Private Education Center

Cut food stamps to save teachers’ jobs? Say what? Given the current economy, schools have gotten used to making do with less, but the latest attempt to improve the situation may have led school advocates to a desperate-seeming choice. Last week the House passed a bill to stave off layoffs of 300,000 teachers and other public employees. The bill provides $10 billion in funding for schools, directing them to rehire teachers who were previously let go and wait before making any further layoffs.

Then there’s the matter of food stamps. To pay for the bill, Democrats voted for $12 billion in cuts to food stamp benefits for the poor. The cuts, which would take effect in 2014, work out to $59 per month less for a family of four who receives a little over $400 per month. I

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After a series of unflattering Congressional investigations and media reports, for-profit universities and colleges are getting the stink eye from lawmakers and regulators in Austin as well.

In a joint committee meeting today, Rep. Dan Branch, the Republican chair of the House Higher Education Committee, seemed eager to take back even the meager state funding flowing to for-profits in Texas. Last year, lawmakers set aside $1 million for Career Opportunity Education Grants, and Branch asked if the money had been spent.

If not, “we are protected, if there are schools that are a problem, we have not given (them) taxpayer dollars,” Branch said.

Turns out, all but $70,000 had been disbursed.

“I don’t know if that is good news or bad news.

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School zone speeding citation table

From To Fine Court Cost Total

0 10 $88 $122 $210

11 15 $128 $122 $250

16 20 $178 $122 $300

21 999 $198 $122 $320

Cell Phone Use in a School Zone $200

Source: City of Abilene

A motorist drives through a school zone on South 14th Street while talking on a cell phone in November 2009.

It’s like a pit stop at a NASCAR race: cars dart into open spots, stop, and then try to get going as soon as possible.

Unlike a race, though, driving through a school zone is not about speed.

“The most important thing is that people just have to be patient,” said Diane Rose, principal of Bonham Elementary School. “At e

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VULCAN — Horses may seem intimidating to an eight or nine-year-old, but at the end of her week long summer camp organizer Sharon Maahs knows her students will be able to handle a horse.

But it’s the other parts of the camp that make it unique.

“We do a lot of different things and the horses aren’t necessarily saddled up and ready to go when they get here,” she said. “They will learn how to clean a stall, how to feed the horses, we also talk about how much it actually costs to keep a horse.”

Kids of all ages have been coming here to horse camp for a safe, fun introduction to horses like Sterling.

A retired school teacher Maahs knows the importance of teaching kids horse safety at a young age.

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Jamie Schanbaum/Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman

As students at area colleges and universities settle into their dorms for the fall semester, nervously meeting new friends and roommates, they will all have at least one thing in common — by law, they have all been vaccinated against bacterial meningitis, a deadly and debilitating disease that strikes up to 125 college students per year.

According to a state law that took effect this year, all students must be vaccinated at least 10 days before moving into residence halls.

The law was inspired by Jamie Schanbaum, a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin who lost both legs and six fingers after contracting the disease in 2008. <

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IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Area School District has received a grant to improve its library system.

The $348,000 grant comes from the U.S. Department of Education through the Literacy and School Libraries program.      The grant will provide students with modern library resources to improve literacy skills and overall student achievement.      The school district will use the funds to improve outdated library hardware, software, and online resources, as well as obtain a certified media specialist to implement library enhancements.  The specialist would also direct student training, professional development for staff, community interactions, and resource-sharing networking.