Slashing Education Department budget, pushing for school choice

The Trump administration is seeking to cut $9.2 billion—or 13.5 percent—from the Education Department’s budget, a downsizing that would reduce or eliminate grants for teacher training, after-school programs and aid to ­low-income and first-generation college students.The administration is also proposing to shift $1.4 billion toward expanding charter schools and private-school vouchers Read more>>

Denver Public Schools is moving forward with plans to hold schools accountable through a new measure meant to gauge how well they are educating traditionally underserved students, but not before making changes to address concerns from principals and other school leaders. Read more>>

The latest push for an elected Chicago Board of Education sailed through a House committee vote despite opposition from current and former district officials who argued the legislation provides no escape from CPS' latest fiscal crisis. Read more>>

Angela Pascopella

The E-rate program, which is entering its 20th cycle and is worth about $4 billion, is still giving. It can still help districts connect their school buildings to the internet—unbeknownst to some leaders. Read more>>

Two different versions of a proposal to expand charter schools in Missouri are getting more attention at the Capitol. Farther along but more limited in scope, the House version would allow charter schools to expand to other heavily populated areas. The Senate version would provide for charter schools to expand anywhere in Missouri, including rural counties. Read more>>

Lawmakers clashed with coaches during a public hearing over a bill that would separate public and private schools during championships. The Alabama House would require the Alabama High School Athletic Association to adopt a rule to do just that. Read more>>

Kentucky is on the verge of joining 43 other states that have charter schools. The state Senate voted to allow charter schools and sent the measure to the House, which gave the bill final approval and sent it to Gov. Matt Bevin to sign into law or veto. Read more>>

In 2000, California voters made it easier to pass school bonds, but they included a caveat: The money can’t be spent on employee salaries. So it may come as a surprise to learn school districts statewide have been freely—and legally—spending bond money on employee salaries and benefits for more than a decade. Read more>>

Massachusetts voters offered a beacon for the country to follow last November when they defeated the ballot initiative to raise the cap on charter schools. They rejected the narrow vision of education offered by the corporate interests that spent $26 million in an effort to win the vote. The voters sent a powerful, clear message of support for the foundation of our democracy, our public schools. Read more>>

The pressure is already on for high school students to decide which academic major to pursue in college. Students gaining hands-on experience and physically performing jobs for even a day would help them get immensely closer to making their final decision. And specific high school classes could be devoted to talking about different jobs with volunteer speakers, career fairs and other activities. Read more>>

The digital media division of Hitachi America, Ltd. debuted the LP-WU3500 model. In addition to high brightness and clarity, the 3,500-lumen LED projector offers low total cost and low-maintenance ownership with an expected 20,000 hours of life. Read more>>

Through a partnership between Dremel and the 3D Veterans training and veteran support organization, veterans in the 3D VetSquad initiative will be trained by Dremel in additive manufacturing and professional social skills, enabling them to also work alongside educators to inspire K12 students to pursue STEM-related technologies. Read more>>

Austin ISD has partnered with myON on a new districtwide implementation for 2017. Since an initial pilot program last summer, the Texas district has expanded its use of the myON personalized digital literacy environment to include access for every administrator and all students within the district. Read more>>

With Boise School District’s passage of a $172.5 million bond, officials say they will take up four school construction projects as early as June. Two new elementary schools and an expanded high school are among the first construction projects. The plan features major construction, expansion and remodeling for 22 schools, and maintenance and other projects for 26 others. Read more>>

A trio of North Carolina senators wants to unlock state lottery revenues to provide more money to poorer counties for school construction. The bill proposes taking about $75 million from the lottery for school construction. The lottery already earmarks $100 million in revenue annually for school construction, but it's doled out based on enrollment. Read more>>

The massive winter storm pummeling much of New Jersey with snow didn't just prompt school closures. It also forced the postponement of several major school referendums scheduled for Tuesday. Votes on more than $100 million in school construction across the state were delayed until March 28. Read more>>