Public Education
Rhode Island reaps meager return despite huge spending in public educationThe Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) released its first accountability report card, and the state commissioner struggled to put a positive spin on the results.Covering the 2021-22… Read More
Culture, Public Education
Pandemic relief funds finding laborers more than students(The Center Square) – Recent research is raising the alarm about states spending federal COVID-19 relief funding intended for learning loss on labor, setting the stage for a painful… Read More
Culture, Public Education
Teacher courses promoting critical race theory were funded by pandemic relief in Michigan(The Center Square) – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used federal pandemic relief funds to create virtual courses for teachers about anti-racism and social justice, which encouraged teachers to engage… Read More
Courts, Culture
Conservative think tank awarded $77K in suit over Michigan teachers’ union’s COVID-19 loansA Michigan-based think tank sued the state’s teachers’ union for misusing pandemic relief loans – and won.The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a research and educational nonprofit, filed… Read More
Government
School choice advocates launch campaign to amend Oregon ConstitutionA grassroots campaign in Oregon is collecting signatures to get two school choice constitutional amendments on the ballot.Although lawmakers in many states are working to implement school choice… Read More
Public Education
Illinois Board of Higher Education seeks 7.7% funding hike as enrollment dips(The Center Square) – The Illinois Board of Higher Education wants more funding at a time when enrollment in state public colleges and universities has declined.The board has proposed… Read More
Culture
Drummond says ‘state actors’ responsible for misuse of COVID funds(The Center Square) – Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said Tuesday, "a number of state actors and other individuals are ultimately responsible for millions in misspent federal relief dollars."… Read More
Culture, Public Education
Report: Washington schools superintendent not sufficiently tracking $3B in federal aid(The Center Square) – A new state study looking at school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on minority students found that the Washington Office of… Read More
Biden administration
COVID vaccine mandate for troops may finally get the axe via military budget(The Center Square) – Lawmakers are down to the wire on the National Defense Authorization Act, the massive annual funding bill for the military that needs to pass this… Read More
Education
Ohio giving another $50 million for school safety(The Center Square) – Ohio will add another $50 million to a growing total of state money for security upgrades at more than 700 schools across the state. Read More
Public Education
Michigan’s underperforming public schools require state-mandated ‘comprehensive support’(The Center Square) – Fifty-four Michigan school districts and 112 schools will receive required state partnership intervention, according to an announcement Tuesday from the Michigan Department of Education.The department… Read More
Education
Kansas special education funding exceeded expenditures, contrary to claims of school funding advocates(The Sentinel) – School funding advocates met at the Capitol in Topeka recently to make the case that special education in Kansas is underfunded. But other testimony presented shows the… Read More
Education
Kansas K-12 spending ranked #11, but ‘bang for the buck’ falls to #38(The Sentinel) – Public school spending and student achievement in Kansas resemble an escalator; one side (spending) goes up, and the other (achievement) goes down. That’s the analysis of… Read More
Public Education
After test scores show record decline for NYC students, Mayor Adams proposes $4 billion for school heaters in ‘unrealistic’ energy programThe mayor of America’s largest city announced a plan in late October to spend $4 billion to electrify school heating systems as part of an energy program critics… Read More
National
SBA announces certification process for veteran small businesses to receive contracts(The Center Square) – The U.S. Small Business Administration is streamlining its efforts to help veteran-owned small businesses access federal grant dollars ahead of Veterans Day next week. Read More
Public Education
More money, same problems: Despite billions spent on education, California NAEP scores are below national averageWhen national test score data revealed California students scored well below the national average, Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed out his state experienced “less learning loss” than others thanks… Read More
Public Education
‘Trick on Taxpayers’ outlines questionable projects, for schools and others, funded by COVID-19 relief(The Center Square) – More and more federally funded, controversial projects that came as part of pandemic-relief spending passed by Congress are coming to light, and few of them… Read More
Public Education
2022 pay increases for some school administrators dwarf teacher pay in Kansas(The Sentinel) – The average teacher pay increased by 4.3% (contracted base salary) in the 2022 school year, but some administrators received much larger increases.Wichita Superintendent Alicia Thompson… Read More
Courts, Public Education
Nebraska school district sues another for alleged misallocation of millions due to ‘bad math’One Nebraska school district is suing another in an attempt to expedite recovery of millions of dollars in misallocated property tax funds. Auditors discovered that the wrong formula had… Read More
Public Education
Some question North Carolina’s plan to use $30M from Volkswagen settlement to buy electric school buses(The Center Square) — Gov. Roy Cooper is touting $30 million to fund "clean" school bus replacements, including dozens of electric buses, though some question the spending.The North… Read More