Podcasts about school finance

Show off your Lone Star spirit with a free "Remember the Alamo" hat with an annual subscription to The Texan: https://thetexan.news/subscribe/Learn more about the Data Center Coalition at: https://www.centerofyourdigitalworld.org/texasThe Texan's Weekly Roundup brings you the latest news in Texas politics, breaking down the top stories of the week with our team of reporters who give you the facts so you can form your own opinion.Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to subscribe and leave a review! Got questions for the reporting team? Email editor@thetexan.news — they just might be answered on a future podcast.Texas Legislature Strikes $8.5 Billion Deal on School Finance and Teacher Pay Raises'Life of the Mother Act' Clarifying Texas Abortion Law Exceptions Passes House Senate Bill 3Veterans, Parents, Liquor, and Beer: The Complicated Lobby Fight Over Texas' Proposed THC BanTexas House Passes $140,000 Standard, $60,000 Elderly Homestead Exemption IncreasesTexas Launches Investigation Into U.S. Masters Swimming for Allegedly Allowing Biological Male in Women's RaceTexas Senate Passes ‘Uvalde Strong Act,' Establishing Uniform On-Site Chain of Command for Active Shooter ResponseAttorney General Paxton Closes Superior HealthPlan Investigation, Finds No Illegal ConductFederal Judge in Texas Rules Against Biden Title VII Transgender Anti-Discrimination GuidelinesTrump Signs Cruz's 'TAKE IT DOWN' Act Banning 'Revenge Porn' Into LawVIDEO: Rep. Angelia Orr on ‘Deadline Day', State Budget, Speaker's Race

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: House leadership engineers a bill massacre, including many conservative priority bills, by running out the clock at midnight this morning. First legislative deadline of Texas session slashes 80% of bills in House. Texas House deadline leaves hundreds of bills as casualties.But, of course, the Burrows BurrowCrat leadership team found time to spend passing this law that has nothing but symbolic affect: Bill Decriminalizing Homosexual Conduct Passes Texas House.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Texas Senate Committee Passes New Version of Public School Funding, Teacher Pay Raise Bill.  Winners and losers in the Texas Legislature's school funding plan.Other items from the 89th Legislature: Lawmakers want penalties for local governments' campaign finance posting failures House bill requiring air conditioning in Texas prisons OK'd Senate advances ‘Trey's Law' to ban NDAs in sex abuse settlements Texas Labor Market Achieves Five Consecutive Months of Record High Jobs with More Than 37,000 Added in April – click for local unemployment rates.Baker Hughes' North America Rig Count Report – Texas loses the two gained last week.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

Leah and Shannon discuss issues that they, and other education advocates, are encountering with legislators not fully-grasping school funding topics like: cash balances and differences between general education, local option budget and SPED funding. The two are monitoring the Senate's budget plan without additional SPED funding in the future and cuts to programs this fiscal year. That is expected to be voted on Tuesday, March 18th. (Contact your Senators right away!) In the other chamber, a voucher bill and the school board micromanagement bill are heading to the House floor.In positive news - House Education Committee members held a roundtable meeting to discuss the state's new school system accreditation process. Want to hear an in-depth analysis of KESA 2.0? Listen to our podcast by Mark Tallman: What's Different About KESA 2.0?

Where does school funding come from, and why does it feel like there's never enough?  In this episode of Elevate Education, Superintend Tracy Dorland sits down with Tracie Rainey, Executive Director of the Colorado School Finance Project, to break down the complex world of school funding. They tackle common misconceptions about property taxes, how Colorado's funding model impacts local schools, and what recent statewide financial adequacy studies reveal about the gaps in K-12 education funding.

Ever wished you had learned more about money management as a high schooler? It's happening right here in Fairfield County and Jon Kamal has the full story! 

Feb. 5, 2025 - Association of School Business Officials of New York Executive Director Brian Cechnicki talks about the governor's proposed allocation of state education aid and makes the case for school districts recouping money owed by the state.

In Dividing the Public: School Finance and the Creation of Structural Inequity (Cornell UP, 2024), Matthew Gardner Kelly takes aim at the racial and economic disparities that characterize public education funding in the United States. With California as his focus, Kelly illustrates that the use of local taxes to fund public education was never an inadvertent or de facto product of past practices, but an intentional decision adopted in place of well-known alternatives during the Progressive Era, against past precedent and principle in several states. From efforts to convert expropriated Indigenous and Mexican land into common school funding in the 1850s, to reforms that directed state aid to expanding white suburbs during the years surrounding World War II, Dividing the Public traces, in intricate detail, how a host of policies connected to school funding have divided California by race and class over time. In bringing into view the neglected and poorly understood history of policymaking connected to school finance, Kelly offers a new story about the role public education played in shaping the racially segregated, economically divided, and politically fragmented world of the post-1945 metropolis. Matthew Gardner Kelly is an assistant professor of educational foundations, leadership, and policy at the University of Washington.   Max Jacobs is a PhD student in education at Rutgers University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

In Dividing the Public: School Finance and the Creation of Structural Inequity (Cornell UP, 2024), Matthew Gardner Kelly takes aim at the racial and economic disparities that characterize public education funding in the United States. With California as his focus, Kelly illustrates that the use of local taxes to fund public education was never an inadvertent or de facto product of past practices, but an intentional decision adopted in place of well-known alternatives during the Progressive Era, against past precedent and principle in several states. From efforts to convert expropriated Indigenous and Mexican land into common school funding in the 1850s, to reforms that directed state aid to expanding white suburbs during the years surrounding World War II, Dividing the Public traces, in intricate detail, how a host of policies connected to school funding have divided California by race and class over time. In bringing into view the neglected and poorly understood history of policymaking connected to school finance, Kelly offers a new story about the role public education played in shaping the racially segregated, economically divided, and politically fragmented world of the post-1945 metropolis. Matthew Gardner Kelly is an assistant professor of educational foundations, leadership, and policy at the University of Washington.   Max Jacobs is a PhD student in education at Rutgers University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latino-studies

In Dividing the Public: School Finance and the Creation of Structural Inequity (Cornell UP, 2024), Matthew Gardner Kelly takes aim at the racial and economic disparities that characterize public education funding in the United States. With California as his focus, Kelly illustrates that the use of local taxes to fund public education was never an inadvertent or de facto product of past practices, but an intentional decision adopted in place of well-known alternatives during the Progressive Era, against past precedent and principle in several states. From efforts to convert expropriated Indigenous and Mexican land into common school funding in the 1850s, to reforms that directed state aid to expanding white suburbs during the years surrounding World War II, Dividing the Public traces, in intricate detail, how a host of policies connected to school funding have divided California by race and class over time. In bringing into view the neglected and poorly understood history of policymaking connected to school finance, Kelly offers a new story about the role public education played in shaping the racially segregated, economically divided, and politically fragmented world of the post-1945 metropolis. Matthew Gardner Kelly is an assistant professor of educational foundations, leadership, and policy at the University of Washington.   Max Jacobs is a PhD student in education at Rutgers University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In Dividing the Public: School Finance and the Creation of Structural Inequity (Cornell UP, 2024), Matthew Gardner Kelly takes aim at the racial and economic disparities that characterize public education funding in the United States. With California as his focus, Kelly illustrates that the use of local taxes to fund public education was never an inadvertent or de facto product of past practices, but an intentional decision adopted in place of well-known alternatives during the Progressive Era, against past precedent and principle in several states. From efforts to convert expropriated Indigenous and Mexican land into common school funding in the 1850s, to reforms that directed state aid to expanding white suburbs during the years surrounding World War II, Dividing the Public traces, in intricate detail, how a host of policies connected to school funding have divided California by race and class over time. In bringing into view the neglected and poorly understood history of policymaking connected to school finance, Kelly offers a new story about the role public education played in shaping the racially segregated, economically divided, and politically fragmented world of the post-1945 metropolis. Matthew Gardner Kelly is an assistant professor of educational foundations, leadership, and policy at the University of Washington.   Max Jacobs is a PhD student in education at Rutgers University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

In Dividing the Public: School Finance and the Creation of Structural Inequity (Cornell UP, 2024), Matthew Gardner Kelly takes aim at the racial and economic disparities that characterize public education funding in the United States. With California as his focus, Kelly illustrates that the use of local taxes to fund public education was never an inadvertent or de facto product of past practices, but an intentional decision adopted in place of well-known alternatives during the Progressive Era, against past precedent and principle in several states. From efforts to convert expropriated Indigenous and Mexican land into common school funding in the 1850s, to reforms that directed state aid to expanding white suburbs during the years surrounding World War II, Dividing the Public traces, in intricate detail, how a host of policies connected to school funding have divided California by race and class over time. In bringing into view the neglected and poorly understood history of policymaking connected to school finance, Kelly offers a new story about the role public education played in shaping the racially segregated, economically divided, and politically fragmented world of the post-1945 metropolis. Matthew Gardner Kelly is an assistant professor of educational foundations, leadership, and policy at the University of Washington.   Max Jacobs is a PhD student in education at Rutgers University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

In Dividing the Public: School Finance and the Creation of Structural Inequity (Cornell UP, 2024), Matthew Gardner Kelly takes aim at the racial and economic disparities that characterize public education funding in the United States. With California as his focus, Kelly illustrates that the use of local taxes to fund public education was never an inadvertent or de facto product of past practices, but an intentional decision adopted in place of well-known alternatives during the Progressive Era, against past precedent and principle in several states. From efforts to convert expropriated Indigenous and Mexican land into common school funding in the 1850s, to reforms that directed state aid to expanding white suburbs during the years surrounding World War II, Dividing the Public traces, in intricate detail, how a host of policies connected to school funding have divided California by race and class over time. In bringing into view the neglected and poorly understood history of policymaking connected to school finance, Kelly offers a new story about the role public education played in shaping the racially segregated, economically divided, and politically fragmented world of the post-1945 metropolis. Matthew Gardner Kelly is an assistant professor of educational foundations, leadership, and policy at the University of Washington.   Max Jacobs is a PhD student in education at Rutgers University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

