2012 October School Reform News

The October issue of School Reform News reports on a hearing before the Texas Senate Committee on Education, at which Heartland Institute President Joseph Bast and other speakers testified on school choice. Bast, who specifically testified about the Taxpayers Saving Grant proposal, said it’s “a way to benefit students, parents, and teachers while saving Texas taxpayers billions of dollars. It would make Texas a leader for school reform.”

Also in this issue:

• Due to legislation signed earlier this year by Florida Gov. Rick Perry, approximately 10,000 more low-income students are attending private schools on tax-credit-funded private scholarships than in past years.

• Chicago parents and school officials hunkered down as teachers went out on strike for the first time in 25 years.

• Michigan lawmakers are considering 401(k)-style teacher pensions and require teachers to pay for part of their health care benefits.

• San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro has proposed a sales tax increase to fund a government preschool program that duplicates pre-K programs already available through the private and public sectors.

• Louisiana’s new laws have sparked a record number of new charter school applications.

• Ohio schools and a Michigan school district are outsourcing everything from instruction to principals to save money and improve quality.

• The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit in Michigan over students who can barely read, write, or add by middle and high school.