Written by Laura Lawley on July 10, 2011.
Texas school districts will likely begin class in August without new textbooks after the state changed the way books are ordered and because of a delay in funding.
While some superintendents say this is somewhat of a problem, others say online curriculum programs minimize the need for textbooks.
The problem of getting books to schools came to light in recent days after the Texas Education Agency said a reconfiguration of the agency’s online ordering system, coupled with a delay in state textbook funding, will postpone the arrival of new books until after school starts Aug. 22. New books aren’t likely to arrive until September or later, the TEA confirmed.
Wylie Independent School District Superintendent Joey Light downplayed the impact of not having new textbooks, saying the lack of new textbooks will cause a hardship for his teachers “but it won’t kill our folks.”
Light said it will be difficult to start with the old book and then switch to the new book once it arrives.
“But we’ll make it work,” he said.
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Written by Laura Lawley on June 30, 2011.
NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WHAS11)- A New Albany elementary school now belongs to a Louisville-based church.
The sale of Silver Street Elementary was finalized on Tuesday.
Sojourn Community Church bought the school for $415,000.
The school was built in 1973.
Written by Gabrielle Batchelor on June 21, 2011.
— Pat Barsumian remembers a summer day a few years ago when she saw a child alone on the street eating a slice of bread out of a bag.
It made the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp.’s director of food and nutrition wonder: “All of a sudden, school is over. What are these kids doing? They’re not going to be eating breakfast and lunch in our schools, so now where are they eating?”
Barsumian’s concerns were answered in 2000 when the EVSC, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, began sponsoring a free meals program for anyone 18 years old or younger. The program operates at 10 local elementary schools from Monday through Friday, with July 4 the lone exception.
Many children are served as part of summer day camps, or in Cedar Hall’s case, the Boys and Girls Club, as well as families and other organizations. While students eat free, others can buy a full meal for $2.50.
“Anyone from anywhere can come in and have lunch,” Barsumian said.
The Salvation Army offers a similar program this summer that targets underprivileged families with children on summer break. C
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Written by Laura Lawley on April 17, 2011.
Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News Students board a school bus at Regan Elementary School Monday.
Associate Superintendent Scott McLean thinks having a school bus replacement plan is a great idea, but he’s pretty sure Abilene ISD can’t afford to buy new buses during this budget crunch.
“We have over a hundred buses with an average life of 15 years,” including the reserve fleet, McLean said. “We need to be buying five or six a year to keep up with the life span of the fleet.”
McLean said it would be a wise move if the district could buy six or seven buses each year and then rotate the older buses into the reserve fleet.
The trouble with that plan is that the Abilene Independent School District has been whittling away at its budget all winter trying to find as many cuts as possible due to a massive budget shortfall with the state.
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Written by Laura Lawley on March 26, 2011.
Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News State Rep. Susan King, right, meets with area school district superintendents at the Region 14 Education Service Center on Friday.
Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News State Rep. Susan King, right, talks to area superintendents at the Region 14 Education Service Center on Friday
Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News State Rep. Susan King answers questions from area school administrators at the Region 14 Education Service Center on Friday.
All of Texas’ school superintendents understand the state is facing billions in budget cuts, said Jay Baccus, head of the Anson ISD, in a recurring theme that superintendents shared with state Rep.
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