Friday News Roundup: Week of March 14-18

At Ed Money Watch, we discuss and analyze major issues affecting education funding. In our Friday News Roundup, we try to highlight interesting stories that might otherwise get overlooked. These stories emphasize how federal and state policy changes can affect local schools and districts.

North Carolina Legislators Consider Merging Preschool Programs

Florida Senate Proposes Suspending Prepaid College Program

Iowa House Votes for More Flexibility for Charter Schools

North Carolina Legislators Consider Merging Preschool Programs
Republicans in the North Carolina legislature this week considered consolidating the state’s early childhood education and health programs. More at Four, the early education program, is currently funded through lottery revenues and is administered by the state. Smart Start, the early childhood health program, is funded through the appropriations process. Smart Start funds go to community-based nonprofit organizations that also collect private funds. If the programs were consolidated, it would allow the state legislature to use only lottery funds to support the early childhood program, freeing up tax dollars for other purposes. Combining the two programs would be complicated, but many Smart Start centers currently administer More at Four in their regions. More here…

Florida Senate Proposes Suspending Prepaid College Program
The Florida Senate higher education budget committee this week approved a plan that would end new enrollments in the Florida Prepaid College Program. The program, which has sold 1.4 million plans, allows parents to pay for college upfront and lock in present-day tuition rates for their future students at any time before they enroll. The state then invests the prepaid tuition in government securities. Senator Evelyn Lynn, chair of the higher education budget committee, questioned the long-term viability of the program because of market volatility. Other legislators are concerned about the program’s sustainability because of rising tuition costs. The program was designed assuming around a 7-8 percent increase in tuition each year. But tuition went up 15 percent last year and is expected to increase by the same amount in the current year. Under the plan approved by the committee, no new enrollments would be allowed, but those parents who have already bought in would not be affected. More here…

Iowa House Votes for More Flexibility for Charter Schools
The Iowa House of Representatives this week approved a bill that would increase flexibility in the state’s charter school law. Under current law, charter schools must be created from existing public schools and are overseen by the local school board, leaving them with little flexibility compared with charter schools in other states. Only seven charter schools have been formed in Iowa under current law. The House’s approved bill would lift many of the restrictions on the creation and management of charter schools. It would allow different types of entities to apply for charters, including private schools, colleges and universities, and private nonprofit organizations. It would also eliminate the requirement that the state board of education approve charter applications and would allow charter schools to opt out of collective bargaining agreements. Opponents worry that the bill would eliminate existing quality controls on public charter schools and would leave teachers unprotected. More here and here…

Briefly Noted

• Idaho Governor Butch Otter signs teacher merit pay bill, phasing out teacher tenure and limiting collective bargaining rights.