Schools spared Medicaid cut

As if losing millions in state funding wasn't bad enough, Florida schools also faced a cut of millions more in Medicaid reimbursements, thanks to a plan pushed forth by the Bush Administration. (See a recent Florida Today story on the issue here.)

Well, as it turns out, Congress wants to have none of it. As part of its Iraq continued spending budget, the U.S. Senate voted by a seemingly veto-proof majority on Thursday to delay implementation of the Administration's Medicaid rules, Congress Daily reports (via GovernmentExecutive.com). The House approved the change earlier this month. For more on the posturing over war and domestic spending in D.C., see this Washington Post story.

The issue has been critical to school districts across the country - the Local Education Agencies Network has kept tabs and sent alerts regularly since the cuts came into play. - especially in budget-challenged states such as Florida and California. The Senate and House votes offer at least a small victory for the school districts.