The Maine Senate voted to pass a bill that would prohibit public schools and colleges from using depictions of Native Americans in mascots, logos or nicknames. The measure, which comes after a years-long debate, has now received initial approval in both chambers of the Legislature.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos pitched a national tax credit scholarship program that would allow parents to send their children to the public or private K12 school of their choice. Details such as eligibility, scholarship size, education providers and accountability would all be left up to states to decide.
Top Senate Republicans in Florida unveiled details of a package that would expand private school options for students, bolster security measures in schools, overhaul a program for teacher bonuses and expand community schools.
In his first state budget, Gov. Tony Evers, the former chief of the state's education agency, is seeking to freeze the number of students who may enroll in private voucher schools across the state. The budget also proposes to suspend the creation of new independent charter schools until 2023.
The Texas House Democratic Caucus laid out a $14.5 billion plan for school finance reform and property tax relief, releasing a list of priorities that include increasing teacher pay and benefits, paying schools more for educating low-income students, and providing more counselors for school districts.
Striking teachers in West Virginia celebrated as lawmakers rejected a bill that would have opened the first charter schools in the state as unions become more vocal about the public schools run by private groups.
A new debt affordability study for North Carolina could throw cold water on plans by the House and Gov. Roy Cooper to pass a nearly $2 billion bond for public school construction. The Senate said the study at least indirectly justified its alternative proposal to fund K12 building with a pay-as-you-go plan.
Gov. Greg Abbott, in his biennial State of the State address, named as emergency items the consensus priorities of school finance reform, teacher pay raises and property tax relief. Also topping the governor's priority list: school safety, disaster response and mental health programs.
In many states, both Republicans and Democrats agree that schools need more money and teachers need better pay. But while most states are likely to put more money into schools this year, political divisions, budget constraints and competing visions for how to fix the education system could lead to some tense debates.
