Local School Topics

Schools in one of the largest school districts in the country recently celebrated the fruit of their labor - with cash that can be used to further improvements at high achieving schools. The Hawaii State Department of Education distributed $1 million in one-time grant funding to deserving schools that have showed marked improvement and academic progress. The grants were offered under the new Strive HI awards, with money from a “Race to the Top” federal grant received in 2010.

According to a news release at the Hawaii State Department of Education website, 32 schools received one-time grants of varying amounts. Schools were chosen for the awards based on academic progress over two consecutive years, allowing the hardest working schools to receive additional funding to continue their improvement efforts. Award amounts ranged $12,500 to $100,000 for the highest performing schools throughout the islands.

“We are proud to be able to financially recognize the hard work of the teachers, students and staff of these schools,” Kathryn Matayoshi, superintendent of Hawaii schools, stated in the news release. “The Strive Hi awards reflect that the department is not only focused on intervention in current priority schools, but also encourages other schools across the islands to keep striving high.”

And the Winners Are…

Hawaii News Now lists the recipients of the $100,000 grants, which include:

• Hilo Intermediate School
• King Intermediate School
• Moanalua Middle School
• Halau Ku Mana Public Charter School (Oahu)

All of these

Denver Public Schools Buck Trend, Plug School-to-Prison Pipeline

At a time when many public schools across the country are working to add a police presence to the school environment, Denver Public Schools is seeking to do the opposite. As one of the largest school districts in the country, in a state that has seen more than its share of violence, this system is bucking the trend in an effort to plug the school-to-prison pipeline. With the help of a local activist group, the school district is changing its policies on school discipline and the involvement of the criminal justice system within the school system.

New Policy, New Discipline Procedures

Education Week reports that Denver Public Schools recently signed an agreement with the local police department to change the way discipline is handled within the schools in the 84,000-student district. At a time when many school districts across the country are adding police in response to the recent Newtown tragedy, DPS is stepping back its police influence in its schools. The agreement states that school resource officers (Denver police officers working in the schools) must make a distinction between crimes committed in schools and incidents that can be handled by traditional means of school discipline.

In addition to this new policy, school resource officers must undergo annual training to help them stay up to date on these issues. School administrators will also be required to participate in the training, to ensure everyone involved in

One of the largest school districts in the country is heating up the voucher debate, with recent budget proposals by the governor. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has proposed an increase in funding to expand the voucher program beyond Milwaukee and Racine to other areas of the state. In addition, more money would go into the voucher schools already operating in the Milwaukee and Racine school districts. At the same time, Walker wants funding for public schools to remain the same for the next two years. His proposals have rankled many Wisconsin residents and taken the voucher debate to a whole new level.

This video reports on the heated opinions about Wisconsin's voucher program.

Details of the New Proposal

According to the Journal Sentinel, Walker wants to increase taxpayer funding to voucher schools by at least nine percent. On the flip side, Walker is asking for a one-percent increase in funding for state general aid, with provisions that would require public schools to ask for a referendum if they wanted to increase classroom resources. This new proposal would mean around $73 million in additional funding for the small voucher school network and around $129.2 million for the much larger public school system. The discrepancy in the numbers has some Wisconsin residents crying foul.

Walker’s plan would allow new districts to open up voucher programs if the district has at least

Brevard County is making some tough decisions for the upcoming school year, including the closures of some Florida schools. According to the Brevard School Board, the decisions are purely financial, as the district struggles to overcome a $30 million shortfall. However, proposed closures have failed to make much of a dent in that massive shortfall, and the controversy generated by the closures may be far-reaching regarding who will keep their seats on the board in upcoming elections. Despite the protests of students, parents, and teachers, it appears that Brevard County will follow through with school closure plans.

Three Schools to Close in Brevard

WFTV reports that the Brevard County School Board has officially voted to close three schools in the county next year. The three schools on the list include South Lake Elementary, Gardendale Elementary, and Clearlake Middle School. Another school that had been on the proposed chopping block, Sea Park Elementary, was allowed to remain open by a narrow 3-2 vote in its favor. South Lake Elementary and Gardendale both lost the votes to remain open by 3 to 2. Board members voted 4-1 to close Clearlake Middle School.

Some parents with students at the school took the closure news very hard – with some reacting emotionally at the school board meeting and others vowing to fight for their neighborhood schools.

“I will make it my passion for the next two years to make sure everybody who voted to these

In the aftermath of numerous shootings at schools and elsewhere that plagued the nation during 2012, school districts around the country are reevaluating the effectiveness of their safety plans. In Alabama, one of the largest school districts in the country, Mobile County, is joining with the rest of the districts in the state to establish active shooter policies and other changes to school safety. The proposed changes are accompanied by plenty of debate, as districts are forced to look at controversial policies involving gun ownership and armed security in public schools.

This video offers an active shooter emergency plan from the Federal Government.

Active Shooter Policies First on Drawing Board

AL.com reports that the first policies to be given serious consideration by the state board of education will be those involving active shooter scenarios. The board recently voted unanimously to approve a resolution to implement a new active shooter policy in all public schools throughout the state. This new policy includes annual active shooter drills, with training for school staff to be overseen by the Alabama Department of Homeland Security.

“We want to make it more difficult for the bad guys to get access to our schools,” Mary Scott Hunter, a member of the board of education, told AL.com.

According to Dothan First, the active shooter drill will differ from the standard “lockdown” exercises previously done in schools. The new