At the moment, school districts are essentially sitting on a gold mine to spend at their discretion, as long as it's used to provide relief in an area that was impacted as a result of the pandemic. But while most suffered some sort of toll—whether in student academics, staffing, or mental health—they've been slow to spend these funds.
Ongoing difficulties paying staff have forced Portland Public Schools Superintendent Xavier Botana to accelerate his departure from Maine's largest district.
Texas' largest teacher preparation program failed to show enough improvements on probation, so the state is moving toward revoking its accreditation, according to documents obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
Anoka-Hennepin Schools—one of the largest districts in Minnesota—has chosen Cory McIntyre to become its next superintendent while Spartanburg School District Three hired Julie Fowler and Midland ISD picked Stephanie D. Howard.
Based on criteria such as hands-on program training, privacy and ethics, and government and national security, Carnegie Mellon University, DePaul University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University rank among the top three.
Prioritizing the whole child in meeting the needs of all learners is at the top of the agenda for these leaders. "We're maximizing every minute. And we're leaning into kids' interests," one says.
Superintendents in Sonoma, California, and Judson, Texas, have stepped down suddenly in recent days, while other leaders have switched districts or been dismissed without warning.
When you consider the impact of the pandemic and the current state of the economy, it's no surprise young employees are struggling with their mental health.
