City Council gets a bit more money to play with in 2012 budget

New Orleans City Council members hoping to add money for various departments when they adopt the city's 2012 budget Thursday got some good news today when the city's Revenue Estimating Conference decided to increase its 2012 revenue forecast by $1.8 million. That means the council can add the same amount to the $494.9 million general-fund operating budget that Mayor Mitch Landrieu proposed in October.

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All RSD students will be assigned through central office, ending fractured system

Working to fulfill a promise made months ago, the Recovery School District is taking over enrollment for each of its 50 charter schools in New Orleans. That means the officials running the independent schools will no longer have sole discretion in determining which students come to their schools.

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Mayor Landrieu, HUD Officials and Homeless Services Working Group Release 10-year plan to end homelessness in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, LA— In June, Mayor Mitch Landrieu signed an executive order establishing the Homeless Services Working Group- an official Mayoral Advisory Committee - tasked with developing a strategic master plan to prevent, reduce, and end homelessness in New Orleans. Today, Mayor Landrieu, along with the Working Group, and officials from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), unveiled the strategic plan.

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Jefferson Parish teachers union takes complaints with School Board to the public

As tensions mount between the Jefferson Parish School Board and the teachers union, union officials have launched a public relations campaign that includes advertising, television appearances and a petition drive.

The drive by the Jefferson Federation of Teachers comes as contract negotiations approach in the spring and represents its latest move to gain a voice in the reforms being advanced by the School Board and interim Superintendent James Meza.

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City Chosen for Competitive Code for America Technology Fellowship Program

Today, Code for America announced that the City of New Orleans has been selected as one of eight cities for its 2012 national fellowship program. Fellows will work on a project that includes developing a “Batch 311 Reporting System” where neighborhoods can submit lists of complaints and get back results that show the status of each, sending those that are not already being worked to the appropriate department to fix the problem.

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BESE race for 2nd District seat is getting ugly

The contest for the 2nd District seat on the state board of education has shifted in two important ways since the first round of voting last month: It has gotten a lot more personal, and the focus of the campaigning has shifted to the River Parishes.Even before the Oct. 22 primary, incumbent Louella Givens, a New Orleans lawyer, found herself the subject of embarrassing personal attacks over a drunken driving arrest and an unpaid IRS bill.
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NC School Board Race Had National Implications

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Intense national political forces were focused on a local school board runoff this week in North Carolina's capital as voters replaced tea party conservatives in a race that capped an acrimonious dispute over student busing and diversity in one of the country's largest school districts.

The campaign featured elements more commonly seen in races for higher offices: Big money from outside interest groups, opposition research and the close attention of the U.S. education secretary.

The contest in Wake County illustrated how the money and ideological battles that have riven Washington are filtering down to local elections, said David McLennan, a political science professor at William Peace University in Raleigh.

"It's sort of a trend that we're starting to see a lot more of in general," McLennan said. "You're seeing a lot more concerted efforts by both liberal and conservative groups to target their money on issues that they find important."

The battle in Raleigh was tied to busing.

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