Charter School Chatter and Other Education Buzz from Around Town

John Farley | July 18, 2011 12:15 PM

From the fight over suburban charter schools to the discontinuation of a teacher performance bonus program, it’s been a busy week and weekend for education in the region.

Here are the highlights:

New York City students arriving at school. The New York Times reported the inside scoop on how the city managed to avoid 4,100 teacher layoffs. AP/Seth Wenig

Get the details of how New York City narrowly avoided 4,100 teacher layoffs. Reported by the New York Times.

The debate over charter schools is becoming increasingly heated in the suburbs, where many parents believe charter schools are a waste of education resources. Reported by the New York Times.

After a year of negotiations, the city and the teacher’s union announced that they have reached an agreement to win $65 million in federal aid to improve 33 struggling schools. Reported by the Daily News.

Three years ago, New York City introduced a $56 million program that gave bonuses to teachers with high performance ratings. In light of a recent study which showed the bonuses caused little change, the program has been cancelled. Reported by the New York Times.

Despite Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s demand that city buildings stop burning dirty oil, the Department of Education is preparing a $70 million deal with an oil company to use more of the fuel in city schools. Reported by NBC New York.