The Ohio legislature is considering a budget bill that includes the expansion of charter schools and a "parent trigger" provision. These laws siphon money away from public education and make it easier to shut down public schools and convert them into for-profit private schools. Across the country "parent trigger" laws have not been shown to improve educational outcomes for students. All these laws do is help ALEC-backed corporations make money off of our kids.

I am a resident, tax payer, and voter within the Bethlehem Area School District. Over the last few months the BASD Board of Directors have been debating the 2013-2014 school year budget, as well as other important issues. As a resident, tax payer, and voter of the district I believe that our children's education should be the top priority of the district and especially the board of directors. It has been made very clear to "us" the public that the district, community, and our children are not Director Vidanage's top priority. He has an atrocious/embarrassing attendance record for meetings/budget hearings. In 2011, I casted my vote in favor of Mr. Vidanage, because I then believed our children would been his top priority. Since then I have been proven wrong by his lack of attendance. Mr. Vidanage shows up late to meetings, leaves early, or doesn't even bother to show up at all. By doing this he has violated his obligation to the district, students, and tax payers. In 2011, Mr. Vidanage swore an oath to "us" the tax payers and the district when he said, "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth, and that I will discharge the duties of my office with fidelity." Since then he has violated that oath and his obligations. Therefore "we" the tax payers, parents, community, and voters ask that Mr. Vidanage resign from the Bethlehem Area School Board of Directors. If he choses not to follow the wishes of those who have elected him, then "we" ask the Board of Directors to declare Mr. Vidanage's seat abandoned/vacated.

The Arkansas Governor’s Distinguished Scholars Program grants some of the top high school students in Arkansas awards that result in full scholarships to almost every college in the state. This makes it more appealing for our best and brightest students to stay in Arkansas. Due to cuts in program funding, the Arkansas Department of Higher Education may only be able to award around 100 scholarships for the upcoming year which is down from around 300 in previous years. The State Government should be retaining our state’s top high school students, rather than surprising them in the last quarter of their senior year with cuts in funding to crucial scholarships. Hard working high school students across Arkansas have relied on the availability of this scholarship. These proposed cuts in funding communicate that years of hard work may not pay-off. It should be our priority to show our top students, the next generation of leaders in this state, that Arkansas is still a land of opportunity.

needing more money for school for travel ,books classes,tution,

Stacy Campfield is sponsoring bill SB 132 designed to improve academic performance of children who are doing poorly in school by cutting the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families received by their parents or guardians. As things like rent, utilities, and gas are fixed items in a family's budget the items most likely to be cut back when the budget is reduced are from the food and medicine areas. Many studies preformed over many years consistently established that students perform better when they are adequately fed. Years and years ago when I taught school, it was easy to spot the all around improvement--both academic and disciplinary--in children once the free breakfast was implemented, thus making it especially hard for me to comprehend how this bill would improve the academic performance of children by limiting their access to food.

To broaden the educational opportunties for children living in Districts 8, 10 and 11 in the northern part of The Bronx, New York. We propose the establishment of the Arturo Toscanini Charter School which would open in September, 2014 for students in grades K-1, and expand each year until the school will cover grades K-5.

My children must miss their studies every year as I did on Good Friday because, our school's do not recognize it as a religious day of observance. I believe, as an Orthodox Christian, that we deserve a place on the public school calendar.

Yes, I have a tremedous amount of student debt

A bill is about to hit Governor Jan Brewer's desk that would ban state universities from collecting student fees and transferring money to non-university recognized organizations like the Arizona Students Association (ASA). It's a blatant attack on students and their right to affiliate with organizations like ASA and other student associations like the US Student Association. She could sign the bill in the next few days but we're going to tell her that we care about the right for students to organize and build strong student associations. Tell Governor Brewer to veto this bill!

My son Munir attends the head start program. He has developmental delays. They have worked so hard and changed the course of his development. He would have had years of struggling without their early intervention. Our childrens education should be our top priority, and these cuts should be stopped. Please consider the future leaders of our country. We need a country filled with strong educated men and women.

Young people who learn to play a musical instrument thrive in school and in life. The study of a musical instrument has been proven to assist with math skills, communication, self-confidence, time management and self-discipline. Francis Parker Elementary School 23 would benefit from a more robust musical instrument program that exposes all students to a variety of instruments.

