Friday News Roundup: Week of April 23-27

Fewer students mean less Washington state money for schools

More layoffs for massive California school district

Nebraska college system raises tuition 3.5 percent

Nevada legislators question higher education funding formula

Fewer students mean less Washington state money for schools
Though Washington state lawmakers passed a fiscal year 2013 budget that does not include any new cuts to K-12 education, lower-than-anticipated growth in student enrollment means that overall spending levels for public schools will decline by $61 million from 2012 levels. The most recent estimate of student enrollment for 2013 – over 1 million students – dropped by about 10,000 compared to previous estimates. In total, the fiscal year 2013 budget includes $6.8 billion for K-12 school districts; but some districts will receive less state funding than they did in 2012 due to declining enrollment. The enrollment shortfall, one official said, is caused by minimal population influx due to stagnant statewide employment numbers and fewer families moving from private to public schools because of the recovering economy. Although districts allegedly offered financial incentives for parents to enroll their students – thereby guaranteeing more funding for the district – the legislature passed a ban on those practices last year. Predictions from the state suggest that enrollment may increase before the start of the 2014 school year. More here…

More layoffs for massive California school district
The board of the second-largest school district in California, San Diego Unified School District, this week voted to send layoff notices to about 2,600 credentialed and non-teaching staff members contingent on whether the state provides it with additional funds. The district is facing a $122 million deficit for fiscal year 2013; the layoffs would be effective in the 2012-2013 school year. San Diego Unified has already laid off about 2,000 employees since 2008, and anemic state revenue and diminishing state aid to the district are forcing the district to make further cuts to fill this new shortfall. Other districts in the state are also facing shortfalls. However, Governor Jerry Brown’s state budget for fiscal year 2013 would close a $9.2 billion shortfall with cuts, as well as new tax revenue, provided voters approve the tax measure in November. If the tax measure fails, schools and community colleges will face nearly $5 billion in budget cuts on top of those already laid out in the state budget, and the cuts will hit mid-school year, complicating districts’ budgets. More here…

Nebraska college system raises tuition 3.5 percent
This week, the Nebraska State College Board of Trustees voted to raise tuition by 3.5 percent in the 2012-2013 school year at three colleges. The schools affected are Chadron State College, Peru State College, and Wayne State College. The tuition increase means that in-state students will pay an additional $4.75 per credit hour, a total of $71 for a full-time student’s 15-credit semester. The Board also voted to increase online tuition from $10 to $12.50 per credit hour, and established an across-the-board tuition rate – $50 per credit hour – for dual enrollment classes in which high school students enroll in college courses. Graduate student’s credit hour costs will also increase by $6 per hour per the Board’s vote. In all, the three schools enroll about 9,000 students annually. More here…

Nevada legislators question higher education funding formula
Nevada’s chancellor of higher education Dan Klaich testified this week before a legislative committee on his own proposal to rewrite the state’s funding formula for public colleges and universities. But according to the Committee to Study the Funding of Higher Education, the proposal treats each institution’s course completion rates equally regardless of the grades students receive; provides equal funding for courses at universities and community colleges; and cuts rural schools’ budgets severely enough to threaten their ability to stay open. The current funding formula utilizes enrollment and growth figures to divide funding, but the new proposal would also incorporate successful outcomes – course completions, albeit without regard for the grades students earn in the course. The formula would also allow institutions to keep any tuition and fee revenue they collect from their students, rather than redistribute it across campuses as it is now. The committee also voted to create two subcommittees that will review higher education funding in Nevada. More here…