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." Drummond… 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 the… 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 month. 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. The $57.8… 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… 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… 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 a… 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 say… 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. SBA Administrator… 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 to… 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 do… 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 been… 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 Carolina… Read More
Public Education
Rhode Island voters to decide three bond measures totaling $400 million in November(The Center Square) – On Nov. 8, voters in Rhode Island will be deciding on three bond measures totaling $400 million. Question 1 would issue $100 million in bonds for… Read More
Public Education
Seattle Public Schools expect about $100M deficits over next 4 years(The Center Square) – The teachers strike in Seattle is over, but Seattle Public Schools now face a bigger challenge: high budget deficits over the next four years. Read More
Public Education
Blame flies among Minnesota government agencies over $250 million fraud scheme(The Center Square) – After taxpayers lost $250 million in what federal officials deemed “the largest pandemic fraud" in the nation, the government agencies involved are blaming… Read More
Opinion
Op-Ed: Public education is doing worse with more money, so let’s give parents more optionsIf an educational option costs less and produces better results, wouldn’t it be foolish not to fund it? Yet the opposite is happening. As a nation, the U.S. is spending an… Read More
Public Education
Oregon Department of Education pays out tens of millions for severely under-enrolled Preschool Promise programThe Oregon Department of Education spent $90 million over the last two years in preschool grants even while the program was vastly under-enrolled, according to a report by Fox… Read More
Public Education
Michigan schools use one-time COVID relief for pay increases, increasing long-term taxpayer burden(The Center Square) – Many Michigan schools are spending one-time federal COVID relief dollars on pay hikes that will increase the long-term taxpayer cost of education, according to more than… Read More