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TEACHER AFFORDABLE HOUSING
PROGRAM SUSPENDED
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DISAPPOINTING READING RESULTS
The latest NAPE, National Assessment of Educational Progress report, which the government uses to gauge the state of primary education in the country, shows that two-thirds of the nation's fourth grades lack proficiency in reading. Findings also show that more than one-third of the fourth graders lack even basic reading skills, meaning they have serious problems understanding the simplest texts.
Specifically 63% of black fourth graders, 58% of Hispanics, 60% of children in poverty and 47% of children in the urban schools scored at "below basic" competency levels, which means they can't read.
Education Secretary Rod Paige, remarked: " The first thing you notice from these reading data is that after decades of business-as-usual school reform, too many of our nation's children still cannot read." He added, " After spending 125 billion … over 25 years, we have virtually nothing to show for it."
The education industry suffers from a severe productivity crisis," says Jay Greene, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. "We've tripled input during the same time that we've had no change in output. Any education reform has to involve increasing productivity. What that means is paying attention to the incentives offered to schools to use their resources effectively."
Wall Street Journal April 24, 2001
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The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has suspended its popular "Teacher Next Door" program for 120 days in an effort to curb fraud and abuse in the initiative. The year-old program and the related "Officer Next Door" initiative, which was launched in 1997, offer teachers and police officers significant price breaks on HUD-owned houses. Both programs are now on hold until July 31.
The programs were designed to help teachers and police officers buy homes and to revitalize deteriorated communities by encouraging more working residents and their families to live there. HUD officials announced the move on March 29, shortly after five police officers were convicted of felony fraud charges, 15 were indicted, and 80 others are under investigation. The move also followed the recent release of a report by HUD's inspector general charging that many participants had violated program rules. Although no teachers have been charged or investigated, both programs were suspended because the rules are nearly identical.
"The vast majority of officers and teachers who buy houses through these programs play by the rules," U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martinez said in a statement announcing the suspension. "Both programs have proven winners in the communities." Nonetheless, he ordered his agency to review the programs' guidelines and make changes to ensure that houses are being sold only to qualified people who will abide by the stipulations.
The "Next Door" initiatives allow teachers and police officers to buy, at a 50 percent discount, single-family homes owned by HUD, which often are in disrepair and located in blighted areas designated as revitalization zones. The teachers and officers may move into the houses with a $100 down payment, but they must agree to live in them for at least three years. HUD will still honor contracts signed before April 1.
According to the inspector general, many of the fraud problems can be traced to a requirement added to the Officer Next Door program in 1999--and picked up by the Teacher Next Door program when it was launched later that year. The requirement orders that an applicant obtain a second mortgage, equal to the 50 percent discount, for the property. And if an officer or teacher fails to meet the program's continuing obligations, he or she must assume the second mortgage and essentially pay full price for the house in question.
Education Week
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MEMBER BENEFITS
There have been times when I would regret writing the monthly check for some of our member benefits. It seemed like so much money and it was needed for other projects. When one of our members was accidentally killed recently, all of that changed. In the sadness of the moment, I knew that although we were helpless to help in other ways, at least we would be able to help the family in those last expenses.
Eleven thousand dollars is not that much, but it is so much more than nothing. Every member of PET (professional, student, support, and associate) who is less than 70 years of age is covered by these benefits. We pray that this benefit will never be used again. Nevertheless, it will be there if needed.
Walter Jewell
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JUST THE FACTS
2.2 million new teachers will be needed to replace retiring teachers and those leaving the teaching profession as well as to accommodate population increases and the movement to reduce class-size within the next 10 years.
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