In Dividing the Public: School Finance and the Creation of Structural Inequity (Cornell UP, 2024), Matthew Gardner Kelly takes aim at the racial and economic disparities that characterize public education funding in the United States. With California as his focus, Kelly illustrates that the use of local taxes to fund public education was never an inadvertent or de facto product of past practices, but an intentional decision adopted in place of well-known alternatives during the Progressive Era, against past precedent and principle in several states. From efforts to convert expropriated Indigenous and Mexican land into common school funding in the 1850s, to reforms that directed state aid to expanding white suburbs during the years surrounding World War II, Dividing the Public traces, in intricate detail, how a host of policies connected to school funding have divided California by race and class over time. In bringing into view the neglected and poorly understood history of policymaking connected to school finance, Kelly offers a new story about the role public education played in shaping the racially segregated, economically divided, and politically fragmented world of the post-1945 metropolis. Matthew Gardner Kelly is an assistant professor of educational foundations, leadership, and policy at the University of Washington.   Max Jacobs is a PhD student in education at Rutgers University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-west

In Dividing the Public: School Finance and the Creation of Structural Inequity (Cornell UP, 2024), Matthew Gardner Kelly takes aim at the racial and economic disparities that characterize public education funding in the United States. With California as his focus, Kelly illustrates that the use of local taxes to fund public education was never an inadvertent or de facto product of past practices, but an intentional decision adopted in place of well-known alternatives during the Progressive Era, against past precedent and principle in several states. From efforts to convert expropriated Indigenous and Mexican land into common school funding in the 1850s, to reforms that directed state aid to expanding white suburbs during the years surrounding World War II, Dividing the Public traces, in intricate detail, how a host of policies connected to school funding have divided California by race and class over time. In bringing into view the neglected and poorly understood history of policymaking connected to school finance, Kelly offers a new story about the role public education played in shaping the racially segregated, economically divided, and politically fragmented world of the post-1945 metropolis. Matthew Gardner Kelly is an assistant professor of educational foundations, leadership, and policy at the University of Washington.   Max Jacobs is a PhD student in education at Rutgers University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/public-policy

In Dividing the Public: School Finance and the Creation of Structural Inequity (Cornell UP, 2024), Matthew Gardner Kelly takes aim at the racial and economic disparities that characterize public education funding in the United States. With California as his focus, Kelly illustrates that the use of local taxes to fund public education was never an inadvertent or de facto product of past practices, but an intentional decision adopted in place of well-known alternatives during the Progressive Era, against past precedent and principle in several states. From efforts to convert expropriated Indigenous and Mexican land into common school funding in the 1850s, to reforms that directed state aid to expanding white suburbs during the years surrounding World War II, Dividing the Public traces, in intricate detail, how a host of policies connected to school funding have divided California by race and class over time. In bringing into view the neglected and poorly understood history of policymaking connected to school finance, Kelly offers a new story about the role public education played in shaping the racially segregated, economically divided, and politically fragmented world of the post-1945 metropolis. Matthew Gardner Kelly is an assistant professor of educational foundations, leadership, and policy at the University of Washington.   Max Jacobs is a PhD student in education at Rutgers University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/education

In Dividing the Public: School Finance and the Creation of Structural Inequity (Cornell UP, 2024), Matthew Gardner Kelly takes aim at the racial and economic disparities that characterize public education funding in the United States. With California as his focus, Kelly illustrates that the use of local taxes to fund public education was never an inadvertent or de facto product of past practices, but an intentional decision adopted in place of well-known alternatives during the Progressive Era, against past precedent and principle in several states. From efforts to convert expropriated Indigenous and Mexican land into common school funding in the 1850s, to reforms that directed state aid to expanding white suburbs during the years surrounding World War II, Dividing the Public traces, in intricate detail, how a host of policies connected to school funding have divided California by race and class over time. In bringing into view the neglected and poorly understood history of policymaking connected to school finance, Kelly offers a new story about the role public education played in shaping the racially segregated, economically divided, and politically fragmented world of the post-1945 metropolis. Matthew Gardner Kelly is an assistant professor of educational foundations, leadership, and policy at the University of Washington.   Max Jacobs is a PhD student in education at Rutgers University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 In this episode of School Business Insider, we're exploring the Certified Administrator of School Finance and Operations (SFO) certification, a designation recognized nationwide for its excellence and rigor in school business. Joining us are two outstanding school business leaders: Matthew Lentz, Chief Financial Officer at Esperanza in Pennsylvania and a certified SFO, and Rebekah Brooks, Chief Financial Officer at Elizabeth School District in Colorado, who is currently considering pursuing her SFO certification.Listen in as Matt shares his experiences earning and holding the SFO, and Rebekah discusses her motivation to take this step in her career. Together, they delve into the benefits of certification, the challenges of the process, and how the SFO can open doors for leadership and growth. If you're a school business official looking to advance your career, don't miss this insightful conversation!Contact School Business Insider: Check us out on social media: LinkedIn Twitter (X) Website: https://asbointl.org/SBI Email: podcast@asbointl.org Make sure to like, subscribe and share for more great insider episodes!Disclaimer:The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the Association of School Business Officials International. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "ASBO International" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service. The presence of any advertising does not endorse, or imply endorsement of, any products or services by ASBO International.ASBO International is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization and does not participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for elective public office. The sharing of news or information concerning public policy issues or political campaigns and candidates are not, and should not be construed as, endorsements by ASBO Internatio...

This session of the radio show shares the Town of Franklin Finance Committee Meeting held on Wednesday, Nov 6, 2024. 7 of the 9 members were present in the Council Chambers and 2 members absent (Batchelor, Hamilton). Quick Recap:Committee voted to keep the same org structure as prior given status and new members, etc. Conley, Chair, Riley, Vice-Chair, Corbesierio, Clerk (passed 7-0-2; 2 absent)Committee approved the minutes for the 3 budget hearings in May (passed 7-0-2; 2 absent)Town Administrator Jamie Hellen walked through the recommendation on FY25 Budget Adjustments and the committee voted to recommend them as discussed to the Town Council (passed 7-0-2; 2 absent)Jamie took time to outline the new Town and School Finance and Human Resources organization restructure, a work in progress for a number of years and finally operational, answered a number of clarification questions Jamie also presented the FY24 Preliminary Expense Recap & Local Receipts year-end report and the Stabilization Account Report and answered a number of clarification questionsBrief update on the FY26 Budget Model and Fiscal Forecast Update, discussion around dodging a massive increase in the Norfolk County Retirement Fund, procedurally the Retirement Board should have bene more forthcoming about the increase, they weren't, still an item to watchRelated to the retirement funding, it had been anticipated that once it was fully funded (approx. 2032, now 2035), those funds could be reallocated to the OPEB account and start paying that down more sooner. Confirmed delayed to 2035 currentlyAs a result of the OPEB funding process, why doesn't the Town consider helping the Schools with the "hold harmless" funding. Can't be done all at once, it is about 12-15 Million, but the town is chipping away at OPEB, we should consider chipping away at the "hold harmless" toomember comments lead to discussion (and future discussion) around how the committee can help raise the awareness of the community on the fiscal issues. More to come on that frontThe meeting runs about 1 hour & 50 minutes. Let's listen to the Finance Cmte meeting Nov 6, 2024.--------------The Finance Cmte agenda can be found -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/2024-11-06_finance_committee_agenda_packet.pdf Franklin TV video -> https://www.youtube.com/live/ejPhlcZs29g?si=otfRPnwkBa6Yta-B&t=158 My notes collected in a Twitter thread PDF ->https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nZYVtQx2ljoXcuxpA78ltwoeWgRxKIlB/view?usp=drive_link --------------We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.How can you help?If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighborsIf you don't like something here, please let me know And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach. We'll share and show you what and how we do what we...

UW-Madison's Chris Saldaña joins us to talk about Wisconsin's school finance regulations in comparison to other states' policies, and we think through some ideas we've considered before, around the way that local institutions--including citizen groups and taxpayer organizations--might hold states or local institutions accountable themselves. LINKS: Chris's recent article "examining the practices of K-12 early fiscal intervention during periods of economic crisis." Accountability 3.0: Beyond ESSA, which we both worked on. Taking Equal Opportunity Rhetoric Seriously report.

This week on The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Mike Goldstein interview Katie Everett, the Executive Director of the Lynch Foundation. Ms. Everett shares her journey into K-12 education reform and discusses the influential vision of Carolyn and Peter Lynch, and their foundation’s role in shaping education policy in Massachusetts and beyond. She highlights the Lynch family’s contributions to the Commonwealth's […]

This week on The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Mike Goldstein interview Katie Everett, the Executive Director of the Lynch Foundation. Ms. Everett shares her journey into K-12 education reform and discusses the influential vision of Carolyn and Peter Lynch, and their foundation's role in shaping education policy in Massachusetts and beyond. She highlights the Lynch family's contributions to the Commonwealth's educational, cultural, and civic landscape. Everett delves into the operational challenges facing Catholic schools, such as labor costs and enrollment issues, while also emphasizing the work of the School Choice and School Financial Sustainability Committee, which developed a finance model to assist tuition-based schools. She elaborates on how the model has been received and its potential to expand access to early childhood education, breaking cycles of illiteracy and poverty. Additionally, she explores how her school finance model could align with state policies, like ESAs, to bolster Catholic and private schools. Everett closes by calling for more robust involvement from governors, legislators, and parents in improving academic outcomes for American students.

In honor of TEA's Oz-themed sessions at the PEIMS Academy, our episode title references not being in Kansas anymore.Today's panelists include RISE Award winner Karen Holyfield, PEIMS Director from Gilmer ISD and chair of our PEIMS Research Committee. We also introduce a new addition to the TASBO team, Sonya Niazy – who you may know as Sonya George from her CFO days. She now joins our policy and research team.We go over updates to PEIMS in 2024-25 and provide an overview of the upcoming PEIMS Academy.

This episode, featuring Board President Elaine Cogburn and Executive Director Tracy Ginsburg, focuses on getting ready for the new school year and creating awareness for new recognition programs. We also briefly cover new additions on the TASBO team and an important software update that will impact members.

