Delaware lawmakers consider fewer school districts

Some members of the General Assembly want to create a task force that would figure out how much money Delaware could save if it reduced the number of school districts. Delaware has 19 school districts, including three vo-tech districts. Read more>>

Atlanta school district officials had hoped that rising property values would mean the school district could collect more than $20 million more from taxpayers this year without raising the district’s tax rate. But with Fulton County commissioners’ decision to freeze property values this year, district leaders are facing some hard budget, tax assessment and tax collection choices. Read more>>

The Allendale County School District has sued the state of South Carolina to block Education Superintendent Molly Spearman from taking control of district operations. The lawsuit challenges the authority of state officials to commandeer a school district, a drastic measure the state conducted once before in Allendale County from 1999 to 2007. Read more>>

Matt Zalaznick

As tech advances, how are you and your team of educators ensuring all students have equal access to digital tools and powerful connectivity? Have you made funding go farther or partnered with local businesses or community organizations? Please share your innovative solutions with our readers. Follow the link to connect with us. Read more>>

Students in Virginia will soon eat more locally-grown foods at school, thanks to a new grant. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced the Virginia Department of Education received nearly $100,000 to expand farm-to-school programs. Read more>>

The Vermont Legislature accepted a deal to resolve Gov. Phil Scott's veto of the budget and property tax bills by requiring school districts to cut spending. School districts will need to reduce their budgets by $8.5 million in the coming fiscal year, and $4.5 million the following year, in anticipation of savings from lower-cost school employee health plans. Read more>>

Facing the need to repay $60.4 million from the 2015-2016 school year and potentially millions more from last school year, the giant Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow online charter school says it will lay off 350 workers within weeks, about a quarter of its workforce. Read more>>

Tennessee has been the pace setter when it comes to adopting new education policies. But the state also makes it easy for communities to create their own school districts; it is one that wealthier white communities have taken advantage of in order to splinter off from larger, more diverse and poorer school districts, taking with them millions of dollars in property taxes. Read more>>

Racial segregation and inequity exist within North Carolina's schools, despite efforts to racially balance their populations. A key culprit: a lack of adequate counseling to steer students, particularly low-income students and those of color, toward more challenging courses and opportunities. Read more>>

Washington districts are wary of giving up local levy authority, in case state funding falls short. To fix this problem, lawmakers must allocate enough state money to amply fund schools. They must simultaneously ensure that local levies can no longer be used to fund basic education. That restriction is critical to prevent backsliding and a repeat of the problem. Read more>>

TypingMaster Inc.'s latest game-based course, TypeTastic, is specially designed for elementary school students. The TypeTastic training course focuses first on teaching letter locations, hand-eye coordination and typing with one finger. Pedagogical games create and support the learning. Read more>>

ICS Learning Group Inc (ICS). is partnering with DEED, the state agency controlling primary and secondary education in Alaska, to replace its existing learning management system to update the instructional technology used to provide training and certifications to all educators and staff under its jurisdiction. Read more>>

Notebowl is now accessible inside of the Canvas learning management system. This integration allows Canvas users to access Notebowl at any time using the Notebowl button, and it also includes unique social features for discussion boards, classrooms and communities. Read more>>

Lawmakers began to signal a shift in philosophy when it comes to school facilities. After years of constructing, the piggy bank is near empty, and it’s time to focus on preserving buildings. A state report revealed the more than $300 million in cost savings that could possibly be achieved if 29 school facilities—those whose condition is most dire—were repaired rather than fully replaced. Read more>>

The Killeen ISD is preparing to spend nearly $300 million on facility construction and renovation by 2021. Almost half of that money will go toward construction of the district’s new high school. Board members previously approved plans for a number of construction projects, including a three news schools and a football stadium as well as a career center expansion. Read more>>

Palm Beach County’s public school system wants to pay a Fortune 500 company $26 million to oversee a decade-long school construction boom, one made possible by an influx of cash generated by voters’ decision in November to raise the county’s sales tax. Read more>>