April 26, 2010
Rockwall students are worth more than those in Mesquite. And children in Prosper are worth the most of all, at least when it comes to state education funding. The state pays $7,618 to educate each Prosper student and $4,988 for students in Mesquite. Rockwall, next door to Mesquite, falls in between with $6,097 per child. […]
April 26, 2010
How much money does the state spend to educate one Kansas student each year? It’s hard to blame Kansas taxpayers for being confused about how much money is spent on and by public schools. Different organizations give different answers. In a recent survey by the Kansas Policy Institute, only about 6 percent of people answered […]
April 26, 2010
For the first time state achievement tests aren’t one size fits all. This year Tennessee is rolling out alternate versi ons for students facing certain hurdles in the classroom. Special education students as well as English language learners typically struggle with passing state achievement tests. This year that could change. In third through eighth grades, […]
April 26, 2010
After coming in 27th out of 40 states the first time, California would have an uphill climb to win up to $700 million in the next round for federal Race to the Top education funds – an effort state officials could decide this week is a losing battle. Or California could ignore the odds and […]
April 23, 2010
Widely divergent approaches to overhauling Medicaid which emerged from the House and Senate loomed Wednesday as an obstacle in talks on the proposed $69 billion state budget, with the Senate’s chief budget-writer saying the ambitious rewrite should be delayed. Once characterized as historic, plans to revamp the state-federal Medicaid program looked more likely to become […]
April 23, 2010
A boost in federal Medicaid funding that would reverse $370 million in severe health care cuts in Virginia is in jeopardy, a state government group is warning, prompting anxiety among lawmakers who had viewed the infusion as a near-certainty. The bill that carries the $25 billion extension of the stimulus’ Medicaid benefits — while approved […]
April 23, 2010
When Gov. Pat Quinn signed pension reform last week, reducing CPS’ burden by $400 million and shrinking the deficit, the question was what would be spared of the many programs and people CEO Ron Huberman threatened to cut. On Thursday, after Huberman held a budget briefing for all principals, the picture became a little clearer. […]
April 23, 2010
IT’S school levy season again. Actually, school issues on local ballots are more perennial than seasonal, appearing regularly on Election Day more years than not. In upcoming elections, many school districts throughout Ohio and the country will again ask taxpayers to pay more to prop up school budgets. Officials in my rural district hope the […]
April 23, 2010
Tri-City school leaders say they likely won’t have to lay off teachers next year because of state cuts to public education. But they will have to find other ways to trim their already-lean budgets. "It’s a big challenge," said Vic Roberts, Kennewick School District’s business manager. Districts are facing a second straight year of significant […]
April 23, 2010
West Des Moines parents and teachers praised district leaders’ efforts in revamping their cost-savings plan for next sch ool year but voiced lingering concerns about how the cuts will affect special education students. More than 50 residents participated in a public forum Wednesday regarding the district’s revised proposal to trim just over $1 million in […]