Friday News Roundup

Here’s your Friday News Roundup.

Bill to Scrap STAAR Test Dies in the Texas Legislature (The Texas Tribune)

Last week,

“A legislative effort to scrap the STAAR test to respond to concerns that the test puts unnecessary pressure on student died in the last days of the legislative session.”

On one hand, like a school board friend of mine always says, “If you don’t test, how do you know?” On the other hand, everyone knows the amount of money that is tied up in high-stakes testing in Texas and around the country.

But it does seem like standardized testing, at a minimum, is being criticized today in ways never thought of 20 years ago.

In Dozens of Districts, Teachers Can’t Afford to Live Near Their Schools (The 74)

This isn’t a new story, but last week The 74 reported that,

“In a recent analysis, …the National Council on Teacher Quality finds that teachers are increasingly being priced out of housing in their communities. …[B]etween 2019 and 2024, the percentage of growth in home prices and the cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment have significantly outpaced increases in both inflation and teacher salaries.”

What makes matters worse is that some districts still require their teachers to live in the district where they teach. How embarrassing if you signed a teaching contract with a district who required you to live in their district, and then that district didn’t pay you enough to live in their district.

Trump’s Education Budget Calls for Billions in Cuts, Major Policy Changes (EducationWeek)

EducationWeek reported last week that,

“President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday revealed the full details of his administration’s sweeping proposal to slash federal education spending, eliminate grant programs worth billions of dollars, and rewrite special education law in unprecedented ways.”

…

“The administration’s core priorities were already clear from the shorter document: $60 million in new annual funding for charter school grants; a sharp overall reduction in federal agency staffing and funding support for K-12 education, and changes that aim to shift federal education responsibilities to states.”

“Overall, the proposal would reduce the U.S. Department of Education’s budget by 15 percent, to $66.7 billion from $79.6 billion.”

“…[T]he administration is proposing to cut the overall bottom line for the Education Department while maintaining level funding for two core streams of K-12 funding: Title 1-A for low-income students ($18.4 billion) and IDEA Part B grants for students with disabilities ($14.9 billion).”

It will be interesting to see how these recommendations play out in Congress, but given the track record of some states (mostly in the South) and how they took care of black, brown, and poor kids before the federal government stepped in to monitor their performance, America would be wise not to scale back federal oversight too much.

Chronic Absenteeism’s Post-COVID “New Normal”: Research Shows It Is More Common, More Extreme (The 74)

Seems like students are still voting with their feet regarding how they feel about their traditional school.

The 74 reported this week that,

“The percentage of students with good attendance fell sharply between 2019 and 2023, while the share of chronically absent students more than doubled, offering further evidence of the pandemic’s shattering effect on the nation’s classrooms.”

“A new analysis of data from three states – North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia – shows that prior to COVID, 17% of students were chronically absent, meaning they missed at least 10% of the school year. By 2023, long after schools had to cope with new variants and hybrid schedules, that figure his 37%.”

The question is when will the traditional K-12 system acknowledge their shortcomings and make a commitment to change practice to engage more of their young learners in the work they offer?

I’m not hopeful this trend will reverse.

How Schools Think Their Legal Expenses Will Change Under Trump (EducationWeek)

EducationWeek reported this week that,

“Nearly half of school and district leaders expect their districts’ legal expenses to increase over the next year as they navigate a rapidly evolving federal education landscape, according to a new EdWeek Research Center Survey.”

“Forty-eight percent of principals and district leaders who responded to the nationally representative survey earlier this spring said they expect legal expenses to increase in the next year due to shifts in federal policy and enforcement under the Trump administration, and 43% said they expect no impact on their legal expenses. Nine percent said they expect legal expenses to decrease as a result.”

I’m guessing the 48% of principals and district leaders expecting an increase in legal fees come from left-leaning districts, whereas the 43% who expect no impact on their legal expenses lean to the right.

But there is no doubt we have a litigious POTUS, so all districts need to get ready.

From Vouchers to a Cellphone Ban, This Year’s Lawmaking Session Brought Transformative Changes to Texas Schools (The Texas Tribune)

Based on recent Texas Legislature activity, here’s what will happen inside K-12 education in our second most populated state in the Union – Texas – moving forward:

School vouchers are now a part of the Texas K-12 fabric.

Texas schools received a $8.5 billion boost after years of stagnant funding.

Texas’s high-stakes testing – STAAR – stays put – at least for now.

More out-of-school suspensions are coming to Texas as schools attempt to regain classroom control.

More early childhood support is on the horizon.

A copy of “The 10 Commandments” is headed to each Texas classroom, although numerous civil rights organizations are just waiting for Governor Greg Abbott to sign this particular bill into law so they can sue.

Like many states, the Texas Legislature passed a law banning K-12 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices. One must wonder what banning a concept like “equity” does to a system (like our K-12 education system) that is inherently “inequitable” – especially to black, brown, and poor kids?

Parents and school boards will have more authority over what books are in school libraries.

And, cell phones are banned in Texas classrooms.

Finally, in Vermont –

Stalled Education Reform Bill Would Raise Taxes for Some Districts, Cut Funding for Others (The Bridge)

The Vermont Legislature is deadlocked trying to figure out a K-12 education bill that would provide an improved finance plan for the state’s public schools. It’s not clear when their Legislature and Governor Phil Scott will reach agreement on a path forward.

That’s the Friday News Roundup for June 6^th (D-Day!). Have a great weekend. Til Monday. SVB