The Bottom Line

The latest education policy news from the South

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Weeks | 3/3 – 3/14

State Updates

Arkansas

Higher education overhaul receives initial approval from state lawmakers – State lawmakers advanced legislation that would overhaul the state’s higher education system by changing its funding model, scholarships, course credits, the admissions process, and more. (Arkansas Advocate) Read More

Florida

Public school deregulation clears first Senate committee on unanimous vote – A Senate-led effort to increase local control in the state’s public schools, SB 166, advanced from the Senate Pre-K-12 Education Committee in a unanimous vote. (Florida Politics) Read More

Georgia

Georgia House approves budget with cuts to school voucher program – Members of the state House approved the fiscal year 2026 budget, which would drastically reduce the number of available $6,500 school vouchers from more than 20,000 to fewer than 7,000. (Atlanta News First) Read More

Kentucky

Kentucky legislator wants to kill bill protecting controversial virtual school – Legislation intended to address lost instructional time from school closures has been amended to keep a virtual school from closing but the sponsor of the bill now wants the measure to fail. (Louisville Courier-Journal) Read More

Louisiana

Entergy Louisiana CEO: Lack of access to early childhood education has a ripple effect – In a letter to the editor, the Entergy CEO urges other business leaders to create child care solutions that benefit employees and communities. (NOLA.com) Read More
Indiana charter network to manage Baker schools – Two schools in Baker will be taken over by the Indiana-based GEO charter school network after the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education committee voted 9-1. (Louisiana News First) Read More

Maryland

House approves Blueprint education bill that rejects most cuts proposed by governor – As expected, the House of Delegates approved an amended, comprehensive education plan that rejected cuts proposed by Gov. Wes Moore. (Maryland Matters) Read More
Maryland parents could pay more for child care as scholarship program faces cuts – Maryland is looking to make cuts to its popular child care scholarship program, which will likely cost working parents. The number of kids receiving scholarships that help parents afford child care nearly doubled in two years, costing the state far more than it was prepared to pay. (The Baltimore Banner – Subscription Required) Read More

Mississippi

School voucher bills return for second round in state House – The state House advanced bills that would increase the amount of taxpayer dollars available for families to spend on private schools. (Clarion Ledger) Read More
Mississippi’s innovative badging system aims to ‘elevate’ the quality of child care – ELEVATE is a quality support badging system designed to enhance early childhood education programs in Mississippi by providing consistent, equitable, and individualized resources and support. (W.K Kellogg Foundation) Read More

Missouri

Open enrollment bill clears House for fifth year in a row – Legislation that would allow students to enroll in neighboring school districts won approval from the state House. Opponents of the legislation worry it won’t help underperforming schools and protections could be stripped in future years. (Missouri Independent) Read More

North Carolina

OPINION: If North Carolina new state auditor wants to target ‘waste,’ start with school voucher abuses – In North Carolina, legislators have made the school voucher program universal, so there are no longer any income eligibility requirements for receiving a voucher. But that doesn’t erase the need for oversight. (The Charlotte Observer) Read More
Gov. Stein announces new task force on child care and early education – Gov. Stein visited an early learning center in Durham to announce the creation of a bipartisan task force examining opportunities, barriers, and policy solutions to expand the state’s supply of accessible, affordable, high-quality child care. (EdNC) Read More
As NC’s teacher pipeline dwindles, education colleges are getting creative – The number of people enrolling in educator preparation programs in North Carolina has been falling for years. Now, the number of people completing the programs is plummeting — a troubling sign for a state that has been struggling to hire and retain public school teachers. (WRAL News) Read More

South Carolina

$1.5 million in taxpayer funds mistakenly allocated in state school voucher program – A recent report from South Carolina’s Education Oversight Committee revealed that approximately $1.5 million in taxpayer funds was mistakenly allocated to families of students who were ineligible for school vouchers according to the Herald. (WSOC-TV) Read More
Funding cuts from Trump administration cancelled millions for state teacher training – Grant cancellations from President Donald Trump’s administration have cut millions of dollars that supported programs meant to help fill South Carolina’s vacant teacher jobs. (Post and Courier) Read More

