Friday News Roundup: Week of May 4-8

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.

Obama Offers Compromise on DC Voucher Program

Schools Consider Four-Day Weeks to Reduce Costs

President’s Budget Outlines Funding for Teacher Merit Pay

Obama Offers Compromise on DC Voucher Program
Offering a compromise on the controversial Washington, DC voucher program, President Obama is seeking to extend the program until all 1,716 current participants have graduated from high school. Under the new proposal, no new students would be admitted to the program, but the law governing the program would be changed so that it would automatically be renewed for the students currently enrolled. The program, created in 2003, provides low-income students with up to $7,500 in annual grant money to attend a private or parochial school through a lottery. Though the program has shown limited gains in reading and no significant gains in math, Education Secretary Arne Duncan argues that ending the program and sending the enrolled students back to failing schools would cause an unnecessary disruption in their schooling. Some advocates argue that the compromise extension doesn’t go far enough. They believe that the program should continue to enroll new students. More here.

Schools Consider Four-Day Weeks to Reduce Costs
In an effort to save money, several school districts around the country are contemplating cutting one day per week from the traditional five-day schedule. Some small rural schools have been using the four-day week for years, using the trimmed schedule to cut down on fuel costs and to attract teachers away from big city jobs. Though most of the districts considering the move are small rural districts, some urban and suburban districts are also discussing the idea. Florida’s Broward County School District, the fifth-largest in the nation, has floated the idea. There is no conclusive evidence on the effect of a longer school day with fewer days each week on student learning, but some educators worry that students will not be able to focus for the entire day on such a schedule. Parents worry about finding childcare for the one day a week when their students aren’t in school, and police in some areas worry about the number of unsupervised teenagers on a weekday. Proponents say extended weekends allow students more downtime, enabling them to focus better when they are in the classroom. More here.

President’s Budget Outlines Funding for Teacher Merit Pay
President Obama’s budget, released on Thursday, seeks $517 million for performance pay grants, up from $97 million in last year’s budget. This amount is on top of the $200 million made available in the federal stimulus law. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said he hopes to see performance pay programs that encourage the best teachers to work in struggling schools and high-poverty neighborhoods. Though performance pay is always a contentious issue with teachers unions, this proposal has drawn less concern than others. National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel said that the money should be tied to professional development. However, the budget calls for extra pay to be tied to gains in student achievement in addition to multiple evaluations of teachers. Schools would also be required to build in a system to reward educators who take on extra tasks or leadership roles. More here.

Briefly Noted

• South Carolina legislators still fighting the Governor for stimulus funds.
• Budget cuts may mean an end to virtual learning mandate in Florida.