March 1, 2010
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s budget troubles have reopened divisions among public schools, which after uniting in a quest for more money now are splintering over who should bear the brunt of state funding cuts. The budding disagreement at the Missouri Capitol comes down to a difference of opinion about what is fair — an […]
March 1, 2010
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Legislature faces a health care crisis disguised as budget crisis. As leaders in Congress wrestle with health insurance reform, the consequences of millions of uninsured Floridians looms starkly over the 2010 Florida legislative session, which begins Tuesday. The state faces a $3 billion budget shortfall, and Medicaid is one of the […]
March 1, 2010
ASHEVILLE — When Mikaela Bartow wasn’t feeling well one recent morning, the sixth-grader visited the health center at Erwin Middle School. Health center workers were able to do a test for strep throat, get the results back right away and call in a prescription that would be waiting for Mikaela’s mom. “It’s wonderful,” said Mikaela’s […]
March 1, 2010
ANDERSON — A lawsuit filed by growing school systems that claims Indiana’s school-funding formula treats them unfairly is being criticized by leading officials in both political parties. Democratic Attorney General Greg Zoeller bordered on exasperated while discussing a Hamilton County suit in which three school districts — Hamilton Southeastern, Franklin Township in Marion County […]
March 1, 2010
Two east Sacramento schools sit just five blocks apart, but the desirable neighborhood has been the only thing they had in common. Phoebe Hearst Elementary is among the area’s most sought-after elementary schools. Kit Carson Middle School, on the other hand, has routinely been threatened with closure because of low enrollment and poor test scores. […]
March 1, 2010
Forty-four Napa Valley Unified School District teachers kept their jobs this year thanks to federal stimulus funding. But next year will be different. So-called stimulus dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 reached all the public schools in the county to varying degrees last year, buying time against the full impact of […]
March 1, 2010
Districtwide salary reductions, nine layoffs and dipping into reserves are among the measures Fallbrook Union High School District administrators are considering to close a projected $1.8 million budget shortfall for the school year starting July 1. Laying off seven teachers, a counselor, an assistant principal and all tempor ary teachers would save the district an […]
March 1, 2010
The debate leading to a school-tax referendum in Sarasota County has generated a lot of questions, including many focused on the broader topic of education funding in Florida. Writing about this topic has its risks. It’s complicated, numbers change from year to year and county to county. And, unless the writer is prepared to produce […]
March 1, 2010
Desperate times may call for desperate measures, but they should be taken only after careful thought and planning. Collaboration between Pueblo County’s two school districts may have seemed unthinkable a few years ago, but combining some functions could improve services and each district’s bottom line. That was the consensus Friday during a congenial […]
March 1, 2010
President Obama plans Monday to outline a get-tough str ategy for turning around persistently struggling schools, offering increased federal funding to local school systems that shake up their lowest-achieving campuses. Obama was expected to promote his initiative in a 10 a.m. appearance Monday before an organization called America’s Promise Alliance, founded by former secretary of […]