Tennessee

Tennessee bill to let schools deny undocumented students advances despite public protest – State lawmakers further advanced SB 836, that would enable public school systems to check the citizenship or legal status of students and, if passed, could set up a legal showdown over a 43-year-old Supreme Court decision. (WJHL News) Read More

Texas

Debate on House’s school voucher bill centers on a question: Should wealthy Texans be included? – Lawmakers sparred over the question: “Should the state allow wealthy Texans to pay for their children’s private education using taxpayer dollars?” during a tense and highly attended public hearing on HB 3, one of the two main proposals seeking to create a school voucher program. (Texas Tribune) Read More
How much would vouchers defund my school? – A bipartisan coalition in the Texas House is fighting to fund our local schools and champion our students. This analytical tool details the projected loss of funding to Texas public school districts should 1%, 3%, or 5% of students accept a voucher. (Don’t Defund My School) Read More
Texas may change how schools select library books. Critics say it could lead to more bans – SB 13, which would give parents more power over which books their children can read in public school libraries, will soon go before the Senate for a full vote. (Houston Public Media) Read More

Virginia

Tougher academic standards ahead for Virginia students – Virginia students may soon face tougher academic benchmarks as the state aligns its performance levels with the higher standards of a national assessment. (WTOP News) Read More
General Assembly proposes new program to incentivize employers to pay for their employees’ child care – With more and more Virginia families struggling to find affordable child care, lawmakers are proposing a new pilot program they hope will help alleviate the problem. (WRIC) Read More

National/Federal Updates

Early Childhood Education News and Resources

Black student parents’ access to affordable child care support at community colleges – This brief examines the CCAMPIS program to understand its impact on Black student parents and offers legislative proposals for congressional reauthorization and adequate appropriations for this critical child care program. (Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies) Read More
Safeguarding the civil rights of children and families – This report reviews state and local levers to protect the civil rights of children as civil rights protections erode at the federal level. (The Children’s Equity Project) Read More
Preserving the federal role in advancing educational opportunity – This report outlines key programs that play a vital role in nurturing healthy child development and promoting quality education and learning, highlighting the consequences of reducing or eliminating funding, transparency, and oversight. (The Children’s Equity Project) Read More
Federal Executive Actions Affecting Education and Child Services -EducationCounsel compiled all of their publications on the federal executive actions directly impacting education and child services. (EducationCounsel) Read More

K-12 Education News and Resources

Education Department announces massive layoffs, slashing nearly half its workforce – The U.S. Department of Education announced a massive reduction in force, with plans to slash nearly half of its workforce, impacting all divisions within the federal agency — some “requiring significant reorganization,” according to an announcement by U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. (Higher Ed Dive) Read More
Dem AGs sue over Trump administration’s Education Department layoffs – Democratic attorneys general in Washington, D.C., and 20 states are suing the Trump administration’s efforts to lay off nearly half of the Education Department workforce. (The Hill) Read More
House subcommittee hears testimony on school choice – The U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing on exploring school choice and a federal school voucher program. (NewsNation) Read More
Frequently asked questions about racial preferences and stereotypes under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act -This document anticipates and answers questions that may be raised in response to the Dear Colleague Letter: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act in Light of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard recently released by the U.S. Department of Education. (U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights) Read More
An open letter to Linda McMahon – NAEP remains the single most important activity of the Education Department. Which is why it needs the secretary’s watchful attention. (The 74) Read More

Higher Education News and Resources

New research by UNCF and Healthy Minds Network shows strong mental health outcomes among HBCU students – Groundbreaking research shows students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) demonstrate significantly stronger mental health outcomes compared to their peers nationally, despite facing more significant financial stressors and barriers to mental health services. (UNCF Institute for Capacity Building) Read More

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Review the archive of past updates:

Miles To Go: The State of Education for Black Students in America