The Bottom Line

The latest education policy news from the South

August 2025

State and Legislative Updates from SEF’s Government Affairs Team

The weeks of 8/11 – 8/22

Greetings all,

As back-to-school season gets underway in most states in the South, the past couple of weeks have been nothing short of eventful. New state laws that impact students are officially taking effect, and school districts are pivoting to minimize the damage from delays in federal funding.

Across the South, two state teacher unions have brought lawsuits challenging state private school voucher laws. Missouri’s teacher union is actively challenging the state’s existing school voucher program, and South Carolina’s union engaged in a lawsuit in 2024, when the State Supreme Court ruled the last school voucher program unconstitutional.

New reporting also shows how school voucher programs across the region are contributing to racial segregation and decreased funding for public school students. Following North Carolina’s latest school voucher expansion, which eliminated the income cap, making all NC families eligible for the program, recent data show that White students accounted for 73% of voucher recipients, which was an increase of 10 points. Black students, however, accounted for 11% of voucher recipients, which was a decrease of 8 points. In South Carolina, a recent analysis found that more than a third of the private schools that benefited from the state’s school voucher program last year espouse anti-LBGTQ+ beliefs. Finally, in Tennessee, public school students will receive around $270 less in state per-pupil funding than students attending private schools using the state’s new voucher program.

In more encouraging news, a recent national poll suggests that defunding education at the federal level is unpopular across demographics. Additionally, a federal judge in Maryland struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at the nation’s K-12 schools and higher education institutions.

As always, we hope you find the resources below helpful and meaningful to your work in supporting students of color and students from low-income families across the South.

The Latest from SEF

2025 Legislative Review Webinar Recording and Materials – Missed our webinar earlier this month summarizing the 2025 education legislation passed across South? Watch the recording and review supplemental materials here!
Upcoming Webinar: Lynn Walker Huntley Fellowship Overview – Are you an early-career attorney passionate about civil rights and education equity? SEF is now accepting applications for the 2026–2028 Lynn Walker Huntley Fellowship Program. Register now to attend our live informational webinar on Tuesday, August 26th, at 2 PM EST to learn more!
Upcoming Conference: The Center for Outcomes-Based Contracting 2025 Convening – The Center for Outcomes-Based Contracting will host its 2025 Convening September 17–19 in Orlando, Florida. This event will convene district and state leaders, service providers, and policy partners to explore how outcomes-based contracting is reshaping the way we fund, implement, and measure instructional services. Registration is open now!
Upcoming Conference: 2025 SEF’s Issues Forum Miles to Go: The Road to Education Justice – Don’t forget to register and join SEF Nov. 4-6 in New Orleans, LA, for our signature convening on education justice.

State Updates

Alabama

Federal judge denies injunction against the state’s anti-DEI law – A federal judge declined to block the state’s 2024 law, SB 129, which bans diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and so-called “divisive concepts.” The court concluded that the plaintiffs had not met the requirements for issuing a preliminary injunction against the state Board of Education’s enforcement of the law. (Alabama Reeflector) Read More
State legislator testifies about state’s Pre-K program in Kentucky – A state representative made the case for state-supported early childhood education during a meeting of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s Pre-K for All Advisory Committee in Kentucky. (Alabama Reflector) Read More

Arkansas

Private school tuitions rise as Arkansas voucher program enters third year – As participation in the state’s school voucher program has grown, so too has tuition at the private schools receiving state funds. The 93 schools that participated all three years of the program reported an average tuition increase of about $1,400. (Arkansas Advocate) Read More
Parents ask judge to reject motion to dismiss school voucher case – Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s LEARNS Act argued in federal court filings that they have standing in the case and asked a judge to reject a motion to dismiss the suit. (Arkansas Advocate) Read More
State Department of Education claws back $300k from terminated voucher contract – Student First Technologies, a vendor hired to help the state manage its school voucher program, paid $300,000 in damages to the state Department of Education. The payment stemmed from a terminated contract to provide online services for the voucher program established under the LEARNS Act. (Arkansas Times) Read More

Delaware

The Public Education Funding Commission is back, equalization top of mind amid reassessment turmoil – The state’s Public Education Funding Commission is back after a month-long break to discuss equalization amid statewide property reassessment fallout. Now that the commission has approved a framework to work off of, it’s time for them to discuss the details of the funding formula itself. (Delaware Public Media) Read More
Delaware sues to protect Head Start and other programs from illegal Trump cuts– The state Attorney General joined a suit against the Trump Administration to stop an unlawful attempt to defund Head Start and other federally funded education programs serving Delaware communities. (Office of the Delaware Attorney General) Read More
State employers asked to share child care challenges – State employers are invited to fill out the 2025 Employer Survey on Child Care, open now through September 22, to share how child care barriers affect productivity, workforce stability, and business growth. (Delaware Business Times) Read More

