Latest news with #SmyrnaHighSchool
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Education roundup: Remember that letter? Courts block DEI enforcement threatening K-12 funds
Remember that DEI letter? Early in the administration, President Donald Trump began throwing the weight of the White House behind a campaign pledge to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion across the country. By Inauguration Day, an executive order set out to ban DEI initiatives across the federal government. Come Feb. 14, the U.S. Department of Education then sent a "Dear Colleague Letter" to warn all schools and universities to stay in line, too, lest they risk losing federal funding. Now, three federal courts are putting a halt on any enforcement related to it. In this weekly roundup, we'll catch you up on this and other education updates you may have missed, like student bridge designs and new hires at the Delaware Department of Education. (Did we miss another good education story? Let me know: .) As of April 24, three courts across the country collectively blocked the U.S. Department of Education from enforcing its "Dear Colleague Letter" concerning diversity, equity and inclusion efforts sent to schools in February. According to the ACLU, new orders block the department from enforcing the letter in any way, including through the later-issued certification requirement. Back in February, the letter sought to warn schools across the country they risked losing federal funding if they take race into account when making scholarship or hiring decisions, or even nod to race in any "other aspects of student, academic and campus life.' This update stems from three different cases brought by school districts, educators and civil rights advocates in district courts of Maryland, New Hampshire and Washington D.C. Cases are still proceeding. When the administration had sent an update – or 'Reminder of Legal Obligations' letter on April 3 – Delaware Secretary of Education Cindy Marten kept her three-graph response short. "DDOE and our subgrantees are committed to ensuring that every student has access to a quality education, free from discriminatory practices and policies and consistent with all applicable federal laws," she penned April 14. National: Trump administration reverses controversial termination of student visas The Delaware Department of Transportation wanted to see some of the state's youngest engineering talent on display. In early April, its sixth-annual bridge design competition brought record turnout in 161 teams and nearly 500 students. DelDOT hosted the all-day event at PolyTech High School, the department said in a press release April 17, fit with competitions to engage students on all things math, science and engineering. The top-three finishers for each grade bracket also landed scholarship money. Those winners: Middle School First: JOLT, Talley Middle School Second: Big Brains, Shue-Medill Middle School Third: The A's, Georgetown Middle School Grades 9 and 10: First: Golden Gate Warriors, Smyrna High School Second: BLT Balsa Salsa, Smyrna High School Third: The Studious Bunch, Polytech High School Grades 11 and 12: First: The Baddest Bridges, Smyrna High School Second: KJP Builders, Caravel Academy Third: Pinnacle Princesses, Caesar Rodney High School Trump impact: Electric vehicle charger funding is cut. What will happen to Delaware's EV plans? Sec. Marten just made two new hires in the highest offices of Delaware public education. She named Denise Carter the next deputy secretary for strategic initiatives and Adam Schott as associate secretary for student support, DDOE announced April 22. Both "career public servants" were scooped from the U.S. Department of Education, like Marten herself who was deputy secretary under the Biden administration. Marten also situated their hirings as positioning to "prepare for the first major overhaul of the state funding formula in more than 75 years." The new secretary, like the governor, has called a shift to a student-centered funding formula a top priority for the administration. Delaware education: 5 things you shouldn't forget from 2024 Carter had worked on significant technology changes at the Federal Student Aid office. She previously led the department's core operations, including finance, financial systems, acquisitions, grants, security, real property and human resources. Her work encompasses 30 years in federal operations, according to Marten. Schott is also an expert on education finance, having been a leader in the Pennsylvania Department of Education and on the Pennsylvania State Board of Education. He served most recently as the principal deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, according to DDOE, where he played a key role in implementing the American Rescue Plan's $122 billion education relief fund. As of April 22, both hires are already at work. Delaware budget: 6 takeaways from Meyer's State of State address, including education, jobs, legal weed Got a tip or story idea? Contact Kelly Powers at kepowers@ or (231) 622-2191 This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Remember that letter? Courts block anti-DEI enforcement in schools
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Murfreesboro lawmakers file bill to allow moratorium on apartment complex development