Lou Pepe, the Director of Business Services at Southern Lehigh School District, shares his journey and insights on leadership in the educational sector. He discusses the qualities of a great leader in school business and the importance of communication, delegation, integrity, motivation, team building, empathy, flexibility, innovation, positivity, and vision. Lou also talks about his book 'Pathways to Leadership' and the key themes of pathfinding, trailblazing, pace setting, and voyaging. Lou Pepe shares insights on leadership, communication, financial management, and the role of a school business official. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the organization, effective communication, and the balance between financial management and educational goals. He also discusses the impact of leadership, the value of experience, and the misconceptions about the role of a school business official.Contact School Business Insider: Check us out on social media: LinkedIn Twitter (X) Website: https://asbointl.org/SBI Email: podcast@asbointl.org Make sure to like, subscribe and share for more great insider episodes!Disclaimer:The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the Association of School Business Officials International. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "ASBO International" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service. The presence of any advertising does not endorse, or imply endorsement of, any products or services by ASBO International.ASBO International is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization and does not participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for elective public office. The sharing of news or information concerning public policy issues or political campaigns and candidates are not, and should not be construed as, endorsements by ASBO Internatio...

This episode is a panel discussion on public education communication, which was recorded at the 2024 TASBO Summer Solutions Conference on June 18. The panel is moderated by TASBO's Tom Greer and includes: Bob Popinski, Raise Your Hand Texas; Lisa Losasso Jackson, We Go Public; and Patti Pawlik-Perales, TSPRA.

Ray Tran is the son of immigrant parents and is a financial literacy teacher, wealth/real estate coach, and real estate investor residing in Brooklyn, NY.   After graduating with a degree in Financial Economics, Ray began working at Ernst & Young. Despite his initial enthusiasm, he soon realized that the corporate world did not fulfill him so he quit his corporate job after realizing his true passion was to teach/educate others. Ray's life was thrown a major curveball when his father passed away shortly after he graduated from college. Ray saw his father dream of what  retirement would be like when he'd  get to his 60's but never had the change to enjoy it before passing.  Ray is now the founder of RT Invests where he provides wealth coaching/mentoring to students and adults of all ages. His ultimate aim is to inspire others to break free from the rat race and generate income through asset ownership and passive income streams. 

Closing or consolidating neighborhood schools is a painful decision that no school district or community ever wishes to face, but increasingly it may be on the table due to declining enrollment trends and budgetary pressures. In this episode, host Jason Willis and school finance and policy veteran Carrie Hahnel deepen our understanding about school closures and consolidations. They delve into current factors that could lead to more closures and data showing how closures have disproportionately impacted different student populations. They pinpoint the tension schools and communities must try to resolve between difficult and necessary budget decisions on one hand and the enormous potential equity effects of those decisions on the other.Carrie serves as a senior associate partner for policy and evaluation at Bellwether and a senior policy and research fellow with Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). She and colleagues Max Marchitello and Dr. Francis Pearman co-authored a series of recent research for PACE related to declining enrollment, equity, and closures.Jason and Carrie further explore how district and school leaders can proactively approach considerations about school closures while centering equity, and:   The extent to which closures or consolidations achieved expected savings for districts, Connections between demographic trends, housing, segregation and other local issues to resource disparities, How the State of California has started to weigh in on the issue of school closures, andThe importance for districts of pairing a school closure process with an affirmative strategy to provide students that will be displaced with high quality educational opportunities.“It's hard not to be paying attention to school closures if you're paying attention to what's happening in schools."About Our GuestCarrie Hahnel currently serves as a senior associate partner on the policy team at Bellwether, a national nonprofit. Previously, she focused on equitable school funding as an advocate at the Education Trust West, and as a policy director at the Opportunity Institute. She has worked extensively with the statewide research organization PACE. Her research has focused on school funding formulas, equity, tax policies and local budgeting practices and decisions, among other areas.About Our HostJason Willis serves as  Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districts.Key ResourcesCentering Equity in the School Closure Process in California – ReportDeclining Enrollment, School Closures, and Equity Considerations – Policy brief and related PACE Webinar.Examining Racial (In)equity in School-Closure Patterns in California –  Working PaperBudgeting for Educational Equity is presented by CASBO and WestEd.  The series is written and produced by Paul Richman and Jason Willis. Original music and sound by Tommy Dunbar. Alyssa Perez and Hannah Jarmolowski at WestEd provides research and develops the written briefs that go along with each episode.

North Carolina's long running Leandro school funding case is headed back before the state Supreme Court this week and Newsline discusses why this has supporters of our public schools deeply concerned with the head of the group Pastors for North Carolina Children, the Rev. Suzanne Parker Miller. The post Rev. Suzanne Parker Miller details the Leandro school finance case back before the NC Supreme Court appeared first on NC Newsline.

Many Texas families have been fighting for school funding equity for 50 years. But wide disparities in funding still exist. Texas Public Radio's education reporter, Camille Phillips, explains the problem and why it's been difficult to solve.

In this episode, we have a conversation with Executive Director Tracy Ginsburg and Board President Shay Adams. We discuss the current state of TASBO and how we did in 2023. In December, the board passed a new 3-year strategic plan, which included two new areas of focus: brand alignment and advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence. We close the episode with a brief update on the upcoming TASBO Engage Conference in Houston.

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Tatia Davenport, CEO of the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) sits down with Jason for a compelling  discussion about the size, scope and future of school business in California. Tatia shares what was learned from the first comprehensive survey of California school business executives in nearly 25 years, including where professional development is headed, the changing face and vital voice of CBOs, and how school business leaders can work more to advance equity.  She offers timely perspectives about some of the persistent challenges California faces in maintaining an effective and efficient public education system -- one that delivers on the promise of high-quality education for all.  About our guestTatia Davenport is the CEO of CASBO. Founded in 1928, CASBO is a nonprofit membership organization representing more than 25,000 professionals across 1,100 school districts and 58 counties statewide. CASBO members drive and support facilities and management of approximately 125,000 acres, 475 million square feet of real estate, an estimated 630 million student meals and snacks served annually at 22,000 sites, 115 million miles of busing and student transportation annually, technology services, and more. With an estimated $108 billion annual budget, California school business officials represent a statewide public education system that serves millions of K-12 students, teachers in classrooms and communities.Tatia  has built a reputation as a respected leader in the field and has a proven track record of success in improving the financial, operational and management systems of California schools. Previously she served as CASBO's chief operations officer and held executive roles with Vision Service Plan (VSP) and E*TRADE Financial.Key LinksCalifornia Chief Business Officials Survey -- Summary of ResponsesAbout our hostJason Willis serves as  Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districts.About our seriesBudgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO) and WestEd. We are grateful to the Sobrato Family Foundation for additional support. Our series is written and produced by Paul Richman and Jason Willis. Original music, mixing and sound by Tommy Dunbar. Alyssa Perez and Hannah Jarmolowski at WestEd provide research and develop the written briefs that go along with many episodes.Follow Budgeting for Educational Equity on Twitter/X:  @budget4edequity

