May 28, 2010
The classroom has only a few pictures, so as not to over-stimulate the children. The chairs have rounded legs, so that nobody’s shoelace gets caught. Any mishap, even one as minor as that, can cause a severe emotional outburst and disrupt the school day. These are just two features of Central Elementary School’s therapeutic classroom, […]
May 27, 2010
Suburban school districts already strapped for cash are bracing for major state funding cuts unless lawmakers raise the cigarette tax or Gov. Pat Quinn can find money elsewhere. An estimated $327 million would be cut from programs under a budget plan sent to Quinn this week. Special-education funding would be cut by about $246 million […]
May 27, 2010
The Polk County School Board has decided to compete for the federal Race to the Top education grant, signing the paperwork on Tuesday, the deadline for districts to apply. They skipped the first round of the grant, but this time, they said they thought the new demands will be easier to carry out. Florida pursued […]
May 27, 2010
Senior congressional Democrats and the Obama administration scrambled Wednesday to line up support for $23 billion in federal aid to avert an estimated 100,000 or more school layoffs in a brutal year for education budgets coast to coast. As early as Thursday, the House Appropriations Committee expects to take up a bill that couples the […]
May 27, 2010
For some of the 60 Redwood City School District teachers facing layoffs, their only hope now hinges on the state Capitol delivering more funding than what anyone expects right now. At its meeting Tuesday, the school board approved laying off the teachers as well as two administrators and a nurse as its prepares to solve […]
May 27, 2010
The lawsuit California public school supporters have been waiting for is finally here. Last Thursday a coalition of individuals, school districts (including the San Francisco Unified School District) and educational organizations announced the filing of the California School Finance lawsuit, which has the goal of entirely refashioning public education funding in California. While public school […]
May 27, 2010
Pulling together a $392.3 million financial pie made with public money can cause a heck of a food fight. When money’s tight, the pieces aren’t as big as people would like. So once the county manager made a recommendation — Dudley Watts released Forsyth County’s budget proposal earlier this month — the fight got louder. […]
May 27, 2010
Zionsville Schools chief financial officer Mike Shafer said Superintendent Scott Robison will propose to the School Board having a referendum for a tax levy to support the general operating budget. Shafer discussed the option at this week’s School Board meeting. The proposal for how much the schools would expect to seek will be presented at […]
May 26, 2010
Triggered by tax collections projected at a half-billion dollars less than expected, Gov. Ted Kulongoski ordered state agencies Tuesday to prepare spending cuts of 9 percent to balance the state budget. Agencies that draw from the tax-supported general fund — including education, human services and public safety programs — are scheduled to submit specific plans […]
May 26, 2010
The Board of Education has rejected the Millstone Township Committee’s decision to reduce the proposed tax levy in support of the new school budget by over $1.2 million. The board unanimously voted May 18 to appeal the governing body’s decision to the New Jersey commissioner of education and seek restoration of the reduction. After voters […]