Florida

Decades-old Hendry County school desegregation case ends – A federal judge last week approved ending a Hendry County school-desegregation lawsuit that started in 1970, after the U.S. Department of Justice and the district agreed that “vestiges of the prior de jure segregation” had been eliminated. (WUSF News) Read More
Florida to phase out certificates of completion for students with disabilities – Under HB 1105, and a recent State Board of Education vote, students with disabilities will no longer be able to get a certificate of completion at the end of their school career, starting this year. Students with severe disabilities who are unable to earn a standard high school diploma will graduate without any formal recognition. (Central Florida Public Media) Read More
State universities face research overhaul courtesy of Trump and DeSantis – President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape higher education in a conservative mold aren’t just targeting Ivy League elites. They’re stripping millions from Florida universities — and the state’s Republican governor is happy to help. (POLITICO) Read More

Georgia

As Georgia students become buried in college debt, a state panel will examine solutions – State lawmakers are about to take a hard look at college costs in light of eye-opening data showing the size of student college debt. (13WMAZ News) Read More
Graduates contributed more than $23 billion to state economy – The University System of Georgia says its graduates contributed $23.1 billion to the state’s economy in fiscal year 2024, marking a 5% increase from the previous year, according to two new studies. (WSB-TV.com) Read More
Opinion: Repeal Georgia’s Voucher Law — Put Public Dollars Back Into Public Schools – When the Georgia General Assembly passed the “Georgia Promise Scholarship” voucher program, it was marketed as a lifeline for struggling students. In reality, it’s a political project that siphons taxpayer dollars from the very schools that need them most. (AllOnGeorgia) Read More
Beyond HOPE? Georgia Senate eyeing need-based college scholarships – The new Senate Study Committee on Higher Education Affordability is reviewing a proposal to expand financial aid beyond the merit-based HOPE program by creating a need-based scholarship. The committee held its first meeting on August 18 at the state Capitol. (The Augusta Chronicle) Read More
No chance at the American dream? Georgia lawmakers seek solutions to end ‘chronic’ absenteeism – The closure of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic caused a massive downshift in attendance, as nearly one in four Georgia students stopped attending class, nearly double the rate before the pandemic. (The Augusta Chronicle) Read More

Kentucky

Education funding in the state remains inadequate, inequitable and uncertain as kids head back to school – As Kentucky students head back to school this month, state funding for K-12 education continues to fall well below past efforts, preventing overdue investments to shrink class size, increase student supports, and hire more teachers and bus drivers. (Kentucky Center for Economic Policy) Read More
Breaking down the new Kentucky laws that will affect this school year – For the thousands of students returning this week, classrooms may look different as more than half a dozen new education-related laws take effect this year. (WKYT News) Read More
Audit finds Department of Education lacks measurable benchmarks – House and Senate members of the legislature’s Interim Joint Committee on Education heard from the state’s Auditor of Public Accounts about performance data from a recent Kentucky Department of Education review, including findings of a lack of measurable benchmarks. (Kentucky Today) Read More

Louisiana

Creating and sustaining a new kind of education system after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans – Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath disrupted every element of life in the city of New Orleans, but no sector was affected as much as education. A new Brookings report analyzes how post-storm reforms impacted student outcomes, the teaching workforce, and district operations compared with similar districts unaffected by the reforms. (BROOKINGS) Read More

Maryland

Hundreds of Maryland university students have grants honored after funding was rescinded – Maryland’s Higher Education Commission (MHEC) is honoring grants to hundreds of college students who initially had their funds canceled following a computer glitch. (CBS News) Read More

Mississippi

Mass confusion after MAP, Inc. loses federal funding to run Head Start centers in northern Mississippi – Nearly 2,000 families may be without child care at the start of this school year after dozens of child care centers run by Mississippi Action for Progress in northern Mississippi have not reopened after losing their federal funding. (Mississippi Today) Read More
Will state Republicans stand with President Trump on school vouchers or side with Democratic colleagues to oppose him? – The Governor and House Speaker, both Republicans, have indicated they will carry the school voucher banner in 2026, even hinting at a potential special legislative session to take up the issue. However, the state’s Democratic Party continues to rally supporters against school vouchers. (Magnolia Tribune) Read More
Federal judge blocks parts of state’s ban on DEI in public schools – A federal judge blocked portions of the state’s ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in public schools from being enforced while a lawsuit against it is underway. (Associated Press) Read More

