Child Welfare
From Clay Barbour and Mary Spicuzza of the Wisconsin State Journal, new Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) has tapped a Wisconsinite to lead child welfare; Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has hired a California social services director with Wisconsin ties.
New Jersey child welfare director Allison Blake is closing two residential programs. The move, as reported by the Newark Star-Ledger’s Susan K. Livio, will save the state $15 million, but Blake said the closures are due to a desire to handle more youth with mental illnesses in their homes.
Blake has a tough one on her hands with this situation: a case worker, handling the case of a young Muslim boy removed from his family, allegedly berated the father with a string of discriminatory statements about his faith. By Brian Thompson, NBC News New York.
In Massachusetts, the child welfare chief wants to meet with probation officials, after murder charges were brought against a father with a history of child abuse. Laura Crimaldi and Marie Szaniszlo of the Boston Herald have more.
Education/Jobs
Former Obama Chief of Staff and current Chicago mayoral hopeful Rahm Emanuel has proposed a $95 million plan to blanket the city with after-school programs. According to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet, Emanuel would place some serious requirements on eligible programs, including a mandate that they operate five days a week. The Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman writes that Emanuel wants to sell ads on city vehicles to help fund the operation.
Harris Miller, president of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, writes in an opinion column in the San Jose Mercury News that the Department of Education’s proposed gainful employment rule contradicts President Barack Obama’s goal to lead the world in college completion by 2020.
Gary Tuoti of the Taunton Daily Gazette (Mass.) writes this article about a small but growing community college that is saving costs by renting classroom space at a local middle school.
Juvenile Justice
Despite receiving the state attorney general’s blessing, the Enid News believes the deal for a new juvenile facility still stinks.
