State and Legislative Updates from SEF’s Government Affairs Team

The weeks of 4/27 – 5/8

Greetings all,

As we move into May, Southern policymakers and advocates are still making education policy decisions that influence the opportunities available to students across the region. For example, Delaware introduced legislation that both consolidates funding streams and increases targeted investments for underserved student populations in response to the growing need to update its antiquated funding formula. A coalition of parents and the Florida Education Association are suing the state of Florida, claiming the state does not uphold its constitutional duty to provide a free, high-quality public education to every child in the state. And a new report from North Carolina estimates that public schools have lost roughly $100 million in revenue over the last two years due to the growth of one of North Carolina’s school voucher programs.

Please read this update in full. It’s rich with information, status updates, and resources. As always, please reach out to us if we can support you in any way.

The Latest from SEF

  • The Southern Education Foundation, Advancement Project, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Legal Defense Fund Will Host a Webinar: Exposing the Harms of Private School Vouchers – Please join us on Monday, May 11, at 2 p.m. ET for a webinar, Exposing the Harms of Federal Private School Vouchers. We will hold a timely discussion reviewing the disturbing past and present of private school vouchers and why the federal private school voucher will be harmful to schools in your state. Register and learn more about the webinar here.
  • SEF Responds to Louisiana v. Callais U.S. Supreme Court Decision – We are disappointed by the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais. This ruling weakens one of the most important protections for fair voting in our country and continues a troubling pattern of rolling back long-standing civil rights laws. Read our full statement here.
  • SEF Publishes 2026 Policy Priorities – Our 2026 policy agenda calls for bold legislative action to dismantle systemic injustices and ensure every child — regardless of race, income, or geography — has access to a world-class education. They reflect our commitment to high-quality, affordable early learning; strong K-12 public schools; civil rights protections; community partnerships; accessible higher education; and education innovation. Read our full set of priorities here.

State Updates

Arkansas

  • State lawmakers give $6.7B budget final OK, adjourn fiscal session – The state legislature adjourned its fiscal session after three weeks of work. The $6.7 billion budget includes $309 million for the state’s school voucher program, $122 million more than last year’s budget. (Arkansas Advocate) Read More 
  • Tax cut plan sails through legislative committees as special session begins – State lawmakers advanced what would be the state’s fourth income tax cut in four years despite critics’ warnings that reducing revenue could jeopardize social services. (Arkansas Advocate) Read More 

Delaware

  • Education funding reform bills get questions on financing during first committee hearing – Two bills to begin efforts for school funding reform in Delaware get their first hearing at Leg Hall. Both bills now head to the Senate Finance Committee. The new model consolidates funding streams and increases per-pupil spending on vulnerable groups. (Delaware Public Media) Read More
  • School funding shakeup advances, possible $200M boost in store – The state’s Public Education Funding Commission, charged with revamping how its schools are funded, took a step closer to updating the state’s school funding formula that hasn’t changed in nearly 80 years. (Delaware News Journal)  Read More

Florida

  • Florida Education Association sues state, alleging voucher system is unconstitutional – Individual parents and the Florida Education Association filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Education, claiming it fails to uphold the constitution in ensuring every child in Florida has access to a “uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high-quality system of free public schools.” (WGCU News) Read More

Kentucky 

  • Kentucky schools grapple with loss of community support grant – The Trump administration late last year revoked the $47 million, five-year grant that was supporting efforts at 40 Kentucky schools across 20 districts to help remove barriers to learning for students and families. Now the schools are looking for ways to keep the work going without the federal funding. (Kentucky Lantern) Read More
  • Childcare benefit for early educators is spreading fast – Since Kentucky began providing free childcare to most early childhood educators in 2022, other states have started their own versions of the effort. (The 74) Read More

 

Louisiana

  • How Trump’s orders to disband ‘DEI’ could cost Louisiana HBCUs millions – As President Donald Trump’s administration moves to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at U.S. universities, Louisiana’s higher education board is ending an incentive that encouraged universities to graduate more minority students. The change means the state’s historically Black colleges and universities stand to lose millions of dollars. (The Advocate – Subscription Required) Read More

Mississippi

  • Legislative watchdog report says most private school tax credits are not being spent on education – The funding private schools receive through a statewide tax-credit program is mostly being spent outside of the classroom, according to a recent report. (Mississippi Today) Read More
  • The state’s childcare crisis has surpassed a year. Does the state have a solution? – One year after the state ran out of pandemic-era funds that propped up a fragile system, hundreds of childcare providers across Mississippi struggle to stay open while thousands of parents remain on a waiting list for vouchers. (Mississippi Today) Read More

Missouri

  • Lawmakers craft final state budget plan with no increase for public education programs – There are no increases in basic state aid to public schools or higher education in the compromise Missouri budget worked out in a recent day-long conference. (Missouri Independent) Read More

North Carolina 

  • 12,000 students used school vouchers to leave public schools – More than 12,000 students in the state left a public school for a private school using the state’s school voucher program, representing a loss of about $97.3 million in state headcount-driven revenue for the public schools, the state Department of Public Instruction estimates. (WRAL News) Read More