Missouri

Missouri looks to other states as it considers change to school funding – State leaders are learning what they can from surrounding states as they plan changes in school funding. (News Tribune – Subscription Required) Read More

North Carolina

Are North Carolina’s schools more segregated? What data show after state lifted voucher cap – The number of school vouchers awarded has jumped from about 1,200 in 2015 to more than 80,000 last school year. The percentage of White recipients has also increased significantly, from 27% in 2015 to 73% last year. Conversely, the share of Black or African-American recipients has declined from 51% to 11%. (The News & Observer) Read More
New program will admit half of North Carolina seniors to these in-state colleges without applying – A group of colleges and universities have joined together to launch a new direct admission program called NC College Connect that’s poised to change how high schoolers across the state navigate the college admissions process. (WUNC News) Read More
Students can no longer fail class solely based on not showing up – North Carolina schools are revising their grading policies to eliminate failing grades solely based on attendance, marking a significant shift in response to rising absenteeism. (WRAL News) Read More
State superintendent launches plan to make NC schools ‘the absolute best.’ Here’s what’s in it – The State Superintendent of Public Instruction said the state will have the best schools in the nation in five years. That’s the premise of his strategic plan, approved earlier this month by the State Board of Education. (WRAL News) Read More

Oklahoma

What have Oklahoma’s governor candidates said about education? – While other leading GOP candidates for Oklahoma governor pledged to continue a campaign against the “radical left” in public schools, Attorney General and gubernatorial hopeful Gentner Drummond called for state leaders to change their tone toward teachers. (Oklahoma Voice) Read More
Opinion: It’s worth it for Oklahoma to give non-US citizens in-state college tuition – The U.S. Department of Justice has sued the state over our state regents’ policy allowing certain non-U.S. citizen high school graduates to pay in-state tuition at our colleges and universities. That argument ignores the state’s own long-term interests. (The Oklahoman) Read More
Crosswhite Hader, Hasenbeck celebrate signing of bill ending funding for DEI in higher education – Rep. Crosswhite Hader participated in a ceremonial bill signing for SB 796, which eliminates public funding for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs across the state’s higher education institutions. (State of Oklahoma House of Representatives) Read More
Ideology test for teachers from New York and California draws criticism – The state will require applicants for teacher jobs coming from California and New York to pass an exam that the Republican State Superintendent says is designed to safeguard against “radical leftist ideology,” but which opponents decry as a “MAGA loyalty test.” (Associated Press) Read More

South Carolina

A third of South Carolina private schools that got vouchers in 2024 have anti-LGBTQ rules – More than a third of the private schools that benefited from South Carolina’s education scholarship trust fund program last year espouse anti-LGBT beliefs or are affiliated with a church or association that does, an analysis by The State Media Co. found. (The State) Read More

Tennessee

Tennessee to give more average per-pupil funding to voucher participants than public school students – Tennessee public school students this school year will receive around $270 less in state per-pupil funding than private school students using the state’s new voucher program. (Chalkbeat Tennessee) Read More
Tennessee Educator Survey: 2025 Overview – The Tennessee Educator Survey is conducted annually in partnership between the state Department of Education and the Tennessee Education Research Alliance. The survey provides teachers, administrators, and certified staff the opportunity to share their experiences and perceptions about what is working and what improvements should be made in Tennessee schools. (Tennessee Department of Education) Read More
Arizona Voucher Vacations – As Tennessee embarks on a school voucher misadventure, it is important to look at other states with universal voucher schemes to see how they are (not) working. Arizona voucher recipients are using tax dollars to fund family vacations – Disney, Sea World, etc., and there’s a Facebook group where users discuss how to game the system to finance vacations. (Tennessee Education Report) Read More
New pilot program aimed at easing transition to post-secondary education – The Tennessee Higher Education Commission recently announced the launch of a pilot program called TN Direct Admissions, which uses existing academic data to automatically accept eligible in-state high school seniors to in-state universities and the state’s community and technical colleges. (News 5 WCYB) Read More
Fisk University Earns National Recognition for Commitment to First-Generation Student Success – FirstGen Forward announced Fisk University as one of sixty new members of the FirstGen Forward Network for 2025–26 for displaying a demonstrated commitment to improving experiences and advancing success for first-generation college students. (The Tennessee Tribune) Read More

