November 17, 2016
Delaware News
Delaware 105.9
REMINDER: One final mtg tonight host by IRSD to highlight referendum details
A final meeting is planned for tonight (Thursday) hosted by the Indian River School District to highlight the current expense referendum scheduled for Tuesday, November 22. The meeting is scheduled for North Georgetown Elementary School Starting at 6 p.m. Meantime, the IRSD School Board earlier this week was presented with preliminary information regarding a state audit, unrelated to next week’s referendum.
DEVELOPING: Results of State audit of the IRSD to be released to the public today
Results of a long-awaited audit of the Indian River School District are set to be released today (Thursday). The IRSD School Board earlier this week was presented with preliminary information regarding the state audit, unrelated to next week’s referendum; the audit started months ago following the resignation of former district chief financial officer Patrick Miller, who was first placed on paid administrative leave for unspecified reasons, then retired from the district.
Delaware education department seeks 7.7 percent budget hike
Delaware’s Department of Education is asking for a 7.7 percent increase in its operating budget. Education Secretary Steven Godowsky presented state budget officials Tuesday with a budget request of about $1.49 billion, roughly $107 million higher than this year’s DOE operating budget. The request includes $28 million to cover enrollment growth in the current and upcoming year, and $8 million in new spending for early childhood initiatives.
Delaware State News
Education Department seeks big spending hike
Delaware’s Department of Education is requesting an increase of more than $100 million for its operating budget next year, an increase of 7.7 percent. Education Secretary Steven Godowsky laid out the request to budget officials Wednesday in the department’s annual hearing as the Markell administration prepares a budget proposal for the eighth and final time.
The News Journal
Editorial: Don’t expel preschoolers, assist teachers
Delaware’s Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Service may be one of the First State’s best innovations most people haven’t heard of. In 2010, the Delaware Children’s Department spearheaded the introduction of the program that focuses on adults, so that they can deal with children in a more productive way. Consultants coach teachers to better manage the “challenging behaviors” that some of their students may exhibit.
National News
Education Week
Michigan Teacher Prep Initiative Gets STEM Teachers into High-Needs Schools
Finding qualified educators to teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses has long been a challenge for school administrators across the country, so much so that some have argued that STEM teachers should be paid more than other educators so that they can be lured away from more lucrative careers in STEM-related professions. These issues are often compounded in high-needs districts that generally struggle to recruit educators to teach in classrooms that can be more challenging than more-affluent settings.
Chron
New York to keep 3-day format for Common Core tests
New York State will maintain its three-day format for annual Common Core testing for at least the next two years. State education leaders said Monday that they’ve lifted time restraints and reduced the number of questions on the much-criticized English and math tests. But they say moving to a two-day testing schedule would make it hard to compare the results to previous years and track student progress over time.
The Detroit News
Trump eyes Betsy DeVos for education secretary
Republican President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering west Michigan mega donor and school choice advocate Betsy DeVos to serve as his U.S. secretary of education. DeVos is among a handful of candidates for the cabinet post, according to reports from The Hill, The Washington Post and POLITICO, which cite sources close to the Trump campaign or his transition team. A family spokesperson declined comment on the reports.
The Seattle Times
Local school districts paying big chunk of Washington teacher salaries
Washington school districts on average use local property taxes to pay each teacher nearly $14,000 over and above what the state provides for salaries, a new report has found. The report was designed to provide crucial pieces of data that state lawmakers need to comply with the state Supreme Court’s 2012 education-funding order known as the McCleary decision.