Press Releases

AUBURN, Maine, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Consistently printing clear and crisp receipts or barcode labels requires the proper cleaning maintenance of any thermal printer. KICTeam's introduction of the Bixolon Waffletechnology Thermal Printer Cleaning Card will maintain that clarity on Bixolon thermal printers. This new product was designed specifically for both the SRP & SLP families of thermal printers through a joint effort of Bixolon and KICTeam. This new cleaning card is a quick and almost effortless means of removing any leftover adhesive residue or paper dust that can deteriorate the legibility of the print.

"We are pleased to introduce the new Bixolon Waffletechnology Thermal Printer Cleaning Card as part of an overall printer preventative maintenance program," said John Choi, Product Engineer. "Our customers can increase printer longevity and maintain the quality of printed materials by implementing consistent use of this new cleaning card. Further, we are pleased to offer this through our current distribution network."

"The new Bixolon product was designed for easy use in any printer environment. This effective product will offer thermal printer users a fast and effective cleaning solution while maintaining the clarity of the printed label or receipt," explained Debra Ross, Product Manager / OEM Business Development Worldwide, KICTeam. "It's really about using the right tools for the job. By using this Bixolon approved product with a proper maintenance schedule, the printers will print clearer and last longer. The right tool was created using Waffletechnology."

About Bixolon

Bixolon, a leading global manufacturer of world-class printing solutions, has served the POS industry for more than a decade by providing high quality printers and printing mechanisms. Bixolon has quickly become the "printer of choice" with innovative and dependable technology, unmatched price point, and the industry's highest R.O.I. (return on investment). For additional information on Bixolon printers and products, please visit www.bixolonusa.com or call 888-350-0275.

About KICTeam

KICTeam is the world leader in the manufacture of cleaning cards including Waffletechnology™-based (patent pending) products. Headquartered in Auburn, Maine, with offices in San Diego, Calif., Europe, Asia and Canada, KICTeam provides innovative and cost-efficient patented solutions made with state-of-the-art equipment for a diverse marketplace. For more information, please visit www.kicteam.com, www.kicteam.eu  and www.cleaningcards.com.

SOURCE KICTeam

Additional $354 million Investment in Basic Education will Help Continue Academic Gains, Ease Burden of Local Property Taxes

HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Citing the academic gains Pennsylvania students have made because of the state's continued investments in quality education, Governor Edward G. Rendell today called for a $354.8 million increase in the state's basic education funding to ensure every student in every school has the necessary resources to learn.

The increase will bring to $5.9 billion the state's total commitment to basic education and mark the third year of a multi-year commitment by the Governor and the General Assembly to increase the state's share of education funding.

"We know what works to increase student achievement: targeted classroom investments and the vision to build on those investments even in the toughest economic times," Governor Rendell said.

Today, nearly three-quarters of Pennsylvania's students are testing on grade level in reading and math, compared to slightly more than half who were performing on grade level in 2002. This marked academic progress has been driven by school districts that have received the most significant increases in state resources since 2002. These districts have seen an average 37 percent increase in the proportion of students performing at grade level in reading and math.

In the past seven years, Governor Rendell has made education a top priority for Pennsylvania, championing new investment and greater accountability as critical to the commonwealth's economic development strategy. Working with the General Assembly, he has built the nation's best early childhood infrastructure, enacted a school funding formula based on reaching funding adequacy in every district and helped districts raise student achievement with targeted investments in proven classroom initiatives.

As a result, Pennsylvania is now a real investor in the state's public schools, Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak said.

"Pennsylvania's unwavering commitment to adequately funding our schools has had a dramatic impact on student achievement, helping us earn the distinction of being the only state in the nation to show sustained improvement in reading and math at every grade level since 2002," Zahorchak said.

The budget includes a funding formula for basic education subsidies that compares each district's adequacy target as identified by the General Assembly's costing out study to its actual spending. The difference between these two figures is the district's "adequacy gap."

The funding formula, first used in fiscal 2008-09, will phase in $2.6 billion in new state funding to help fill the adequacy gap, with an emphasis on aiding school districts that have the highest local tax levels and the greatest needs. The 2010-11 investment of $354.8 million will enable the state to reach 41 percent of its adequacy funding target.

The pressures faced by school districts will result in local property tax hikes unless the state continues its commitment to close the adequacy gap, the Governor said.

"On average, it would take a 40-percent increase in local property taxes to generate the same investment as the state will contribute over the course of our multi-year funding formula," the Governor said. "When the state pays its fair share, school districts can keep property tax increases to a bare minimum."

The property tax burden is further alleviated through the relief provided by gaming revenues, which have generated sufficient revenue to provide $1.7 billion in property tax relief since 2008. In fiscal 2010-11, an additional $613.7 million in state revenues will go to relieve citizens of a portion of their local school property tax burden.

In addition to increases in the basic education subsidy, the Governor and the General Assembly have targeted an additional $2.5 billion over the past seven years in funds for specific targeted programs, including Pre-K Counts, Accountability Block Grants, Educational Assistance Program and Dual Enrollment. The 2010-11 budget proposal continues funding these initiatives.

