State and Legislative Updates from SEF’s Government Affairs Team

The weeks of 10/12 – 10/23

Greetings all,

As the end of October nears, we are rapidly approaching a critical midterm election season for federal and state elected positions that will have a direct impact on education policy across the region and country. In our next newsletter, we plan to provide a high-level overview of election results and a brief overview of potential education implications. Today, however, we highlight some critical legislative and policy updates from our states across the South.

Key K-12 and Higher Education Funding Updates 

  • Louisiana: The interim President at Southern University is urging funding formula reforms to address chronic underfunding of the state’s largest HBCU.
  • South Carolina: State legislators included $18.7 million in the budget to expand the Meeting Street Scholarship Fund statewide. This program offers eligible low-income students up to $40,000 for college.
  • West Virginia: Amidst a pending ACLU-WV lawsuit, state officials proposed a major overhaul of the $2 billion K-12 funding formula.

State School Vouchers Updates

  • Arkansas: A new report on Arkansas’ voucher program found that 74% of participants were already enrolled in private or home schools before they received vouchers last school year.
  • Florida: An administrative judge recommended suspending three private schools from voucher programs after finding the schools failed to meet instructional hour requirements and bypassed parental approval for fund transfers.
  • West Virginia: The Monongalia Board of Education President told lawmakers that the Hope Scholarship program is effectively a voucher program and warned that costs could exceed $100 million annually.

As always, we hope this information is helpful and meaningful in your work to support students of color and students from low-income families across the South.

The Latest from SEF

  • Brown’s Promise released a new report, Georgia’s 80-80 Schools: The Harm of Concentrated Poverty and How to Undo It  – Brown’s Promise released Georgia’s 80-80 Schools: The Harm of Concentrated Poverty and How to Undo It, a new analysis of the effects of concentrating students experiencing poverty into a small number of schools, and what state and local leaders in Georgia can do to address it. Read the full report here.
  • Recently submitted public comments to the Federal Communications Commission Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the E-Rate Program – SEF opposed any suggestion that the E-Rate Program is mission complete and urged the FCC to preserve the E-Rate Program to ensure it responds to modern-day student needs, remains aligned with original Congressional intent, and continues to serve eligible Head Start and prekindergarten classrooms. Read our full comments here.
  • President and CEO Raymond Pierce published an op-ed on the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program – “Public dollars should support public schools, and I remain deeply concerned about policies that redirect resources away from the public education system that serves the overwhelming majority of America’s children.” Read the full op-ed here.
  • Sr. Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, Fred Jones, quoted in National Public Radio –  Democrats and public school advocates have until the end of the year to decide: whether or not to embrace a Republican program that might help some public-school families pay for things like tutoring and summer learning programs. Jones provides his commentary here.
  • Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, Fred Jones, quoted in The Emancipator – Some former segregation academies have changed their names or missions over time, Jones told The Emancipator. SEF is among the groups suing over Tennessee’s vouchers. “School vouchers are often framed as a tool for ‘choice’, but their origins tell a very different story — one rooted in efforts to resist integration and preserve racial segregation,” according to SEF. Read the full article here.

Federal Scholarship Tax Credit  Resources 

  • What Do the New Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Regulations Mean for States? – On Oct. 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released an interim final rule or temporary regulations and notice of proposed rulemaking for the federal scholarship tax credit, which was included in the 2025 passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1). Below, we summarize our key takeaways from the regulations and considerations for state policymakers. (Education Commission of the States) Read More
  • Unpacking Treasury’s Proposed Regulations for the  Federal Scholarship Tax Credit – This document unpacks the most significant provisions in the proposed regulations that will affect the implementation of the FSTC in states that choose to opt in to the program, particularly regarding uses of the tax credit to support public schools and students. The document also flags several issues where the proposed regulations are unclear or raise new important questions. (EducationCounsel) Read More
  • What You Need to Know About the Regulations for the Federal Tax Credit Private School Voucher – On October 1, the U.S. Treasury Department issued regulations on the federal tax credit voucher program created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. National Coalition for Public Education) Read More
  • What the New Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Regulations Mean for States, SGOs and School Districts – The School Superintendents Association issued a memo providing a high-level overview of the temporary and proposed regulations for the new FSTC program. (AASA)  Read More
  • What does the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program mean for states? – The U.S. Department of the Treasury has released regulations for the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit for donations to scholarship granting organizations created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, providing the clearest picture yet of how the program would operate beginning in 2027. (Learning Policy Institute) Read More  

