Tag: education

Hobbs’ Claim That Ducey Administration Misappropriated Funds to Kindergarteners Criticized by Arizona Republicans and Education Advocates

Rachel Alexander

Several leaders and education advocates are denouncing Governor Katie Hobbs’ reversal of funding Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) for kindergarten. Hobbs reversed the grant of $50 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act last week, which previous Governor Doug Ducey awarded for private school students to use.

Hobbs said in a statement that Ducey made the transfer “despite the fact that the State funds only half-day kindergarten for public school students.” However, State Representative Matt Gress (R-Phoenix), who served in the Ducey administration prior to becoming a legislator, said on the James T. Harris Show, “95 percent of public district and charter schools offer full day kindergarten using public tax dollars. So Governor Ducey saw this as a matter of fairness to provide full-day K to as many Arizona kids as possible. … It would have helped over 4,000 kindergarteners next school year.”

Read the full story

In Delaware County Special Election, a Ford Win Would Flip Pennsylvania House

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania’s legislative elections are 18 months out, except for the Delaware County-based 163rd district whose voters will decide on Tuesday which party controls the state House. 

Democrats enjoyed a one-seat majority since session began last December, but sexual-misconduct allegations prompted the resignation of Democrat Mike Zabel, who represented the district covering Aldan, Clifton Heights, and Collingdale as well as parts of Darby and Upper Darby. Republican Katie Ford is campaigning to flip the seat red while Zabel’s party picked Heather Boyd to keep hold of it. 

Read the full story

Tennessee Valley Authority Awards 37 Tennessee Schools with Grants Based on Energy Waste Cuts

Kaitlin Housler

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) awarded 64 schools across six states in the southeast region grants ranging from $10,00 to $410,000 through the energy company’s School Uplift program, with 37 of the recipient schools in Tennessee.

TVA’s School Uplift program “supports public schools in the region by offering energy efficiency training and grants that reduce energy costs and improve the quality of the learning environment.”

Read the full story

Commentary: Let Parents Opt-Out of Low-Performing Schools

RealClearWire

Single mom Shinara Morrison discovered homeschooling by accident. When public schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, she found herself taking the lead on her child’s education to fill the gap.

Morrison never withdrew her son, who was 7, from the public school system. But she supplemented his online instruction with custom coursework that blended academics and life skills. Morrison had no formal training as an educator, but she had special insight as a mother.

“I had a little cheat sheet in my head,” she says. “I knew his learning style.”

Read the full story

Arizona Legislative Republicans Lead Effort to Ensure Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind Is Looked After

Rachel Alexander

Arizona Republican legislators proposed a bill this session to bring oversight of the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind (ASDB) closer in line with the Arizona Constitution’s provisions for regular schools. For about 100 years, the ASDB has only faced oversight once every 10 years, instead of the two-year requirement in the Arizona Constitution that applies to schools. The ASDB serves 2,100 students at campuses in Phoenix and Tucson.

State Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), who chairs the Senate Government Committee which heard HB 2456, explained during a speech to the Senate Committee of the Whole on April 13 why he believes a shorter extension is necessary. He said the Democrats who oppose the shorter extension want to treat oversight of the children the same way the government treats its oversight of “changing thermostats” infrequently at the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA).

Read the full story

Mastriano Proposes Bill for Pennsylvania School Curriculum Transparency

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania state Senator Doug Mastriano (R-Gettysburg) this week announced he is introducing legislation requiring public K-12 schools to post their curricula online. 

Should the policy become law, school districts and charter institutions must provide public web access to syllabi for all classes and thorough lists of the textbooks planned for use in those courses as well as commonwealth academic standards for all course offerings. Should a school make any curricular revisions, it would have 30 days to publish them. 

Read the full story

Arizona Christian University Alleges Religious Discrimination After Glendale School District Terminated Teacher Contract

Rachel Alexander

Washington Elementary School District No. 6 (WESD) in Glendale terminated the contract of Arizona Christian University (ACU) to provide student teachers last month, despite an ongoing teacher shortage, citing the religious tenets of the university as the reason. In response, The Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit on behalf of the ACU on March 9, demanding multiple types of damages, including punitive.

