April 3, 2017

Delaware News

Coastal Point
Families urge IRSD not to cut extracurricular pay
Indian River School District officials have said from the beginning of recent financial concerns that budget cuts are needed. The recently-passed current-expense referendum, which will bring in an additional $7.35 million annually in local property taxes, simply prevented the inevitable budget cuts from being more severe. In recent weeks, as part of the budget-trimming process, the board asked district staff for recommendations on ways to save local dollars.

Delaware Public Media
First youth TEDxWilmington event features students from four First State schools
Mt. Pleasant 11th grader Alphina Kamara said she felt her age was holding her back from pursuing impactful endeavors until she participated in a GripTape project, where she researched the root causes of homelessness. Ursuline 11th grader Yara Awad wondered what the American Dream would look like for her generation, and how it might be different than her father’s generation.

Newsworks
Del. school districts preparing to get “slammed” by Carney’s proposed budget cuts
Many in Delaware’s education community have grave concerns about the loss of $37 million that now pays for teacher salaries and other school costs in the wake of Gov. John Carney’s proposed “shared sacrifice” budget. Districts are bracing to get “slammed” by the proposed cuts, said the state teacher’s union president, adding that teachers and school support staff could be served with layoffs notices in May because officials won’t know whether they will be able to pay them next school year.

The News Journal
Fears about hackers shuts down college aid tool
What at first appeared to be a small glitch has turned into a major hurdle for students and families applying for college student aid. Officials shut down an online tool that let applicants automatically transfer their federal tax information into financial aid documents at a time when many families start filling out FAFSA applications. In early March, they said they temporarily suspended the online service, but said it would be restored in several weeks.

Milford music school moves into larger space
n Milford, the fervor for music has the walls of one arts school literally bursting at the seams, administrators say. The Music School of Delaware’s southern branch has so many students it is being forced to relocate to a larger space. The school will move down the street from 10 S. Walnut St., which it has occupied since 1998, to 29 N. Walnut St., which has more than 5,000 square feet, said Director Kate Inie-Richards.

Newark Charter hunger dinner helps show economic divide
The message about hunger was clear for the students and other people sprawled on blankets on the floor of Newark Charter’s cafetorium and given just a scoop of rice and half-scoop of beans for dinner. It was also clear to the elite offered lasagna with meat, rolls, fruit, Girl Scout cookies and sparkling cider, with heavy silverware, floral centerpieces, tablecloths and attentive waitstaff (seconds, anyone?).

National News

Education Week
Educators oppose Trump plan to scrap teacher-support program
Federal funding for educator quality helped a small district outside Boston cut down class sizes for beginning teachers. A cadre of Delaware districts used it to help teachers better personalize instruction for students. And the school district in El Paso, Texas, which is always on the lookout for teachers with expertise in working with English-language learners, has used some of the money for recruitment.

The Daily Independent
Lawmakers pass education reform bill
Kentucky lawmakers gave final passage to another round of major education reform Wednesday which is aimed at changing how schools are held accountable for student achievement and how teachers are evaluated. Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Sen. Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, will eventually replace Common Core academic standards with standards developed by Kentucky educators and approved by the state board of education.

The Seattle Times
State Senate approves $1 billion for school construction, renovation
Washington state senators passed a two-year construction budget that puts more money toward updating schools, mental health facilities and state water services. Senators unanimously approved the capital budget Thursday on a bipartisan vote. Approximately $1.1 billion of the money is expected to go toward constructing, renovating and modernizing K-12 education facilities including small, rural school districts, skill centers and K-3 class-size reduction.

The New York Times
Who needs charters when you have public schools like these?
The class assignment: Design an iPad video game. For the player to win, a cow must cross a two-lane highway, dodging constant traffic. If she makes it, the sound of clapping is heard; if she’s hit by a car, the game says, “Aw.” “Let me show you my notebook where I wrote the algorithm. An algorithm is like a recipe,” Leila, one of the students in the class, explained to the school official who described the scene to me. You might assume these were gifted students at an elite school.