State Updates

Arkansas

  • Arkansas school choice vouchers mostly fund existing private, homeschool students – The latest report on Arkansas’ Education Freedom Account revealed that 74% of participants were already in private or home schools before they received vouchers last school year, calling into question whether the school choice program is working as intended. (KATV News) Read More

Delaware

  • Federal grant money will mean districts and communities can explore possibilities for charter schools – Delaware’s Department of Education received $16 million to invest in the state’s charter schools. The federal grant will span over five years. One condition is that 90% of the dollars must go towards expanding a charter school, starting a new one, or replicating an existing charter. (Delaware Public Media) Read More

Florida

  • Judge: Schools bypassed parents to approve voucher payments – An administrative law judge recommended suspending three private schools from state voucher programs after they failed to meet instructional hour requirements and bypassed parental approval for fund transfers. (State Affairs Florida) Read More
  • ​​Success Academy’s move into five Miami-Dade high schools could lead to layoffs – Miami-Dade schools’ operations agreement with Success Academy could lead to layoffs, say school district officials. (Miami Herald) Read More

Georgia

  • New report shows low-income Georgia students do better when poverty isn’t concentrated in schools –  A new analysis, The Harm of Concentrated Poverty and How to Undo It, finds that just under 64,000 Georgia students attend schools where at least 80% of students are low-income and at least 80% failed English or Math on the state Milestones assessment. (Brown’s Promise) Read More

Kentucky

  • State receives $9 million for maternal health home visits – Kentucky is receiving more than $9 million from the federal government’s Health Resources and Services Administration to bring the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program to more rural and low-income counties. (Big News Network) Read More

Louisiana

  • Southern leader wants new higher ed formula to address historic underfunding – Interim Southern University President wants the task force studying how to revamp the state’s higher education funding formula to take underfunding of Louisiana’s largest historically Black college into consideration. (Louisiana Illuminator) Read More
  • The Missing Piece: Quality Early Childhood Education as an Essential Component in Addressing Louisiana’s Labor Force Needs – This study uses survey data to assess the prevalence of challenges Louisiana’s families face in employment when they encounter child care difficulties. (Louisiana Policy Institute for Children) Read More

Maryland

  • Deep Dive: What would Blueprint adjustments mean for county governments? – School funding is one area where State-level program adjustments can directly affect county funding requirements because they are linked through the Blueprint formulas.  (Maryland Association of Counties) Read More
  • US Supreme Court to hear Maryland case involving race in school admissions – The US Supreme Court agreed to consider reviving a lawsuit against a Maryland county’s lottery admissions policy for four ​elite public middle schools that some parents claim unlawfully discriminates against Asian American applicants. (Reuters) Read More
  • Maryland officials announce dramatic decrease in teacher vacancy rate – Officials attribute improvement in vacancy rate to programs designed to increase recruitment and retention of teachers in the state. (Maryland Matters) Read More

Missouri

  • Missouri education chief resigns amid controversy over A-F ratings for public schools – Stacey Preis steps down after four months as speculation grows about Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin becoming the next commissioner. (Missouri Independent) Read More

North Carolina 

  • North Carolina voters identify childcare as a major affordability and workforce challenge – A statewide poll recently found that North Carolina voters across political parties view childcare as both an affordability issue for families and a workforce issue for the state. (North Carolina Health News) Read More
  • This Raleigh family stood up to NC’s resistance to desegregate schools after Brown vs. Board – The story of school integration in Wake County begins with a young boy who was not the first to desegregate a local school. But he was the first Black student to try. (WUNC) Read More
  • Task force would cut the number of NC schools labeled low-performing – The State Board of Education’s accountability task force agreed last week to flag fewer schools for state intervention. Most members also favored dropping the state’s own low-performing label and using only the federal one. (The Carolina Journal) Read More