MORGAN SMITH: Welcome to the Raise Your Hand Texas Intersect Ed Podcast, where the stories of public education policy and practice meet. Today, we're talking about the special legislative session that began Oct. 9, and the intense financial pressure facing Texas public schools.I'm your host, Morgan Smith.Gov. Greg Abbott has called state lawmakers back to Austin with strict orders to complete some unfinished business from the regular legislative session that ended back in May. And if you listened to our legislative recap episode, you know there's a lot of that when it comes to education policy. But it's not teacher pay raises, increases to per student funding to help districts keep up  with inflation, or reforms to the state's standardized testing and accountability system the governor has directed lawmakers to tackle. It's passing an Education Savings Account that would allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to send their kids to private schools. There are a lot of reasons why this is bad policy for Texas, and so many lessons we can learn from the mistakes of other states that have already adopted these voucher-type programs — and we'll get into all of that. But first, let's unpack the current funding crisis in our public schools. During the regular session — despite a record-breaking $33 billion surplus sitting in the treasury — lawmakers failed to increase basic per student allotment enough for school districts to keep up with inflation, much less offer much needed teacher pay raises. At the same time, federal stimulus funding is about to end while many school districts have yet to regain the student enrollment they lost during the pandemic. As a result, school districts have had to make tough decisions about what services or positions to cut in order to minimize effects in the classroom. BOB POPINSKI: School districts were really hoping that there was going to be some legislative action during the regular session because they had to adopt their budgets here in July and August for the current school year. They were really bumped up against a lot of pressure. MORGAN SMITH: This is Bob Popinski, Raise Your Hand's Senior Director of Policy. He says a substantial number of Texas school districts have adopted deficit budgets, drawing down fund balances intended to cover incidental costs until the next school year.  BOB POPINSKI: They're having problems sustaining the revenue that they have in their school districts. And because inflation was in the double digits over the last few years, they're not able to keep pace with not only giving their teachers and staff a salary increase, but they're having trouble keeping pace with just fuel costs and property insurance costs, construction costs, health insurance costs.The cost of food has gone up. And there's added pressure to make sure that they're following laws that were passed last regular session, like armed guards on every campus. There's a lot of pressure for school districts to find the funding they need for a lot of different resources that they've been asked to do over the last few years.MORGAN SMITH: In Channelview ISD, a district of about 9,500 students on the eastern edge of Harris County, Superintendent Tory C. Hill says that they have had to increase student-teacher ratios across all grade levels to maintain a balanced budget.DR. TORY C. HILL: There's no secret that there's a teacher shortage. There's a teacher shortage in Channelview, there's a teacher shortage in the State of Texas, really across the entire nation. There were some aggressive things that we had to do in order to be able to attract teachers, and really that was to increase our teacher pay through the use of local funds as well as implement a very aggressive model to try to attract teachers, but that came with an expense of other things. Those challenges aren't going away, and so right now there is a balancing act. Ultimately at the end of the day, our goal is to ensure that we're not impacting student learning as a result of the looming and gloomy funding realities.MORGAN SMITH: For Superintendent Hill, it's frustrating to watch as lawmakers begin an education-focused special session on vouchers while the state lags so far behind on issues like school funding and teacher retention and recruitment. DR. TORY C. HILL: Education is the great equalizer, and if we miss our mark and opportunity to ensure that all students in the State of Texas receive a quality education, then we will definitely face challenges in the future as it relates to just our overall population as a state. It is critical at this juncture that we keep the main thing the main thing, and that's ensuring that we have quality teachers in our classrooms every day and that we fund public education. We leave public funds in public schools and we continue to support our teachers, who are the backbone of our American society.MORGAN SMITH: Superintendent Hill says it's difficult not to view the current push for vouchers — along with the underfunding of public education and crippling standardized testing requirements — as a coordinated effort to destabilize public schools. DR. TORY C. HILL: We know the teacher shortage is an issue, but there seems to be great intentionality about the disruption that's being created around public education, from vouchers to assessment and accountability to just the lack of appropriate funding. These are basic elements that are required for us to ensure that we continue to provide the best that we can for our students, and the intentional disruption components are quite disappointing.MORGAN SMITH: And that brings us to the issue lawmakers are currently considering in Austin — Education Savings Accounts, the voucher-type program that would provide a stipend for parents who want to send their children to private schools. JOLENE SANDERS: As a state, and we're talking about public education, we're hemorrhaging, but we're trying to do cosmetic surgery instead of addressing the immediate, urgent need.MORGAN SMITH: Jolene Sanders is the Advocacy Director at the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities. During the last legislative session she worked extensively to oppose voucher programs, which, as a political strategy, are often initially targeted at students with disabilities and then expanded to include all students. JOLENE SANDERS: We know that there's a crisis with teacher shortages, funding, backlogs of evaluations and services for students with disabilities. That really was highlighted by the pandemic. And so I think we have a lot of work to do first in repairing and bolstering public education and the services for all students before we can even contemplate what any kind of ESA or voucher program would look like. MORGAN SMITH: What's happening now in Texas is not an isolated push. Thirty-two states have adopted some form of voucher in the last three decades. About half of those have done so amid renewed efforts to pass these programs in the last three years. DR. JOSH COWEN: We've had more voucher programs, voucher-like programs, passed in the last 12 to 15 months than any other given year on record since 1990. Most of those follow a pattern. They're very similar bills in each state, and most of them follow a pattern of strong pressure on the legislative side from a bill-supporting governor, often after a series of Republican primaries because the holdouts for a lot of these have been actually Republican legislators in different states. MORGAN SMITH: This is Josh Cowen, an education professor at Michigan State University. He has spent the last 18 years as a professional evaluator for voucher programs, starting with Milwaukee's in 2005, which was the first in the country. As he's studied voucher programs over the years, he said he's come to view them as the educational equivalent of predatory lending. DR. JOSH COWEN: Usually these things are tied to other education funding packages like teacher raises or in some cases fully, in my view, holding hostage other public education funding programs to get these things put in because they can't really pass them in clean bills like they used to be able to do when I got into this business. So again, the last year or so, the biggest set of expansions and voucher programs on record. This has been mostly in red states. MORGAN SMITH: The data from other states that have adopted vouchers only provide a cautionary tale. The results are in: not only do these programs balloon in cost, they also just don't work to improve student achievement. DR. JOSH COWEN: We see some of the largest academic loss on record over the last decade. The larger the voucher program and the more recent the voucher program, the worse the academic results have been for those 25 or 30% of kids who switch, who actually do use it to leave public school. And the reason for that is that most of the schools that actually clamor to participate in these programs and take new kids from the public schools, they're what I call subprime, financially distressed private schools. They're not your elite providers who have longstanding rich academic traditions, and there are many such schools out there, right? Those schools are fine. They don't need the money. They often cost three or four times what the voucher cap would be. It's instead the schools that are barely hanging on, the ones that for whatever reason, have really struggled to maintain themselves. And those are the ones that overwhelmingly fund these voucher kids. And the results show that. Many often close anyway. In Wisconsin, where I've spent a lot of time, 40% of the schools taking voucher payments over the life of that program have closed. And the average closed time, the schools make it about four years, and then they close. Four years after they get the voucher payoff. So we talk about this I think as if in these states, this is all about, again, academic hope and opportunity, and it's really not. It's really just, it's a very targeted bailout for these kind of financially distressed private schools.MORGAN SMITH: In Texas, it's rural Republicans, along with Democrats, who have traditionally held the line against vouchers. Political observers expect that to continue in the special session, but it will be in the face of extreme pressure from the governor and other special interest groups. DR. MICHELLE SMITH: Public education in Texas has always been different than how it's perceived in other states. So in other states, sometimes it's perceived as unions fighting to protect their turf. I really don't see it that way in Texas. I see it as rural communities trying to protect their own communities. I see it as people who really, and I know this is cliche, the Friday Night Lights of Texas that people are trying to protect what they know is good about their community, that this is one of the last places that draws people of differing opinions together to find common ground, to educate their students, to serve their own kids in their own community and really value what's good about public education in Texas.MORGAN SMITH: This is Michelle Smith, Raise Your Hand's executive director.DR. MICHELLE SMITH: I worry, and I know people in our rural communities worry because we've talked to them on a regular basis, that this is just the dismantling of what we know is best for these rural communities in Texas, that their public school is the heartbeat of their community. I also think it's important to point out that there are a lot of really amazing school choice programs that are going on in our public schools in rural communities that are very CTE based. That the school district intricately partners with their businesses and goes to those businesses and say, okay, what do you need? What kind of students do you need to be coming out of our public schools to serve our local businesses? We've seen it happen in multiple communities now, that the businesses and school districts are really partnering to do innovative things for their students to make sure that they're ready to enter the workforce when they leave their public school.MORGAN SMITH: State Rep. Abel Herrero, a Democrat whose South Texas district spans the inland suburbs of Corpus Christi, has dedicated his career to opposing voucher programs in the House. ABEL HERRERO: I believe that there are people that stand to gain financially from the voucher system. I think they see that as a business opportunity. More and more people are saying, "Let's give this private sector an opportunity to educate the population of Texas." However, what is not disclosed, is that the monies that follow, or would follow under the proposal of the voucher system, there's no accountability. There's no standardized test that the private school system would have to follow. There's no accountability as to the progression or the numbers or the testing that these individuals, students would have to undergo to prove that this system is better than the public school system that has existed.MORGAN SMITH: Chairman Herrero says over the years voucher proponents have successfully begun to whittle away their opposition — and that now members are under more pressure than ever before. ABEL HERRERO: Long story short, I believe it's a financial interest that these private institutions are seeing in the voucher system that is being proposed. They are spending millions of dollars in elections trying to get people elected that would support this proposition. To me, it's more of making sure that every student, regardless of where they attend school, are able to receive a first class quality education. It needs to be more of an investment in the public school system, in our public school teachers, and making sure that we provide them with the tools and resources necessary to be able to educate all of the student body population that exists.MORGAN SMITH: As the special session unfolds, be prepared for this to be a long battle. The governor has said that he is willing to call lawmakers back to Austin multiple times to get a voucher program passed, and if that still doesn't work, he'll take this fight to primaries.Here's Bob Popinski again.BOB POPINKSI: Now is the time to pay incredibly close attention on a daily basis to what's happening at our Texas Capitol. Special sessions are 30 days. They move rather quickly. Things will get hearings and get voted out of committee potentially in just one day. So pay attention to understand where a bill is in the process and how fast it's moving through the process, because your voice needs to be heard, if not on a daily basis during the special session, at least on a weekly basis before the 30 days runs up because the members over there need to understand how you view the legislation moving through the process. Whether it's a Senate bill or a House bill, there's going to be a lot of policy discussions that are going to be thrown into the mix, and it's going to get confusing. So the more you can pay attention to what's going on, the more you can voice your support or objections to policies that are being talked about.MORGAN SMITH: In the meantime, while Texas lawmakers duke it out over vouchers, public schools will continue to stretch themselves to the limits, operating without what they really need: adequate funding. To stay informed as the special session progresses, sign up online for Raise Your Hand's Across the Lawn weekly newsletter at www.RaiseYourHandTexas.org/Get-Involved. To receive text alerts that will allow you to join Raise Your Hand in taking action at key moments, text RAISEMYHAND to 40649. Today's episode was written by me, Morgan Smith. Our sound engineer is Brian Diggs and our executive producer is Anne Lasseigne Tiedt. This episode also received additional production support from Jessica Garcia. 

Lindsay Unified School District in California's Central Valley reinvented its approach to education by launching a Performance Based System in 2007, following an extensive community engagement process. It's an approach that fundamentally changed experiences for the community's learners, families and educators -- and led to impressive outcomes that have been highlighted in multiple studies and reports.Two dynamic leaders from Lindsey USD – Grant Schimelpfening, Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services, and Cheri Doria, Early Childhood Education Director – provide an “under the hood” look at  the systems and culture their district has built to help advance equity  through a personalized learning plan for each student.We explore how Lindsay USD – whose 4,000-plus students are approximately 90% socio-economically disadvantaged and 37% English Learners – creates alignment and coherence to serve students with multiple needs, including early learners, multi-language learners, and students with disabilities. Grant and Cheri discuss how the district: Uses data to weigh resource investment decisions;Gets to know students, even from the time they are born;Tries to begin its program design process with an ambitious vision, versus building programs around currently available funding;Systematizes processes and practices to further support alignment with its overall strategic design.; and more.Plus, Grant shares his top three list for Chief Business Officials for driving collaboration, alignment and coherence in their systems.Key Links:Lindsay USD's Strategic Design Articles and research about Lindsay's USD's work"Putting Students in Charge of Their Learning Transforms A Small Rural District," via EdSource "Online Learning in Lindsay," via Inside California EducationCalifornia Department of Education Updated Guidance on Identification of Early Education Dual Language Learners (and links to survey instruments) About Our Guests:Cheri Doria has served as Director of Preschools in Lindsay USD since 2014.  Prior to that she was an elementary school teacher in the district for 10 years. Grant Schimelpfening has served as a school business executive for nearly 20 years, including for Lindsay USD as CBO and now Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services since January 2014. Previously he served in Modesto City Schools and Farmersville School District.(Host) Jason Willis serves as  Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districtsBudgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO) and WestEd. We are grateful to the Sobrato Family Foundation for additional support. Recorded: Spring, 2023

