The SF Weekly devoted its cover story to Nader/Gonzalez running as independents for the U.S. presidency.

The SF Weekly denounced that Nader and Gonzalez were running and using their platform to promote issues such as government reform, reining in corporate influence and ballot access. The SF Weekly should take a civic lesson. Under the U.S. Constitution, anyone who was born in the United States and is over the age of 35 can run for president (and vice president). And those who run for president/vp usually have issues that they believe in-and thus use those issues to create their platform.

1. Live Monarch Foundation - Educator Award Program, staff@livemonarch.com

Application Deadline: Rolling

Award Amount: Not specified

Eligible Applicants: K-12 teachers and home schooling parents

Focus of Interest: Grants support efforts to bring Monarch Butterflies into the classroom. The funding provides materials to create butterfly gardens along the Monarch’s 3,000-mile migratory route within North America.

More info: www.lmf-educator-award.com/index.html

2. Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Youth Adventure - Lorax Challenge (national), (866) 923-9863 ext. 707, lorax@youthventure.org

Application Deadline: May 31, 2008

Award Amount: $1000 and a free weekend trip to the University of Florida for a learning seminar

Eligible Applicants: Individuals ages 12-20

Save rent control! Save environmental protection laws! Save city planning!

STOP PROPOSITION 98! YES ON PROPOSITION 99!

Join us for a fundraising, information-sharing party.Eat, drink, dance, and get educated.
Come to the home of Iris Biblowitz and Fran Taylor, 2982 26th Street, near Bryant in the Mission

Saturday
May 3, 6 to 9 pm

#27-Bryant, #12-Folsom, #48-Quintara, #33-Ashbury, #9-San Bruno, walk from 24th Street BART or Mission buses / indoor bicycle parking / so-so car street parking
Not accessible (up 30 steps) / large, pushy dog on premises

Can you imagine San Francisco without rent control?
Proposition 98 would eliminate rent control in all California-
Our city could be changed forever - now is the time to fight back!

Join Pride at Work’s election outreach. New volunteers are welcome!
We are working on three issues in coalition with community groups and labor:
NO on 98 to Save Rent Control!
YES on A to support SF schools and teachers!
YES on B to support city workers and preserve city services!
Phone bank this Monday, April 28th
and every Monday until the election
join Pride at Work Phone Bank nights when we call LGBT voters.
When: 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. Dinner is provided.
Where: SEIU 1021; 350 Road Island (entrance on Kansas & 17th)
accessible by MUNI 10, 19, 22 or 33
You can also join the general community labor phone banks Tuesday-Thursday, same time same place.

UESF has a phone bank from 5-7:30 p.m. on Monday to Thursday to tell the world why we need more funds to keep great teachers in our schools’ classrooms. The phone banking will be at UESF’s offices at 2310 Mason Street.

Some schools have signed up to help-but they always need more people. To help, call UESF’s Ken Tray at 956.8373 or email kpulaski.schools@whitehurstcampaigns.com.

Tuesday 4/29: Burton HS
Wednesday 4/30: A.P. Giannini, Yick Wo, Burton HS, Ida B. Wells, New Traditions
Thursday 5/1: Alamo

The Guardian newspaper, located in the United Kingdo, reported that a school in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshireis employing sixth formers as supply teachers because of a shortage of qualified staff.

The school is paying its 16-, 17- and 18-year-old sixth formers £5 ($12 US) for each 50-minute class they take. The 24 teenagers follow teachers’ lesson plans, instructing 11- to 16-year-olds in subjects they may no longer take themselves. The Guardian reports that there is an older adult with the older student, but the adult may not be a trained teacher and does not teach the lesson. The school is thought to be the only one in the UK to have taken this approach to supply teacher shortages.

Sandra Osborne, of the Presidio Child Development Center; Bonnie Coffey-Smith, of McKinley Elementary School; Carmelo Sgarlato, of James Lick Middle School; and Kevin Truitt, of Mission High School received “Principal of the Year” awards from Mayor Newsom on Friday.

Newsom was joined by Supervisors Bevan Dufty and Tom Ammiano.

Coffey-Smith announced her retirement at the end of the school year. Excelsior Middle School’s principal Rosa Fong was chosen as her replacement. Carmelo Sgarlato will be leaving James Lick Middle School at the end of the year to become the principal at the Schools of the Arts.

The keynote speaker for Parents for Public Schools’ general membership meeting on Saturday was SFUSD Superintendent Carlos Garcia.

Over 80 people were in attendance. Approximately a third of the attendees were listening to translations in Chinese and Spanish with their headsets.

Future SFUSD student Anna Lu with her mother

Executive Director Lorraine Woodruff-Long noted that this was the second year in a row that SFUSD has had an increase of incoming kindergarteners. She thanked all of the school ambassadors who helped to make that a reality after 30 years of declining enrollment. She also noted that PPS-SF had raised $250,000 in six months and held a series of seminars during the summer on school site councils. Woodruff-Long also noted that PPS-SF now provides a trilingual newsletter to ensure that every parent have the tools that they need to participate in their children’s education.

The Board of Education called a special meeting for 8 p.m. today to discuss layoffs of 45 paraprofessionals. The meeting began a half hour late.

Commissioner Norman Yee was not at the meeting. Commissioner Jane Kim participated via teleconference from a Biltmore Hotel room in the Los Angeles area .

After getting assurances that the Superintendent would send a letter asking school site councils to putting hiring back teachers and paraprofessionals as their first priority if schools receive additional funds and scheduling a meeting to revisit the actual May revised state budget at the later end of May, the Board voted 5-1 to send out layoff notices to 45 paraprofessionals. Commissioner Maufas was the only commissioner to vote against the resolution.

The Tenants Unions sends us this alert:

No on 98!
Yes on 99!
Help Save Rent Control April 25th!

The Apartment Owners Association (AOA) has contributed over $200,000 to pass Proposition 98 in California. If Proposition 98 passes, members of the AOA will profit from the loss of Rent Control and Just Cause.

On Friday April 25th, the AOA will conduct a workshop at the Oakland Airport Hilton to teach landlords how to EVICT tenants.

The AOA is a landlord group calling those that oppose Proposition 98 “Terrorist” and in their literature they state,” It is a War to eventually make rent control and eminent domain illegal!”(AOA Website)