There are always a few items we’ve read during a week that deserve more attention but don’t make it into our regular posts. So we bundle them for the Friday roundup.
Here’s this week’s bundle:
Stateline: Many Northeast, Midwest States Face Shrinking Workforce
The population of prime working-age adults, ages 25 to 54, will decline in 16 states, most of which are in the Northeast and Midwest, from 2010 to 2040, according to a Stateline analysis of projections released by the University of Virginia’s Demographics Research Group in the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. [Note: Washington is among the states projected for growth.]
Lawrence Journal-World: Kansas Senate leader says don’t expect action on school funding this week; other leaders talk of defying court
Kansas lawmakers will not try to address the latest Kansas Supreme Court ruling on school finance when they return to the Statehouse Wednesday, and public schools are being advised to make contingency plans for a possible court-ordered shutdown on July 1…
Senate President Susan Wagle issued a statement Tuesday that said the Legislature’s attorneys have not had time to analyze the court’s latest decision, which said lawmakers have until June 30 to come up with a new funding plan that distributes money to the state’s 286 school districts equitably.
Seattle Times: Don’t ‘lead with the price’: Calls for vision as well as dollars at Education Lab’s school funding event
Lawmakers have assured the state Supreme Court that next year they will make good on their promise to pay the full price of a basic education for the state’s one million schoolchildren…
…about 80 people turned out for a professionally moderated discussion among education advocates and policymakers about what the Legislature should do when it convenes next January.
One theme emerged that will likely shape the legislative debate next year: it’s not just about the money, but the kind of education that money can and should buy for all the state’s children, regardless of where they live.
Calculated Risk: A Disappointing Employment Report
The headline jobs number was very disappointing, and there were downward revisions to job growth for prior months. The key negatives were few jobs added (only 38 thousand, although the Verizon strike cut the job growth by about 37 thousand), a decline in the participation rate, and a sharp increase in the number of people working part time for economic reasons.
The Columbian: Oregon governor floats plan if corporate tax OK’d
The measure — a gross receipts tax hike proposal that would apply to businesses with $25 million-plus in annual sales and is awaiting final approval for the November ballot — specifies that all revenue it generates would fund education, health care and senior services.
But there aren’t any guarantees.
FiveThirtyEight: The Swiss Are About to Vote ‘No’ on Basic Income
The Swiss are holding the first national referendum on an unconditional basic income, a simple but radical idea to streamline the welfare state by guaranteeing everyone an income. Rich or poor, working or unemployed — it doesn’t matter, everyone gets the same amount. The organizers of the referendum have proposed 2,500 Swiss francs per month (equal to under $2,000 per month in the U.S. after factoring in cost of living).
The measure is most likely going to fail.