Is California doing a better job of getting resources that turn into opportunities and access for students into the right places? Are major investments in new initiatives helping to move the needle for those furthest from opportunity? How are schools navigating the current climate of rising divisiveness? For this first episode of our new season, we wanted to gain the perspective of someone who has had her finger on the pulse of school business and resource equity for a long time, both from a local and a statewide perspective – and that led us to none other than Nina Boyd. Nina is a school business official, administrator and statewide leader who has seen a lot transpire during her nearly 40 years in public education – and she is still on the frontlines impacting change. Nina shares insight and perspectives related to:How she sees us having gone both forward and backward with regard to advancing equity, including recent pushback about what is taught in schools;The importance of educational administrators and leaders continuing to be authentic in the spaces they serve and using their voices to correct misinformation;   The evolving role of Chief Business Officers in inviting more diverse perspectives into the dialogue about school issues; and more. About our guestNina Boyd currently serves as Deputy Superintendent for Operations, Government and Community Partnerships, for the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE),  which supports supports 28 Public School Districts and 23 board-approved Public Charter Schools. Orange County public schools serve nearly 200,000 students; about 80 percent of whom are students of color.Nina began her career in education as a temporary account clerk in Santa Ana Unified School District. She had planned to become a school psychologist but instead went on to a distinguished career serving in multiple administrative leadership roles at the OCDE, including as Administrator, Purchasing Contracts & Operations;  Executive Director of Facilities and Operations;  Assistant Superintendent Human Resources and Support Services; and Associate Superintendent Alternative Education. At the statewide level, Nina has been a key advocate and leader, including serving for many years on the CASBO Board of Directors and as CASBO President in 2017-18. She also served an eight-year term on the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) state board and held a variety of positions to support facility and maintenance issues primarily in the areas of regulatory, advocacy, and legislation. Nina has facilitated and provided trainings and workshops at both the local and state level, including a focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion when she was a leader at CASBO.  She also teaches in CASBO's Business Executive Leadership program.About our hostJason Willis serves as  Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd, and he is a former chief business official in several California school districtsAbout our seriesBudgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO) and WestEd. We are grateful to the Sobrato Family Foundation for additional support. Our series is written and produced by Paul Richman and Jason Willis. Original music, mixing and sound by Tommy Dunbar. Alyssa Perez at WestEd provides research and develops the written briefs that go along with each episode.

Link to the 2023-24 School District Budget information and Newsletter.

Published: June 17, 2020 We continue with session three of our series, “Advancing Our Church Through Challenging Times,” with our host, Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend leading another experienced panel of experts on the topic of the financial and pastoral implications of re-opening parishes and schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. How are dioceses thinking about the metrics required for a successful 2020-21 financial plan? What additional funding strategies will be needed to create that plan for next year? These topics and more will be discussed in this podcast. This panel discussion aired live on our webinar on June 4, 2020. Our Panelists Include Kevin R. Kiley, MSCM, CDFM, Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer, Diocese of Fall River Ashley Conley, Director of Parish and School Finance, Archdiocese of Baltimore Matthew F. Manion, Professor and Faculty Director, The Center for Church Management at the Villanova School of Business Gavan Mooney, President, and Chief Client Officer at Changing Our World Please click below to watch the full presentation. https://youtu.be/jM6-zEzY6jg Recorded: June 4, 2020 Don't miss Changing Our World's FORGING FORWARDDon't miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country who are leading through the COVID-19 crisis. Daily Spiritual Reflection and Prayers on “Kristin's Crosses” Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin's Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today's Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin's Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Brian is the managing director and manager of Baird's National Charter School Finance Group and has more than 30 years of experience in public finance. Prior to joining Baird, he managed the national Charter School Group at a leading investment banking firm. He has structured and completed over 140 charter school financings, providing over $4 billion in funding for charter school capital projects nationwide. Brian touches on charter school law, parental choice, and options charters schools have in acquiring facilities to run their programs. Read more about Brian here.Special thanks to this episode's sponsor, E&E Financial Services. Founded by industry veteran Eric Sams, E&E prioritizes educating and empowering clients to make informed financial decisions they can truly understand and feel confident in. E&E believes in guiding you through your financial goals while providing unbiased independent advice.Visit them online at eandefinancial.com/ or call (619) 487-9638 for more information.This announcement is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice. All sponsorship proceeds benefit the Eric C. Mitchell scholarship fund at Albert Einstein Academies, which benefits graduates who exemplify the outstanding human qualities that define Mr. Mitchell's legacy.

The 2023 legislative session started with a lot of promise. Lawmakers had a historic $33 billion dollar budget surplus, and there was energy and consensus to address a number of public education issues. Instead, lawmakers failed to give Texas public schools enough funding to even keep up with inflation, much less provide teacher pay raises to help stop the exodus of educators from the classroom. They lost efforts to improve our accountability system so that teachers could focus on their students' learning instead of their performance on standardized tests. They did not pass any policies to help recruit and retain high-quality teachers. There was one tentative win for public education advocates. Thanks to a bipartisan group of determined House lawmakers who withstood enormous pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott  —  no private school voucher program passed. In this episode, hear from Raise Your Hand Texas' Libby Cohen, Senior Director of Advocacy, Will Holleman, Senior Director of Government Relations, and Bob Popinski, Senior Director of Policy, alongside Georgia Polley, public education advocate from Spring Branch ISD, as they discuss their views on the 88th Legislative Session, and why a victory to stave off vouchers is far from certain, and came at a great cost to Texans. 

Former San Antonio Rep Will Hurd is now running for president and taking aim at Donald Trump. We hear from Hurd. And Texas Monthly's Forrest Wilder is trying to make sense of the mess that is the Texas public school funding system.

The Nebraska Legislature gave first-round approval Tuesday to a bill making big changes in how the state finances schools.

Gilberto Prado joined Mesquite ISD near the end of the first semester, but his personality and leadership qualities allowed him to hit the ground running. He came to Mesquite after only 4.5 months in Northwest ISD. Despite his brief time there, his coworkers loved him, showing the kind of immediate impression he makes. Prado is the Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations, which sounds like a job that is both very important and very boring (Ted asks him about this). When he was nine years old, Prado's family moved from Mexico to Dallas, and his educational foundation came from elementary and middle school in Dallas ISD and high school at St. Mark's School of Texas. Prado also talks about his unique leadership style and how he has integrated into the Mesquite community in only a few months.

Trinity University, IDRA, and Edgewood ISD will host an event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this landmark case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court determined that there is no constitutional right to an equal education.

The co-leader of the Eversheds Sutherland Business and Commercial Litigation team, Rocco E. Testani, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the recent decision in the William Penn School District et al. v. Pennsylvania Department of Education case in Pennsylvania, which ruled Pennsylvania's school funding system unconstitutional.

Cast:Host: Stephanie ChiarelloComedians: Aaron Salinas, Joy LinSpecial Guest: Josh Sanderson, Deputy  Executive Director of the Equity CenterAnnouncer: Amy Lowrey Writers:Stephanie C.Amy K. Producer:Stephanie C. Editors:Stephanie C.Aaron S.  Show Notes:Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/overthelegeEquity Center: https://equitycenter.org/ Follow the Texas Legislature at: https://capitol.texas.gov/ Here are links to all the Over the Lege assets: all the podcasts.our FB pageour website.our Youtube channel.our patreon. our  Twitter.our  Insta.Our TikTok. Our Reddit.Our newsletter signup.  

