Top News Pinellas votes to help sue Legislature over new Florida law Tampa Bay Times They said they had no choice but to do it. They said they would rather reach a compromise. But Pinellas County school officials nevertheless moved ahead with their plans to join a lawsuit challenging a controversial education bill that, critics say, unfairly favors charter schools. Read more>> Top News Los Angeles County to investigate enrollment of religious school students Los Angeles Times The California county's education officials have launched an investigation into fiscal and legal questions surrounding a small public school district that has been enrolling Catholic school students. The inquiry centers on an online school operated by the Lennox School District. Read more>> Top News Forfeits in Iowa high school football continue The Gazette Another week of the prep football season, another two forfeits. The Iowa High School Athletic Association is noticing the trend, and there is a level of concern. This has been different than previous seasons in that there have been forfeits so early and by more than one school. Read more>> Top News State waives some missed days for hurricane as districts reshuffle calendars TCPalm At least two of the seven days Treasure Coast students missed because of Hurricane Irma have been excused by the state of Florida. Schools needing to make up time lost to the hurricane, such as campuses in the Keys that won't reopen until next week, can ask the state to waive additional days. Read more>> Top News Should charter school parents have a say in Missouri funding suit? St. Louis Post-Dispatch An attorney representing charter school parents argued in federal appeals court why his clients deserve a say in a St. Louis Public Schools lawsuit. The district is suing the state to reclaim more than $50 million it says it was supposed to receive from a desegregation tax that has instead gone to charter schools since 2006. Read more>> Top News Orange County adopts budget of over $2 billion for 2018 West Orange Times & Observer The Florida district's school board members authorized the adoption of a $2.1 billion operating budget, which includes a 3.9 percent increase in total operating expenditures compared to the 2017 budget. Instruction for the district's over 200,000 students accounts for $1.1 billion of the budget and operations are estimated at $127 million. Read more>> From DA Magazine PD moves toward mastery in K12 Elaina Loveland Teachers today have more control over how and when they receive professional development. Read more>> Opinion & Analysis When community college is free for high school students The New York Times What we have seen in a Chicago community college program is that when the community wraps its arms around high school students who are willing to work hard now, the dream of a college education does not have to be accompanied by the nightmare of a sea of debt. Read more>> Opinion & Analysis Definition change a curve to Indiana grads The Journal Gazette Indiana's congressional delegation has stepped up to protest a new federal interpretation of graduation requirements that would set the state's schools back and needlessly harm students striving to earn a diploma. Under the language, Indiana could no longer count students earning a general diploma as graduates. Read more>> Opinion & Analysis Lessons from Hurricane Katrina can help students in Texas and Florida The Hill While authorities are still assessing hurricane damage, if there are displaced students, federal policymakers should look to the Katrina relief package for guidance. Displaced families need immediate options and doors of opportunity should be open for displaced students to enroll now in any school—public, public charter, private, parochial—with the capacity to teach these fragile students. Read more>> Industry News Partnership brings tools to accelerate digital teaching and learning The Utah Education and Telehealth Network The Utah Education and Telehealth Network is collaborating with Instructure to provide statewide access for all public K12 districts and charter schools to the Canvas learning management system. The network will also cover the cost of the online learning platform's subscriptions for the 2017–18 school year. Read more>> Industry News New Jersey school district selects student information system Follett Corporation Bernards Township School District in Basking Ridge capped a two-year search by picking Follett’s Aspen for its new student information system. The New Jersey district implemented Aspen in time for the beginning of the 2017-18 school year. Read more>> Industry News Reading metric more precise for K2 content MetaMetrics To better encourage and measure reading growth for even the youngest learner, MetaMetrics, developer of The Lexile Framework for Reading, added new enhancements to its leveling system. Now beginning readers will more easily be able to find books that are matched to their skill level. Read more>> View more news at District Administration's PR Portal Construction Watch Sherrod Brown pitches federal money for school construction The Columbus Dispatch Ohio has spent billions on school buildings over the past 20 years, but U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and local school officials say it hasn’t been enough. Between state funding caps, diversions to charter schools and other issues, the Columbus City School District has scores of buildings in need of renovation, they said. Read more>> Construction Watch With spiking enrollment, S.C. district contemplates more schools My Horry News Surging growth in Horry County's communities may require additional schools and renovations, and local officials are searching for ways to pay for them. If a sales tax is extended and the bonds issued, the county school board would be able to access a total of about $74 million for building projects. Read more>> Construction Watch Future of construction managers on W.V. school building projects questioned West Virginia MetroNews The role of state School Building Authority-hired construction managers on school construction projects continues to be an issue of controversy as a West Virginia legislative committee looks at government waste. Architects and contractors are questioning their value while those who perform the service say they’ve saved construction costs for the state. Read more>> |