March 30, 2011
Democratic lawmakers made their opening proposals to reform Nevada schools Thursday, giving a taste of the carrots they’ll be dangling in front of the Republicans they hope will join them in voting for a tax increase this session. But first came their argument why Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed budget and its cuts to K-12 education […]
March 30, 2011
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Tuesday that he would introduce legislation to speed the implementation of a statewide system to evaluate teachers’ performance. His announcement came minutes after the State Senate passed legislation sought by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that would reverse a rule protecting long-serving New York City teachers from layoffs regardless of […]
March 30, 2011
Facing the prospect of having to revamp the Medicaid system, push education reforms opposed by educators, redraw the state’s political lines and fill a nearly $4 billion budget gap, the job of Florida lawmaker may soon find itself next to elephant scooper on the list of the world’s least enviable professions. And with the 90-day […]
March 30, 2011
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – A Kansas Senate panel endorsed most of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposed cuts in aid to public schools, reflecting a loss of federal aid and tight state revenues. The Senate Ways and Means Committee adopted a subcommittee’s recommendation to reduce the base aid to Kansas’ 289 school districts in the fiscal […]
March 30, 2011
COLUMBIA, S.C. — After years of cutbacks amid the recession, South Carolina’s five public residential schools for talented, troubled and hearing- and visually-impaired students are poised to get more money in the state budget. House budget-writers’ $5.2 billion budget plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1, up for debate this week on the […]
March 30, 2011
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The lobbyist for the Tennessee Education Association said Wednesday he’s not completely satisfied with a proposal that would restrict the collective bargaining rights of Tennessee teachers, but is grateful they still have an opportunity to bargain. The measure sponsored by House Republican Caucus Chairwoman Debra Ma ggart of Hendersonville advanced to […]
March 30, 2011
The financially embattled Detroit school system has announced a controversial plan to turn nearly a third of the district’s 141 schools over to charter operators or education-management organizations by next school year. Officials say their only other option is to close dozens of low-performing schools. If the plan to hand 41 schools over to outside […]
March 30, 2011
FRANKFORT, Ky.–A week and a half into a special legislative session, lawmakers remained divided Wednesday on how to shore up financing within the Kentucky’s Medicaid program. Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chairman Bob Leeper said questions linger on whether Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration can find ways to save $425 million in the Medicaid program next […]
March 30, 2011
JACKSON – Mississippi Senate and House budget writers are still in a deadlock after the House’s last minute budget proposal didn’t receive Senate support Saturday night. "They didn’t come off of anything new," said Senate Appropriations Chair Doug Davis, R-Hernando. "They reduced $8 or $9 million in IHL support and outside of that, there weren’t […]
March 30, 2011
Responding to criticism that tenure gives even poor teachers a job for life, Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, announced a plan Thursday to overhaul how teachers are evaluated and dismissed. It would give tenured teachers who are rated unsatisfactory by their principals a maximum of one school year to improve. […]