporcionan, por sí solos, una base bastante” como para abrir una causa. Cabe recordar que el Supremo ya tiene abiertas contra 'Alvise' cuatro causas: por presunto acoso a dos eurodiputados que fueron en su lista; por difundir una PCR falsa del exministro de Sanidad y actual presidente de Cataluña, Salvador Illa; por el presunto acoso en redes sociales a la fiscal coordinadora de delitos de odio, Susana Gisbert, y por la financiación ilegal de SALF, por los 100.000 euros que recibió del empresario Álvaro Romillo, alias 'CryptoSpain'.

Um relatório publicado nesta quinta-feira (26), na França, revela que um quarto dos jovens imigrantes, descendentes de imigrantes ou nascidos no exterior sofreu discriminação com base na cor da pele, origem ou nacionalidade nos últimos cinco anos, inclusive em instituições do Estado, como escolas e universidades. Segundo o documento, essas discriminações são “cumulativas e estruturais” e devem ser tratadas como prioridade pelo Estado.

Раніше Reuters повідомило, що США уповільнюють продаж закордонних активів «Лукойлу», щоб чинити тиск на Росію

Less than a year after a gunman opened fire on Florida State University’s campus, killing two and injuring more, the Florida House has passed a bill intended to prevent another shooting. Members voted 83-25 on HB 757, Rep. Michelle Salzman’s bill that she says she traveled to state to formulate following the FSU shooting, which […]

Counties have an obligation to make sure every eligible voter has a chance to cast their ballot and ensure that their ballot is counted.

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O ganhador do Prêmio Nobel da Paz, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, enviou uma carta aberta ao ex-presidente Barack Obama denunciando as políticas de Donald Trump. Na carta, ele descreveu o atual presidente dos EUA como um “ditador global” e o “terrorista número um”. Pérez Esquivel alertou que Washington está empurrando o mundo para o abismo da […] Fonte

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Pello Reparaz musikaria eta Uxua Lopez zientzialaria dira aurtengo matrikulazio kanpainaren protagonistak.

Emanuel Noir, vocalista de Ke Personajes, conversó en exclusiva con BioBioChile respecto al triunfo de la banda en el Festival de Viña, así como también sobre el abrupto cierre del show de la comediante Asskha Sumathra y el despertar del “Monstruo”. La madrugada de este jueves, la banda argentina Ke Personajes pisó por primera vez … Continua leyendo "Ke Personajes revela que pensaron que el "Monstruo" los iba a echar tras impasse con Asskha Sumathra" The post Ke Personajes revela que pensaron que el "Monstruo" los iba a echar tras impasse con Asskha Sumathra appeared first on BioBioChile.