budgets

Districts are bracing themselves for the impact of the major education cuts set to occur with the March 1 sequestration as they plan their budget and staffing choices for the fall, said Education Secretary Arne Duncan in a statement. If congressional lawmakers are unable to compromise on another plan to trim the national budget, Department of Education funding will be scaled back 9 percent just this year alone, according to the national Center on Budget & Policy Priorities.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan is getting called out for claiming -- erroneously -- that teachers are "getting pink slips" as the sequester looms. Duncan made the claim on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday. Discussing the looming spending cuts that begin to kick in Friday, he said: "There are literally teachers now who are getting pink slips, who are getting notices that they can't come back this fall."

School districts will now be able to use lottery funds to buy technology devices and wire schools thanks to a bill that cleared the House Education Committee Tuesday.

As the state prepares to move to computer-based standardized testing by 2015, the Lakota Local School District, Ohio’s seventh largest public school district, is about eight years behind when it comes to technology infrastructure, according to an independent consultant who recently evaluated the district’s technology.

In his ongoing effort to make New York City a technological powerhouse, Mayor Michael Bloomberg today revealed the 20 middle and high schools selected for the city’s new Software Engineering Pilot (SEP) program. As part of the program, the schools will get “comprehensive computer science and software engineering curriculum” for around 1,000 students. The program will launch this September and is expected to grow to 3,500 students by 2016.

The Marblehead (Mass.) School District’s report on the state of its computer infrastructure should be required reading for school officials across the North Shore as an example of how quickly technology can become outdated and how expensive it can be to catch up.

Schools that serve low-income students -- including several area schools -- are eligible for a share of more than $87 million available to purchase new technology and software, the state Education Department said Tuesday.

A mandatory drug testing program for Juneau's high school students involved in extra-curricular activities might end in an effort to save the district money. Eliminating the three-year-old program is one of a handful of cuts the Juneau School District has proposed to reduce spending by about $1.75 million in 2014.

Orange County school districts are working to lower their financial obligations next year by as much as $158 million, a cost-cutting ax expected to fall largely on employee salaries and benefits after years of class-size increases and program cuts.

New York City spent roughly $20.6 million in transit cards, taxis, and gas mileage to get tens of thousands of stranded students to school during the monthlong bus strike, but some still didn't get there at all, schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said Monday.