Friday News Roundup: Week of January 2-6

Washington education funding ruling stirs glee, concern locally

AP survey: South Dakota lawmakers ready to boost state financial aid to school districts

California schools will be cut $4.8 billion if taxes don’t pass, Gov. Jerry Brown says

New Alabama Education Association head says no cuts expected for public schools, but danger remains

Washington education funding ruling stirs glee, concern locally
The Washington state Supreme Court this week issued a ruling that will require the state to fully fund public education. The suit, originally filed four years ago, argued that the state had failed to sufficiently fund public K-12 education as required by the state constitution; the ruling issued last week was in response to an appeal from the state, and upheld much of the lower court’s decision. To comply with the ruling, the state must continue to implement a series of reforms passed by the legislature two years ago that force the state to fully fund public education by 2018. The decision has led to concern among lawmakers, who face a $2 billion shortfall in balancing the 2011-2013 biennial budget and worry that the requirement will tie their hands as they take on the budgeting process in their next session. More here…

AP survey: South Dakota lawmakers ready to boost state financial aid to school districts
South Dakota state tax revenues are beginning to climb, bringing good news for the state’s public education system. In fiscal year 2012, the state cut funding for education by 6.6 percent. For fiscal year 2013, Governor Dennis Daugaard is proposing an increase in funding for education, both in ongoing funding – 2.3 percent over last year, or $9.8 million in 2013 – and a one-time cash infusion of almost $4 million. And a survey of state lawmakers conducted by the Associated Press found that about 86 percent of the survey respondents plan to support the governor’s proposal. The governor also proposed an additional $8.4 million for teacher training for the state’s new curriculum. More here…

California schools will be cut $4.8 billion if taxes don’t pass, Gov. Jerry Brown says
Governor Jerry Brown laid out a California budget plan that relies on $6.9 billion in new tax revenue; the taxes, which would have to be approved by voters in November after the budget is passed, would fill a $9.2 billion deficit in funding through mid-2013. The tax proposal would funnel $4.9 billion more to schools than they received in fiscal year 2012 by raising the sales tax by a half-cent and temporarily increasing income taxes on individuals earning at least $250,000 a year. If voters reject the new tax measure, the state will have to implement automatic cuts of $5.4 billion, including $4.8 billion for schools. These cuts would include any new funding that would have come from the new taxes and would require the state to shorten the school year by 3 weeks. This would come on top of the already-proposed $4.2 billion in cuts to other services laid out in the governor’s budget proposal. Governor Brown has asked lawmakers to pass a budget by March. More here…

New Alabama Education Association head says no cuts expected for public schools, but danger remains
The new head of the Alabama Education Association, Henry Mabry, stated this week that while he doesn’t believe state funding for public education will be cut again in fiscal year 2013, K-12 schools aren’t out of the woods yet. The state may still consider using funds from the state’s Education Trust Fund to meet its General Fund needs. Since 2009, a state mandate has required the governor to cut taxes if revenue doesn’t meet anticipated levels, but a bill passed last year created a “rolling reserve” to ensure the Trust Fund is flush, making spending cuts less likely late in the year. Mabry said that implementation of the law this year could leave schools vulnerable to cuts at the beginning of the fiscal year, potentially meaning a fifth consecutive year of budget cuts in the fiscal year 2013 budget plan. He hopes to work with the legislature to safeguard education as a priority, despite the difficult economic climate. More here…