ARKANSAS SBOE REJECTS PROPOSED MERGER OF SMALL DISTRICTS — The Arkansas State Board of Education turned down the merger request of two low-enrollment, rural school districts. The nine-member board rejected the merger when the panel deadlocked at 4-4 with one abstention. The application to join the 330-student Lead Hill district with the larger Ozark Mountain district [...]

MINNESOTA SCHOOL DISTRICT APPROVES ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ SETTLEMENT IN BULLYING SUIT — The Anoka-Hennepin School District, Minnesota’s largest, settled a lawsuit brought by six current and former students who charged the district with inadequately responding to persistent physical and verbal harassment related to real or perceived sexual orientation. The consent decree creates a five-year partnership between the district [...]

CONNECTICUT SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS STATE’S TAKEOVER OF BRIDGEPORT SCHOOL DISTRICT — The Connecticut State Board of Education’s vote last July to take over the Bridgeport Board of Education was nullified this week in a ruling by the state Supreme Court. Bridgeport’s mayor and a majority of the city’s education board approached the state board last summer [...]

GEORGIA STATE BOARD WAIVES CLASS SIZE REQUIREMENT — The Georgia State Board of Education waived the class-size cap for districts for the fourth consecutive year. The ruling was based on anticipated student population growth alongside a $1 billion shortfall for districts, resulting in fewer teaching and personnel positions. Additionally, district officials are permitted to use [...]

NEW YORK ANNOUNCES STATEWIDE DEAL WITH UNIONS ON EDUCATOR EVALUATIONS — Hours before a deadline imposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, he, along with state education officials and teachers union leaders, announced concord on the teacher evaluations format approved by the state Board of Regents last year. Teachers will be classified as “ineffective,” “developing,” “effective,” or [...]

The U.S. Department of Education approved the waiver requests of 10 states from certain requirements in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in return for implementing a host of state-driven initiatives. The states– Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee–must implement college-and-career-readiness standards, develop teacher evaluations tied to student [...]

TEXAS STATE BOARD OKS MATH STANDARDS; REJECTS LINKED EXAMS UNTIL MONEY ALLOCATED TO BUY MATCHING TEXTBOOKS — The Texas State Board of Education gave preliminary approval to new math standards, but also decided state standardized tests will not reflect the new standards until the legislature allocates funds to buy textbooks to match. The new standards [...]

CONNECTICUT BOARD APPROVES DEPARTMENT-WIDE OVERHAUL — The Connecticut State Board of Education unanimously approved education Commissioner Stefan Pryor’s plan to revamp the state education agency. The reorganization will create several new high-level positions, including a chief operating officer and other chief officers who will oversee improvement efforts on academic achievement, the education workforce, and turning around [...]

COLORADO STATE BOARD CLARIFIES RULES FOR CHARTER AUTHORIZERS, APPROVES NEW ONLINE CHARTER SCHOOL REGULATIONS — Using a model of best practices recommended by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, the Colorado State Board of Education for the first time adopted policies to guide charter authorizers. The rules are in line with a legislative committee [...]

COLORADO STATE BOARD APPEALS EDUCATION FUNDING DECISION TO STATE SUPREME COURT — The Colorado State Board of Education will appeal to the state Supreme Court a recent district court ruling that holds the state’s school funding formula is unconstitutional. The board made the decision on a 4-3 vote. In December, state District Court Judge Sheila [...]