The suit alleges a violation of the Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment. It asserts that “Arizona Christian and its students do not share religious messages and beliefs within its student teacher programs with local public Schools.”

Read the full story

Raucous School Board Meeting After District Decides to Stop Hiring Teachers from Arizona Christian University

Rachel Alexander

Over 100 concerned parents, educators, and others showed up at a school board meeting of Washington Elementary School District No. 6 (WESD) in Glendale to speak Thursday night, most of them upset that the school board unanimously decided that the district would no longer hire student teachers from Arizona Christian University (ACU). Newly elected School Board Member Tamillia Valenzuela, who describes herself as “witchy AF” and “queer AF,” led the effort, stating the university’s “biblically-informed” values made her feel unsafe.

Read the full story

Arizona Freedom Caucus Calls for Removal of ‘Racist’ Scottsdale School District Superintendent Who Still Hasn’t Been Fired

Rachel Alexander

Last month, all three Scottsdale legislators called for the termination of Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) Superintendent Scott Menzel after “racist” comments he made about white people in 2019 were reported in the media. Since no action has been taken, the Arizona Freedom Caucus (AFC) held a press conference last Thursday demanding the school board fire him. 

State Sen. Joseph Chaplik (R-Scottsdale), said, “Superintendent Menzel has chosen to publicly conduct himself in such an unbecoming manner that a critical mass of parents in the district do not have confidence in his ability to be responsible and effectively lead our children.” 

Read the full story

Commentary: We Need School Resource Officers in Education

Admin

Reducing school violence is a national imperative. Frequently school officials and police officials have different perceptions of the role of law enforcement in public education. Policing in an educational setting truly is a unique challenge.

Tennessee has historically done a good job ensuring the safety and security of school employees and students. However, we continue to have incidents. The key is to keep vigilant.  Tennessee should invite two great resources Mo Canady of the National Association of School Resource Officers and Phil Keith, the former head of community policing for the Department of Justice to testify on school safety prior to the passage of any legislation.    

Read the full story

Tennessee Commission Reports at Least $62.9 Billion of Public Infrastructure Improvement Needs

Laura Baigert

The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) announced last week the release of its 21st annual report on the public infrastructure needs across the state during the five-year period of July 2021 to June 2026.

The latest report, “Building Tennessee’s Tomorrow: Anticipating the State’s Infrastructure Needs,” indicates there is $1.2 billion or 2 percent increase over the year before. And while the costs have increased for the seven straight reporting period, they decreased when adjusted for inflation and population.

Read the full story

Tennessee Education Commissioner Travels to DC to Promote Federal Investment in Education

TC Weber

Last week, Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn was in Washington D.C. to help the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) launch the Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI), a bipartisan initiative co-led with Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC, to increase education research and development investments across the federal government. As expressed by a press release, this new venture aims to dramatically grow federal investment in education:

“The alliance brings together a group of education nonprofits, practitioners, philanthropy, and the private sector to advocate for research-based innovations in education. As a coalition, ALI focuses on innovative solutions that build education R&D infrastructure, center students and practitioners, advance equitable outcomes for students, improve talent pathways, and expand the workforce needed in a globally competitive world. To that end, the alliance has developed a comprehensive multi-part agenda including the goal of dramatically increasing the federal investment in education R&D.”

Read the full story

Just Saying Jeb Bush’s Name Fails to Get Data Science Bill Moved Out of House Subcommittee

TC Weber

At this week’s House Education Instruction Subcommittee meeting, State Representative Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis) introduced a bill, HB 0691, that would allow students to earn one credit in data science to satisfy one of the four mathematics credits required for high school graduation. The idea, Parkinson told lawmakers, came from a recently attended conference held by ExcellinEd, the education non-profit founded by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.  

At that conference, Dr. Steven Strogatz told attendees, “Our current curriculum is rooted in a different era…our current math curriculum is rooted in the 1950s Space race. We have to make room for data science for 21st-century skills.”

