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NJ Spotlight--Poll: School Aid, School Aid — Is there a Way out of the Funding Maze?
The Democrats have unveiled their new plan. Should Christie go for it or walk away?
School funding is at the center of debate about New Jersey’s next state budget, and it’s time for decisions.
Democratic leaders in the state Senate and Assembly have proposed a plan that would boost school aid by $146 million for nearly 400 districts that have been underfunded for nearly a decade under the Christie administration. Another $25 million in state dollars would be allocated for pre-K education in select districts. At the same time, more than 100 school districts that are considered “overfunded” would also lose money under the plan, some significantly.
NJ Spotlight|June 22, 2017
Star Ledger--Christie, Democrats working budget deal linking pensions, school funding, Horizon
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie is attempting to broker a deal with legislative leaders that would allow Democrats to inject an extra $125 million into state education funding in exchange for legislation that would allow the governor to tap $300 million from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey's reserves to expand access to addiction treatment, according to four legislative sources.
The sources spoke to NJ Advance Media on the condition of anonymity.
Sources said the proposed arrangement was announced by state Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) during a caucus meeting called for Wednesday morning, and would also be contingent on using billions from state lottery proceeds to shore up the ailing government worker pension fund.
Claude Brodesser-Akner and Samantha Marcus| NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The Record--Christie raises pressure in budget talks as deadline nears
Facing a budget deadline without having identified support for one of his most controversial proposals in his final year in office, Gov. Chris Christie is raising the pressure on Democrats eager to see through a spending plan several hundred million dollars larger than what the Republican governor has proposed.
As Democratic Assembly members met behind closed doors Wednesday to discuss a budget bargain floated a day earlier by the governor, Christie announced that the state recently served a $15.5 million sanction notice to Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the insurer that he wants to pay into a fund dedicated to supporting drug treatment for the poor and uninsured. The sanctions were for "various contract violations," according to the Department of Human Services, including "untimely and inaccurate processing of claims, inadequate handling of provider and member complaints and inaccurate reporting of financial information."
Dustin Racioppi and Nicholas Pugliese , NorthJersey 8:29 p.m. ET June 21, 2017
Education Week--The Future of Classroom Technology: 5 Experts Weigh In
Five ed-tech experts weigh in on research needs, 1-to-1 computing, and “passive” vs. “active” learning
1. Richard Culatta
CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education; previously served as the chief innovation officer for the state of Rhode Island and the director of the U.S. Department of Education's office of educational technology.
In his time working at the federal Education Department, Culatta made strong arguments for the development and sharing of open educational resources, and he encouraged districts to share information about ed-tech policies. In Rhode Island, Culatta helped launch a statewide K-12 personalized-learning initiative.
What is the biggest impact that technology is having in education?
CULATTA: Right now, the value is in access to high-quality resources. We’ve moved from 100 percent of learning materials coming from an out-of-date textbook, to interactive materials, and students in remote locations having access to high-quality resources.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/06/14/the-future-of-classroom-technology-5-experts.html
Michelle R. Davis| June 12, 2017 | Updated: June 14, 2017