Anti-Abortion Groups vs. the FDA | Colorado legislators seek big boost in Special Education funding | Catholic hospitals no longer performing tubal ligations after Dobbs decision | Cannabis legalization seems to be okay | RJD2 is the Concert Pick of the WeekWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod's Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: DENVER (AP) COLORADO NEWSLINE: Anti-Abortion Groups vs. the FDABY: LINDSEY TOOMER - JANUARY 31, 2023 3:45 AMReproductive rights advocates in Colorado were feeling optimistic following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision to expand access to the abortion pill mifepristone in early January — but a federal lawsuit filed just 10 days later has made the future of medication abortions uncertain. On Jan. 3 the FDA issued a decision that allows the abortion drug mifepristone to be picked up at a pharmacy if the patient has a prescription, eliminating a previous requirement that the drug be given directly from a health care provider. Dr. Kristina Tocce, medical director at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said the FDA's decision is a “really big breakthrough” that should increase access across the country. América Ramirez, program director for the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, said it's exciting to see expanded access and agreed it could be beneficial for people across the state, especially the Latina community. U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, said during a recent press conference with news reporters that the caucus is working with the Biden administration to ensure the U.S. Postal Service will be able to deliver abortion medications when prescribed by an out-of-state doctor. Karen Middleton, president of Cobalt, a Colorado-based reproductive rights advocacy organization, said the FDA's decision will be particularly beneficial for Coloradans outside of the Denver metro area, so long as their pharmacies are willing to participate. But, she said while this is a positive step forward, there are still too many “bureaucratic and cost barriers” for those seeking abortion care.“We've known for years that medication abortion care is overwhelmingly safe and effective,” Middleton said in an email. “We hope that Colorado pharmacies, especially in rural areas, will make it available to patients as soon as possible and without bureaucratic delay.”But anti-abortion groups have sued to stop pharmacies from filling prescriptions for mifepristone, and the case will likely go all the way to the Supreme Court. The lawsuit argues the FDA “exceeded its regulatory authority” in approving the use of mifepristone and misoprostol to end a pregnancy, and seeks a preliminary and a permanent injunction that would remove the FDA's approval. That would imply that Congress should decide, which is of course, dumb.Attorneys for the U.S. Justice Department said there are no examples in history where a court has second-guessed a determination from the FDA that a drug is safe and effective. Karen Middleton said the lawsuit was the anti-abortion groups' only choice, as they “know that they'll lose at the ballot box” since purple and red state voters repeatedly voted to protect abortion rights in 2022. “That's why these radicals are bringing legal challenges in Federal District Courts with conservative judges — to weaponize the legal system to end legal abortion access,” Middleton said. Fawn Bolak, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, called the lawsuit a “politically-motivated attack” that has “no basis in science,” as the drug has been used safely and legally since it was approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago. This lawsuit is designed to push abortion care further out of reach for the most vulnerable.“Exploiting the legal system in an attempt to prevent people from accessing safe, essential health care is unconscionably cruel. Rest assured PPRM will continue to provide safe and legal abortion care to our patients — no matter the outcome in this case.”CHALKBEAT COLORADO: Education Committee backs big boost in Special Ed SpendingColorado would fund special education at the levels lawmakers promised back in 2006, under legislation recommended unanimously Friday by a special committee on school finance.The special education bill would reimburse districts $6,000 for each student with what's known as a Tier B disability, and who requires more intensive support for students to be successful in school. These include dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders, developmental delays, deafness, blindness, emotional disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries, among others. The bill also calls for Tier B funding to increase every year by the rate of inflation.Both the federal and state governments require school districts to provide a “free and appropriate” education to all students, including those with disabilities, but they pay just a fraction of the cost. That won't change with this bill.School districts would still bear about two-thirds of the additional cost of providing special education services, but a few years ago, the state was paying less than half of what it had promised. The new bill would add $40.2 million in special education funding to next year's budget, bringing the total to at least $340 million, a 13% increase. The amount could be more, depending on how lawmakers handle requirements to respond to inflation. The bill could also get scaled back, in future budget committee negotiations.The special education bill, sponsored by state Sens. Rachel Zenzinger (D-Arvada) and Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Brighton Republican, along with state Reps. Kipp and Lisa Frizell, a Castle Rock Republican, will be the only bill to come out of the Interim Committee on School Finance this session.Sen Zenzinger, who also chairs the Joint Budget Committee and serves on the interim committee on school finance, sounded a note of caution even as she signed on as a prime sponsor of the funding increase bill. “We'll put it out there as what we'd like to see, and we'll see what's available to us in the budget,” she said.Bureau Chief Erica Meltzer covers education policy and politics and oversees Chalkbeat Colorado's education coverage. Contact Erica at emeltzer@chalkbeat.org.COLORADO SUN: Catholic hospitals crack down on contraceptionJennifer Brown4:00 AM MST on Jan 31, 2023Colorado has one of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country, but health care advocates say women in rural and mountain towns often lack reproductive health care accessWhen the only hospital in Durango with a maternity ward decided that it would no longer let women get their tubes tied, there was no public announcement. Mercy Hospital's website doesn't spell it out, either. Instead, a read-between-the-lines statement added to the Centura Health hospital's website in September noted that Mercy is “responsible for conducting itself in a manner consistent with the ethical principles of the Catholic church ministry.” The hospital had recently completed a “re-education” of hospital staff and board members regarding the church's ethical and religious directives, it said, adding that “patients are fully informed of all treatment options.” Doctors who deliver babies at Mercy said they were told that beginning April 15, they can no longer provide post-cesarean-section tubal ligations - a sterilization procedure in which the fallopian tubes are cut. Women who have decided not to have more children often have their tubes tied immediately after a C-section, when they are already under spinal anesthesia, sparing them from the risk, cost, and hassle of scheduling a separate second procedure.The hospital already prohibited tubal ligations after vaginal births, but had been allowing them after C-sections because of the undue burden it placed on patients.  It's been up to obstetricians to tell their pregnant patients that they will have to go elsewhere for permanent birth control. Dr. Kimberly Priebe, who delivers 90-100 babies a year and has been an obstetrician-gynecologist in Durango for 20 years said “Patients are furious. This decision undermines our patients' trust in Centura.” Mercy's prohibition of sterilization comes as health care advocates across the country are concerned about diminishing reproductive rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.Even in Colorado, a state with statutory protection for abortion and one of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country, women are losing access to reproductive health care, particularly in rural and mountain areas where there is only one hospital in town.Mergers that have joined Catholic health systems with secular or protestant systems have created a confusing health landscape for patients seeking abortions or birth control.Centura Health, formed in 1996 by the merger of Catholic Health Initiatives and Adventist Health System, has 16 hospitals in Colorado and three in Kansas. The Catholic hospitals, including Mercy, follow the Catholic directives, while the Adventist hospitals do not. In Denver, doctors affiliated with Centura Health can steer patients who want their tubes tied to nearby hospitals. But in Durango - and other towns with just one hospital - that's not an option. Sophia Mayott-Guerrero, senior organizing strategist with ACLU of Colorado said “We really are seeing a trend with hospitals, insurance companies, pharmacies, other health care entities, discriminating against people by denying basic care … all in the name of religion. The main target is reproductive access, including birth control, emergency contraception, sterilization and abortions.“We can't really consider access to reproductive health care in Colorado universally protected until everybody in every corner of our state has access. There's often this perception that everybody in Colorado has access to abortion and to reproductive health care and that is just fundamentally untrue, especially in the rural parts of the state where you just don't have additional options.”It's unclear why Mercy Hospital had been allowing tubal ligations after C-sections and what led to the change. CommonSpirit Health, the Catholic owner of Mercy and other Catholic hospitals, said they had no updates to provide. The Diocese of Pueblo, which includes all of southern Colorado, referred questions to Centura Health. Centura Health officials would not give an interview about the change at Mercy, or explain why it's happening now, considering that Mercy has been Catholic since it was founded. The only exception is for women predisposed to cancerAfter the latest “reeducation” of the Catholic directives, Mercy said it would allow tubal ligations post C-section for only one reason — if the woman has a genetic predisposition to ovarian or breast cancer. — Dr. Kimberly Priebe, Four Corners Obstetrics and Gynecology said “This is a very small number of women, and what an arbitrary exception.”“What about women with hypertension, diabetes, blood clotting disorders, uterine abnormalities, and the many other risk factors that can make pregnancy deadly? It seems the Catholic church does not want a woman dying of cancer but during pregnancy is OK?”With the new Mercy policy prohibiting tubal ligations after C-section, doctors will send those patients to the local surgical hospital, though they are concerned about overwhelming the center. And, doctors say, forcing women to schedule the procedure separate from their hospital delivery puts them at unnecessary risk, disrupts their lives with more time away from work, and costs the health system more money. The Medicaid billing rate for a doctor performing a tubal ligation post C-section is a $90 add-on and takes about 10 minutes, doctors said, not including anesthesia and facility fees.Patients who go to Animas Surgical Hospital for a standalone tubal ligation would likely have to pay thousands of dollars for the procedure. The hospital's cash-pay price for the procedure for people without insurance is $9,900.“Patients do not understand how a health care option can be refused when our hospital gets public money and purports to put patient care first,” Dr Priebe said. Pregnant patients in Summit County also face tough choices. Like in Durango, the only hospital is Catholic.St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco, part of Centura Health, does not provide tubal ligations. Dr. Amy Tomlinson, an OB-GYN in Summit County, has had to explain to hundreds of patients that they cannot get their tubes tied at the hospital where they plan to give birth. “Usually, honestly, it was a huff and a sigh and an eye roll,” she said. “Sometimes it was a jaw drop and a shake of the head. But I think women are so used to being second-class citizens in this society that I don't think it was ever terribly surprising to people.”  Summit County women have the choice of delivering at St. Anthony and then getting their tubes tied later at another hospital, or driving more than an hour to Denver to deliver their baby so they can have the procedure at the same time. And for women who already have a C-section scar on their uterus, it's especially dangerous to ask them to drive that far in labor, Tomlinson said. “The Catholic position is, ‘If you don't like it, you can go somewhere else,'” she said. “Well, it's not like you can go across town when your hospital is the only one in a tri-county radius. We essentially become an island during snowstorms up here. Even if a patient wants to go elsewhere, she may not be able to get there. And then you are asking women to drive an hour or more while they are laboring. Why would we put women at risk for rupturing their uterus or for giving birth on the side of the road?”Tomlinson, who is opening her own practice but in the past worked at High Country Healthcare, recalled that while removing severe scar tissue from the uterus of a patient at St. Anthony Summit, she had to ask permission from the bishop to place an IUD in the woman's uterus in order to keep it open and prevent pain. The woman had in the past had a tubal ligation so she was already sterile, but the Catholic hospital still required her to get permission to place the birth-control method, called an intrauterine device. And in 2010, Tomlinson gave a presentation to the St. Anthony Summit board to persuade them not to prohibit treatment of ectopic pregnancies. In the post-Roe v. Wade era, doctors across the nation have reported confusion about whether treating an ectopic pregnancy — which is when a fertilized egg implants in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus — is considered an abortion. In another large hospital system - SCL Health - Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver and St. Mary's Medical Center in Grand Junction — operate under the ethical and religious directives, meaning they do not provide sterilizations. Two of SCL's secular hospitals — Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette — also operate under the same compliance with Catholic directives, said Gregg Moss, spokesman for SCL Health.Moss referred The Colorado Sun to an SCL Health webpage that explains the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services - they were first published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1948.The hospital system's webpage does not specifically mention birth control, tubal ligations or abortions, but says that in today's society, Catholic hospitals are “pressured to provide medical procedures that are contrary to Catholic teaching.” “And by refusing to provide or permit such medical procedures, Catholic health care affirms what defines it: a commitment to the sacredness and dignity of human life from conception until death,” it says.Mannat Singh, executive director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, excoriated the choices being made by Catholic hospitals. “It is a basic human right to seek, or refuse, reproductive health care, and we will continue to work to ensure there are no barriers to seeking that care,” she said.COLORADO SUN: Well, it ain't a gateway drug.John Ingold3:55 AM MST on Jan 31, 2023Last year, a study came out showing that marijuana legalization in Colorado likely increased cannabis use among adults in the state.Because of the novel methods the researchers used to examine the question, the study was perhaps the best answer to date on one of legalization's biggest impacts. But it also left an even bigger question unanswered: If adults are consuming more cannabis and more frequently, is that bad?Now, in a follow-up study by the same team, the researchers have come to an answer: it doesn't seem to be. Stephanie Zellers, one of the researchers, said “At least from the psychological point of view, we really didn't find that legalized cannabis has had a lot of negative influence, which I think is important.”Zellers recently graduated with a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Minnesota, but she began her doctoral work at the University of Colorado before transferring when her thesis adviser changed jobs. She had originally been interested in neuroscience research, but the necessity of using live lab animals for the work was off-putting.And, in the Colorado-to-Minnesota connection, she found a trove of data that could be used in never-before-tried ways.The data are from longitudinal studies of twins in Colorado or Minnesota. Researchers in both states followed the twins over long periods of time, collecting information about their behaviors, including their cannabis use.  The survey information, then, creates an ideal scenario for study: It is thorough, it has built-in controls for variables like socioeconomic status, and it helps account for genetic differences.“That twin component really allows us to rule out what could be noisy variables — cultural differences, family differences, things like that,” Zellers said.On top of that, because Colorado has legalized marijuana and Minnesota hasn't (at least so far) — and because some twins born in Minnesota moved to Colorado and vice versa — the data provide an ideal opportunity to study the way legalization in Colorado a decade ago has influenced people's behavior ever since.The original study, published last fall, simply asked whether twins living in legal-marijuana states use marijuana more than twins living in prohibition states. And the answer is yes — about 20% more, according to the research.That answer was interesting, but “Really what people care about is: Is legalization harmful,” she said.To answer that question, the team came up with 23 measures of what they call “psychological dysfunction.” This includes things like substance-use disorders, but also financial woes, mental health distress, community disengagement, and relationship issues. The team looked at data on more than 4,000 people — 40% of whom live in a legal-marijuana state.Zellers said what the researchers found was unexpected: They basically found nothing.“Obviously the cannabis use increases, but we didn't see an increase in cannabis-use disorder, which is a little surprising,” she said. “We didn't really see changes in how much people were drinking or using tobacco. No large personality, or workplace, or IQ differences, or anything like that.”People in legal states did not report using illegal drugs at higher rates. Researchers also didn't find a link between marijuana legalization and psychotic behavior.They did find one difference, though. People living in a state where recreational marijuana use is prohibited reported higher rates of alcohol-use disorder and more specifically one symptom of the condition: They were more likely to report using alcohol in situations that were dangerous or harmful, such as driving drunk.To Zellers and other researchers, the study provides valuable information for the ongoing debate over whether cannabis legalization is a good idea. But it's not the final word.CU psychology and neuroscience professor John Hewitt, one of the study's co-authors, said in a statement that “Our study suggests we should not be overly concerned about everyday adult use in a legalized environment, but no drug is risk-free. It would be a mistake to dismiss the risks from higher doses of a drug that is relatively safe in small amounts.”This highlights one of the study's big limitations. Zellers said most of the people included in the twins data are relatively light cannabis users. The sample size for heavy users is small.“Our sample is an adult community sample broadly characterized by low levels of substance use and psychosocial dysfunction,” the researchers write. This limits our ability to generalize relationships between legalization, outcomes and risk factors for the individuals at greatest risk.”Zellers said she and her colleagues are hoping to publish another study based on their data — but this one will be less concerned about the impacts of marijuana legalization as a policy. Instead, it will try to look at how much cannabis people have used over their lifetimes and then score that against the same measures of psychological dysfunction “to see if, not the policy, but the actual substance itself has an effect” And if YOU want to see about substances and their effects, don't miss the unsolicited concert of the weekCONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: RJD2 with just 2 upcoming dates - Friday Feb 3 at the Music Box in San Diego, and Saturday Feb 4th at the Gothic Theatre in Denver. There should also be lots of fun stuff in lots of fun places this weekend for Bob Marley's birthday, February 6.Welp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from the Colorado Newsline, Colorado Sun, Chalkbeat Colorado, and Denver's Westword.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

