A handful of refugees from print journalism are providing an alternative model for covering state and local schools.
Here's a phrase you don't hear much: newsroom expansion.
That's the goal of a new non-profit news outlet debuting Monday that is gearing up to cover education in-depth in four states, in the process providing an alternative model for local journalism about schools, education policy and education politics.
Created by a handful of refugees from beleaguered — and in a few cases shuttered — print newspapers, the online-only Chalkbeat springs from the unlikely partnership created last January when the New York-based non-profit news site GothamSchools merged with Denver-based EdNews Colorado. Mostly foundation-funded, it gets about one-fifth of its revenue from local sponsorships and job ads for teachers and administrators.
On Monday it's expanding to two more cities with fraught school politics: Indianapolis and Memphis. The network plans to add others as funding from local philanthropists comes calling; it already plans to hire a reporter to cover Nashville schools.
In each bureau, Chalkbeat plans to cover the state legislature and state board of education, as well as the day-to-day developments of schools and districts. They're also demanding that local philanthropy help cover costs as a "public good," much