State and Legislative Updates from SEF’s Government Affairs Team

The weeks of 7/20 – 7/31

Greetings all,

As we close out July, we hope this newsletter finds you well! In federal news, the Senate HELP Committee advanced S. 5046, bipartisan legislation that prohibits the U.S. Department of Education (ED) from transferring special education and several other major education offices to other federal agencies. This bill conflicts with legislation recently advanced by the House Education and Workforce Committee that permanently transfers several Education Department programs to other agencies, and its future in the Senate remains uncertain. However, this vote represents a major legislative effort to block the Trump Administration from completely dismantling ED without congressional approval.

In additional national news, there are several reports and resources on school voucher programs and the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program that you may find useful in your work.

  • A New Federal Voucher Program Poised To Ramp Up School Segregation – A recent report by The Century Foundation finds that in some metro areas in states that are still deciding whether to opt out of or into the federal education tax credit program, private schools already drive more than 40 percent of the racial segregation in schools.
  • The Data And Policy Landscapes Of Education Vouchers: Inequitable Opportunity And The Unprecedented Shift In Public Education Dollars – The Children’s Equity Project report outlines contemporary voucher debates within their historical context while tracing how voucher programs have evolved, and how claims of equity, freedom, and efficiency have been deployed over time.
  • The Federal Scholarship Tax Credit: How It Operates, What It Means for States, and What Is Still Being Decided – The Learning Policy Institute developed a resource to serve as a primer about the program for states and other stakeholders and is based on information available as of July 15, 2026.

As always, we hope you find the resources below useful and meaningful in your important work to support students throughout the South.

Latest From SEF

  • Public comments urging U.S. Department of Education to preserve Equity Assistance Center Program – SEF is the host site of the Region II Equity Assistance Center, and we recently submitted a formal comment urging the U.S. Department of Education to withdraw its proposed rule rescinding the regulations governing the Equity Assistance Center Program. Read our full comments here.
  • Region II Equity Assistance Center Director, Eshe Collins, Esq., featured in Education Week: Federal Equity Centers protecting students’ civil rights fight to stay open – Since Collins arrived in 2023, her center has helped districts with strategic planning, community engagement during redistricting, and teacher recruitment and retention. Collins says much of the backlash is driven by misconceptions about what the centers do and how much they cost. Read the full article here.
  • Co-founder of Brown’s Promise, Ary Amerikaner, featured in Chalkbeat: The activist and lawyer who’s trying to integrate schools by race and class – A lawyer and education policy advocate who worked in the Obama Education Department, Ary Amerikaner, cofounded and leads an organization called Brown’s Promise. The group is hoping to influence the national conversation, while also making direct change in a handful of specific states. Read the full article here.
  • New Report: Economic Vitality and Education in the South, Part II: Projections for a Post-Pandemic South (EVES II) – EVES II examines what may become a defining line in American education: the COVID-19 pandemic and the era that followed. Read the full report here.

State Updates

Alabama

  • Gov. Kay Ivey signs executive order creating commission to study screen-based learning – Gov. Kay Ivey signed an executive order creating a commission dedicated to studying the risks, usage, and benefits of screen-based instruction in K-12 classrooms across the state. (Alabama Reflector) Read More

Arkansas

  • How Videos Helped Me Uncover Abuse at an Arkansas Private School – The incidents at the Delta Institute show how one publicly funded private school has operated with little scrutiny, even after a criminal investigation into student abuse. The school is still operating and remains eligible for public funding from the state, but it is now called North Star Academy. (ProPublica) Read More

Florida

  • 5 Florida laws to know that make changes to schools and education – Florida passed several laws on everything from dangerous crimes to data centers. These also included bills regarding children, schools, and education. (6 South Florida News) Read More

Georgia

  • The state of higher education with Sonny Perdue – The University System of Georgia Chancellor, Sonny Perdue, discusses workforce development, college affordability, and preparing Georgia students for tomorrow’s careers. (Atlanta Magazine) Read More
  • Georgia school district’s 4-day week gains statewide attention – As students across Georgia head back to school, one district has operated on a four-day school week for more than a decade — and other districts are taking notice. (Atlanta News First) Read More

Kentucky

  • How the state achieved bipartisan child care reform – Recent legislation boosts provider benefits, raises subsidy reimbursement rates and removes obstacles for childcare providers in Kentucky. (The 74) Read More
  • How new Kentucky law could impact student discipline in schools – With the new school year approaching, Louisville-area schools are preparing to implement new Kentucky legislation requiring a stricter response to students accused of assaulting a staff member. (Courier-Journal -Subscription Required) Read More

Louisiana

  • Federal appeals court ends a decades-old school desegregation order in Louisiana – A federal appeals court ended more than 60 years of federal oversight of the Concordia Parish School Board that had been ordered to eradicate segregation. (Associated Press)  Read More
  • This small group has a big task: revamp Louisiana’s $4B school funding system – Beginning next month, 15 people could decide the future of school funding in the state. Lawmakers established the school-funding task force with a unanimous vote on the last day of the legislative session. It was pitched as a way to increase pay for teachers, who once again this year received one-time stipends instead of permanent raises. (The Advocate – Subscription Required) Read More