Anti-Abortion Groups vs. the FDA | Colorado legislators seek big boost in Special Education funding | Catholic hospitals no longer performing tubal ligations after Dobbs decision | Cannabis legalization seems to be okay | RJD2 is the Concert Pick of the WeekWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod's Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: DENVER (AP) COLORADO NEWSLINE: Anti-Abortion Groups vs. the FDABY: LINDSEY TOOMER - JANUARY 31, 2023 3:45 AMReproductive rights advocates in Colorado were feeling optimistic following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision to expand access to the abortion pill mifepristone in early January — but a federal lawsuit filed just 10 days later has made the future of medication abortions uncertain. On Jan. 3 the FDA issued a decision that allows the abortion drug mifepristone to be picked up at a pharmacy if the patient has a prescription, eliminating a previous requirement that the drug be given directly from a health care provider. Dr. Kristina Tocce, medical director at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said the FDA's decision is a “really big breakthrough” that should increase access across the country. América Ramirez, program director for the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, said it's exciting to see expanded access and agreed it could be beneficial for people across the state, especially the Latina community. U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, said during a recent press conference with news reporters that the caucus is working with the Biden administration to ensure the U.S. Postal Service will be able to deliver abortion medications when prescribed by an out-of-state doctor. Karen Middleton, president of Cobalt, a Colorado-based reproductive rights advocacy organization, said the FDA's decision will be particularly beneficial for Coloradans outside of the Denver metro area, so long as their pharmacies are willing to participate. But, she said while this is a positive step forward, there are still too many “bureaucratic and cost barriers” for those seeking abortion care.“We've known for years that medication abortion care is overwhelmingly safe and effective,” Middleton said in an email. “We hope that Colorado pharmacies, especially in rural areas, will make it available to patients as soon as possible and without bureaucratic delay.”But anti-abortion groups have sued to stop pharmacies from filling prescriptions for mifepristone, and the case will likely go all the way to the Supreme Court. The lawsuit argues the FDA “exceeded its regulatory authority” in approving the use of mifepristone and misoprostol to end a pregnancy, and seeks a preliminary and a permanent injunction that would remove the FDA's approval. That would imply that Congress should decide, which is of course, dumb.Attorneys for the U.S. Justice Department said there are no examples in history where a court has second-guessed a determination from the FDA that a drug is safe and effective. Karen Middleton said the lawsuit was the anti-abortion groups' only choice, as they “know that they'll lose at the ballot box” since purple and red state voters repeatedly voted to protect abortion rights in 2022. “That's why these radicals are bringing legal challenges in Federal District Courts with conservative judges — to weaponize the legal system to end legal abortion access,” Middleton said. Fawn Bolak, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, called the lawsuit a “politically-motivated attack” that has “no basis in science,” as the drug has been used safely and legally since it was approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago. This lawsuit is designed to push abortion care further out of reach for the most vulnerable.“Exploiting the legal system in an attempt to prevent people from accessing safe, essential health care is unconscionably cruel. Rest assured PPRM will continue to provide safe and legal abortion care to our patients — no matter the outcome in this case.”CHALKBEAT COLORADO: Education Committee backs big boost in Special Ed SpendingColorado would fund special education at the levels lawmakers promised back in 2006, under legislation recommended unanimously Friday by a special committee on school finance.The special education bill would reimburse districts $6,000 for each student with what's known as a Tier B disability, and who requires more intensive support for students to be successful in school. These include dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders, developmental delays, deafness, blindness, emotional disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries, among others. The bill also calls for Tier B funding to increase every year by the rate of inflation.Both the federal and state governments require school districts to provide a “free and appropriate” education to all students, including those with disabilities, but they pay just a fraction of the cost. That won't change with this bill.School districts would still bear about two-thirds of the additional cost of providing special education services, but a few years ago, the state was paying less than half of what it had promised. The new bill would add $40.2 million in special education funding to next year's budget, bringing the total to at least $340 million, a 13% increase. The amount could be more, depending on how lawmakers handle requirements to respond to inflation. The bill could also get scaled back, in future budget committee negotiations.The special education bill, sponsored by state Sens. Rachel Zenzinger (D-Arvada) and Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Brighton Republican, along with state Reps. Kipp and Lisa Frizell, a Castle Rock Republican, will be the only bill to come out of the Interim Committee on School Finance this session.Sen Zenzinger, who also chairs the Joint Budget Committee and serves on the interim committee on school finance, sounded a note of caution even as she signed on as a prime sponsor of the funding increase bill. “We'll put it out there as what we'd like to see, and we'll see what's available to us in the budget,” she said.Bureau Chief Erica Meltzer covers education policy and politics and oversees Chalkbeat Colorado's education coverage. Contact Erica at emeltzer@chalkbeat.org.COLORADO SUN: Catholic hospitals crack down on contraceptionJennifer Brown4:00 AM MST on Jan 31, 2023Colorado has one of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country, but health care advocates say women in rural and mountain towns often lack reproductive health care accessWhen the only hospital in Durango with a maternity ward decided that it would no longer let women get their tubes tied, there was no public announcement. Mercy Hospital's website doesn't spell it out, either. Instead, a read-between-the-lines statement added to the Centura Health hospital's website in September noted that Mercy is “responsible for conducting itself in a manner consistent with the ethical principles of the Catholic church ministry.” The hospital had recently completed a “re-education” of hospital staff and board members regarding the church's ethical and religious directives, it said, adding that “patients are fully informed of all treatment options.” Doctors who deliver babies at Mercy said they were told that beginning April 15, they can no longer provide post-cesarean-section tubal ligations - a sterilization procedure in which the fallopian tubes are cut. Women who have decided not to have more children often have their tubes tied immediately after a C-section, when they are already under spinal anesthesia, sparing them from the risk, cost, and hassle of scheduling a separate second procedure.The hospital already prohibited tubal ligations after vaginal births, but had been allowing them after C-sections because of the undue burden it placed on patients.  It's been up to obstetricians to tell their pregnant patients that they will have to go elsewhere for permanent birth control. Dr. Kimberly Priebe, who delivers 90-100 babies a year and has been an obstetrician-gynecologist in Durango for 20 years said “Patients are furious. This decision undermines our patients' trust in Centura.” Mercy's prohibition of sterilization comes as health care advocates across the country are concerned about diminishing reproductive rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.Even in Colorado, a state with statutory protection for abortion and one of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country, women are losing access to reproductive health care, particularly in rural and mountain areas where there is only one hospital in town.Mergers that have joined Catholic health systems with secular or protestant systems have created a confusing health landscape for patients seeking abortions or birth control.Centura Health, formed in 1996 by the merger of Catholic Health Initiatives and Adventist Health System, has 16 hospitals in Colorado and three in Kansas. The Catholic hospitals, including Mercy, follow the Catholic directives, while the Adventist hospitals do not. In Denver, doctors affiliated with Centura Health can steer patients who want their tubes tied to nearby hospitals. But in Durango - and other towns with just one hospital - that's not an option. Sophia Mayott-Guerrero, senior organizing strategist with ACLU of Colorado said “We really are seeing a trend with hospitals, insurance companies, pharmacies, other health care entities, discriminating against people by denying basic care … all in the name of religion. The main target is reproductive access, including birth control, emergency contraception, sterilization and abortions.“We can't really consider access to reproductive health care in Colorado universally protected until everybody in every corner of our state has access. There's often this perception that everybody in Colorado has access to abortion and to reproductive health care and that is just fundamentally untrue, especially in the rural parts of the state where you just don't have additional options.”It's unclear why Mercy Hospital had been allowing tubal ligations after C-sections and what led to the change. CommonSpirit Health, the Catholic owner of Mercy and other Catholic hospitals, said they had no updates to provide. The Diocese of Pueblo, which includes all of southern Colorado, referred questions to Centura Health. Centura Health officials would not give an interview about the change at Mercy, or explain why it's happening now, considering that Mercy has been Catholic since it was founded. The only exception is for women predisposed to cancerAfter the latest “reeducation” of the Catholic directives, Mercy said it would allow tubal ligations post C-section for only one reason — if the woman has a genetic predisposition to ovarian or breast cancer. — Dr. Kimberly Priebe, Four Corners Obstetrics and Gynecology said “This is a very small number of women, and what an arbitrary exception.”“What about women with hypertension, diabetes, blood clotting disorders, uterine abnormalities, and the many other risk factors that can make pregnancy deadly? It seems the Catholic church does not want a woman dying of cancer but during pregnancy is OK?”With the new Mercy policy prohibiting tubal ligations after C-section, doctors will send those patients to the local surgical hospital, though they are concerned about overwhelming the center. And, doctors say, forcing women to schedule the procedure separate from their hospital delivery puts them at unnecessary risk, disrupts their lives with more time away from work, and costs the health system more money. The Medicaid billing rate for a doctor performing a tubal ligation post C-section is a $90 add-on and takes about 10 minutes, doctors said, not including anesthesia and facility fees.Patients who go to Animas Surgical Hospital for a standalone tubal ligation would likely have to pay thousands of dollars for the procedure. The hospital's cash-pay price for the procedure for people without insurance is $9,900.“Patients do not understand how a health care option can be refused when our hospital gets public money and purports to put patient care first,” Dr Priebe said. Pregnant patients in Summit County also face tough choices. Like in Durango, the only hospital is Catholic.St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco, part of Centura Health, does not provide tubal ligations. Dr. Amy Tomlinson, an OB-GYN in Summit County, has had to explain to hundreds of patients that they cannot get their tubes tied at the hospital where they plan to give birth. “Usually, honestly, it was a huff and a sigh and an eye roll,” she said. “Sometimes it was a jaw drop and a shake of the head. But I think women are so used to being second-class citizens in this society that I don't think it was ever terribly surprising to people.”  Summit County women have the choice of delivering at St. Anthony and then getting their tubes tied later at another hospital, or driving more than an hour to Denver to deliver their baby so they can have the procedure at the same time. And for women who already have a C-section scar on their uterus, it's especially dangerous to ask them to drive that far in labor, Tomlinson said. “The Catholic position is, ‘If you don't like it, you can go somewhere else,'” she said. “Well, it's not like you can go across town when your hospital is the only one in a tri-county radius. We essentially become an island during snowstorms up here. Even if a patient wants to go elsewhere, she may not be able to get there. And then you are asking women to drive an hour or more while they are laboring. Why would we put women at risk for rupturing their uterus or for giving birth on the side of the road?”Tomlinson, who is opening her own practice but in the past worked at High Country Healthcare, recalled that while removing severe scar tissue from the uterus of a patient at St. Anthony Summit, she had to ask permission from the bishop to place an IUD in the woman's uterus in order to keep it open and prevent pain. The woman had in the past had a tubal ligation so she was already sterile, but the Catholic hospital still required her to get permission to place the birth-control method, called an intrauterine device. And in 2010, Tomlinson gave a presentation to the St. Anthony Summit board to persuade them not to prohibit treatment of ectopic pregnancies. In the post-Roe v. Wade era, doctors across the nation have reported confusion about whether treating an ectopic pregnancy — which is when a fertilized egg implants in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus — is considered an abortion. In another large hospital system - SCL Health - Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver and St. Mary's Medical Center in Grand Junction — operate under the ethical and religious directives, meaning they do not provide sterilizations. Two of SCL's secular hospitals — Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette — also operate under the same compliance with Catholic directives, said Gregg Moss, spokesman for SCL Health.Moss referred The Colorado Sun to an SCL Health webpage that explains the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services - they were first published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1948.The hospital system's webpage does not specifically mention birth control, tubal ligations or abortions, but says that in today's society, Catholic hospitals are “pressured to provide medical procedures that are contrary to Catholic teaching.” “And by refusing to provide or permit such medical procedures, Catholic health care affirms what defines it: a commitment to the sacredness and dignity of human life from conception until death,” it says.Mannat Singh, executive director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, excoriated the choices being made by Catholic hospitals. “It is a basic human right to seek, or refuse, reproductive health care, and we will continue to work to ensure there are no barriers to seeking that care,” she said.COLORADO SUN: Well, it ain't a gateway drug.John Ingold3:55 AM MST on Jan 31, 2023Last year, a study came out showing that marijuana legalization in Colorado likely increased cannabis use among adults in the state.Because of the novel methods the researchers used to examine the question, the study was perhaps the best answer to date on one of legalization's biggest impacts. But it also left an even bigger question unanswered: If adults are consuming more cannabis and more frequently, is that bad?Now, in a follow-up study by the same team, the researchers have come to an answer: it doesn't seem to be. Stephanie Zellers, one of the researchers, said “At least from the psychological point of view, we really didn't find that legalized cannabis has had a lot of negative influence, which I think is important.”Zellers recently graduated with a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Minnesota, but she began her doctoral work at the University of Colorado before transferring when her thesis adviser changed jobs. She had originally been interested in neuroscience research, but the necessity of using live lab animals for the work was off-putting.And, in the Colorado-to-Minnesota connection, she found a trove of data that could be used in never-before-tried ways.The data are from longitudinal studies of twins in Colorado or Minnesota. Researchers in both states followed the twins over long periods of time, collecting information about their behaviors, including their cannabis use.  The survey information, then, creates an ideal scenario for study: It is thorough, it has built-in controls for variables like socioeconomic status, and it helps account for genetic differences.“That twin component really allows us to rule out what could be noisy variables — cultural differences, family differences, things like that,” Zellers said.On top of that, because Colorado has legalized marijuana and Minnesota hasn't (at least so far) — and because some twins born in Minnesota moved to Colorado and vice versa — the data provide an ideal opportunity to study the way legalization in Colorado a decade ago has influenced people's behavior ever since.The original study, published last fall, simply asked whether twins living in legal-marijuana states use marijuana more than twins living in prohibition states. And the answer is yes — about 20% more, according to the research.That answer was interesting, but “Really what people care about is: Is legalization harmful,” she said.To answer that question, the team came up with 23 measures of what they call “psychological dysfunction.” This includes things like substance-use disorders, but also financial woes, mental health distress, community disengagement, and relationship issues. The team looked at data on more than 4,000 people — 40% of whom live in a legal-marijuana state.Zellers said what the researchers found was unexpected: They basically found nothing.“Obviously the cannabis use increases, but we didn't see an increase in cannabis-use disorder, which is a little surprising,” she said. “We didn't really see changes in how much people were drinking or using tobacco. No large personality, or workplace, or IQ differences, or anything like that.”People in legal states did not report using illegal drugs at higher rates. Researchers also didn't find a link between marijuana legalization and psychotic behavior.They did find one difference, though. People living in a state where recreational marijuana use is prohibited reported higher rates of alcohol-use disorder and more specifically one symptom of the condition: They were more likely to report using alcohol in situations that were dangerous or harmful, such as driving drunk.To Zellers and other researchers, the study provides valuable information for the ongoing debate over whether cannabis legalization is a good idea. But it's not the final word.CU psychology and neuroscience professor John Hewitt, one of the study's co-authors, said in a statement that “Our study suggests we should not be overly concerned about everyday adult use in a legalized environment, but no drug is risk-free. It would be a mistake to dismiss the risks from higher doses of a drug that is relatively safe in small amounts.”This highlights one of the study's big limitations. Zellers said most of the people included in the twins data are relatively light cannabis users. The sample size for heavy users is small.“Our sample is an adult community sample broadly characterized by low levels of substance use and psychosocial dysfunction,” the researchers write. This limits our ability to generalize relationships between legalization, outcomes and risk factors for the individuals at greatest risk.”Zellers said she and her colleagues are hoping to publish another study based on their data — but this one will be less concerned about the impacts of marijuana legalization as a policy. Instead, it will try to look at how much cannabis people have used over their lifetimes and then score that against the same measures of psychological dysfunction “to see if, not the policy, but the actual substance itself has an effect” And if YOU want to see about substances and their effects, don't miss the unsolicited concert of the weekCONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: RJD2 with just 2 upcoming dates - Friday Feb 3 at the Music Box in San Diego, and Saturday Feb 4th at the Gothic Theatre in Denver. There should also be lots of fun stuff in lots of fun places this weekend for Bob Marley's birthday, February 6.Welp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from the Colorado Newsline, Colorado Sun, Chalkbeat Colorado, and Denver's Westword.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