Read the full story

Evers Unveils Record $104 Billion Budget Plan, Republicans Get Ready to Rewrite

M.D. Kittle

Billing it a “breakthrough budget,” Governor Tony Evers rolled out a massive two-year spending plan on Wednesday that would dump billions more taxpayer dollars into a host of new programs, raise taxes by $1 billion-plus on businesses, deliver a sweetheart deal to the Milwaukee Brewers, and gobble up much of the state’s historic $7.1 billion surplus. 

At approximately $104 billion, Evers’ budget proposal is the first to break the $100 billion mark and comes in at about $13 billion more than his 2021-23 plan and more than $16 billion higher than the current budget he signed into law in June 2021. 

Read the full story

Nashville Public School Teacher Signals Intent to Ignore State Law

TC Weber

Last week, despite being a legal requirement since late summer, a Nashville elementary school teacher posted on the social media outlet TikTok her intent to ignore Tennessee state law. She tells viewers, “We were finally told that we must log all of our books into a system, so that, I guess, parents, or the public, or whoever can view it, um, to make complaints.”

In her eyes, the request is stupid, and asking teachers to do it is degrading. She tells her viewers she’s not going to comply, “I don’t need someone from the state or the district, or whoever to micromanage me in my classroom. And if it’s coming to that point, I’m almost like, maybe this isn’t for me now, and maybe I should get out.”

Read the full story

Wisconsin Has a Lot of Federal COVID Money on the Table, Much of It Not Properly Documented

M.D. Kittle

As Gov. Tony Evers prepares to introduce his next biennial budget proposal, his administration can’t say how they have allocated a significant portion of the federal COVID aid Evers has nearly complete control over.

And as the governor calls for billions more in education spending, a new report shows there’s a massive amount of federal education aid the state has yet to approve for spending.

Read the full story

Public Education Hits $2.3 Billion Jackpot from Lottery Players

The Center Square

Scratch-off tickets accounted for 75 percent of sales, helping The Florida Lottery to an 11th consecutive year of breaking records and sending $2.3 billion into public education.

Total sales for the fiscal year ending June 30 were $9.32 billion, says the recently released annual comprehensive financial report. Second in sales is the Pick Family, which at 9 percent was down slightly from 10 percent the previous year. Third was Powerball with Power Play at 5 percent, up from 4 percent in 2021.

Read the full story

Rules Governing New School Funding Formula Pass Out of the Joint Government Operations Committee Meeting, Moves Toward Full Implementation

TC Weber

The rules governing Tennessee’s new K-12 education funding formula – Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) – took another step towards full adoption on Monday, passing out of the Tennessee General Assembly’s Joint Government Operations Committee with a positive review. On the State House side, the proposed rules passed by a majority, with only 5 “nay” votes. While on the State Senate side, things were much closer, with a 4-2 in favor.

Read the full story

Nashville Chamber of Commerce Delivers Annual Education Report

TC Weber

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce released its 30th Annual Education Report on Tuesday. This year, the Chamber recommendations focused on growing Metro Nashville Public Schools’ Work-Based Learning program.

In all, 131 students participated in MNPS’s work-based learning program during the 2021 – 2022 school year, as did 15 business partners. Students worked over 5,000 hours and received upwards of $70,000 in wages in year 1. The graduation rate of those students who participated in year 1 was 97 percent. 

Read the full story

School Choice Expansion Continues to be a Priority for Tennessee Lawmakers

TC Weber

Governor Bill Lee took to social media on Wednesday to proclaim the week of January 22 – 28, 2023, School Choice Week in Tennessee.

He further tweeted that “Every parent should have the opportunity to pick the best school for their child.” The governor added, “[W]e continue to advocate for high-quality education that meets the needs of every individual student.”

Read the full story

Gov. Tony Evers Signals Big Spending Plans for Wisconsin in State of the State Address

M.D. Kittle

In his fifth State of the State address Tuesday evening, Gov. Tony Evers began laying out how he plans to use Wisconsin’s $6.6 billion surplus, pitching a spending bender of big government initiatives already with a price tag to date of around $1.3 billion. But there’s more to come. Evers is still constructing his biennial budget plan, set for release in a few weeks. 