Oklahoma

  • Oklahoma lawmakers announce bipartisan reading caucus – A bipartisan group of Oklahoma legislators from the state House and Senate have formed a new caucus. The Oklahoma Reading Caucus will work to maintain momentum following recent legislation to strengthen literacy in Oklahoma schools. (abc 7 News) Read More

South Carolina

  • State report cards surge again, with 90 percent of schools ‘average’ or above –  The annual report cards that tell South Carolinians how their public schools are faring are out — and many educators are celebrating. (Post and Courier) Read More
  • Expanded scholarship program ‘a huge relief’ for SC’s college-bound high school seniors – Representatives from Meeting Street Scholarship Fund informed students that high-achieving, low-income South Carolina students can receive as much as $40,000 toward their college education. (South Carolina Daily Gazette) Read More
  • State leaders preview school safety priorities ahead of legislative session – Education leaders and legislators say school safety will be a major focus ahead of the legislative session, with discussions ranging from additional security personnel and panic alert systems to classroom discipline and student behavior. (Live 5 News) Read More

Tennessee

  • As public schools struggle, private schools that once fought integration poised for taxpayer-funded windfall – Some former segregation academies have changed their names or missions over time, Fred Jones, Jr., senior director of public policy and advocacy for the Southern Education Foundation, told the Emancipator. (The Emancipator) Read More
  • Tennessee leads the South on NAEP after two decades of progress – Over more than two decades, the state steadily gained ground in reading and math, moving from near the bottom of the national rankings into the top 20. (Tennessee Score) Read More

Texas

  • Texas state senator raises concerns about homeschooling ‘loophole’ in new school voucher program – A Texas lawmaker is questioning a provision in the state’s new school voucher program that allows families to receive taxpayer money even when their children attend private schools that aren’t participating in the program. (KERA) Read More
  • School vouchers take center stage in Texas’ most flippable state house district – On San Antonio’s South Side, a progressive Democrat faces off with an architect of the new private school voucher program.  (The Texas Observer) Read More
  • Property tax cuts aren’t supposed to affect Texas schools. Districts say it doesn’t always work – State legislators say they’ve successfully reduced property taxes by repeatedly raising homestead exemptions. (KERA News) Read More

Virginia

  • 2026 report calls for expanded college access, improved postsecondary planning – Virginia is increasingly using statewide postsecondary planning resources to sustain and increase higher education enrollment and expand workforce opportunities, a new report found. (Virginia Mercury) Read More

West Virginia

  • A West Virginia grant program helps students get a free community college education, but its workforce impact isn’t clear – WV Invests helps eligible residents earn associate degrees or technical certificates tuition-free in high-demand fields. However, more work is needed to track whether the program is filling West Virginia’s workforce gaps. (Mountain State Spotlight) Read More
  • State education officials unveil major overhaul of $2B school funding formula – After years of lawmakers discussing changes to West Virginia’s school funding formula, the Department of Education unveiled draft legislation to reform the Public School Support Program, which distributes state funding to the 55 county school systems.  (West Virginia Education News) Read More
  • Monongalia County BOE calls for Hope Scholarship limits – Monongalia County board of education president told local lawmakers that calling the program a “scholarship” is very misleading and said it’s actually a voucher program. (MetroNews) Read More
  • He tried to set limits on his state’s school vouchers. Billionaires helped bankroll a campaign to unseat him – A high-ranking Republican had wanted only to curb the unchecked growth of West Virginia’s voucher program, not destroy it. In the ensuing backlash, three PACs — affiliated with the Koch family and Jeffrey Yass — helped defeat him at election time. (ProPublica) Read More

