Education Budgeting

As pandemic aid winds down, states scramble to fill gaps

COVID-19 left a lasting mark on a few sectors, with schools, public transit and child care providers facing fiscal cliffs as federal funding dries up. State legislators, many already grappling with shortfalls, are looking for solutions.

Two Different Funding Approaches to Education Reform

One solution holds that the public school system itself is the problem to be fixed while the other says that targeting money to disadvantaged communities is the answer. Both approaches are expensive and it’s not clear that either work.

More Than 500,000 Public Workers Likely to See Debt Relief Under Student Loan Forgiveness Overhaul

The U.S. Department of Education announced a host of changes Wednesday to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which guarantees debt forgiveness to qualifying public sector employees.

This School District Normally Gets $66,000 a Year for Library Books. This Year — $500,000.

Money from the American Rescue Plan will be used to replace items that went missing when schools closed at the start of the pandemic and enhance the district’s overall collection, St. Paul officials say.

K-12 Spending Sees Gains, But Still Lags in Many States, Teachers Union Says

An analysis of 2017 data finds education funding remains below pre-recession levels in over a third of states.

Some Arizona Republicans Pushing a State Tax Hike for Education

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Unemployment up in Illinois … Firefighters experiment with body cameras … What’s the future of the soda tax in Philadelphia?

Teachers Earn Less Than Their Private-Sector Counterparts, Research Shows

Teachers have a 21.4 percent "wage penalty" compared to college graduates with similar education and experience, according to new research from the Economic Policy Institute.

Michigan Business Groups Give Support to Tuition-Free Programs

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | No radar can be used to catch speeders on some San Diego streets ... Could NYC transit chief leave? ... Vermont governor likely to embrace Columbus Day change.

Most States Not Spending Enough on Neediest School Districts

New research found that most states do not allocate resources according to which school districts need it most.

Nevada on Course to Elect First-Ever Female-Majority Legislature

STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | Planning for a court-mandated infusion of education funding in New Mexico … Considering a hate crimes charge in attack on Latino mayor in Washington … Diversifying overwhelmingly white New Hampshire.

A State Where Working at a Chick-fil-A Is More Lucrative Than Teaching

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | A low-profile, but very dangerous Wash. volcano ... Nev. county will vote on brothels … Pa.’s major Lyme disease risk … and an Ohio rural broadband bill.

The Obscure Tax Rule That’s Stopping U.S. States From Paying Teachers More

Supermajority tax measures have been pushed since the 1990s by deep-pocketed lobbying groups.

American Higher Education Hits a Dangerous Milestone

As younger generations become more racially diverse, many states are allocating fewer tax dollars to public colleges and universities.

‘We Have No Bill. We Have No Deal’ to End Arizona Teacher Protests

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | N.Y. plans new assistance for Puerto Rico recovery ... N.M. legal battle over secret recordings … Richmond, Va. is an eviction hub … and a “silent impasse” at an Ohio village hall.

Why More School Districts Are Holding Class Just Four Days a Week

Today school districts in parts of 22 states use a four-day week, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Texas School Districts Eye Oklahoma's Striking Teachers

The era of gouged school finances and interstate “teacher poaching” continues.

Kentucky Governor Cites ‘Thug Mentality’ in Teacher Pension Fight

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Major storm systems disrupt California and Northeast; Austin’s busy 9-1-1 call center; St. Paul mayor’s inaugural ball funding gap; Vermont’s ‘regressive’ DMV compliance; and Indiana’s new IoT hub.

West Virginia Ripple Effect Could Roll Into Another State

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Youngstown, Ohio residents target fracking; raising wait-staff wages in Washington, D.C.; Vermont F-35 fighter jet fight; and a Manchester arts commissioner caught on video gouging a city hall wall.

Some of America’s Worst-Paid Teachers Give Their State a New Ultimatum

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | New Mexico’s ‘no trespassing’ order for U.S. Border Patrol; opening the door to S.C. reparations; Nashville mayor resigns; and Lake Superior's high water level may hit all-time record.

Appalachia, Civil War Scholars Alarmed by Kentucky Governor's Budget Ax

STATE & LOCAL ROUNDUP | Michigan governor says pipeline isn’t at risk for imminent failure; fake flu information in Oklahoma; and a step closer to paying every city employee at least $15 an hour in Cleveland.