Student Well-Being, School Choice, Higher Ed Top Governors' Priorities for 2025

Yahoo

10-03-2025

As governors delivered their 2025 State of the State addresses, they outlined a range of strategies to improve their schools, from increasing K-12 funding and expanding educational choice to investing in early childhood programs and higher education. Yet few focused directly on arguably the most pressing issue: declining student achievement.
FutureEd analyzed speeches from 41 governors to identify states' education agendas for the coming year, highlighting common themes, bipartisan commitments and partisan divides. Across party lines, governors remained committed to investing in public education, with many proposing increased K-12 funding and efforts to modernize school finance formulas to better support high-need students. Alongside these general financial commitments, governors prioritized strengthening the teaching profession, addressing youth mental health, restricting cellphone use and expanding career pathways for high schoolers.
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Still, few governors proposed new steps to directly improve student learning. Some emphasized efforts to raise academic standards and strengthen accountability, topics absent in recent years. But this year's speeches largely sidelined new curriculum initiatives, perhaps because many states have enacted reforms in that area — particularly in literacy — in recent years. Mentions of academic acceleration programs that were widely supported during the pandemic but now face an uncertain future as federal ESSER funds expire were also rare. These include high-dosage tutoring, afterschool and summer enrichment. Some governors argued that their school choice initiatives would improve student outcomes.
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School choice remained a key point of division, with several Republican governors advocating for more private options that Democrats opposed. Ideological divides also resurfaced on race and gender — topics largely absent from speeches in recent years — as a few Republicans called for banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, restricting transgender participation in sports and opposing what they described as 'indoctrination' and 'woke agendas' in education.
Here is a summary of the major education proposals in the governors' addresses (click on each state in the interactive maps below):
One of the most popular topics this year was student well-being, with a focus on mental health, technology use, school meals and safety. While youth mental health remains a top concern — highlighted by 15 governors — many are shifting from traditional investments in counseling and school-based services to restrictions on cellphones and social media.
Concerns over technology's impact on student mental health are growing. As Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders noted in her annual address, 'Suicide rates among teens have tripled, self-harm among girls has risen by nearly 200%, and depression among teenagers has increased by 150%. The culprit is clear: unrestricted access to phones and social media.' Huckabee Sanders and the leaders of at least 12 other states, mostly Republican-led, proposed bans on phones in schools, with most citing mental and behavioral health concerns. Governors also pushed for stronger internet safety measures and social media restrictions.
In New York, Democrat Kathy Hochul has taken a different approach with her 'Unplug and Play' initiative, which expands outdoor and extracurricular opportunities to reduce children's reliance on social media. She also called for shielding students from the risks posed by artificial intelligence.
While cell phone and social media restrictions have gained some bipartisan traction, major investments in school-based mental health are largely a Democratic priority this year. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, for example, proposed nearly $300 million to expand mental health services, including suicide-prevention programs and educator training.
To address students' nutritional needs, Democratic governors in Maine, Kansas, New York and Wisconsin proposed expanding free school meals. On the Republican side, Huckabee Sanders introduced the Buy Local Act to encourage schools to purchase their food in state and proposed using medical marijuana revenue for meal funding, and North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong pledged to expand his state's Farm-to-School program.
Governors from six states — Indiana, Georgia, Texas, Missouri, New Mexico and South Carolina — proposed school safety efforts. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun plans to establish an Office of School Safety, Gov. Henry McMaster wants to fund school resource officers in every South Carolina school and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe is pursuing legislation requiring regular safety planning meetings and incident reporting.
School choice remains a key topic this year, with 15 governors addressing the issue. While initiatives to let families use public money for private schooling dominated the discussion, several governors proposed expanding public-school choice, sometimes alongside private-school initiatives.
Proposals largely followed party lines. Nine Republican governors advocated for expanding education savings accounts and other private school-choice initiatives. McMaster aims to pass new ESA legislation and allocate $30 million after the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled the state's previous program unconstitutional.
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Braun seeks to make private school choice available to every student in Indiana, while Kehoe proposes adding $50 million in state funding to supplement a tax credit-funded ESA program. Virginia's Glenn Youngkin is requesting $50 million for 'Opportunity Scholarships' for low-income families, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is renewing his push for a long-debated universal school choice measure.
In the wake of widespread criticism of Arizona's costly education savings account program and its lack of transparency on spending and student performance, some Republicans emphasized stronger oversight and protections for public school funding in their proposals. Idaho's Brad Little stressed the need for a 'fair, responsible, transparent and accountable' approach that prioritizes families in need without diverting funds from public schools. Governors in South Dakota and Virginia also emphasized safeguarding public school resources.
Meanwhile, three Democratic governors — Arizona's Katie Hobbs, Kansas's Laura Kelly and Kentucky's Andy Beshear — expressed opposition to using public funds for private education. Hobbs is once again seeking to add guardrails to Arizona's universal ESA program, which was enacted by her Republican predecessor. These include setting income caps and ensuring transparency in spending. Kelly and Beshear vowed to block new private school choice initiatives.
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At the same time, six governors from both parties are pushing to expand public-school choice. Colorado's Democratic Gov. Jared Polis voiced support for giving parents more options and making it easier for high-quality and innovative schools to open.
Republicans Joe Lombardo of Nevada and Kehoe supported allowing students to attend public schools outside their assigned attendance zone. Armstrong proposed a new policy that would allow charters to open in North Dakota.
