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Posted in Uncategorized
If your education role is in the area of Title I or IDEA, or if you would just like a better picture of how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will impact public schools over the next couple of years, you owe it to yourself to read the overviews of each of the major program components put up on the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) website earlier this week. Although unanswered questions remain, the series of documents offer a thorough summary of ARRA as it applies to education. Continue reading
Find the latest information on education funding in the Stimulus package at the USDE website.
School district level estimates have now been added to the website for the Title 1 component of the package which provides over $70 million in additional aid over two years. It looks like about ½ of all districts will receive funding-consistent with distribution of regular Title I aid-and about ½ will receive little or no aid. Continue reading
Now that the stimulus bill has become law, and the estimates of each State’s revenues under the various education components of the act have been published, the next obvious question is: How much will my town get? Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged economic challenges, ECS, education funding, stimulous package
A month ago, if you told towns and school boards that big education aid, Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grants and some of the major categorical grants like Transportation, would not be cut in either year of the most potentially disastrous fiscal biennium on record, you would have heard a huge sigh of relief from Windham to Norwalk, from Torrington to New London. In the face of draconian education funding cuts, level funding seemed a very positive outcome. And the immediate reaction to the Governor’s budget announcement last week, that education aid to towns would not be greatly reduced in the next two years, did seem to be positive. But there are a couple of reasons why the education funding picture is still pending the proverbial falling of the “other shoe”. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged economy, ECS, education funding, governor rell, governor's budget proposal, stimulous package
Last week Connecticut’s travel and tourism proponents made the case that a dollar of spending to market our state can yield nine times that amount in revenues. Facing cuts in state spending, it’s a good argument for the industry to make: Don’t make cuts that will only make the revenue picture worse down the road. To see a similar argument applied to public education spending as part of a fiscal stimulus package, read on. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged budget cuts, economic challenges, economy, education funding, stimulous package
I am on board with the Federal bailouts of Wall Street, the big banks, the auto industry and housing mortgage situation. If the economy can’t be saved from a total meltdown, we are all going down with it. So President Obama and Congress—do what you have to do on that front.
I also like the new President’s idea of rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure as an economic engine in the years ahead. And that kind of program can certainly help state and local governments. But in the short term, there is something Washington can do for state and local governments nationwide—something simple, something powerful, and something long overdue. Increase federal funding for IDEA—special education, and do it now. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bailout, economy, education funding, IDEA, School Funding, special education
The State Board of Education did what it—along with all other state agencies—was directed to do by Governor Rell in preparation for the upcoming state budget session. At its Wednesday meeting the Board adopted a budget resolution that included the required 10% reduction options from its current services level budget for 2008-09. The Board made it clear that it believed the reductions, should they occur, would simply pass the education share of the economic crisis on to municipalities. With local ability to again shoulder the additional burden very much in question, education budgets throughout the state will be in great jeopardy unless the cuts at the state level can be avoided or at least minimized. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged budget cuts, economic challenges, ECS, education funding, state board of education
When the economy gets bad enough—like now—budget “what ifs” almost always include drastic reduction scenarios. For instance, state agencies are being asked to prepare spending plans 10% lower than current year levels. In an earlier life at the State Department of Education (SDE), I had a hand in preparing a couple of these crisis plans.
Interestingly, almost the entire SDE budget is comprised of pass through funding for local school districts, so any significant reductions pretty much would have to be accomplished by cutting education aid to towns. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged connecticut, ECS, education funding, state department of education
The Connecticut Plan: Academic and Personal Success for Every Middle and High School Student was unveiled by the State Board of Education at its October meeting. Comprehensive high school reform—conceptualized and developed over the past several years at the State Department of Education—now has a set of concrete proposals that can be put before the legislature for consideration. Continue reading
