Hurricanes Deal Deep Blow to Schools’ Finances

Getting back to normal after a devastating hurricane is long, arduous, and expensive for schools.  In Florida’s Panhandle, education leaders have started the strenuous work of cleaning up and repairing schools ravaged by Hurricane Michael earlier this month, but they are also running into a longer-term problem: steep cost estimates that could lead to mounting…

Why Principals Need to Make Student Mental Health a Priority

Within the first eight days of school this year, three students in a suburban district East of Los Angeles killed themselves.  None of the deaths were related—the students had been from different schools, in different grades, and didn’t appear to know one another.  But the quick succession of suicides left the community reeling. Read More

Florida Supreme Court details clash over education ballot measure

After saying last month that it was blocking a controversial education measure from the November ballot, the Florida Supreme Court has released details of the ruling that show sharp differences about a proposal that one justice said would have brought a “monumental” change to the state Constitution.  Justices, in a 4-3 decision, said the proposed…

Florida announces plan to help hurricane-stricken counties conduct general election

Hurricane Michael left behind a path of major destruction and death  when it slammed into the Florida Panhandle near Mexico Beach just over a week ago. The Category 4 hurricane wiped out communities and disrupted the lives of residents in the Florida Panhandle. With the November election less than three weeks away, the storm has…

Florida schools scramble to get students back in class after Hurricane Michael

Florida Panhandle officials are trying to figure out how to resume classes after Hurricane Michael damaged or destroyed many schools last week.  Schools in at least eight counties — Washington, Liberty, Jackson, Gulf, Gadsden, Franklin, Calhoun and Bay — will remain closed until further notice, the office of Gov. Rick Scott said Monday in a…

Betsy DeVos Releases ESSA Guide for Parents

Parents: Can’t make heads or tails of the Every Student Succeeds Act? The U.S. Department of Education has put together a cheat sheet for you.  U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos unveiled the “parents’ guide” at a roundtable in Mississippi, with parents, students, and educators, as part of her four-state “Rethink School” tour. Read More

Spending Bill Boosting Education Funding Clears Congress, Heads to Trump

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is very close to knowing how much money her department has to spend in the next fiscal year.  On Wednesday, the House approved a spending package that includes fiscal 2019 funding for the U.S. Department of Education. The legislation, which the Senate passed last week, includes several increases for…