Another week chock-full of news and views related to the nation’s school districts.
- Check out this amazing story on a $57 million scam that a former Detroit schools executive is accused of carrying out. The FBI is investigating, and the district has sued the former risk management director for his alleged leadership of the scam.
- School districts are trying to figure out how to maintain socioeconomic and racial diversity without running into legal landmines.
- Five school districts received bragging rights yesterday when they were named Broad Prize finalists.
- Hawaii, which has a statewide school district, will end Friday furloughs agreed to earlier this year as a cost-saving move.
- Los Angeles may shorten the current and the next school year in a bid to save $140 million.
- A member of the Kansas City Star’s editorial board tells candidates for Tuesday’s school board election not to tinker with the district’s transformation plan if they are elected, and voters to support Superintendent John Covington. You can read more about the two slates of candidates here.
- A D.C. resident writes to The Washington Post and says Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee should keep her promise to rebuild or refurbish three schools she closed in 2008. The chancellor has said the weak economy, which has caused budget cuts and layoffs in the district, has kept her from keeping the promise made in better times.
- The brand-new Canyons school district, near Salt Lake City, is planning a $250 million bond to build new schools and renovate aging ones.