March 30, 2011
In Houston, school district officials introduced a test score-based evaluation system to determine teacher bonuses, then — in the face of massive protests — jettisoned the formula after one year to devise a better one. In New York, teachers union officials are fighting the public release of ratings for m ore than 12,000 teachers, arguing […]
March 30, 2011
In addition to reducing per-student payments to schools by 10 percent next year, the South Dakota Department of Education plans to cut back on technology upgrades and reimbursements for students who take Advanced Placement classes and exams. Education officials detailed their proposed 2012 budget Wednesday before the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee. Gov. Dennis Daugaard has […]
March 30, 2011
Again, good and bad news for fans of education spending. The good news: The House Appropriations Committee has introduced a bill to keep the government afloat for the next two weeks. If the measure is approved by the U.S. Senate and signed by President Barack Obama, it would temporarily avert a shutdown, and give lawmakers […]
March 30, 2011
When Jerry Brown collided with lawmakers during his first stint as governor — having his vetoes overridden, being ejected from the Senate on an unannounced visit — he relied on his 28-year-old legislative secretary, Diana Dooley, to smooth things over. "Her job back then was pretty tough," the once-again governor admits. More than 30 years […]
March 30, 2011
In Tallahassee, Florida’s Legislature has one overriding goal this session: to close a $4.5 billion budget shortfall. And one of the key programs it is targeting for cuts is Medicaid. In Florida and every other state, the program, which provides health insurance for the needy, makes up a big chunk of the annual budget. In […]
March 30, 2011
A Georgia House panel on Thursday approved an $18.25 billion state budget that restores funding for some low-income Medicaid recipients but also boosts health insurance costs for state employees. The Hous e Appropriations Committee voted 59-1 to OK the spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Georgia is facing the loss of […]
March 30, 2011
< ;span style=”font-weight: bold;”>PHOENIX–The Arizona Senate late Wednesday approved a budget-balancing plan with spending cuts in health care, education and other services that majority Republicans called overdue to fit state spending to state revenue. "We are in trouble, and we are doing the responsible thing, but it’s not the easy thing and it’s the sad […]
March 30, 2011
State aid cuts have left school districts across New Jersey unable to provide a constitutionally mandated “thorough and efficient” education, especially for the state’s poorer students, judge appointed by the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. It’s now left to the Supreme Court to decide what, if anything, to do about that. The court could order more […]
March 30, 2011
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers on Sunday said they reached agreement on a $132.5 billion budget plan that lowers spending slightly, avoids tax hikes and grants the administration much more authority to manage the flow of Medicaid dollars. The governor’s handshake deal with legislative leaders isn’t yet enshrined into law, and important details about the […]
March 11, 2011
The uncertainty in state funding is prompting some school districts to search for ways to find more reliable sources of money from local sources. Some believe property taxes would be better than a sales tax. The state didn’t make as much money as projected so education funding was reduced. Madison City Schools lost more than […]