Friday News Roundup

It’s Friday. Time for the News Roundup.

Can Trump Really Dismantle the Department of Education? (EducationWeek)

Evie Blad, a reporter for EducationWeek, wrote the following this week regarding attempts to close the U.S. Department of Education:

“Plans to abolish the U.S. Department of Education – a key part of President-elect Donald Trump’s platform and a priority for his political allies – are a key concern for schools as he prepares to retake the White House in January.”

“But can he – and will he – actually carry through on the promise? And what would it mean if he did?”

“The short answer: Ending the agency would require approval from Congress and a great deal of political capital that Trump may want to target elsewhere, especially in the early days of his administration in which he will be under pressure to deliver promises around tax cuts and immigration. But it is possible.”

Trump attempted to dismantle the Education Department in his first term, but his efforts got little traction. His supporters say he may have a clearer path to accomplishing his priorities with the momentum of reelection. And with the help of a Republican-controlled Senate and [a Republican-controlled House of Representatives], Trump is likely to pursue plans to scale back and consolidate some federal programs, even if he doesn’t fully end the agency.”

Not like Donald Trump really cares, but the U.S. Department of Education was formed in 1979 to insure civil rights protections for those public school learners who might be considered disadvantaged in the states and locales they lived in – particularly black, brown, and poor young learners.

A major fear today would be the absence of a federal agency like the Department of Education could allow states and local school boards to make decisions not in the best interests of those kids who need a public schooling option the most.

HISD’s $4.4 billion bond, the largest in Texas history, rejected by voters, returns show (Houston Chronicle)

This week ABPTL reported that the Houston Independent School District $4.4 billion bond had been defeated by the Houston voters.

The Houston Chronicle reported that,

“Houston ISD’s historic $4.4 billion school bond – the largest school bond in Texas history – failed Tuesday, forcing the district to delay much-needed facility improvements due largely to voters’ mistrust of state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles.”

“Approximately 58% of roughly 440,000 voters who cast early, mail-in ballots and Election Day ballots voted against both propositions, according to final but unofficial returns from the Harris County Clerk’s Office.”

“’The politics of adults beat out the needs of our children,’ Miles said in a statement in response to the results. ‘It’s unfortunate and wrong, but I want to assure you that it will not limit our ability to do the things that our students need.’”

Miles also said this:

“’We will do our best to keep long-expired heating and cooling systems running, but on very hot or very cold days, we are likely going to have to close campuses to keep students safe.

Instead of threatening his Houston parents with school closures, it would be a better idea if Superintendent Miles began a listening tour of Houston to find out why so many people don’t trust him as a leader.

GOP Victories in Texas House Give Abbott a Path to Universal ESA (The 74)

Governor Greg Abbott has gotten what he wanted: Education Savings Accounts are coming to Texas.

As The 74 reported this week,

…

“Several GOP wins in the Texas House of Representatives on Tuesday will expand Republicans’ existing majority, giving Abbott an estimated 87 of 150 seats in the lower chamber. When lawmakers reconvene in January, that could finally give him the votes needed to successfully put forth legislation that offers a universal voucher, or education savings account – a proposal that many Democrats and rural Republican lawmakers have rejected in past legislative sessions.”

…

“Mark P. Jones, a political scientist at Rice University, said that for Abbott, ‘the night really couldn’t have gone better.’”

“The question now, he said, isn’t whether school choice will succeed in Texas in 2025. ‘It’s really what form of school choice legislation will pass. How robust and expansive will it be?’”

Let’s hope Texas goes beyond the private school option to include homeschools, microschools, and other types of learning pods out there already.

Why the Pioneers of High School Exit Exams Are Rolling Them Back (EducationWeek)

This past week, EducationWeek reported that,

“As questions swirl about what a second Trump term will mean for public schools across the country, another less high-profile election result promises to reshape educational standards in a state long heralded as a national academic leader.”

“In Massachusetts last week, voters approved a ballot initiative that will eliminate use of the state’s exit exam as a high school graduation requirement. The exam has long been painted by detractors as an unnecessary barrier to graduation, and by proponents as an important common standard.”

“In making this change, Massachusetts joins a growing group of states that have recently considered doing away with exit exams.”

When I started in public education back in 1984, high-stakes standardized testing was just getting started across the country. Now, 40 years later, it seems “the pendulum has shifted,” meaning states and locales are no longer interested in this type of measure to determine whether a young learner graduates or not.

With the Cost of Education Driving Voters, Lawmakers Feel Pressure to Respond (VT Digger)

Even in blue, blue Vermont, the red wave made an impact during last week’s elections.

The Vermont Digger reported that,

“Vermonters cited affordability as a top priority in the 2024 election, and last week, they voted to send more Republicans to Montpelier [Vermont’s capital] than in recent decades.”

“Driving affordability concerns is the cost of education, which fueled this year’s average education property tax increase of 13,8%.”

“The election results, which saw a number of Democratic incumbents unseated, signal that state education policy needs to change – and fast, some lawmakers say.”

“’This is what voters told us last Tuesday: We need to fix the education funding system in Vermont,’ said Senator Thomas Chittenden….”

ABPTL has covered Vermont’s latest attempts to fix their public education funding. Now, after the election has caused additional angst, let’s see what lawmakers and school leaders come up with.

That’s the News Roundup for the week of November 11^th. Til Monday. SVB