April 1, 2010
Public school districts in San Mateo County stand to lose more than $25 million in state funds through the 2010-11 fiscal year, according to an analysis released Monday by the California Budget Project. However, that amount is just part of the overall budget cuts that districts are bracing for given the state’s $20 billion deficit […]
April 1, 2010
The state Senate shifted rightward Wednesday by pushing plans to give private companies more tax money to manage prison operations and healthcare for the poor. As debate over the state budget began in earnest, the one-two privatization punch drew opposition from Democrats. They managed to soften the blow to the public prison system — job […]
April 1, 2010
It’s been trumpeted as one of the key elements in the Democrats’ plan to expand access to health care for tens of millions of vulnerable Americans. Yet a provision of the newly passed health reform bill that raises doctors’ payments under Medicaid is both temporary and limited in the scope of medical services it covers. […]
April 1, 2010
The House and Senate have substantial differences to work out on legislation that would allow counties to cut back on school spending during tough economic times without losing state aid. Both chambers have passed bills that set guidelines for waivers to the state’s “maintenance of effort” rules for local school funding. The issue has been […]
April 1, 2010
In Norwich, as in other cash-strapped public school districts, spring is the mean season. Trying to balance its budget, the district has decided to cut out middle school sports, foreign language classes and an instrumental music program. It will end some after-school bus routes. Officials are considering closing an elementary school. And nearly a quarter […]
April 1, 2010
The school board is set tonight to formalize a proposed $35.3 million district budget for 2010-11 that reflects a loss of 28.5 staff positions and a cutback in its kindergarten program. A $1.9 million cut in state aid has forced the board to slash the budget and seek creative alternatives. One of the most controversial […]
March 31, 2010
More than $2 billion in state aid payments to public school districts across the state are being delayed , possibly until June, because of the state’s worsening financial crisis, Gov. David A. Paterson said Tuesday. The governor’s order, coming the day before the aid was to go out, left school districts scrambling, with talk of […]
March 31, 2010
New York will get a $1.3 billion boost in federal Medicaid funding beginning in 2014, thanks to the health-care reform legislation. The money will fund a Medicaid expansion to insure more low-income peo ple, but there is uncertainty over the long-term financial impact of that expansion. Under the legislation, the state will see annual increases […]
March 31, 2010
As U.S. health insurers begin adapting to the newly passed health reform overhaul, the 2014 expansion of the Medicaid program for the poor presents one clear growth area for the industry. But that growth comes with some risks and remains several years away. Before the Medicaid expansion takes hold, even greater challenges may lie ahead […]
March 31, 2010
Critics describe the Chicago Public Schools special education system as so complex and litigious that parents of children with disabilities must hire a cadre of medical and legal experts to have any hope of getting their child proper educational services. Disputes with the district can drain parents’ resources and patience, and leave the physicians who […]