Teachers in one Arkansas district are seeing big raises - as much as $15,000 - as the system moves to solar energy and uses the savings to invest in salaries.
Here’s more:
A school in rural Arkansas has made the important switch to renewable energy, covering a field in solar panels to power their school district and saving heaps of money in the process.
Deciding to then take it one step further, Batesville school then used their impressive savings on utility bills to raise their teachers' salaries by up to $15,000 each . . .
In an era of teacher shortages, it seems sensible to take steps to increase teacher pay. Meanwhile, using renewable energy on a system-wide scale is good for the environment and conserves financial resources. This seems the ultimate bipartisan solution - eliminating wasteful electric bills while also boosting the salaries of educators - all without raising taxes one dime.
Photo by Zbynek Burival on Unsplash
Iowa’s Subversion of Democracy
Iowa is now moving to fast-track unaccountable charter schools by by-passing local school boards. The move means local elected officials won’t be weighing-in when new charter schools are added - so, taxpayers will be stuck with the bill but will have no ability to hold these schools to account.
Iowa Capital Dispatch has more:
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the new charter school law in May. It allows founding groups to apply directly to the Board of Education to create a new charter school, rather than requiring them to work through the local school board. The law also creates broad freedoms for charter schools, exempting them from many of the requirements that public schools face.
The Board of Education is also on an accelerated timeline to begin the application process for the 2022-2023 school year. The proposed deadline for applications is Feb. 1, 2022. The board will have 75 days after an application is submitted to evaluate it, potentially giving charter schools just a few months between an approval and the first day of school.
Removing the “burden” of local input seems a popular strategy for privatizers attempting to fast-track charter schools. Tennessee’s Gov. Bill Lee created a super charter commission that can authorize charters in local districts without school board input.
Notes on School Funding:
Will a court decision mean more money for schools in North Carolina?
A School Funding Victory in North Carolina | by Andy Spears | Age of Awareness | Nov, 2021 | Medium
Using the state funding formula to implement vouchers:
TN Governor Designing School Funding Scheme to Create Vouchers | by Andy Spears | Nov, 2021 | Medium