Harrisburg’s on-again, off-again bankruptcy returns to the headlines … On Monday, state-appointed receiver David Unkovic released a proposed recovery plan, stating that “significant and difficult steps lie ahead” for the city, and that filing for bankruptcy protection could be in Harrisburg’s future if a consensual plan is not approved. Harrisburg’s bankruptcy petition, filed on October 12, 2011, was rejected by a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in late November due to questions over the legality of the filing by Harrisburg’s City Council …
… “This historic record of failure must be reversed,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said in a joint statement responding to the Phase I Interim Consultant’s Report on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The report’s executive summary describes the Authority as “challenged and dysfunctional” – not to mention poorly managed. The two governors are calling for wide-ranging reform in order to restore the agency to “a responsible, highly transparent, well-managed organization.”
… Only 13 of the nation’s 100 largest metro areas have bounced back from the recession, according to a recent BusinessJournals.com article. Based on a comparison of jobs data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics between 2006 and 2011, Houston fared best, with a net gain of almost 110,000 jobs over the five-year period. Three of the other top five metro areas showing positive job growth are also located in Texas: Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Antonio …
… Texas metros also topped the list of Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities 2011. Four of the top five best-performing metros in the Milken study are in Texas, with San Antonio earning the number one spot in the rankings …
… A survey of state education officials The Center on Education Policy reveals a brighter outlook for state funding for K-12 education in fiscal 2012, although that optimism is tempered by the fact that even if fiscal situation improves, many states will still be strapped for funds, and operating in “catch-up” mode, according to the CEP report, entitled After the Stimulus Money Ends: The Status of State K-12 Education Funding and Reforms.