Gov. Jim Pillen unveiled his proposed changes to state aid to schools, while bills were introduced on gender and photo IDs.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Texas Democrat and Republican parties agree that the corporate welfare of Chapter 313 should end and did not renew such in the in the last legislative session. So why are the political insiders to eager, led by Speaker Phelan, to restart this program that ends on 31 December? More importantly, why do school districts love it so much?“As the appraised property value has been abated, the school district's appraised value for that property will remain the same for the duration of the abatement. This allows the school district to under report their property values to the state for recapture purposes AKA Robin Hood Taxes.”School districts appear to love the program, not for economic development, but because it gives them a pot of money, a slush fund, they can spend on new football fields, school buildings, etc. All the while working against the equity model for funding public education.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Texas Manufacturing Activity Flat, Outlooks Continue to Worsen.Also, the Biden Administrations double-mindedness on oil and gas continues to roil markets and shows they know the radical anti-oil and gas agenda is an economy buster. Biden wants to shut down domestic production, all while telling oil producers to increase production, yet quietly approves a big Texas oil export terminal. Meanwhile, while enacting policies to hamper domestic production, Biden authorizes Chevron to pump oil with the communist enemies in Venezuala.Words and how the Left chills free speech by claiming words as their own with new meanings.Have a chance at winning tickets for the Lubbock trip to the Texas Cowboys' Christmas Ball.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

Bills have begun to be filed for the 88th Legislative Session.What happens after they are filed?What bills have been filed?What bills are being filed and why?Further Your Knowledge:Read: Law 101Watch: Law Abiding CitizenWear: Women in Law :)Hosted by Former Texas State Representative Gina Calanni.Support the showBe sure to like and subscribe to Politically Fit. Learn more about it at https://www.politicallyfit.com