Michael Tebbano's Profile

Not among Sunday's actions is Paterson's proposed 4.5 percent cut in remaining school aid that the Senate promised to block. Most of Paterson's immediate action involves shifting money from state agencies to the general fund, which must be returned to the agencies within four months under law. He also says he will temporarily use some cash from previously scheduled borrowing for capital projects. The plan includes his already announced cuts of $500 million through 11 percent cuts to state agencies, $150 million in improved Medicaid fraud collections and management efficiencies.

Increase Technology Funding, Implementation – Find Money for Education Technology in General Budget

In a down economy, school districts increasingly seek grant funding

Voter Anger Is Building Over Deficits

DiNapoli Warns Against Fixing Budget With Gimmicks or Debt

Report: Failure to Balance Budget Will Result in Dangerous Cash Crunch

“The fact is that revenue that was hoped for has not materialized and unless spending cuts are made, the State will have a significant cash deficit next month,” DiNapoli said. “New Yorkers understand difficult spending choices must be made – they’ve been making them in their households over the course of the recession. They get it. New York taxpayers need the Governor and the Legislature to close the deficit and put our fiscal house back in order. We can’t afford further delay, and we can’t afford to fall back on the old ways of addressing a long-standing problem with short-term fixes. It hasn’t worked, and it won’t work. A patch today is a problem tomorrow.”

Most notably, after all the years of legal wrangling over Christmas and holiday festivities in public schools, a substitute teacher in California (appropriately named Merry) is collecting signatures for a ballot initiative that would mandate—yes, mandate—that schools in the Golden State offer Christmas carols.

For the record, the California Constitution mandates that state tax revenue must go first to pay education costs, and second to repay general-obligation bond debt. All other expenses are subordinate to those two.

Selling Lessons Online Raises Cash and Questions

“To the extent that school district resources are used, then I think it’s fair to ask whether the district should share in the proceeds,” said Robert N. Lowry, deputy director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents.

The fundamental fix — reshaping how care is delivered and how doctors are paid in a wasteful, dysfunctional system — is likely to be achieved only through trial and error and incremental gains.

educe the rate of growth in annual Medicare payments to hospitals, nursing homes and other providers by amounts comparable to the productivity savings routinely made in other industries with the help of new technologies and new ways to organize work.