Fifteen governors outlined higher education priorities focused on affordability, workforce alignment and alternative pathways. McMaster pledged to freeze in-state tuition for a sixth year and is seeking $80 million in financial aid to ensure all eligible students receive state assistance. Hochul proposed free community college for New York students entering high-demand fields like advanced manufacturing, education and health care.
Several states are expanding access through alternative postsecondary pathways. Huckabee Sanders launched the ACCESS initiative, which, among other things, will expand scholarships to include associate degrees and non-degree programs, and fund college credits for high school students. Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee plans to fund dual enrollment, allowing high school students to earn college credit. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is similarly focused on adding more dual-enrollment and 'stackable' credentials.
Huckabee Sanders and Abbott proposed banning DEI programs and preventing 'indoctrination' from professors. 'We must purge it from every corner of our schools and return the focus to merit,' said Abbott of the state's public universities.
Thirteen governors highlighted early childhood education and care, focusing on expanding access, improving affordability and addressing workforce challenges.
Democratic governors in New York, New Mexico and Kentucky promoted universal early childhood programs. Arizona Democrat Hobbs was among five state leaders from both parties who prioritized affordability, proposing the Working Families Child Care Act to lower the cost of care by two-thirds. Kehoe, a Republican, proposed a $10 million grant program to foster partnerships among Missouri employers, community organizations and child-care providers to expand access through collaborative solutions.
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In Iowa, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds introduced a continuum-of-care initiative to integrate preschool and child-care services, offering grants to providers that coordinate resources like shared staffing and transportation.
Several state leaders also addressed child care workforce shortages. Gov. Bill Lee proposed expanding eligibility for Tennessee's WAGES program that provides early childhood educators with annual salary supplements of up to $7,800 based on their education level, while Reynolds launched a statewide fund to encourage donations from individuals and businesses to support child care worker wages.
Twelve governors highlighted workforce development and career education, focusing on expanding high school career training, strengthening industry partnerships and aligning postsecondary programs with workforce needs. More than half of these efforts target K-12 students.
Several states are prioritizing career training in high schools. In Indiana, Braun plans to expand partnerships between employers and high schools, while Connecticut's Lamont is expanding the state's youth service corps, offering students internships or paid apprenticeships at local businesses. Lee seeks to double participation in Tennessee's Youth Employment Program, making it year-round to provide meaningful work experience, particularly for underserved communities. Kehoe wants a $1 million investment to expand high school career counseling and launched the Governor's Workforce of the Future Challenge to improve coordination among K-12 schools, businesses and colleges. Youngkin is expanding 'lab school' partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities specializing in health care, coding, space, maritime industries and teaching.
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Other governors are focusing on postsecondary workforce training. McMaster is requesting $95 million in lottery funds for Workforce Industry Needs Scholarships through South Carolina's technical college system. Lee has proposed the Tennessee Works Scholarship, which would cover tuition, fees and essential resources for students at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology. And McKee introduced Ready to Build, a career and technical education program at the Community College of Rhode Island, designed to create a pre-apprenticeship pathway into building trades jobs.
A dozen governors discussed initiatives to improve the teaching profession, with most emphasizing higher teacher pay. Eight — primarily Republicans — proposed salary increases. McMaster accelerated the state's plan to set a $50,000 minimum salary, moving the target from 2026 to this year. Braun aims to raise the minimum salary in Indiana by $5,000, bringing it to $45,000.
At least two states are prioritizing pay increases for top-performing teachers. Abbott seeks to boost average teacher pay to a 'record high' while expanding the state's Teacher Incentive Allotment program, which allows top educators to earn six-figure salaries. Similarly, Nevada's Lombardo plans to reward high-performing teachers through the Excellence in Education Fund under the Nevada Accountability in Education Act. Beshear was the only Democrat to mention teacher pay.
Democrats Lamont and Wes Moore of Maryland proposed expanding affordable, debt-free pathways into teaching through apprenticeships and other means.
Only 10 governors discussed curriculum and instruction initiatives for the upcoming year. Among them, Reynolds proposed one of the few major policy pushes: a comprehensive math bill aimed at identifying struggling students, providing personalized support and strengthening instruction through evidence-based professional development and high-quality teacher preparation.
Lombardo proposed the Nevada Accountability in Education Act, a comprehensive initiative that would, among other things, demand 'stricter accountability, equity and excellence', focus on literacy and direct resources to struggling schools. He didn't detail how he planned to increase accountability for student results.
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Nevada is one of seven states, along with Oregon, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Michigan and Massachusetts, prioritizing standards and accountability this year. Oregon Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek committed to making school and district accountability a central focus of her 2025 agenda, proposing to increase transparency through a statewide, publicly accessible student information system, while Mississippi Republican Tate Reeves proposed raising academic standards and overhauling the state's school grading system. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has proposed the Students, Metrics and Results with Transparency (SMART) plan, which would direct investments toward underperforming schools and improve transparency to better inform parents about student performance.
In Massachusetts, which recently eliminated its graduation assessment requirement, Democrat Maura Healey called for a Statewide Graduation Requirement Council to establish a new high standard. 'Students, families and employers need to know what a diploma represents,' she stated.
Additionally, three Democratic governors emphasized investments in expanded learning time. McKee proposed $2.5 million in grants for out-of-school learning in Rhode Island, Kotek aims to continue funding summer programs and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants to expand summer literacy initiatives.
Meghan Gallagher of The 74 developed the interactive maps. FutureEd Research Associate Tony Tao contributed to this analysis.