Maryland

  • Students continue minimal gains on test scores, but demographic gaps remain – Test results released by the Maryland State Department of Education show public school students making steady progress in math and language arts proficiency, but wide gaps remain between the scores of different demographic groups. (Maryland Matters) Read More

Missouri

  • State shelves childcare payment overhaul as thousands remain on waitlist – One in five Missouri children eligible for state-paid childcare services isn’t receiving help because there isn’t enough money in the state budget. There are 7,389 children on the waiting list to be enrolled in the state’s childcare subsidy program. (Missouri Independent)  Read More
  • After voucher data leak, the state treasurer’s office pointed at its contractor – Newly released emails show that when the State Treasurer’s Office learned in April that spreadsheets on its website unintentionally exposed the names of students receiving private school vouchers, it downplayed the leak to families and drafted a statement blaming its software contractor. (Missouri Independent) Read More
  • Opinion: Rural future depends on its public schools – Ten years from now, will every Missouri child still have a strong local public school? And will communities still decide what that school looks like? That question should concern every Missourian. It is why the future of public education in Missouri is also a rural survival issue. (Missouri Independent) Read More

North Carolina

  • State leaders say the budget offers ‘historic’ raises. A top education panel says it’s not enough – Just weeks after the state legislature passed a $34 billion state budget that included 8% average raises for teachers over two years, the state’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education said it’s not enough. (NC Newsline) Read More

Oklahoma

  • State data shows lack of fully trained teachers entering the classroom – State leaders say they’re still pursuing solutions to reverse a yearslong decline in traditionally trained teachers entering the classroom, all while emergency certified educators continue to fill essential teaching roles. (Oklahoma Voice) Read More
  • Revised social standards head to classrooms after court blocks Ryan Walters-era version – As a new school year is set to begin, new social studies standards will also take effect in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked the standards that were drafted under former State Superintendent Ryan Walters for violating Oklahoma’s Open Meetings Act. Now, revised standards are headed to classrooms, but educators said students may not notice any major changes. (KOCO 5 News) Read More

South Carolina

  • Senate plan to restrict homeschoolers from voucher program tossed from budget – More than twice as many home-educated students are in line to receive school vouchers this coming year after state budget negotiators last week determined that a proposal to restrict their participation should be addressed outside the budget process. (The State) Read More

Tennessee

  • New state law limits digital devices K-5: What parents should know – As the school year begins, a new state law is limiting screen time for digital devices such as laptops in grades K-5. It was amended from the previous version, which sought to ban digital device usage. (News Channel 9) Read More

Texas

  • Student success should mean more state money for universities, state agency suggests – State lawmakers should reshape how they fund public universities by giving them more money when students make progress toward degrees and graduate, the state’s higher education agency recommended. (The Texas Tribune) Read More
  • Universities can use conservative-favored entrance exam as state eyes wider use, agency chief says – The state’s higher education commissioner signaled last week that the state could expand the use of the conservative-favored Classic Learning Test in public university admissions even though an independent review found far less evidence linking the exam’s scores to college performance than SAT and ACT scores. (KBTX News) Read More
  • National teacher certification board told to scrub DEI mentions to comply with state law – Educators with national teaching certification could no longer automatically qualify for salary raises under the state’s pay-for-performance program if officials who oversee the credential do not de-emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion. (KWTX News) Read More

West Virginia

  • The state’s school funding formula is failing shrinking districts. Here’s how the state could fix it – Since 2011, West Virginia has shuttered 139 public schools, and this looks to be another tough financial year. In June, state school board President Paul Hardesty warned that 10 to 20 more schools could close this year. (Mountain State Spotlight) Read More
  • These young West Virginians want to build careers in the state. A lack of good jobs is forcing them to look elsewhere. – According to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, only one in three students who earned bachelor’s degrees in West Virginia in 2023 were working in the state two years after graduation. (Mountain State Spotlight) Read More

National/Federal Updates

Early Childhood Education News and Resources

  • First Five Years Fund State Fact Sheets: Child Care and Early Learning, 2026 – First Five Years Fund’s 2026 State Fact Sheets on child care and early learning provide state-by-state data for all 50 states and Washington, DC, showing how federal and state investments support families, young children, and local economies. They also highlight where significant gaps remain. (First Five Years Fund) Read More
  • The Child Care Modernization Act Fails to Deliver Real Solutions to the Child Care Crisis – We are currently in a child care crisis. Parents and families are struggling to find and afford child care in their communities. Meanwhile, child care providers are struggling to stay afloat while making poverty-level wages. We urgently need Congressional action to address this crisis. The Child Care Modernization Act, which reauthorizes CCDF, is not the answer to this crisis, and may even make it worse. (National Women’s Law Center) Read More