National/ Federal Updates

Early Childhood Education News and Resources

  • The Child Tax Credit, Black Families, and the Cost of Conditional Support – This brief examines how earnings requirements, adult-status restrictions, and caregiver eligibility rules limit access to the Child Tax Credit. (Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies) Read More

K-12 Education News and Resources

  • Merging school districts was supposed to save taxpayers money. It didn’t, a 20-year study in Arkansas found – When Mike Huckabee was the Arkansas governor in 2004, he wanted government to be more efficient. He signed a law to shut down tiny school districts with fewer than 350 students. (The Hechinger Report) Read More
  • Margaret Spellings and Arne Duncan: The Ed. Agenda We Can Agree On – We call on the president, Congress, governors, and education leaders to put student achievement back at the center of the nation’s agenda. Washington should provide the direction, research, and transparency. States should set high expectations and act when schools or students fall short. Parents should hold all of us accountable for results. (Education Week) Read More
  • A top democrat breaks down his party’s plans for K-12 in a House majority – If Democrats win the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections, Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia may focus the chamber’s agenda on K-12 policy and conduct oversight of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. (Education Week) Read More
  • Trump’s school choice program could push public schools to charge new fees – The new federal tax-credit scholarship program can cover some public school expenses, but schools will have to set up systems to charge for expanded services. (Education Week) Read More
  • Democratic holdouts still aren’t committing to Trump’s school choice program – Democratic governors have mostly been in wait-and-see mode this year as the start of the first national school choice program approaches—and little has changed since the Trump administration released its proposed rules for the program. (Education Week) Read More
  • Democrats call on Federal Communications Commission to withdraw E-Rate sunset proposal – House and Senate Democrats are asking the Federal Communications Commission chairman to withdraw a proposal to limit or sunset a program that provides telecommunications and internet discounts to schools and libraries. (Bloomberg Government) Read More
  • EdPWR’s Ten Commitments for Public Education – EdPWR has worked with partners to propose these Ten Commitments for state and federal education policy leaders to make over the next ten years that are designed to help fulfill the promise of public education, restore confidence in our public schools, and equip every student with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to thrive. (EdPwr) Read More
  • Justice Department terminates some school desegregation cases without asking court to ensure past discrimination has ended, watchdog group says – The Justice Department moved to terminate more than a dozen decades-old school desegregation cases without asking the court first to review whether the district successfully ended its past discriminatory practices, a watchdog group has found. (CBS News) Read More
  • Advancing Youth Well-Being – Across the country, young people are asking us a profound question: Do we value their lives, well-being, and futures enough to create and maintain the conditions in which they can thrive? Throughout this report, readers will see what that looks like in practice, hear from donors, advocates, educators, community leaders, and, most importantly, young people who are coming together to build communities where they can flourish. (Schott Foundation for Public Education) Read More

Higher Education News and Resources

  • Can Colleges Achieve Viewpoint Diversity Without ‘Affirmative Action for Conservatives’? – Universities and groups pushing to change higher ed have said they support intellectual diversity and similar terms. But few say they’re explicitly trying to attract more right-leaning scholars. (Inside Higher Ed) Read More
  • Experts say higher education is an industry in turmoil. The collateral damage is widespread – Huron Consulting Group projected that 442 of the nation’s 1,700 still-operating private, nonprofit universities and colleges are at risk of having to close or merge in the next 10 years. (The Hechinger Report) Read More
  • The Devil Is in the Details: Trump Student Loan Changes Raise Costs and Weaken Safety Net for Borrowers – At a time when 1 in 5 student loan borrowers is in default, new student loan policies ushered in by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will drastically increase monthly student loan costs and eliminate important safety net protections for borrowers. (The Center for American Progress) Read More

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns, and if we can assist with any government affairs or advocacy issues moving forward.

Sincerely,

Fred Jones, Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy,

fjones@southerneducation.org  

Darian Burns, Legislative and Public Policy Analyst,

dburns@southerneducation.org  

Allison Boyle, Research and Policy Specialist,

aboyle@southerneducation.org