Daily Headlines for April 26, 2011
Tea Party Heads to School
Wall Street Journal, April 26, 2011
Trying to plug a $3.8 million budget gap, the York Suburban School District, in the rolling hills of southern Pennsylvania, is seeking to raise property taxes by 1.4%.
The Resurrection of School Choice
Washington Post, DC, April 25, 2011
Easter Monday is a good day to celebrate a resurrection story – in this case, the resurrection of a movement to rescue children trapped in failing public schools.
FROM THE STATES
Delaware
US Education Secretary Weighs in on Christina
News Journal, DE, April 25, 2011
The U.S. secretary of education inserted himself into the controversy surrounding the Christina School District, saying Monday that he supports the state’s move to freeze more than $11 million of the district’s federal Race to the Top funding.
District of Columbia
The Charter Kickstarter
Washington Times, DC, April 25, 2011
Today marks the 15th anniversary of the D.C. School Reform Act’s passage. This gives public funding to charter schools and a chance at a good education to thousands of children otherwise doomed to attending notoriously poor D.C. public schools (DCPS).
Indiana
Unions: Be Part of Education Reform Or Be Left Behind
Marion Star, IN, April 25, 2011
As school reform debates continue, two distinctly opposing viewpoints have emerged: one voiced by stalwart union leaders fighting for teachers’ rights; the other by elected officials and other policy makers demanding change.
Michigan
Snyder’s Education Plan For Michigan Has Cash Awards, Online Classes
Detroit Free Press, MI, April 26, 2011
Gov. Rick Snyder will propose Wednesday financial rewards to individual schools that show exceptional academic progress.
Wisconsin
Litjens Sponsors Bill To Give School Choice Scholarships For Students With Special Needs
Oshkosh Northwestern, WI, April 26, 2011
A bipartisan bill circulating in the Wisconsin Legislature would provide state-funded scholarships for students with special needs to attend any private or public school of their choice.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Virtual School Expansion Moves Forward
North Escambia News, FL, April 26, 2011
A bill that requires all students in Florida to take one virtual class before graduating and permits kindergarteners to take full-time virtual classes was approved by the Senate Budget Committee on Monday.
Oklahoma House Advances Bill To Create Charter School Commission
The Oklahoman, OK, April 26, 2011
Oklahoma Senate Bill 260 would set up a seven-member charter school sponsoring commission that would establish guidelines for charter schools to offer virtual courses statewide.
A Virtual School Option for Utah Kids
ABC 4, UT, April 25, 2011
If regular public school isn’t for your child, there are alternatives and one of them may be the Utah Connections Academy.