K-12 Education News and Resources

  • Shrinking student populations cause spike in public school closures across U.S. – School closures have spiked 35 percent across the country over the past four years, propelled by a shrinking youth population and the end of COVID-19 relief funds that had propped up education funding in some places. (The Washington Post -Subscription Required) Read More
  • Why are so many kindergartners chronically absent? – Nationally, the grade with the worst attendance record before high school is kindergarten, a year that some families view as optional and low-stakes but educators treat as foundational for establishing healthy habits, routines and relationships. (The Hechinger Report) Read More
  • Will federal vouchers usher in a new era of school voucher regulation? – The One Big Beautiful Bill created a federal voucher program, a program that may help further the goal of pushing voucher programs into states that have resisted vouchers. Yet those states may move to ensure that federal vouchers do not bring with them the fraud and abuse seen in other states. (Forbes) Read More
  • Black students’ exclusion from high-quality math has dire consequences – Black students have been excluded from high-quality mathematics for generations — with dire outcomes academically and professionally, a California-based math equity group found. (The 74) Read More
  • Education Department limits civil rights investigations into racial disparities in schools – The Education Department announced that racial disparities in school discipline alone will no longer trigger federal civil rights violations. Investigators also may no longer use broad demographic data, such as discipline rates or AP enrollment, to prove discrimination. (Chalkbeat) Read More
  • ‘School choice’ does not provide better education for all families – Advocates of a right-wing, billionaire-funded campaign to replace public education with a privatized education marketplace have been candid about their goals and disciplined in pursuing them. Voucher and charter school programs are taking funds that could make our public schools stronger. (The Progressive Magazine) Read More
  • A New Federal Voucher Program Poised to Ramp Up School Segregation – New analysis in this piece shows that in some metro areas in states that are still deciding whether to opt out of or into the federal voucher program, private schools already drive more than 40 percent of the racial segregation in schools. (The Century Foundation) Read More
  • The Data And Policy Landscapes Of Education Vouchers: Inequitable Opportunity And The Unprecedented Shift In Public Education Dollars – In this report, we situate contemporary voucher debates within their historical context as we trace how voucher programs have evolved, and how claims of equity, freedom, and efficiency have been deployed over time. We also delve into critical but often overlooked realities. (The Children’s Equity Project) Read More
  • The Federal Scholarship Tax Credit: How It Operates, What It Means for States, and What Is Still Being Decided – The 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act created the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit that will go into effect at the beginning of 2027. This slide deck is designed to serve as a primer about the program for states and other stakeholders and is based on information available as of July 15, 2026. (Learning Policy Institute) Read More
  • How Fair is School Funding in My State? – Southerners for Fair School Funding uses a State Ratings Rubric based on research and a core set of criteria to evaluate how Southern states fund their public schools. Exploring this map will help develop a clear picture of how Southern states are doing on each component of fair school funding. (Southerners for Fair School Funding) Read More
  • District Policy Pathfinder – District-level teacher policy doesn’t just affect teachers—it determines the quality of instruction students receive every day. Dive in for answers to your most pressing questions or download data that can strengthen your research. (National Council on Teacher Quality) Read More
  • Protect Public Schools: An Advocacy Toolkit to Fight School Voucher Programs – School voucher programs and their many iterations drain funds from public schools while disproportionately harming Black and Brown students from low-income backgrounds and students with disabilities. This toolkit provides the resources and information communities need to launch effective advocacy campaigns against school voucher programs in their state. (The Education Trust) Read More

Higher Education News and Resources

  • A wave of student loan borrowers have entered default since pandemic-era protections lapsed – Defaults on student loans have surged across the United States, reaching record levels as borrowers struggle to keep up with payments. The numbers have spiked since payments came due again following a lengthy pause intended to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Associated Press) Read More
  • ‘A razor’s edge’: How colleges are navigating civil rights probes under Trump –  The Trump administration has pulled federal funding from high-profile universities over claims related to antisemitism or race- or sex-based discrimination — even before officials completed investigations or followed the required process for pulling those funds. In response, these universities have taken different tacks. (Higher Ed Dive) Read More
  • How states can strengthen basic needs supports for college students – In an increasingly unaffordable economy, it’s a harsh reality that food insecurity continues to impact young people far after they leave the classroom. States can do more to fill the gaps. (The Education Trust) Read More
  • How states are streamlining college admissions—and who benefits – Georgia is one of 19 states that have developed some form of a direct-admissions system. Using data about academic performance through 11th grade, colleges essentially apply to students—a reverse of the traditional application process that can create logistical and financial barriers to enrollment. (Education Week – Subscription Required) Read More
  • HBCUs, are we keeping good faith with our constituents? – With simultaneous stories about HBCU Presidents and their salaries this week being published, with many lingering questions being asked by the public, one question that stood out is “Are Private HBCUs Keeping Good Faith Accountability with Their Constituents?” (The Edu Ledger) Read More
  • Will the College Transparency Act get the green light from lawmakers? – Major higher education associations are calling on congressional lawmakers to advance the College Transparency Act, which would lift a ban on the federal government collecting student-level data. (Higher Ed Dive) Read More
  • White House to redirect billions in research funds toward AI, away from colleges – The Trump administration plans to accelerate its overhaul of federal research by supporting more individual scientists and the use of artificial intelligence rather than universities, its latest attempt to accelerate technological discovery to combat China. (The Wall Street Journal – Subscription Required) 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