March 16, 2010
Three Johnson County school districts would lose $7 million in special education funding under legislation passed by the Kansas Senate on Thursday. It now heads to the House for consideration. The money — dedicated to the special education students who cost the most to educate — was contested by other school districts. They complained that […]
March 16, 2010
Virginia lawmakers bridged vast divisions Sunday to pass a pared-down $70 billion budget and two-year spending plan that dials back state funding for education, health care and employee pensions while raising about $100 million in fees. Lawmakers had feuded for weeks about how to close a shortfall through mid-2012 of more than $4 billion. A […]
March 15, 2010
NEWPORT teenagers with special education needs will be affected by a £340,000 cut in funding announced by the Assembly. Newport City Council is urging the Assembly to reconsider its position after it said post-16 Special School and Special Education Needs out of county funding would be cut in Newport by 31 percent. The council’s budget […]
March 15, 2010
Virginia lawmakers went into overtime this weekend to pass a two-year, $70 billion budget that includes millions in cuts to health and human services programs in the state. Set to adjourn for the 2010 session March 13, legislators reconvened in Richmond the next day to approve a compromise budget. The measure passed the House of […]
March 15, 2010
The Virginia General Assembly adjourned its annual legislative session Sunday evening after adopting a two-year, $82 billion budget that cuts millions from education, health care and public safety — curtailing state spending more aggressively than any in generations while fulfilling the new Republican governor’s promise not to raise taxes. The trade-off for holding firm against […]
March 15, 2010
Two years ago, with great fanfare, then-Gov. Jon Corzine and the Legislature came up with a new way to fund our public schools. The new formula is simple: Fund schools based on the cost of educating each student to meet core standards; add money to provide extra help to students with disabilities, those in poverty, […]
March 15, 2010
Parents came out to the Board of Finance budg et public hearing imploring that the already-trim Board of Education budget not be reduced any more — with one Darienite even suggesting raising taxes to help offset the budgetary woes. While Tuesday night’s Board of Finance public hearing covered the entire town 2010-11 budget, the focus […]
March 15, 2010
"The ice age is here." These wor ds greeted San Antonio area school superintendents last week when briefed by Omar Garcia, the state’s leading expert on Texas public school funding. He was referring to the state’s current funding formulas, which freeze school district (local and state) revenue at the level (per student) available to each […]
March 15, 2010
The recently announced settlement agreement in the 26-year lawsuit over special education for Baltimore City students is welcome news. It’s been overdue for at least a decade and is a mark of the formidable leadership of schools CEO Andrés Alonso. But there is less to the hoopla than meets the eye. For one thing, it […]
March 15, 2010
Kim Vaccaro of Brick wasn’t aware that last year’s federal stimulus package included a $2.4 million grant to help her district enhance its special education program. So it was news to her that Brick spent just half of the money on new initiatives for special education kids. The rest went to pay the health benefits […]