What’s churning:
The Colorado School Finance Project is trying to stitch together a statewide picture of possible school district budget cuts in 2011-12, and it released the latest tallies this week.
The project compiles information supplied by school districts and develops a separate list from reports in local media. Neither list yet includes every school district.
The latest survey of districts includes possible cuts of $25 million in Aurora, $6.5 to $11 million in Adams 50 Westminster, $11 to $21 million in Colorado Springs District 11 and $6.6 to $12.5 million in Greeley. See the full list here. Check the list based on media reports here.
The Adams 12-Five Star district recently announced that it needs to close a $30 million budget gap, and the Jeffco district estimates $40 million in reductions.
The current benchmark for the statewide cut in total program funding is $332 million – or about 6 percent from the 2010-11 figure – based on the budget proposal released by Gov. John Hickenlooper last month. But the final size of the cut is unknown, given that the Joint Budget Committee and legislative leaders are still negotiating on how to balance the 2011-12 budget, a process that’s not going quickly.
Good reads from elsewhere:
Spare the rod: The debate rages on over the use of corporal punishment, still permitted in 20 states. New York Times.
Open Court: Los Angeles school district drops elementary reading program used for last decade. Los Angeles Times.
Count again: New York City’s graduation rate is slightly lower than originally reported. Wall Street Journal.