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State and Legislative Updates from SEF’s Government Affairs Team
The weeks of 10/28 – 11/8
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Election Day on Nov. 5 marked a historic moment for our country on many different fronts. Former President Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris and will assume his 2nd term in office. There were also a number of statewide races and ballot measures that will have a direct impact on millions of students and the education systems across the South. This week, the Bottom Line highlights the down-ballot election results and how education-related ballot measures fared in the South. We also present our usual summary of education news across the region. We hope the summaries and resources below are helpful and meaningful to the important work that remains ahead.
U.S. Senate Races
There were nine U.S. Senate races in the South. Three states elected new senators: Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia. Delaware and Maryland made history by electing two Black women to these seats. The current West Virginia Governor Jim Justice (R) won the U.S. Senate recently vacated by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin. Six other southern states reelected incumbents to the U.S. Senate: Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, and Virginia. With 52 seats, Republicans will control the U.S. Senate beginning in January.
*As of the afternoon of Nov. 8, final election results in several races across the country are still undetermined, with control of the U.S. House of Representatives still in the balance.
Gubernatorial Races
Four new governors were elected across the southern region. Matt Meyer (D) defeated Mike Ramone (R) in Delaware. Mike Kehoe (R) defeated Crystal Quade (D) in Missouri. North Carolina elected Josh Stein (D), the current state attorney general who defeated Mark
Robinson (R). Patrick Morrisey (R), the current state attorney general defeated Steve Williams to win the governor’s seat in West Virginia.
North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Maurice ‘Mo’ Green (D) defeated Michele Morrow (R) to win the state superintendent race in North Carolina. Green ran a campaign that clearly outlined his plan to support public education. Morrow strongly voiced her support for school vouchers and controversial school safety measures.
Scroll down for our table showing the statewide election winners in our region.
Education Ballot Measures
We also tracked education ballot measures in Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri.
- Florida voters rejected Amendment 1, which would have made local school board races partisan. The amendment fell short of the 60% of votes needed to pass.
- In Kentucky, 65% of voters rejected Amendment 2 which would have allowed the state legislature to provide public funding to students attending private schools.
- Missouri voters rejected Amendment 5 to establish a new gambling-boat license that would have created roughly $14 million in new funding to support early childhood literacy programs in public schools.
Presidential Election Impact on Education Resources
For details on the potential future of education under the upcoming Trump Presidency, check out the articles below:
State Updates
Alabama
- Starting next year, families have two state-funded school voucher options – Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, eligible Alabama K-12 students can apply for a school voucher made available through the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Act. (Alabama Daily News) Read More
Arkansas
- Lawmakers to modify Arkansas Scholarship Lottery for trade school students – Issue 1 will amend the Arkansas Constitution to allow scholarships from the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery program to be used at vocational-technical schools and technical institutes. Nearly 90% of voters supported the measure. (KATV News) Read More
- Teacher-salary funding concerns remain for rural school districts – As more schools across the state cautiously expand their salary schedules after recent changes in state law, rural district administrators remain concerned about how the state will continue funding for mandated teacher raises in the years ahead. (Arkansas Advocate) Read More
Delaware
- Education advocates’ survey finds teachers concerned about state funding – The Rodel Foundation of Delaware surveyed 50 educators in the state and found that a majority have concerns about the state’s funding formula. Some 56% of those surveyed said the current formula doesn’t support students’ needs, and nearly nine in 10 said that funding inequity can affect student outcomes. (Delaware Public Media) Read More
Florida
- Amendment 1 fails, leaving school board races nonpartisan – Despite a push by Florida legislators to require school board candidates to disclose their political affiliations, school board races in the state will remain nonpartisan. Voters rejected Amendment 1, a proposed constitutional amendment that would have forced school board candidates to make the disclosures. (Florida Today) Read More
- Florida again tops nation in schools’ book removals, according to report – Book removals are increasing across U.S. school libraries — and Florida remains in the lead. With about 4,500 book removals, the state topped the nation for the second year in a row. That’s according to a report from PEN America. (WUSF News) Read More
Georgia
- Inequities persist for Black students, report finds – A new report from the Atlanta-based Southern Education Foundation finds that seven decades after the U.S. Supreme Court mandated racial integration of public schools, academic outcomes for Black students lag behind their peers. (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution – Subscription Required) Read More
Kentucky
- Every Kentucky county voted against Amendment 2 – The controversial Amendment 2 asked voters if they wanted to revise the state constitution to permit the state legislature to spend public dollars on private education. The measure failed overwhelmingly, with 65% of voters rejecting the amendment. (The Courier-Journal) Read More
Maryland
- Support for book bans varies in Maryland school board races – With November’s school board elections approaching, the issue of book bans will once again appear on the ballot in the form of races between conservative candidates and their opponents. (Maryland Matters) Read More
Missouri
- Federal government, Missouri AG’s office argue over student loan forgiveness – The fate of a partially enacted federal plan to forgive student loans and lower monthly payments is in the hands of a panel of three GOP-appointed judges on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. (News Tribune) Read More
North Carolina
