Friday News Roundup: Week of June 27-July 1

Minnesota judge orders most services to go dark

California Governor Jerry Brown signs ‘honest but painful’ budget

Georgia committee begins to scrutinize public school funding

South Carolina legislature overrides school spending vetoes

Minnesota judge orders most services to go dark
Minnesota’s ongoing budget negotiations collapsed last night before the state’s midnight deadline to reach an agreement. Without a budget deal between Democratic Governor Mark Dayton and Republican leaders in the legislature, the state shut down on July 1, 2011 – the first day of the 2012 fiscal year. Many government services have been suspended until an agreement is reached. While schools will continue to operate, tens of thousands of state employees will be laid off. Resolving the state’s $5 billion deficit is the main point of contention; Republicans are determined to make up the gap solely with spending cuts, while Governor Dayton would supplement cuts with a tax increase on the wealthiest 2 percent in the state. More here…

California Governor Jerry Brown signs ‘honest but painful’ budget
California Governor Jerry Brown this week signed a balanced budget that includes deep cuts to education, along with other services. Depending on the actual revenue amounts raised by the state, universities could potentially see even deeper cuts, and the K-12 school year could be shortened by as many as seven days. The budget in its current form cuts public universities’ funding by about 23 percent, eliminates a higher education coordinating board called the California Postsecondary Education Commission, and slashes over $2 million in federal funding for the CalTIDES teacher evaluation data system. The budget does maintain funding for the CalPADS longitudinal student data system. The governor and Democrats in the legislature are now working to develop ballot initiative proposals for next year that will raise new revenue for the state. More here…

Georgia committee begins to scrutinize public school funding
Lawmakers and educators in Georgia have formed a committee that will study the state’s public school financing structures over the next several months. The funding formula currently used for public schools has hardly changed since its implementation in 1985, although five other committees have studied it and made recommendations for changes. The committee’s areas of consideration could range from funding for technology to major reforms involving charter schools and other alternative schools. Committee members have been advised by the state’s House Budget Office to utilize the enrollment-based funding formula currently in practice as a starting point for reforms, and to temper their recommendations based on the limited availability of funds for education. More here…

South Carolina legislature overrides school spending vetoes
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley made prolific use of her line-item veto power this week as she slashed $213 million from the legislature’s 2012 budget plan. That total included $76 million for K-12 education and $12.4 million for the purchase of new school buses. Haley argued that even with her vetoes in place, classroom spending would increase by over $100 million from fiscal year 2011 levels. Critics countered that the additional funding is necessary to ensure students will have smaller class sizes and appropriate curriculum materials. The South Carolina House voted 97-8 to override the vetoes and restored $56 million for per-pupil spending and the funds to buy new school buses. The Senate quickly followed suit. More here…