AM News: Schools Prepare For Budget Pain

More schools targeted to close in Hub Boston Globe:  Boston School Superintendent Carol R. Johnson is expected to recommend tonight the closing or merging of more than a dozen schools, a proposal that goes further than one she withdrew earlier this fall amid criticism from parents, students, and budget watchdogs... LA school workers protest layoffs at board meeting LA Times:  About 150 employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District are protesting the layoffs of about 1,000 non-teaching staffers scheduled to lose their jobs Wednesday... Changes proposed for Seattle schools Seattle PI:  Seattle Public Schools may close another school next fall, and add or move programs as it works to ease overcrowding, expand popular offerings and fulfill its promise to offer challenging courses at all schools... State Budgets Improve a Little, but More Pain Awaits EdWeek: State number-crunchers are also bracing for a "significant wind down" of federal stimulus dollars, which could force more spending cuts to education and other programs, the authors note.. Chicago High School Prepares Students for Real-World Manufacturing Jobs PBS:  Austin Polytech is the only CPS high school dedicated to teaching students manufacturing skills. Along with social studies and English, students here take three to four years of pre-engineering courses. And in their junior year, students like Deandre Joyce (ph) are required to take a National Institute for Metalworking Skills, or NIMS, machining course...  Those Who Ban Books Find Strength In Numbers USA Today:  Shortly after the fall semester began this year, Wesley Scroggins, a parent of three in Republic, Mo., publicly criticized the local school district for carrying books that he described as soft pornography.