- ‘The work does not end here’: Democrat Mo Green wins state superintendent’s race – Democrat Mo Green will become the next superintendent of public instruction in North Carolina. Green defeated Republican opponent Michele Morrow in this week’s elections. (CBS 17 News) Read More
- How the 2024 general election results will impact public education – In addition to the presidential election, ballots in North Carolina included many races likely to have a big impact on education. (EdNC) Read More
- ‘Balance in the system.’ What could the 2024 election results mean for public education in the state? – North Carolina could be in for jockeying for public education power or bipartisan collaboration with a broken supermajority in the state House and newly elected Democrats to the council of state. (The Charlotte Observer – Subscription Required) Read More
- Child-care solutions could increase state GDP by up to $7.5 billion, Commerce report finds – Affordable, accessible child-care could add up to 68,000 jobs in the state, increase annual economic input by up to $13.3 billion, and boost the state’s GDP by up to $7.5 billion, a new report has found. (EdNC) Read More
South Carolina
- State Board of Education bans seven books from school libraries – The State Board of Education voted to remove seven books from school libraries across the state. Each of the books was reviewed by the state’s materials review committee. The books were found in high school libraries for optional reading and were not part of any curriculum. (WSPA-TV) Read More
Tennessee
- Tennessee’s new universal school voucher plan has GOP leaders on the same page – Months after Gov. Bill Lee’s first universal school voucher bill failed over disagreements within the legislature’s Republican supermajority, state Senate and House majority leaders filed identical school voucher bills (HB 1 and SB 1) that would provide up to 20,000 students with $7,000 each in public funding for private education next fall. (Chalkbeat Tennessee) Read More
- State’s costly, disruptive school turnaround work didn’t help students long term, research says – New research shows that middle school students exiting Tennessee’s two main school turnaround models experienced few educational gains in high school, raising new questions about the much-scrutinized strategies. (Chalkbeat Tennessee) Read More
Texas
- ‘They bought a legislature’: What the GOP’s gains mean for vouchers in Texas – Public education advocates say that while defeating school vouchers next legislative session will be an uphill battle, the fight is not over. (The Texas Observer) Read More
- With school vouchers possibly on the horizon in Texas, Houston-area families offer varying opinions – Voters across the region said the prospect of public funds being used for private education wasn’t having much impact on how they cast their ballots. But the election could impact whether state lawmakers pass a school voucher program or what type it would be. (Houston Public Media) Read More
- Gov. Abbott says Texas Legislature will approve school vouchers, boost public education funds next year – After a wave of Texas Republicans dominated the ballot box on Election Day, Gov. Greg Abbott expressed confidence that he now has enough votes in the state House to pass a school voucher program, his top legislative priority since last year. (The Texas Tribune) Read More
Virginia
- State lawmakers consider K-12 education plan to meet student needs, cost share among state and localities – Lawmakers discussed ways to address the state’s decades-old school funding formula and considered a series of near-term recommendations that could be phased into the commonwealth’s plans within three to four years. (Virginia Mercury) Read More
West Virginia
- Gov. Justice appoints First Lady Cathy Justice to State board of education – Gov. Jim Justice announced that he has appointed First Lady Cathy Justice to the West Virginia Board of Education. (The West Virginia Daily News) Read More
National/Federal Updates
Early Childhood Education
- Project 2025’s elimination of Head Start would be disastrous for rural families, advocates say – Rural parents have fewer choices for child care and transportation, advocates say, making the program especially important outside big cities. (Daily Yonder) Read More
- Increasing child-care teacher pay doesn’t have to mean charging parents more – Child-care workers earn less than dog walkers. States are finally realizing that’s got to change. (Vox) Read More
- Child-care expenses push an estimated 134,000 families into poverty each year – Child care remains unaffordable and inaccessible for far too many families across the U.S. and these costs alone push an estimated 134,000 families with young children into poverty each year. (Center for American Progress) Read More
- Shortchanged: Tracking public investment in early learning (Center for Early Learning Funding Equity) – The Shortchanged Project will analyze all early learning funding streams together and chronicle how much – or how little – the U.S. spends on the care and education of children before they enter elementary school nationally, state-by-state, and over time. Read More
- Cash transfers as an effective PN-3 state policy solution – Cash transfers can reduce child poverty, narrow racial disparities in poverty, and have positive impacts on household resources and child and parent health. (Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center) Read More
K-12 Education
- U.S. public schools spent nearly $3.2 billion fending off right-wing attacks, report finds – Attacks targeting American public schools over LGBTQ+ rights and educating students about race and racism cost those schools an estimated $3.2 billion in the 2023-24 school year, according to a new report by education professors from four major American universities. (The Guardian) Read More
- 56th Annual PDK Poll finds that federal focus on education initiatives wins broad public support – Preparing students to enter the workforce and attracting and retaining good teachers are Americans’ top educational priorities for the next administration in Washington, the 2024 PDK Poll finds. Conducted annually since 1969, the PDK Poll on Public Attitudes Toward Public Education (formerly the Gallup/PDK Poll) delves into a range of education-related topics. (PDK Poll) Read More
- Most applicants consider E-rate vital but want cybersecurity support, too – An overwhelming majority – 94% – of recently surveyed E-rate applicants consider the program’s federal funding vital to their ability to provide internet access for schools and libraries. Over 95% of E-rate applicants surveyed also said that cybersecurity support should qualify for E-rate funding, according to a recent report by Funds For Learning. (K-12 Dive) Read More
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