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June 21, 2024
State and Legislative Updates from SEF’s Government Affairs Team
The weeks of 6/10 – 6/21
This week we observed Juneteenth, a day of recognition that serves as a poignant reminder of our nation’s progress and ongoing journey toward achieving racial equity in our society and education system. Despite progress towards freedom, the attacks continue on classroom instruction regarding race and racism, along with bans on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in education.
Recently, Congressional Republicans introduced the Dismantle DEI Act, proposing to eliminate all federal DEI programs and cease DEI-related funding for federal agencies, contractors, organizations, and education accreditation agencies receiving federal support. Texas’ 2023 DEI ban has led to the freezing of more than 130 scholarships across public universities in the state. Meanwhile, states continue to expand or establish school voucher programs while taking only limited action to provide additional and more sustainable funding for public education.
With only two southern states remaining in regular legislative sessions and soon to adjourn, we extend our gratitude for the efforts lawmakers and advocates have undertaken this year to support our youth and their education. The need to ensure educational equity for Black students, other students of color, and students from low-income families across the South remains clear. We hope the articles and resources below prove valuable in your ongoing work to improve opportunities for students in the South and beyond.
Alabama
- New law requires classroom curriculum be posted online – This session, the Legislature enacted SB 48 requiring public school systems to post curricula online. (AL.com/Education Lab) Read More
- Public school officials worried about lack of funding – Public school officials across the state are warning of program and staffing cuts in the state’s public schools when federal funding runs out. (WVUA 23 News) Read More
Florida
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Opinion: State needs more transparency, accountability around school vouchers – This session, HB 1403 was proposed to bring greater transparency and accountability to voucher expenditures. However, in the eleventh hour, after HB 1403 passed with greater restrictions in all of its House committees and two Senate committees, the bill was further amended removing its accountability measures. (Florida Policy Institute) Read More
Kentucky
- Voters will decide on public funds for private schools – Funding for education will be a focal point in the state during the November election. Voters will decide whether or not to approve a constitutional amendment allowing taxpayer funds to be used for private education. (WCHS News) Read More
- Report shows more students finishing college without debt – A new study shows more students across the state are graduating with lower or no college debt. (Louisville Public Media) Read More
Louisiana
- New K-12 education study committee promises work on education reform – The state House K-12 Education Study Committee held its first meeting to begin work toward the goal of helping improve the state’s K-12 education system. (KTBS 3 News) Read More
- New law seeks crackdown on civil disobedience in campus protests – Gov. Jeff Landry signed SB 294 into law. The measure excludes acts of civil disobedience from free speech protections on college campuses. (Louisiana Illuminator) Read More
- Louisiana is trying to expand internet access. Rural schools say it’s taking too long. – The state’s “digital divide” between rural and urban areas posed huge challenges during the pandemic when many rural students couldn’t participate in online learning. Unreliable internet access continues to hold back many students as virtual learning becomes a bigger part of education. (The Advocate) Read More
Missouri
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The state passed a $40,000 minimum educator salary. Some educators worry those raises aren’t guaranteed. – Starting pay for educators in the state will soon rise from $25,000 a year to at least $40,000 thanks to new legislation. However, many school district leaders and advocates say lawmakers didn’t lay out a clear path for funding those salary increases. (PBS News) Read More
North Carolina
- State losing more than $5 billion a year from lack of child-care access, study finds – Insufficient childcare is costing the state about $5.65 billion each year, a new study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation estimates. The report examines how the lack of child-care access hurts the state’s economy. (EdNC) Read More
- House budget: Additional teacher raises, more funds for Opportunity Scholarships – The Republican-led House dropped its updated budget proposal for FY 2024-25, calling for the restoration of higher pay for teachers with master’s degrees, an increase in beginning teacher pay, and “full funding” for the school voucher program. Notably, the proposal also includes $135 million for child-care stabilization grants. (EdNC) Read More
- Senate budget proposal and other bills to know about at the General Assembly – While the House budget proposal made its way through the chamber this week, the Senate unexpectedly released its own proposal which, like the House, includes additional funding for the school voucher program. Unlike the House proposal, however, the Senate budget does not include the restoration of higher pay for teachers with master’s degrees or an increase in pay for state and school employees. (EdNC) Read More
Oklahoma
- One-third of Oklahoma families receiving private school tax credit make over $150,000 a year – About one-third of families receiving a tax credit from the state when sending their children to private schools make more than $150,000 a year, data from the Oklahoma Tax Commission revealed. (KFOR-TV) Read More
- Supreme Court rejects education department’s attempt to ban books – The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that the state superintendent of public instruction and the State Department of Education overstepped their authority in trying to force Edmond schools to ban two novels. (Oklahoma Watch) Read More