"While my budget plan reflects the difficult choices that must be made in a tough economy, it also recognizes that a quality public education system is a fundamental tool for economic development," Governor Rendell said. "The young people we teach today will be the workforce that sustains and strengthens Pennsylvania in the years ahead."

Early Childhood Education

Over the past seven years, Pennsylvania has built a world-class system of early childhood education resources. This effort stems from the recognition that investments made in the earliest years of a child's development have immense educational, social and economic benefits over the course of the child's life.

The 2010-11 education budget continues Pennsylvania's commitment to providing affordable, high-quality early childhood learning opportunities.

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts will receive $85.9 million to enable approximately 11,800 3- and 4-year-olds to reap the proven benefits of quality pre-kindergarten programs and allow more families to have access to full-day programs.

The budget also provides $38.7 million in state supplemental assistance for federally funded Head Start programs, allowing 5,743 children who are most at risk of academic failure to benefit from comprehensive early learning services.

Higher Education

Governor Rendell said Pennsylvania also must sustain its commitment to higher education in a struggling economy, noting the nation's fiscal crisis has made it even more difficult for families to afford college tuition.

"The more we can do to adequately fund our public colleges and universities, the less likely those institutions will have to resort to tuition increases," the Governor said.

His 2010-11 budget for higher education provides:

    --  $282 million for Pennsylvania's 14 community colleges;
    --  $503 million for the 14 universities in the State System of Higher
        Education; and
    --  $688 million for the four state-related universities - Penn State
        University, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University and Lincoln
        University.

Teacher Professional Development and Supports

Governor Rendell's education budget recognizes the importance of quality teaching in student achievement, providing $30 million in high-quality tools and supports for teachers, including:

    --  $7 million for coaches to help teachers use technology to bring
        instruction to life in the classroom;
    --  $13.5 million for "Science: It's Elementary" to train teachers to
        prepare the scientists of the future;
    --  $4.5 million for online model curriculum, including research-proven
        instructional strategies and lesson plans; and
    --  $5 million for tools to help teachers identify and help struggling
        students.

Zahorchak said the Governor's ongoing commitment to adequately funding education at all levels will ensure Pennsylvania's students continue to have solid opportunities for learning at every level - from the first day of pre-kindergarten to the day they earn their college degrees.

Media contacts:

Michael Race, Department of Education; 717-783-9802

Gary Tuma, Governor's Office; 717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Highline Data, the premier provider of insurance industry financial statements and market data, is pleased to introduce a revolutionary new way to analyze risk-based capital: the RBC Calculator for Insurance Analyst PRO.

The RBC Calculator empowers financial professionals to easily determine the impact of a change to a company's portfolio, assets, or underwriting results to its risk-based capital ratio by enabling them to:

    --  Adjust any of the statement values that are included in the RBC formulae
        used by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The RBC
        Calculator generates a revised risk-based capital ratio and figure based
        on these new values.
    --  Predict the combined risk-based capital ratio and figure following a
        merger of two or more companies.
    --  Pinpoint the top five factors that contributed to year-over-year changes
        to a company's risk-based capital.
    --  Identify the strongest and weakest members of any group of companies.

The RBC Calculator is ideal for insurance company chief financial officers, competitive intelligence and strategic planning executives, investment advisors, M&A specialists, and reinsurance professionals.

"We're bringing an unparalleled level of transparency to insurers' risk-based capital analysis with our new RBC Calculator.  As the industry continues to undergo major upheavals, we are offering our clients a solution that provides a detailed risk assessment of each individual insurance company's financial health," Laurie Dallaire, vice president of Highline Data, said.  

"Whether you are an insurer looking for new growth strategies, an investor trying to build the strongest portfolio, or an M&A consultant exploring new opportunities, the RBC Calculator offers the tools you need to make smart business decisions," Dallaire said.

The RBC Calculator is available to subscribers to Insurance Analyst PRO.  Insurance Analyst PRO is the industry's leading source for insurance statutory and GAAP financial analysis.  

About Highline Data

Highline Data is part of Summit Business Media.  Summit Business Media is the leading B2B media and information company serving the insurance, investment and professional services markets through a variety of channels, including print, online and live events. SBM provides breaking news and analysis, in-depth practice management strategies and business-building techniques, and actionable data to the markets it serves. Through its Media and Reference Divisions, the company publishes 19 magazines and 150 reference titles. The Events Division hosts a dozen conferences in support of Summit's magazine brands and sponsors the International Investment Conferences on global mining investment. SBM's Data Division, comprised of Highline Data, Judy Diamond Associates, Agent Media and Kirschner's, is the leading data provider of financial and marketing information on insurance companies, agents and investment advisors.

Summit, a Wind Point company, employs 400 employees in a dozen offices across the United States.  For more information, please visit summitbusinessmedia.com.

SOURCE Highline Data