Mich. House approves millions to keep Detroit schools open

The Michigan House approved nearly $50 million for the Detroit Public Schools to prevent the district from shutting down next month. The state's largest public school system, which operates 97 schools for about 47,000 students, is sinking under $3.4 billion of debt and other obligations. Read more>>

Although it expressed sympathy for their arguments, a federal appeals court panel has refused to revive a lawsuit filed by two parents who claim their son was the victim of racially-motivated bullying in a Pennsylvania school district. Read more>>

While a national spotlight focuses on the drinking water crisis in Flint, Mich., an investigation has identified almost 2,000 additional water systems where testing has shown excessive levels of lead contamination over the past four years. About 350 of those systems provide drinking water to schools or day cares. Read more>>

Jessica Terrell

For many districts, early retirement incentives are considered a good business practice—a way to cut top-heavy payrolls and replace teachers whose heart may no longer be in the classroom. But without good planning, these incentives can have unintended financial and academic costs. Read more>>

The desire for after school programming is growing, but rural districts don’t always have the means to offer extra academics or adult supervision after-hours, according to a recent study. Read more>>

Although a Kansas Senate committee gave the go-ahead to a proposed fix of the state’s school equalization formula, a similar plan in a House committee drew bitter reaction from lawmakers and didn’t advance. Read more>>

The House Education Committee approved a Bible-in-schools bill despite a warning from the attorney general’s office and concerns from lawmakers about costly lawsuits. The bill states that religious texts are specifically permitted in public schools for reference purposes. Read more>>

A number of charter school network have been dogged with controversies over methods of discipline. However, the practices raise questions about whether charter schools punish students more harshly than traditional public schools. School suspensions contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline. Read more>>

Michigan residents’ perception of their public schools is far from rosy. A new poll highlights strong dissatisfaction with Michigan’s schools. Less than 30 percent believe public high school graduates are prepared for college while 76 percent think that education is not a top priority of state government. Read more>>

What if the story of big box businesses closing isn’t just about business anymore? What if instead of a closed factory or shuttered store, the story is about a closed public school? What if the consequence of these types of “business decisions” is also about children having their education significantly disrupted or a whole community left without convenient access to schools? Read more>>

Ameresco, Inc. and the Kentucky School District are partnering on a comprehensive $2.9 million energy savings project to improve Wolfe County Schools facilities and increase operational efficiency. Improvements include LED lighting retrofits, water system and building system upgrades, and complete HVAC replacements. Read more>>

Malden became the first school district in Massachusetts to partner with Performance Matters and implement the Unify assessment platform in all of its schools. The social platform allows educators to author and administer assessments and analyze student data from multiple sources. Read more>>

Remote-Learner's clients can now seamlessly access IntelliBoard's cloud-based, on-demand reporting tools, including easy-to-read charts, graphs, tables and more. The partnership exclusively provides clients with higher limits on the number of instructor accounts and unlimited Parent/Employer accounts. Read more>>

Fulton County schools leaders picked a prominent Oregon educator to be the next superintendent of Georgia’s fourth-largest district. Jeff Rose, who has served as the superintendent of the Beaverton school district since 2011, succeeds Robert Avossa, who left Fulton County to become superintendent in Florida’s Palm Beach County. Read more>>

Since November, King William has seen one superintendent switch schools and two interim superintendents pass through the public school system. The Virginia district's school board has now chosen David White, chief secondary officer for Stafford County Public Schools, to take over the superintendent position. Read more>>

The Lake Havasu USD Governing Board voted to appoint Diana Asseier as the district’s new superintendent. Asseier is the chief academic officer and associate superintendent of educational services for California's Riverside County Office of Education. Read more>>