http://qui.live.mediaspanonlinen.com/rss/ Quincy Herald Whig en-us PUBLIC schools nationwide got a reprieve this week from federal Medicaid cuts that would have eliminated about $700 million a year in reimbursements for mandated programs. This would be a good time for Congress to set up some consistent rules concerning mandates. In fairness, the first of these rules should be that when the federal government requires something, it should not pass along all of the costs to state and local governments. President Bush signed legislation Monday to fund war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Contained in that same bill was language that halts rule changes proposed by the White House that would have halted Medicaid payments to schools and other entities providing services required by federal law. If the cuts had been left intact, Quincy Public Schools would have lost $124,000 annually in reimbursements. A second round of cuts would have taken place in April, costing the local school district another $143,000 per year. http://qui.live.mediaspanonline.com/new_story/Editorial----THURS2008-07-03T05-53-34