Access News from August 18 - August 22,
2008
Daily news stories about education funding
litigation, education funding policy, cost studies,
advocacy and No Child Left Behind.
(Some links go to pages that require subscriptions)
August
22, 2008
School
Funding/Litigation
AZ-- A $5 million voucher program for disabled
and foster children that was cut from the state budget
has been reinstated, tapping unused dollars in the state's
public-education fund.
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more…
IL courts refused twice in the 1990s to enter the school-funding
debate, saying the matter belonged with state lawmakers,
not the judiciary. The Chicago Urban League, which filed
a new school-funding lawsuit against the state this
week, believes it can make the courts rethink that position.
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more…
IL--Those battling inequities in the Chicago Public
Schools are optimistic, pointing to a historic win in
New York.
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more…
SD circuit judge rules that school districts cannot
finance a lawsuit that challenges South Dakota's system
for funding education.
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more…
Other News
Opinion: Authors argue that evidence does not support
claims of preschool’s beneficial nature.
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more…
August
21, 2008
School
Funding/Litigation
IL—Chicago Urban League sues the state Wednesday,
asserting Illinois' education funding system is unconstitutional
and violates the state's Civil Rights Act by discriminating
against black and Hispanic children.
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more…
NY’s Assembly passes "circuit breaker"
proposal meant to provide property tax relief to many
homeowners statewide, but the legislators remain divided
on the tax cap plan supported by the Senate and Governor.
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more…
NY Governor and legislative leaders acknowledged yesterday
that more budget reductions will be needed if state
revenue continues to dive because of the recession.
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more…
TX officials expected to name a record number of school
districts “share-the-wealth districts” in
the coming school year, dealing a blow to efforts by
legislative leaders to scale back the state's "Robin
Hood" funding law.
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more…
Federal/NCLB
NJ officials report that new data suggests that last
year only about 1 percent of state teachers failed to
meet federal standards for being “highly qualified.”
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more…
Other News
Survey conducted by Phi Delta Kappa International and
the Gallup Organization reports that 46 percent of respondents
view Obama as the candidate for the White House better
able to strengthen public education, compared with 29
percent for McCain.
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more…
August 20, 2008
School Funding/Litigation
SD circuit judge to determine whether school districts
can finance lawsuit challenging state’s system
for funding education.
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more…
State Roundup
AR task force for the Governor recommends the expansion
of affordable and accessible after-school and summer
programs.
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more…
CA public school officials consider alternative sources
of cash because of state’s budget crisis. Options
range for selling advertising on school buses to creating
a rainy day education fund.
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more…
D.C. teachers will be asked to vote next month on tentative
contract that would offer those willing to forgo tenure
protections the opportunity to earn up to $131,000 by
next year school year if their students post significant
learning gains.
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more…
MS State Superintendent of Education announces state
education reform initiative focusing on curriculum and
assessment, quality and quantity of teachers, administrative
leadership, and restructuring of high schools.
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more…
ND receives largest 2008 Early Ready First grant in
the nation, totaling more than $5.6 million to be distributed
over the next three years.
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more…
RI list of school classifications shows many urban
districts in need of state intervention, having failed
to make enough progress on state tests for multiple
years.
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more…
Federal/NCLB
FL education board approves federal pilot program—the
Differential Accountability Program—to gain more
flexibility in dealing with troubled schools that fail
to meet NCLB standards.
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more…
.
Other News
TN—Outside study reports that the advantages of
participating in the state’s public prekindergarten
program wane by the time a student reaches the second
grade.
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more…
Editorial: “Barack Obama and John McCain have
some useful ideas on education. But something bolder
is needed.”
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more…
August
19, 2008
State Roundup
NJ Association of School Business Officials challenge
in court the governor’s new limits on their contracts
and compensation, following a similar suit filed by
the state’s superintendents group.
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more…
NY—NYC Mayor announces that 18 new charter schools
are scheduled to open and start classes in NYC this
fall.
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more…
OK Education Association starts petition process to
put initiative on 2010 ballot to bring education funding
to regional average.
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more…
School Integration
A little more than a year since the U.S. Supreme Court’s
ruling on policies regarding the creation of racially
diverse public schools, educators are still struggling
to identify remedies to segregation and new approaches
to student assignment.
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more…
Other News
Many school districts are eliminating or reducing bus
service because of increased fuel costs.
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more…
August
18, 2008
School
Funding/Litigation
AR public school construction and renovation motivated
by State Supreme Court ruling from years ago which declared
AR education system inadequate.
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more…
NJ group representing state superintendents file federal
lawsuit against state education commissioner. Group
claims that new limits on administrators’ pay
are arbitrary and unconstitutional.
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more…
SD—The Aberdeen School Board votes to join adequacy
suit against the state. Trial scheduled to being September
2.
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more…
Federal/NCLB
GA Department of Education institute “state directors”
to monitor and help schools with NCLB standards. GA
granted NCLB flexibility by the federal government.
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more…
UT will not make public the list of schools which met
the goals of NCLB until the end of September. This date
is problematic because it is more than a month after
most state schools begin classes, and it will be difficult
for parents to take advantage of the options offered
by the law.
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more…
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