Latest news with #BoardofElementaryandSecondaryEducation
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
AG Campbell urges state board to finalize vocational education reforms
BOSTON (SHNS) – As the House weighs a long pause on an overhaul of the admissions process for vocational and technical schools, advocates pushing the reforms gained a powerful supporter. Attorney General Andrea Campbell filed a public comment letter on Friday, April 18, with the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voicing her support for regulations they are considering from Gov. Maura Healey's administration to change vocational education admissions to a lottery system. Demand for the programs, which train students in the trades, outpaces supply. Reform supporters have argued that the admissions process disproportionately leaves limited slots out of reach for students of color, English language learners, students with disabilities or those from low-income families. The board is set to vote May 20 on new regulations to require career technical schools with waitlists to use lotteries when selecting students, the culmination of years of debate over the subject. However, the House Ways and Means Committee is trying to intervene. They included this month in their annual budget bill a policy section to press pause on admissions reform. CTE schools and some lawmakers have spoken against the proposed regulations with concerns that schools have to use criteria such as disciplinary records, absences and candidate interviews to determine if a student is ready to be in a different environment than a typical classroom. The House Ways and Means budget would create a task force to review the schools' policies with a report due in September 2026 — and prohibit DESE from releasing regulations during next year's school year or the admissions cycle for the following year. Campbell is warning against delays. 'I urge the Board to act with urgency to finalize the proposed regulations,' her letter in support of the reforms says. The letter was filed two days after the House Ways and Means budget bill was released. Attorney General's Public Comment on CTE Admission RegulationsDownload She said the regulations 'take meaningful steps toward equal access to CTE programs for all of our middle school graduates,' and that the board and department 'carried out a thoughtful and comprehensive process to develop the proposed regulations, welcoming and considering all viewpoints, conducting a rigorous review of the CTE admissions data, and facilitating respectful dialogue and debate on a topic vital to the young people of our Commonwealth.' The House will likely amend and approve its budget this week, including the outside section to delay the admissions reform. It'll then be up to the Senate to decide on whether they agree in halting the regulations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mass. schools boss: Immigration chill leading to ‘extended absences'
Some Massachusetts schools have reported 'extended absences' for students as a result of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement, according to the state's top education official. On Tuesday, state Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler devoted a portion of his regular report to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to recent clashes between Massachusetts elected officials and the federal government, including on K-12 school funding. Although he did not offer specific data about a rise in students missing school, Tutwiler said some areas have seen a rise in absences amid reported concerns about immigration crackdowns. 'Federal actions around immigration are also a concern for many of our school communities, in some cases, resulting in extended absences for students,' he said. 'We are working with the attorney general's office and the state Office for Refugees and Immigrants to keep districts updated on policy changes that can impact immigrant status.' Read More: Mass. schools boss defies Trump DEI edict: State will 'continue to promote diversity' Some districts, like Lynn, reported significant increases in student absences early in President Donald Trump's second term, according to WBZ-TV in Boston. Sen. Brendan Crighton, D-3rd Essex, spoke Monday about a Lynn high school student who was detained by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement and moved to Maine in January. Though the student was released, Crighton said fear of a similar situation exists throughout the city's schools. Tutwiler also recounted the Trump administration's move to rescind $106 million in federal funding from K-12 schools in Massachusetts, which Attorney General Andrea Campbell challenged in a lawsuit alongside more than a dozen other states. Campbell joined another case last week over the U.S. Department of Education's threat to withhold dollars from state and local agencies over diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in schools. 'We continue to push back against harmful federal funding cuts and policy changes that threaten the stability of our local school districts and well-being of our students and educators and here in Massachusetts,' Tutwiler said. 'We've said this before: We'll stay true to our department's educational vision of all students being known, valued and having the support that they need to succeed,' he said. In a related matter, the majority-Democrat state House on Tuesday shot down a series of Republican-backed attempts to add significant immigration, housing and criminal justice policy changes to the fiscal year 2026 state budget. Read the original article on MassLive.
