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Education Week, 8/8/18

Just one district seeks ESSA’s weighted student funding pilot for 2019-20

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and other school choice fans were excited about the potential of a new pilot program in ESSA that allows districts to combine federal, state, and local dollars into a single funding stream tied to individual students. English-language learners, children in poverty, and students in special education—who cost more to educate—would carry with them more money than other students… So far, though, there haven’t been many takers. The law allows up to 50 districts to participate in the first few years of the pilot, with the possibility of more joining in down the road if things are running smoothly. But only one district—Arizona’s Roosevelt School District #66—has applied to use the flexibility in the 2019-20 school year by a July 15 deadline.

The 74, 8/13/18

Why school districts are walking away from authorizing new charter schools — and why that’s both a bad and a good thing

In recent years, more school districts have walked away from the opportunity to authorize new charter schools. New research from the National Association of Charter School Authorizers has found a shift in the national charter school landscape: For the first time, most new charter schools are opening under authorizers other than local school districts, with state education agencies and independent chartering boards leading the way.

Education Week, 8/9/18

What Is ESSA’s new school-spending transparency requirement, and how will it work?

This school year, an often-overlooked provision in the Every Student Succeeds Act will offer some deeper information when states start reporting to the public school-by-school spending. Actual school spending—rather than average district per-pupil spending—can reveal where the most experienced teachers are working, whether racial minorities and districts’ neediest children are receiving their fair (and necessary) share of tax dollars, and if schools that get the same amount of money are getting the same academic results. ESSA for the first time requires the public reporting of that data, starting in the 2018-19 school year. But how to collect and report this data, a technically challenging and politically thorny process, has roiled the school finance community.

Seattle Times, 8/3/18

How can Washington state better fund special education? Officials want to hear from you

Some students have needs so severe that districts struggle to afford what it takes to provide them with a free and appropriate education, a right guaranteed by federal law. Seattle Public Schools, for example, enrolled a handful of students last year who required services that cost between $300,000 and $500,000 each. Now, a legislative work group is asking the public to weigh in on a draft list of recommendations that could make it easier for school districts to collect additional state and federal funds to help cover some of those costs.

AZ Central, 8/6/18

Schools serving Navajo Nation, strapped for resources to transport kids long distances, hope for bus money

The bus service is a lifeline districts in and around the reservation struggle to pay for every year as they grapple with heavy costs associated with the long, often mountainous drives and a long history of cuts in education funding by the state. Gov. Doug Ducey announced in June that, using $38 million from a legal settlement, he would buy 281 buses across the state for low-income schools. The money would replace vehicles that have more than 100,000 miles on them or are more than 15 years old in districts where more than 60 percent or more students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Forbes, 8/7/18

It’s not all about the money: To understand teacher protests, look beyond low pay

Of all K-12 public school teachers who left their jobs during the 2012-13 period, only 6.8% said they did so as a result of their salary, according to the most recent figures from the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. So what else is pushing teachers out of the profession and stopping more qualified people from entering it? An analysis of the Grand Challenges facing the education system found that the most salient issues cover a variety of themes, but the biggest one that jumps out is school culture. Many teachers protested in part as a response to dilapidated classroom conditions. When teachers went on strike in Oklahoma, beyond asking for a pay raise, they also demanded a $200 million increase in public school funding to improve school buildings and services.

Bloomberg, 8/2/18

Public pensions are a disaster. Here’s a fair solution

Thanks to decades of mismanagement by politicians from both parties, Connecticut has one of the largest pension funding deficits in the country, amounting to one fifth of its annual economic output. The system needs a complete overhaul. Fortunately, models exist. Consider New Brunswick, Canada, which moved to a shared-risk system in 2012. Instead of promising full, generous pensions, the government guarantees only a “base” level of benefits and pays added “ancillary” benefits if circumstances allow. Regular stress tests determine what the government can afford: If it falls short, it can increase required contributions or reduce benefits — within a narrow, agreed-upon band. If performance improves, the changes are reversed in an agreed-upon order.

Washington Post, 8/3/18

Despite strong economy, worrying financial signs for higher education

A few weeks ago, Moody’s Investors Service said that 25 percent of private colleges are running deficits. The news isn’t much better for public universities, according to Moody’s. Last year, revenue at state-run schools grew 2.9 percent while expenses jumped 4.8 percent — the second consecutive year that expenses outpaced revenue. What’s especially troublesome for colleges and universities is that these trends are emerging in a strong economy and as higher education heads into a period of stagnation among traditional high school graduates nationwide. The number of high school graduates is projected to rise slightly in the middle of next decade. Then, between 2026 and 2031, the ranks of high school graduates are expected to drop by 9 percent. In that period, four-year colleges nationwide stand to lose almost 280,000 students.

Education Week, 8/3/18

Preschool Development Grants boosted access to high-quality care, report says

The 18 states that received federal Preschool Development Grants have collectively worked to increase the number of high-quality slots available for children from low- and moderate-income families. The grants have provided about $250 million a year over four years to the states. States have used the money in a variety of areas, including increasing program length from half-day to full-day; limiting class size and decreasing staff-child ratios; providing teacher coaching, and adding comprehensive services to programs. The progress report said that an additional 49,000 children benefitted from those quality initiatives. Of those improved slots, about 29,000 were also completely new, meaning those children had access to pre-K who didn’t have it before.

Times of San Diego, 7/29/18

California’s teacher pension debt swamps many school budgets

California’s public schools have enjoyed a remarkable restoration of funding since the bone-deep cuts they endured during the recession, but many are now facing a grave financial threat as they struggle to protect pensions crucial for teachers’ retirement.  Over the next three years, schools may need to use well over half of all the new money they’re projected to receive to cover their growing pension obligations, leaving little extra for classrooms, state Department of Finance and Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates show. This is true even though the California State Teachers’ Retirement System just beat its investment goals for the second straight year.