(This post is excerpted from Title I-Derland, Thompson’s blog on federal K-12 education and was written by Chuck Edwards, senior executive director for Thompson’s education products.) This appears to be the lesson of the nine-year odyssey of Valencia Community College, as recounted by attorney Michael Brustein, a founding partner at the Brustein & Manasevit law firm, during the firm’s annual spring Grants Forum Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

This year continues to bring stories about natural disasters wreaking havoc around the globe. Today, our thoughts are with those communities and individuals in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and elsewhere that have been pummeled by deadly storms and tornadoes this week. As they begin to assess and clean up the damage wrought by the storms, those communities must find a way to move past the destruction.

Okay, so maybe we were a bit hasty in congratulating the federal government for getting out guidance in a timely manner.

(This article was excerpted from the May 2 issue of Local/State Funding Report.) The pressures on state and local government budgets continue to mount as federal fiscal challenges seep down the food chain.

The Grant Professionals Certification Institute board of directors and two chapters of the Grant Professionals Association are hosting Grant Professional Certification (GPC) Exams in May.  The Tennessee chapter of GPA is holding a GPC exam May 14 in Nashville, Tenn. at Lipscomb University. Registration for the exam can be found here.

Grants stakeholders planning to attend or listen in to the May 10 National Grants Partnership meeting can make other plans. The meeting has been postponed.

Earlier this week, our colleague Andrew Brownstein (one of Thompson's federal education policy editors) wrote:  "Some of the nation’s leading policy wonks in education recently gave the 'Price is Right' treatment to the increasingly long-shot chances of No Child Left Behind being reauthorized this year."

The Department of Justice has announced that it will put out a call on May 2 for applications for the Hiring Program that is administered through its Community Oriented Policing Services office.

High-speed rail and transportation investments seemed to be on the fast track earlier this year with high-profile promises from the Obama administration, but in recent weeks, heated debates and increased scrutiny over federal spending have threatened to derail the issue.

Are you involved with a state, local government or nonprofit organization that works on community development activities somewhere in the mid-Atlantic region?  Did you know that April 25-30 is the 25th anniversary of Community Development Week?