Texas

Texas private schools hire relatives and enrich insiders. Soon they can do it with taxpayer money – An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing, and conflicts of interest among 27 private schools that likely would have violated state laws had the schools been public. (ProPublica) Read More
Trump vowed to end “wasteful” federal spending. Beloved Texas school programs got caught in the middle – Sweeping and sudden funding changes this year put two revered after-school programs for low-income Texans and a rural teacher training initiative at risk of closure. (The Texas Tribune) Read More
District judge denies motion to challenge ruling ending Texas Dream Act, civil rights groups appeal – A North Texas district judge denied an emergency motion by civil rights advocacy groups to intervene in the lawsuit that blocked the Texas Dream Act, which granted in-state tuition, state financial aid, or both to students without legal immigration status for the last 24 years. (The Daily Texan) Read More

Virginia

Trump admin set to pull funds for Virginia schools over transgender policies – Five northern Virginia school districts are at risk of losing their federal funding after they rejected the terms of an agreement with the Education Department to resolve probes into their transgender students’ policies. (POLITICO) Read More

West Virginia

Opinion: Students go back to school in West Virginia, but same education debates rage – While students across the Mountain State are going back to school to advance to the next grade, many parents and most of the politicians seem to be held back in the same spots with the same education arguments of the last few years. (West Virginia Watch) Read More

National/Federal Updates

Early Childhood Education

Early education experts see this new Trump rule as ‘the wrong step at the wrong time’ – Aspiring early childhood educators who want to pursue undergraduate degrees next year might lose out on federal loans they need to afford their studies. President Donald Trump’s tax and spending megabill slashes funding for higher education, including student financial aid. (PBS News) Read More

K-12 Education

Teachers union lawsuits in 5 states challenge private school vouchers – Across the country, teachers unions have been challenging the constitutionality of their states’ private school voucher programs in court. And in at least two cases, they have won. (The 74) Read More
Court rules for public schools and educators, rejects Trump-Vance Administration’s unprecedented assault on public education – The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland delivered a sweeping ruling in favor of a coalition of nationwide associations of educators and a public school district, declaring that the Trump-Vance administration’s attempt to require school districts throughout the nation to censor lessons, abandon student support programs, and certify their compliance with the administration’s unlawful interpretation of civil rights is unconstitutional.(Democracy Forward) Read More
Opinion: The Role of High-Impact Tutoring for States and School Districts – Without federal emergency education funds, states likely will play a larger role in supporting high-impact tutoring in schools. State leaders may wonder why and how they can continue supporting student learning through high-impact tutoring — especially as the funding landscape is uncertain.  (Education Commission of the States) Read More
Tell your governor and legislators: Reject federal voucher tax credits – The federal tax credit voucher program included in the reconciliation bill is a bait-and-switch. It will destabilize public schools, balloon in cost, and never be rolled back. Using this action alert, tell your Governor and legislators to protect our public schools, our students, and our communities. (Network for Public Education) Read More
Federal judge halts Education Department’s anti-DEI measures – A federal judge blocked two U.S. Department of Education actions that attempted to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools. (K-12 Dive) Read More
U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights staff to return to work after mass layoffs – Laid-off federal staffers of the Office for Civil Rights will begin to return to work next month, the U.S. Department of Education told a federal judge this week. (EdSource) Read More

Higher Education

U.S. Department of Education clarifies what race-based admissions data must be reported – The Trump administration released further details on its order for colleges to supply more racially disaggregated admissions data and wants to hear from the public about its plan. (Inside Higher Ed) Read More
Advocates push for HBCU growth outside the South amid DEI challenges – A new movement is gaining momentum to establish satellite campuses for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in cities beyond the South. Officials in places like Boston and San Francisco are advocating for local HBCUs to enhance access to Black education, as students currently face challenges such as the high costs of out-of-state tuition and the need to relocate far from home. (CNN) Read More
U.S. Department of Education prohibits work-study funds for voter outreach – In a recent Dear Colleague letter, the U.S. Department of Education said new regulations prohibit using Federal Work-Study programs to fund jobs “involving partisan or nonpartisan voter registration, voter assistance at a polling place or through a voter hotline, or serving as a poll worker.” (EdSource) 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

Review the archive of past updates: