Friday News Roundup: Week of September 19-23

13% Mississippi education budget hike unlikely

Pennsylvania survey: State lost more than 14,000 school jobs

Cash-strapped Texas districts increase class sizes

Montana education group sues state over $8 million in public schools money

13% Mississippi education budget hike unlikely
During budget hearings this week, the Mississippi state Department of Education requested a 13 percent increase for the 2013 fiscal year from 2012 levels. This would increase current K-12 funding by $289 million. Most of that request is intended for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, a state formula that determines funding needs for K-12 schools. The 2012 fiscal year total for K-12 education was $237 million below the requested amount, and state officials aren’t hopeful about receiving the full amount in 2013, either, given the state’s ongoing fiscal struggles. When the state’s anticipated revenues are available in November, lawmakers will begin writing the budget, to be approved by the full legislature in the spring.  Revenues are not expected to grow dramatically, so the state’s need for an additional $1.3 billion over this year’s $5 billion budget to fully fund all programs may not be met. More here…

Pennsylvania survey: State lost more than 14,000 school jobs
State budget cuts and the end of federal stimulus money forced Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts to lay off teachers, administrators, and other employees.  In total, over 14,000 public school employees lost their jobs over the summer.  The Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials conducted a district survey in mid- to late August to collect up-to-date job loss numbers, and received responses from 194 districts. The organizations found that the employment losses in education are the most substantial in decades. The surveyors also said that layoffs could have been even bigger if some school districts had not implemented pay freezes. Governor Tom Corbett encouraged districts to implement such freezes in a March budget address. More here…

Cash-strapped Texas districts increase class sizes
According to Texas law, elementary school classroom enrollment is capped at 22 students per teacher.  But starting this year, school districts facing budget cuts will have the flexibility to increase their class sizes beyond the state requirement.  Waivers from the state, traditionally made available to schools with insufficient facilities or teachers, will now be available on the basis of “financial hardship.”  Schools will have until October 3 to apply for the waivers to the state. More here…

Montana education group sues state over $8 million in public schools money
Montana’s public schools will receive $8 million less than the legislature’s intended funding level for fiscal year 2013 because of a caveat written into the funding bill.  The caveat stated that if a separate bill, which collected funds from earmarked revenue sources from tourism and mining to help balance the 2013 budget, wasn’t approved, school funding would be automatically cut by $8 billion.  So when Governor Brian Schweitzer vetoed the budget-balancing bill, public school funding took an automatic hit. Even with the 1 percent increase in K-12 funding in 2012 and 2.43 percent increase in 2013 (1.6 percent if 2013 funding is cut by $8 million) included in the school funding bill, the $8 million cut brings spending levels below the base funding level from last year. Now, the Montana Quality Education Coalition is planning to file suit to have the money reallocated to public education.  More here…