It’s Friday… you made it! Take a deep breath and get ready for the weekend. Here’s what’s been happening:

It’s no secret that certain members of the editorial board love bacon. So we’re very interested in whether or not the nearly $30 million in unspecified bullet aid should be considered pork or not.

Here’s a  video from the Alliance for Quality Education recapping NY’s budget season and reminding activists that there’s more work to be done.

Are our NYS legislators looking for a pay raise? Their base pay — which is currently $79,500 for what is technically considered a part-time job — hasn’t been increased since 1999. Many legislators get additional stipends or “lulus” on top of that for serving as committee chairs or holding a leadership position. Here’s a rundown of lulus and a comparison to legislative salaries in other states.

Districts in Central New York, like schools across the state, are wrestling with the new tax levy cap.

Some commentary on the attendance policy in the new teacher evaluation system.

An unexpected issue in the 2012 election is whether or not rank-and-file Americans should aspire to a college degree. The politics of going to college.

A member of our editorial team came across this cool video, a rare and very early promotional documentary—made in 1911and apparently unseen for 95 years—about The Manhattan Trade School for Girls. According to the website:

“The Manhattan Trade School for Girls was an exemplary Progressive Era institution, the brainchild of a group of New York City reformers and philanthropists concerned about girls forced into the workplace. The “experiment without precedent”—in the words of the school’s first Annual Report, of 1903—aimed to provide “girls who must go to work” at age 14 with a few employable skills. The school subsisted entirely on private donations, and it seems likely that the film was used in its ongoing fund-raising campaigns.”

Let us know about any stories we may have missed in the comments. Have a great weekend!