I'm sure many of you have already started making plans for your children throughout the summer months -- whether to keep their brains or bodies active.  For those who haven't, or those who don't realize how many options are out there, here's an example:

Modesto Junior College is offering a summer track and field camp for youth ages 8 to 18 years of age.  The camp is Monday, June 14, through Thursday, June 17, from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and will be held in the MJC Stadium located on East Campus, 435 College Avenue in Modesto.

The camp will emphasize ways players can improve their track and field skills, stretching, speed development, sportsmanship, leadership skills, balance/coordination, and flexibility.

As college graduates finish school and head into the world (and try to find jobs), some financial aid places are offering advice on how to manage money, especially student loans that will come due within the next several months for repayment. 

Here are a few suggestions:

I came across this story from the San Francisco Chronicle a few weeks ago.  It talks about how skilled student programs, like Gifted and Talented Education, are getting less funding and focus as schools spend resources on struggling students in an effort to meet test score minimums.  Schools are focusing on getting students at the bottom to score proficient on tests that students at the other end of the spectrum get shortchanged, some say.

And as the state gives districts flexibility in filling in budget gaps, the problem may get worse.  To help minimize the budget cutting, the state is allowing districts to move money from certain funds to the general fund.  GATE is one area districts can siphon money from to cover the bottom line.  I know local districts are feeling that pain.  Some are asking Parent-Teacher Associations to pay for GATE and similar programs.

Here's an interesting opportunity for some local students:

Six students from the University of California at Merced will be part of the Latino Leadership Initiative (LLI), a

I've gotten lots of emails submitting responses to the Governor's Revise, which was released Friday.

A resourced I've used for stories in the past is the California Budget Project, which provides independent fiscal and policy analysis aimed at helping low- to middle-income Californians, according to its Web site.  To see the Project's quick and dirty May Revise brief, click here.

The May Revise is simply a proposal -- the state's budget needs to be negotiated with state legislators.