Boston Globe
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
State board to pick next education commissioner Tuesday
In Massachusetts, the education commissioner oversees day-to-day operations of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which regulates public and charter K-12 schools; creates long-term plans for the department; provides guidance and training to school districts, and implements the school accountability system. Related : The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Advertisement The state's K-12 education department has been without a permanent commissioner Massachusetts K-12 schools face immense challenges. Many districts are facing budget shortfalls as they serve growing numbers of newly arrived students from other countries, including many English learners, and as well as increasing populations of special education students. The commissioner must also turn around pandemic learning losses statewide. And in Washington, the Trump administration threatens to withhold federal aid money from districts if they maintain policies Trump disagrees with, including diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, recognizing transgender students, and curriculum that addresses racism and discrimination. Advertisement The board is scheduled to begin the day's deliberations during a meeting at the department's headquarters in Everett starting at 2 p.m. Christopher Huffaker of the Globe staff contributed to this report. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. John Hilliard can be reached at
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New superintendent selected for New Orleans Public Schools
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The Orleans Parish School Board has selected NOLA Public Schools' next superintendent. In a meeting held Wednesday, April 2, officials with the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held their final vote. On Tuesday, April, 1, the finalists, interim Superintendent Dr. Fateama Fulmore and Dr. Sharon Latten-Clark, participated in a public engagement to address their plans for the future of the school system. How do Metairie kids warm up the neighborhood? 'I come to you as a person who has been preparing for this moment every step of my life,' said Fulmore. 'I am part of New Orleans. I am the community and I understand the community. I also understand what our schools need because I live in our community and so I'm not going anywhere,' said Clark. In a 5-2 vote, the board selected Fulmore to serve as the new superintendent. She steps into the position months after former Superintendent Dr. Avis Williams resigned from the aide slams California Democrat in video announcing primary campaign New superintendent selected for New Orleans Public Schools LIVE: Trump announces sweeping 'reciprocal' tariffs, says global trade has hurt US economy Tesla sales plunge to lowest level since 2022 amid Trump backlash SEE IT: NASA astronaut Sunita Williams reunites with dogs after 9-month stay in space Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Will Louisiana teachers face a pay cut? No answers yet.
Louisiana legislative leaders have said yet whether they will look at prevent public school teacher pay from being cut. () Gov. Jeff Landry tied public school teacher pay to a constitutional amendment on budget and tax policies that failed spectacularly at the polls Saturday. Now the question is: Are the governor and legislators willing to cut teachers compensation? Landry's budget proposal does not contain money for stipends of $2,000 and $1,000 that teachers and school support staff have received, respectively, over the past two years. They were relying on financial benefits reaped from Amendment 2 passing to help cover the cost of that compensation. With the amendment now scuttled, the governor and lawmakers would have to take money from other items in Landry's budget to cover the expense. But it's not clear what type of appetite they have to do so. Legislators in leadership declined to say Monday whether the state's 59,000 public school teachers should expect a pay cut as a result of Amendment 2 not passing. 'That is probably going to end up being the lynchpin of the session,' said Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, author of the failed Amendment 2. 'I really don't know how that is going to go.' Keeping teacher pay level with the current year would be expensive. Lawmakers would have to find $200 million in Landry's proposed budget to cover the expense of another temporary, yearly stipend or to make a similar permanent salary increase on July 1. Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, is asking legislators to let him know if funding the additional teacher pay is their primary concern. He is one of the state budget architects as the House Appropriations Committee chairman. 'If [the lawmakers] priorities are the teachers' stipends, then I'm going to have to know it,' McFarland said. 'To do the stipend, I would have to look at everything in the budget.' Even though teachers are facing potential pay cuts, Landry has included funding increases for other education initiatives in his budget. For example, he's set aside an additional $50 million for a new private school voucher program called LA GATOR for the next academic year. The initiative will allow more than 5,000 students to use public money to attend private schools or to pay for other private school education expenses such as uniforms and tutoring. The average salary of a Louisiana teacher is already below that of other southern states. It was $54,248 for the 2022-23 school year, when the regional average was $59,145, according to the latest numbers from the Southern Regional Education Board. The additional $2,000, first awarded in the 2023-24 school year, was meant to bring teachers closer to that pay range. The decision to cut teacher pay would be especially unfortunate this year, said Ronnie Morris, president of the Louisiana's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Louisiana made major gains in reading comprehension on national tests – larger than those seen in any other state this year. Morris said the state's public school teachers are responsible for that success, which legislators and Landry have already celebrated, and they shouldn't have their pay cut after reaching such a milestone, he said. 'It would be a shame not to recognize our teachers for the work they've done to better position our state,' Morris said. 'I think that's the wrong message.' Louisiana's biggest teachers unions also endorsed the failed constitutional amendment that Landry and lawmakers were backing because of its ties to teacher pay. Louisiana legislators will begin to debate state budget priorities in their legislative session that starts April 14. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