South Carolina

  • School district has had a desegregation order for nearly 60 years. Leaders want it to stay. – A nearly 60-year-old desegregation order will remain in place in the Georgetown County School District after leaders agreed that additional federal oversight is still needed. Board members voted unanimously to keep the measure, citing ongoing inequities and the importance of maintaining community trust. (Post and Courier) Read More
  • The state is on the verge of passing a charter school reform bill. Which one will it be? – The state Senate has a decision to make on charter school reform. The Senate passed legislation to bring greater transparency, accountability, and procedural clarity to the growing sector earlier this year, and must now weigh three options in light of the House’s swift and unanimous passage of an amendment to the bill. (The State) Read More
  • Lt. Governor threatens to defund HBCU that canceled her speech. – Since South Carolina State canceled the Lieutenant Governor’s graduation speech, the Lieutenant Governor has amplified a letter from a small group of Republican lawmakers asking the House Ways and Means Committee chair to cut more than $35 million in funding proposed for South Carolina State in next year’s budget. (Inside Higher Ed) Read More
  • State colleges pushed to trim expenses, degree programs in preparation for ‘enrollment cliff’ – As the state considers how to fund its public colleges while keeping attendance affordable, particularly for South Carolinians, both legislative and university leaders are pushing schools to control their costs rather than continuously rely on taxpayer dollars to make up the difference. (South Carolina Daily Gazette) Read More

Tennessee

  • Gov. Bill Lee signs bill to expand school vouchers – Gov. Bill Lee signed legislation to expand the school voucher program for 35,000 students in the 2026-27 school year. (WBIR News) Read More
  • Can the Memphis schools takeover be stopped? Local leaders weigh the district’s options. – Despite public rallies and protests held last year over the issue, community pushback was noticeably muted this spring as Tennessee Republicans officially passed a bill to take over Memphis-Shelby County Schools. (Chalkbeat Tennessee) Read More
  • As the state expands private school vouchers, money in favor continues to lead political spending – For the second year in a row, Tennessee’s Republican lawmakers narrowly passed legislation to expand the state’s private school voucher program. (Tennessee Lookout) Read More

Texas

  • Why Texas school districts are losing superintendents faster than ever – Budget constraints, a shortage of high-quality teachers, school board turmoil, and the demands of the job are accelerating turnover among school district leaders locally and across Texas. (San Antonio Express-News) Read More

Virginia

  • New program aims to lower child care costs by getting employers to chip in – Families across the state are struggling with the surging cost of child care, but they could see some relief under a new program recently signed into law by the governor. The Employee Child Care Assistance Program is designed to incentivize employers to contribute to employees’ child care costs. (WWBT) Read More

West Virginia

  • School vouchers fuel nearly $3M spending spree in legislative races from outside groups – School voucher support is driving the avalanche of dollars spent this primary election season to impact West Virginia Statehouse races. Much of the funding is coming from out-of-state donors. Early voting is underway in what has been a contentious and abnormallymidtermve mid-term election season in the Mountain State. (West Virginia Watch) Read More

National/Federal Updates

Early Childhood Education News and Resources

  • America’s Licensed Child Care Deserts – This report provides a new analysis of the 2025 landscape of licensed child care in the United States and offers recommendations for how both federal and state lawmakers can address the broken child care market, support the workforce, and ensure access for all families. (Center for American Progress) Read More
  • Emerging Funding Strategies – Advocates leave dollars on the table when they don’t look beyond funding sources explicitly aimed at supporting child and youth programs. But there are numerous nontax funding sources with high potential to support the programs and services kids need, called emerging funding strategies—policy changes or sources of primarily nontax funding for public projects that, traditionally, communities have not directed toward child and youth programs and services. (Children’s Funding Project) Read More

K-12 Education News and Resources

  • As budgets tighten, some state lawmakers reconsider costly private school vouchers – In the face of historic cuts to federal support for states, some state lawmakers are considering shifting spending priorities away from school voucher programs. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) Read More
  • Trump Administration’s latest move against DEI threatens local education control – Last month, the Education Secretary praised the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the federal education footprint and return control to states as the Department of Education announced plans to leave its Washington headquarters. At the same time, the administration has expanded its influence over state and local education decisions through a little-known administrative process. (FutureEd) Read More
  • Education groups say new E-Rate bidding portal will hurt small districts hardest – The Federal Communications Commission has approved a new competitive bidding portal for the E-rate program that funds school internet connections, casting aside objections from education groups that the portal could be too burdensome and discourage schools and vendors from participating in the program. (Education Week) Read More

Higher Education News and Resources

  • Why the General Services Administration anti-DEI certification is raising alarm in higher education – The U.S. General Services Administration is the latest federal agency to take direct aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, proposing in January that all federal funding recipients — including colleges and universities — certify their compliance with the administration’s DEI-related executive orders and guidance. (Higher Ed Dive) 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