Read the full story

Florida’s DeSantis Announces Sweeping Reforms That Include ‘Teacher Bill of Rights’

The Center Square

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held a news conference in Jacksonville on Monday to propose sweeping changes to education, including a Teacher’s Bill of Rights which will empower educators to be leaders in their classrooms.

In the proposed legislation, teachers will have their paychecks protected, while $1 billion will go towards teacher pay increases. School board members will have a maximum term of eight years, instead of twelve.

Read the full story

Metro Nashville Public Schools Limits What the Public May Say at Board Meetings

TC Weber

The Metro Nashville Public School Board is changing the way that it hears from its constituents. In Chairwoman Rachael Elrod’s view, this is less a change in policy and more of enforcing a policy already in existence. As a result of this new interpretation, the public will be granted more opportunities to publicly address board members but less leeway in what they can talk about. Public participation is scheduled at every meeting, but the only topics open during public participation, are those included in the published agenda. 

In a Facebook post dated January 10, Elrod lays out her reasoning to constituents. She writes, “Our public participation policy has been in place since 2017 (before I was on the board) and was most recently updated in March 2022. It has said, since 2017, that public participation should “address the board on an item on the agenda,” she continues with, “After making sure that internal teams could manage this change in enforcement and with no colleague proposing changes to the policy, I announced that I will begin enforcing this policy in 2023.”

Read the full story

Tennessee State Senator Introduces Bill Aimed at Prohibiting School District from Mandating Implied Bias Training

TC Weber

State Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) introduced legislation that would prohibit Tennessee public schools and universities from mandating “implicit bias” training. If passed, SB102 would also extend to state agencies, including the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and The State Board of Education (SBE). Neither of these agencies currently requires employees to participate in training as a condition of employment.

The National Institutes of Health defines implicit bias as a form of bias that occurs automatically and unintentionally, but nevertheless affects judgments, decisions, and behaviors. Research has shown implicit bias can pose a barrier to schools creating a diverse workforce and negatively impact student learning.  In an effort to mitigate the negative effects, schools and businesses have implemented mandatory training for employees, Gardenhire’s law would work to end these mandates.

Read the full story

Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education Unanimously Passes Resolution in Opposition to State Third Grade Retention Law

TC Weber

The Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board of Education has joined the ranks of school districts that have passed referendums opposing Tennessee’s 3rd-grade retention law. The law, which goes into effect this year, mandates that all 3rd-graders who fail to achieve a score of “meets expectations” on the state’s annual  TCAP test repeat third grade unless they avail themselves of one of the state’s options.

Those options include achieving a required score after retaking the test, enrolling in Summer School, or enrolling in a tutoring program for the next year. Parents, if they choose to, have the opportunity to file an appeal. 

Read the full story

Arizona Republican Legislators Respond to State of the State Address, Say Political Games Will Not Sidetrack Them

Neil Jones

Following the State of the State address from Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, Majority Leaders State Rep. Leo Biasiucci (R-Lake Havasu) and Sen. Sonny Borrelli (R-Lake Havasu) released a video responding to the speech.

“You heard from Governor Hobbs; she does not want a policy discussion but a hasty action for political points. Our founding fathers set up the legislative process that works,” said Borrelli. “We will not be sidetracked or bullied for political games. It [the legislative process] is divinely inspired by our founding fathers. We will stick to the mission.”

Read the full story

Newly Signed Ohio Bill Expands Afterschool Enrichment Accounts

Bradley Vasoli

A $6 billion spending bill that Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) signed on Friday expands a program assisting parents and guardians with supplemental education purchases.

The ACE Educational Savings Account program previously bestowed a $500 credit on families seeking to purchase enrichment materials or services to help their children get past the learning setbacks caused by the COVID-19 school shutdowns. The new legislation raises the credit to $1,000. 

Read the full story

Arizona State Senate Majority Caucus Promises to Keep Republican Values at the Center of Legislation Going into New Session

Neil Jones

The Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus (Caucus) released its 2023 Majority Plan on Thursday, outlining priorities and approaches to strengthening the state and tackling important issues. Kim Quintero, director of communications for the Caucus, told The Arizona Sun Times that the elected officials would do their best to honor the Republican values they ran on while working under newly sworn-in Gov. Katie Hobbs (D).

Read the full story