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — Two Republican lawmakers who serve Murfreesboro and Rutherford County have filed legislation that would allow the Rutherford County Commission to halt all development of apartment complexes. SB 1098/HB 1161, filed by Sen. Dawn White and Rep. Robert Stevens, authorizes a local government to impose a moratorium on the development of apartment complexes if they wish and pass it with a two-thirds majority vote. The moratorium would only apply to counties with a population of at least 325,000, according to the 2020 census or a subsequent federal census; the provision would not apply to any county with a metropolitan form of government. According to U.S. Census data, the only counties in Tennessee with a population of at least 325,000 were Rutherford, Hamilton, Knox, Davidson, and Shelby. Since Davidson County has a metropolitan government, it would be excluded from the provision. According to the text of the bill, the moratorium could be imposed if the county legislative body adopts the resolution. The moratorium would be 'limited to one (1) year in duration,' the bill says, but that year-long moratorium could be extended by the county authority upon another two-thirds majority vote. The extensions would also be limited to one year, but there is no limit to how many extensions the county legislative body could pass. Smyrna High School celebrates new space on campus The bill's text also specifies an 'apartment complex' means a 'building or group of buildings for multi-family use within the same development containing twenty-five (25) or more individual dwelling units for residents.' If passed, the law would take effect immediately upon receiving Gov. Bill Lee's signature. The measure comes as Rutherford County is seeing explosive growth. According to the Tennessee State Data Center in the University of Tennessee Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research, Rutherford County saw more than a 30% growth in population from 2010 to 2020. It was listed as the fifth-largest county in the state in the 2020 federal census, according to the Boyd Center. Murfreesboro city officials recently approved a nearly $5 million road improvement project. The project includes adding turn and through lanes and a traffic signal at the intersection of Burnt Knob, Manson Pike and Blackman Road. A new elementary school is set to open in August, followed by a new middle school. READ MORE | Latest headlines from Murfreesboro and Rutherford County Smyrna High School celebrated a new addition to its campus to accommodate an influx of students earlier this year. The new wing has 39 new classrooms that replace 19 older portable buildings used for schooling. The increased capacity is around 2,500 students, according to Rutherford County Schools (RCS) Director of Schools Jimmy Sullivan. La Vergne High School also submitted a request for expansion later in the year to the Rutherford County Commission. In October, RCS sent the commission an approximately $40 million funding request to build an annex onto the high school. La Vergne High School annex vote comes to Rutherford County School Board The annex will be roughly 100,00 square feet in space and increase the school's capacity to about 2,600 students, according to the school board. RCS spokesman James Evans said the Rutherford County Commission approved the funding request. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Smyrna High School celebrates new space on campus
Smyrna, TENN. (WKRN) — One Rutherford County school celebrated a new addition to their campus Tuesday morning. Smyrna High School added a new wing to their school grounds. It's a $30 million expansion that was initiated by Rutherford County Schools' (RCS') recent influx of students. News 2 has previously reported on RCS' difficulties adding new schools to their district. RCS does not have the land or funding to accommodate their growth, so the district has been forced to adapt. MAY 2024: Rutherford County Schools managing growth through construction projects Smyrna High School is one of four Rutherford County high schools that has built, or will build, add-ons to their existing campus. It's taken several years after these plans were first proposed to come to fruition. The new wing has 39 classrooms, which have taken the place of 19 older portable buildings. The new space will allow the school to have a new, increased capacity of 2,500 students. For a district that's already bursting at the seams, every added seat is needed. 'The portable classrooms that we had when I was in school in the '90s in this district — the early '90s — we're still using,' RCS Director of Schools, Jimmy Sullivan, said. '…Now, we're able to put our students actually into real classrooms.' Members of RCS' board shared that the district has added over 2,000 students of English as a Second Language in less than two years. However, that's not the only thing driving up their district's capacity. '(As) the housing atmosphere and environment in Rutherford County continues to be more expensive, we are seeing less elementary school-age students move in, and more middle and high school students move into this area,' Sullivan explained. Sullivan said RCS would request plans for a new middle school and high school in the coming months on top of the add-ons already underway. But on Tuesday, there was clear excitement — pride, as Sullivan called it — inside the new halls of Smyrna High School. 'It's been a huge blessing because now the students can now get the real experience,' Smyrna High School audiovisual production teacher Kyle Dietz said. ⏩ With the new campus space, Dietz has a legitimate TV production studio to teach his students in. Another teacher who has upgraded their teaching capabilities is Cierra Sanders, a CTE Health Science teacher. Sanders went from a small, portable room, to having a full health lab, featuring several hospital beds, among other amenities. 'The kids are able to put their hands on things,' Sanders said. 'They're able to touch and do and learn in such a better way than I was ever able to give them out there [in the portables].' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