The breakaway district proposed by Senator Bodi White in Senate Bills 73 & 199 is unfair to the East Baton Rouge Public School System (EBRPSS) and its current students and poses a threat to school systems across the state by setting a dangerous precedent of allowing an unincorporated area—a neighborhood, not a city—to withdraw from the existing school system without regard to racial or economic equity. The Proposed Breakaway District: --Further Segregates Our Schools: The creation of a Southeast Baton Rouge System will further segregate what is already a racially identifiable school district. According to Dr. James Richardson, Professor of Economics at Louisiana State University who conducted a study sponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and Baton Rouge Area Chamber, the area EBRPSS serves is currently 46.94% African-American. Its student population is 81.06% African-American. In contrast, the area of the proposed district is only 23.08% African-American (Richardson 3). If the Southeast Baton Rouge School System is created, EBRPSS will become 86.02% African-American. Such segregation will likely prompt another desegregation lawsuit. --Exacerbates Economic Inequity: The proposed area is not only predominantly white. It is also wealthier. The mean family income of the southeast area is $93,856. The mean family income of the current EBRPSS area is $74,097. If the breakaway district is allowed, that will fall to $70,205 (Richardson 6). Currently, 80.2% of students in EBRPSS qualify for free and reduced lunch (District At-A-Glance). Only 67.4% of current EBRPSS students in the southeast area qualify for free and reduced lunch. If the southeast area, one of the wealthiest in East Baton Rouge Parish, is allowed to withdraw, the percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch will increase in EBRPSS and decrease in the proposed southeast school system. It is generally known that students living in poverty face significant barriers to academic success. Overcoming these barriers becomes more difficult with higher concentrations of poverty within a student body. Further concentrating poverty in our public schools will not improve educational outcomes for the greater Baton Rouge area. --Subverts Laws Providing for Parental and Student Choice: In addition, the proposed Southeast Baton Rouge Community School System would deny approximately 3,800 students access to schools they currently attend. Remarks made by breakaway proponents—the spokespersons for Local Schools for Local Children and Senator Bodi White, the sponsor of the legislation—indicate they regard separating from EBRPSS as a means to avoid complying with state and federal mandates that children be allowed to attend the school of their choice. They repeatedly criticize EBRPSS for busing students to schools outside their attendance zone. Senator White even criticized the busing conducted in the 1980s which was required by the federal desegregation order. That forced busing ended in 2007 following the resolution of the desegregation lawsuit. Students who are currently bused to schools outside their attendance zone are bused at their request, either to allow them to attend a specialized program, including magnet schools created to comply with the federal desegregation order, or when, as required by state and federal laws, the child chooses to escape a “failing” school. Breakaway proponents dismiss the significance of these facts. Senator White insists busing is wasteful and creates distrust in the southeast community. The creation of this district appears to be a means of subverting state and federal laws by prohibiting children from exercising their right to attend the schools of their choice. --Unfairly Burdens EBRPSS with Construction and Legacy Costs: The proposed district would deprive EBRPSS of access to new buildings for which it paid $98 million, and, even after protracted debates during last year’s session concerning unfair financial burdens to EBRPSS, the legislation fails to require the proposed district to adequately compensate EBRPSS for its share of more than $10 million in bonded debt from the building projects in the southeast area as well as for "legacy costs" for employee benefits for retirees. In his report, Dr. James Richardson, the LSU Professor of Economics, estimated legacy costs would range from $42 million to $242 million (13). An amendment to last year’s bill provided the new district *may* pay EBRPSS a mere $2.5 million. This year’s bill does not even provide that woefully inadequate amount, and requires the new district to pay for *only* those teachers it hires from the EBRPSS. This is not a true accounting of legacy costs (10-14). Roy Heidelberg, co-author of the BRAF/BRAC report with Dr. Richardson, notes, "Legacy costs have to do with broad promises made to workers, and if you are not accounting for every worker to which this promise has been made then you are not accounting for legacy costs. Thus, if in attempting to account for legacy costs the bill states that the breakaway will only be responsible for those workers who leave EBRPSS and enter into employment with SE, then they are not accounting for legacy costs at all. They are simply altering the employment agreement with a small sector of workers." In regards to the bonded debt, the bill’s language, whether by design or oversight, is legally ambiguous and does not specifically require the new district to reimburse EBRPSS for the portion of the debt attributable to construction projects in the southeast area. --Threatens Steady Improvements Made By EBRPSS: EBRPSS is not a “failing” district as proponents claim. EBRPSS received a District Performance Score of “C,” rising 6.7 points from last year and 18.8 points since 2008. It is one of only seven districts with a concentration of poverty above 80% to earn a C. It is doing a remarkable job when compared to districts with similar demographics and it continues to improve,...