Friday News Roundup: Week of September 7-11

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.

Arizona to Face School Funding Lawsuit

West Virginia Schools Turn to Stimulus Money to Fill Funding Gaps

Higher Education Targeted in Colorado Budget Cuts

Arizona to Face School Funding Lawsuit
An Arizona charter school advocacy group will file a lawsuit to force the state to equalize its funding formula for public schools. The charter group, filing the suit on behalf of several families, claims that the state’s funding formula violates the state’s constitutional mandate to provide all students with a uniform public education. Arizona’s formula currently uses an outdated method that unequally distributes funding. The case to be filed by the charter school group is unusual because both charter schools and district schools- groups that are usually at odds over school funding- favor reform. Similar school funding cases were filed in 2006 and 2008 (in Arizona?), but both previous cases were dismissed. More here…

West Virginia Schools Turn to Federal Stimulus Money to Fill Funding Gaps
West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin recently told school officials to expect a 4 percent cut in state funding for education in the coming fiscal year. However, using federal State Fiscal Stabilization Funds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act earlier this year, school districts should be able to fill the holes created by state cuts, and some districts could even see funding increases. Public education makes up the largest piece of the state budget, but will see smaller cuts than other state services. Governor Manchin has told the rest of the state government to expect cuts of 5 percent. More here…

Higher Education Targeted in Colorado Budget Cuts
As Colorado faces a $320 million shortfall in state revenue, Governor Bill Ritter may be forced to make dramatic cuts to higher education spending. Governor Ritter’s plan, announced last month, would cut $81 million from the state’s higher education budget. While the cuts will be filled this year with federal stimulus money, officials worry about the following budget year when federal money is no longer available. In preparation for the coming blow, state colleges and universities are raising tuition, making cuts, and putting off plans for expansion. In Colorado, funding for K-12 education is constitutionally protected, requiring that the majority of budget cuts come from higher education. This has prompted some advocates to argue that higher education funding should be granted the same protection as K-12, but there is little public support for the measure. More here…

Briefly Noted

• Missouri higher education officials scale back funding request in light of budget forecast.