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California Dream Act Clears the Legislature
CALIFORNIA DREAMING: Lawmakers in California sent Governor Jerry Brown a bill last week that would make college financial aid available to residents of the state who are in the country unlawfully. The bill, known as the California Dream Act, would allow illegal immigrants to receive help from endowments or private foundations, as well as preserving […]
Mitch Daniels Touts His Education Victories in Washington DC Visit
Last December, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and state School Superintendent Tony Bennett unveiled one of the most aggressive education overhauls proposed in any state capital this legislative session. Their package of bills immediately ran into resistance from teachers’ unions and suffered a setback when state Democrats fled to Illinois for five weeks to hold up […]
Republican Governors Push for Biennial Budgets
Iowa Democrats are locked in a standoff with Republican Governor Terry Branstad that threatens to extend the legislative session past tomorrow’s scheduled adjournment. As in other states, they disagree over the best way to close a budget deficit. But there’s another sticking point in Iowa, one that might prove more difficult to resolve: The governor […]
Supreme Court Refuses to Speed up Health Law Challenge; Vermont approves overhaul
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, one of the most vocal opponents of last year’s health care law, lost a bid Monday (April 25) to bypass lower courts and take his case directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. The same day, the Vermont Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill creating a state-run universal health care system, the […]
Surprisingly Small Tuition Increase in Connecticut
TUITION RESTRAINT: Connecticut higher education authorities endorsed a 2.5 percent tuition increase for the state’s public universities, the smallest since 2000, to make up for a proposed million cut in state funding, according to The Connecticut Mirror . Only two students spoke at the university system’s Board of Trustees meeting, both of whom, somewhat surprisingly, said the […]
Michigan Governor Takes on Local Governments
The new governor of Michigan issued a stern challenge to local governments Monday, saying he wants to withhold revenue sharing from municipalities to prod them into reducing expenses and consolidating services. At an event in Grand Rapids, Governor Rick Snyder called on local governments to trim employee compensation, enroll their employees in a 401(k) rather […]
Texas Struggles to Fill a Texas-Sized Budget Hole
AUSTIN, Texas — Last week, advocates for people with disabilities rallied at the state Capitol here to protest budget cuts. Eleven, including nine in wheelchairs, were arrested and charged with criminal trespass. This week, another group is organizing a far bigger rally that organizers say will draw more than 10,000 education advocates to the […]
Wisconsin Teachers Seek Last-Minute Contracts
NEW CONTRACTS FOR TEACHERS: Wisconsin ‘s teachers’ unions are urging school districts to renew teacher contracts before a bill stripping teachers of collective bargaining rights takes effect. On Wednesday night, the state Senate used a procedural loophole to pass a bill banning collective bargaining for most public employees, including teachers. But at least 50 school […]
Virtual Education Boom Hits the States
A few years ago, when he was governor of West Virginia, Bob Wise attended a graduation ceremony at Pickens High School in Randolph County, a tiny school on top of a mountain where the graduating class consisted of only two students. As he was leaving, he asked the principal how the school was able to […]
Illinois Debates School Consolidation
SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION IN IL: A plan to merge hundreds of school districts in Illinois has gotten support from the state’s top education official. State Superintendent Chris Koch said consolidation would have to come from state officials because local districts would not be able to overcome opposition to merging schools. His comments came a week after […]
Daniels to Push Education Reforms in Indiana
TEACHER SHOWDOWN: Indiana is rapidly becoming the state to watch for education reformers this year. Governor Mitch Daniels, a Republican who may or may not run for president in 2012, and his state superintendent of public instruction, Tony Bennett, are pushing a heavy education agenda this year. They want to tie teacher salaries to student […]
Virginia Legislature Launches iPad Experiment
A few years ago, the Virginia House of Delegates gave Delegate Lionell Spruill a laptop computer to help him keep track of legislation. “I never touched the damn thing,” says Spruill, who preferred carrying around stacks of paper. “I’m 64 years old. I’m old school and I just didn’t know how to use a laptop.” […]