The constant balancing act.

The constant balancing act. EVEN THOUGH MOUNT VERNON Mount Vernon, estate, United StatesMount Vernon,NE Va., overlooking the Potomac River near Alexandria, S of Washington, D.C.; home of George Washington from 1747 until his death in 1799. (N.Y.) PUBLIC SCHOOLS' $187.4 MILLIONcontingency budget includes an $8.6 million increase over lastyear's budget, this summer student athletes are fundraising to helprevive their district's $1.1 million athletic program. Officialsrecognize that sports programs are the saving grace for many of theseteenagers, and what keeps many students in school, yet administratorshad to cut the programs with the hopes that perhaps additional fundingwill be allocated to the district. The nation's mortgage fiasco,lower property tax revenues that fund school districts, state moneyreductions, the fuel crisis, and the rising cost of union contracts andbenefits have combined to create a perfect storm--which happens to bethe title of our annual school spending report written by SeniorFeatures Editor Angela Pascopella. She reports on how districts arehandling the current economic fiasco and shares advice from experts onstrategy and prioritizing in order to protect the "sacred cow sacred cown.One that is immune from criticism, often unreasonably so: "The need for widespread secrecy has become a sacred cow"Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. "of academics and classroom instruction. Another part of the constant balancing act that administrators musthandle is the growing trend of districts and whole states imposingthemselves on students' health issues. One school in Portland,Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine, with a 2004 population of 63,882. Portland is Maine's cultural, social and economic capital. Tourists are drawn to Portland's historic Old Port district along Portland Harbor, which is at the mouth of the Fore River and part , distributes birth control, and across the nation parents arereceiving notifications of their children's body mass index scores."Districts Weigh Obesity Screening" offers the ins and outs ins and outs?pl.n.1. The intricate details of a situation, decision, or process.2. The windings of a road or path. ofa program that has not yet proven its effectiveness. Managing cafeteriafood may be an innocuous in��noc��u��ousadj.Having no adverse effect; harmless.innocuous (i·näˈ·kyōō· way to introduce students to healthier eatinghabits, but might notifications of a student's body fat be thelatest sign that schools are part of the "nanny state nanny staten. InformalA government perceived as having excessive interest in or control over the welfare of its citizens, especially in the enforcement of extensive public health and safety regulations. "? Of the other home/school issues that administrators are grapplingwith, cyberbullying seems to currently top the list of studentexpression that occurs off campus but has a huge impact upon theeveryday school environment. In "We Hate Ashley," written byNancy Willard Nancy Willard (born June 26, 1936, in Ann Arbor, Michigan) is a children's author and poet. In 1982, she received the Newbery Medal for A Visit to William Blake's Inn. She lives in Poughkeepsie, New York and lectures at Vassar College.[1]. , the director of the Center for Safe and ResponsibleInternet Use, a hateful hate��ful?adj.1. Eliciting or deserving hatred.2. Feeling or showing hatred; malevolent.hateful��ly adv. online profile is created about Ashley, ageneric student, by her schoolmates, including crude sexual innuendoesand remarks about her weight. Her grades plummet, she stops attendingschool, and she ultimately comes under suicide watch suicide watchn.A procedural tour of duty in a prison in which guards frequently check the cells of inmates suspected of suicidal tendencies. . Can off-campusexpression that disrupts school activities be subject to in-schooldiscipline? Nancy tells us the state of things today. We're continuing to receive votes and comments from you forour 2008-09 Readers' Choice Top 100 Products, and thousands ofreaders are still going to our Web site to see the 2007-08 winners, asthese products have been helpful in shaping decisions that they need tomake. Let us know what your favorite products are by going towww.DistrictAdministration.com/products and commenting on an existingproduct or by going to the "suggest a new product" button.Your comments may be included in our mid-January issue. Judy Faust Hartnett, Editor jhartnett@districtadministration.com