[Ilvtching]

The post below about testing got me thinking....

My Principal was telling us that due to budget cuts on the governments part, that at the end of this school year 40 schools in our state will declare bankruptcy. If the cuts they are projecting happen for next year, that number could rise by 100. So that could potentially be 140 bankrupt school districts in my state.

What would happen? If they can't afford to run and didn't open their doors. Would our state government "magically" find the money to fund those schools? I mean our kids are entitled to a free public education...

It just boggles my mind...

[elisab1963]

Maybe nothing will happen but it will give the schools some kind of financial protection against debt like when private individuals declare bankruptcy.

[teachnkids]

Interesting topic. I've been thinking about this recently with the economic crisis we continue to be in. I guess the government could come in and bail the schools out like they bailed out the banks. We need schools to educate our young.

[javamomma]

If a school district has financial distress the state steps in and takes control of budget etc...
It can also consolodate (sp?) smaller districts into a bigger one to help save money.

[PAJess888]

A large part of the stimulus already went to schools. The problem was that a lot of states cut their education budget because they had stimulus money. Arne Duncan is not happy about it either. He wrote a leter to Governor Rendell when PA was still deciding their budget warning him not to cut the state education budget. He's holding this "race to top" money as leverage over states that did.

Filing bankruptcy may give some type of protection, but in the end the states are probably going to have to raise taxes.

[garnet]

You're in Mich. like me, I'm wondering if these are public/private/charter schools he's talking about? We haven't heard this but my district is the hardest hit in the state and--no, I'm not in Detroit.

It is very scary/sad to see how districts are being systemically decimated.

[me41]

Stimulus money did go to schools but with very specific direction. The only money my district (which is near poverty level) received was special education money to be used in very specific ways(training and technology) and in only two of our four grade schools because of income levels.