A Wisconsin school official who backed Gov. Scott Walker's collective bargaining reforms in that state has been named superintendent of schools in Westchester County's Katonah Lewisboro School District, despite mass protests organized by local teachers' unions. Read More
We’ve been calling on the state Legislature to implement a policy of “proactive disclosure” of public information – and the Niskayuna Central School District has just helped bolster our case. Recently, a local taxpayer questioned the size of increases in administrative salaries. She based her analysis on... Read More
School districts outside New York City could issue bonds to finance up more than $1 billion in teacher pension contributions over the next two years under a bill promoted by the statewide teachers' union, the Wall Street Journal reports today. Read More
Among the several hundred "teachers, public workers, renters, health care advocates and college students" who clogged the State Capitol in a last-ditch budget protest yesterday was Maria Pacheco, a Spanish teacher in Rotterdam-Mohonasen schools, who complained that cuts in state education aid will force her Albany area district to lay off 44 teachers. Read More
Nassau County's Interim Finance Authority (NIFA) has imposed a wage freeze on county employees. The freeze, which will save at least $10 million this year, "is not only necessary but also a reasonable response to the county's fiscal distress," the authority said. Read More
School officials around New York angrily denied Gov. Cuomo's assertion yesterday that they should be able to make due with less state aid than they received last year. In other news: the sun rose at dawn, people wearing green marched in parades, and... Read More
Public schools in New York are awfully expensive, and their costs continue to rise at a pace that taxpayers can't afford. So how can schools cope with a needed reduction in state aid? Governor Andrew Cuomo has a simple and blunt prescription: "less... Read More
New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) has produced a new TV commercial blaming proposed state budget cuts on "tax breaks for millionaires." In fact, the proposed 2011-12 state budget includes $3.8 billion in projected revenue from the third and final year... Read More