South Carolina
Tennessee
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Polls on private school vouchers vary wildly as many legislative candidates skirt the issue – While Gov. Bill Lee’s universal school voucher proposal is a major issue for the state in this election year, there is less agreement on where voters stand on the contentious plan, leading many state legislative candidates to avoid the issue. (Chalkbeat Tennessee) Read More
Texas
- Over 130 college scholarships on hold or modified due to state’s DEI ban – More than 130 scholarships across the state are frozen or being modified as the state’s public universities implement and comply with a 2023 state law that bans college diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The law impacts 80 scholarships at Texas A&M University institutions, 45 at University of Texas-affiliated campuses, and six at three other public universities (The Dallas Morning News) Read More
- Democrats think they can flip House seats by going after GOP’s education funding, school voucher positions – Texas Democrats are zeroing in on education issues in their bid to flip several state House districts this fall, as they look to blame GOP lawmakers for teacher shortages and school closures and mobilize their base around defeating Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature school voucher policy. (The Texas Tribune) Read More
Virginia
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Online pathway to educator licensure showing promise one year after approval by Virginia Board of Education – With the latest data from the state’s department of education showing a shortage of more than 3,600 educators, a year-old program designed to tackle that shortage is showing promise. (WFXR-TV News) Read More
National/Federal Updates
Early Childhood Education News
- FFYF & Bipartisan Pre-K and Child-Care Caucus gather – The First Five Years Fund, in conjunction with the Bipartisan Pre-K and Child Care Caucus, hosted lawmakers, congressional staffers, and early learning advocates for a “Child Care Means Business” event. (First Five Years Fund) Read More
- SBA announces $30 million in grant funding for new women’s business centers – The Small Business Administration announced four funding opportunities for women-owned small businesses, including first-time targeted funding for women’s business centers that specialize in federal contracting and child care businesses. (U.S. Small Business Administration) Read More
K-12 and Higher Education News
- Public Funding, Private Education – An overwhelming majority of American students attend public schools. But that number is falling. In part, that’s because, in more than half of states, parents can now use public money to educate their kids at home, online, or in private schools. (The New York Times) Read More
- Billions in taxpayer dollars now go to religious schools via vouchers – Billions of
- taxpayer dollars are being used for tuition at private, religious schools throughout the country, as state voucher programs expand dramatically and the line separating public education and religion fades. (The Washington Post) Read More
- GOP lawsuits could wipe out Biden’s education agenda – A cascade of lawsuits from Republican states could dismantle much of President Joe Biden’s education agenda, months before the election. (POLITICO) Read More
- House education committee advances joint resolution to repeal Title IX final rule – House Joint Resolution 165, which would nullify the Biden administration’s recent final Title IX rule, cleared the House Committee on Education and the Workforce over the objections of Democrats who argued the rule strengthens necessary protections for LGBTQ+ students. (K-12 Dive) Read More
- Republicans introduce measure to ban DEI programs in federal government – Congressional Republicans have introduced the Dismantle DEI Act, which would eliminate all federal DEI programs and end DEI-related funding for agencies, contractors, organizations, and educational accreditation agencies that receive federal funding. (The Hill) Read More
- Democrat legislators introduce a bicameral bill to double maximum Pell Grant award, expand access – Congressional democrats introduced The Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2024 which would raise the maximum Pell Grant from $7,395 during the 2024-25 school year to $10,000 for the 2025-26 year. The maximum award would continue to increase over the next five years to $14,000. (WISC-TV) Read More
Additional Resources
- Teacher Well-Being and Intentions to Leave in 2024: Findings from the 2024 State of the American Teacher Survey: This report presents selected findings from the 2024 State of the American Teacher Survey, focusing on teacher well-being and factors in teacher retention – including job-related stress, pay, hours, and teachers intentions to leave their current jobs. (RAND) Read More
- Deep Dive: The State of the Student Debt Crisis for Black Women – In honor of Juneteenth, the Student Borrower Protection Center released this report that summarizes research on the unique experiences of Black women with student loans and higher education. (Student Borrower Protection Center) Read More
- Most Americans approve of DEI efforts, national poll shows – Despite recent conservative attacks on DEI initiatives, a Washington Post and Ipsos poll finds that most Americans approve of companies taking steps to address the historical inequalities in their ranks. (The Washington Post) Read More
- New book details how GOP targeted race, identity in classrooms – In 2021, an affluent, suburban school district in Texas gained national attention when parents and local conservative activists falsely accused the district of “indoctrinating” students with critical race theory. Journalist Mike Hixenbaugh’s They Came for the Schools details how it became a blueprint for Republicans across the country. (PBS News) Read More
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