Latest news with #TitleOne
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Backpack Buddies in metro Atlanta hits major milestone in fight against hunger
The Brief Backpack Buddies of Metro Atlanta has served its one millionth meal, providing weekend food to children in need across 50 Title I schools. The nonprofit has grown from serving 800 students weekly in 2022 to 2,500 students each week in 2025. Volunteers help pack and distribute bags filled with six shelf-stable meals to help fight weekend hunger among food-insecure children. ATLANTA - A metro Atlanta nonprofit is celebrating a major milestone in its mission to fight childhood hunger. Backpack Buddies of metro Atlanta, which provides weekend meals for students in need, recently served its one millionth meal. What we know The organization helps students at Title I schools head home from school on Fridays with enough food to last through the weekend—a critical time when many children face food insecurity. "On Fridays a lot of children think oh I'm going to go home, I'm going to play with my friends, I'm going to do fun things with my family. But for a lot of these children Fridays mean going home hungry and this is why Backpack Buddies is stepping in to bridge that gap between Friday and Monday," said Executive Director Denise Bjurholm. Backpack Buddies, which launched in 2022, now serves 50 schools across Gwinnett, Cobb, Fulton, and DeKalb counties. According to Bjurholm, about 180,000 children in metro Atlanta are considered food insecure. What they're saying "So currently we are serving fifty Title One schools in the Metro Atlanta area. We serve Gwinnett County, Cobb County, Fulton, and DeKalb. There are roughly around 180,000 children in metro Atlanta who are deemed food insecure," she said. In just three years, the number of children served weekly has grown from 800 to 2,500. "You know with the economy the way it is, prices are rising, food is rising, fresh fruit and vegetables are rising. What we are providing is a bag of shelf stable food that can really last longer and we are providing six meals in these bags," Bjurholm explained. The meals are assembled with the help of volunteers, who work in the nonprofit's warehouse to pack food. Local community groups then pick up and distribute the bags to area schools. Volunteers say the work is meaningful. "It's fantastic becasue it's such a tangible, every single sheet has we need 86 of this, we need 55 of this, we need 181 of this, and that's kids. Like we see it as numbers but it's kids," said volunteers Susanna and Richard Warren. "Knowing how many children don't have food on the weekends, it is very very rewarding," added volunteer Michele Fox. In April, Backpack Buddies reached its milestone of one million meals served. "When a child returns to school on a Monday they are energized, they look better, they feel better, they're ready to learn, and I think that is a huge impact we are making on this child," Bjurholm said. What's next While the organization is celebrating the milestone, leaders say they are already focused on the future. "Every weekend feeding bag that we pack it is filled with hope, it's packed with love, and it's delivered with a purpose," said Bjurholm. Their mission: making sure no child goes hungry.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Q&A: LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin on the Wildfires, Trump and Smartphones
Sharp and independent, Brentwood native Nick Melvoin has served on the LAUSD school board since 2017. But the attorney and former teacher said he's never seen anything like this year, where he's currently helping to guide the nation's second-largest school system through some rough situations. That includes federal agents turning up at schools, looking for immigrant students; cratering enrollments; and spiraling mental health problems, fueled by a widespread cell phone addiction among students the district is now finally trying to address in an effort led by Melvoin. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter It's a lot on the plate of the second-term school board member, who represents a large, diverse district in West L.A. and the West San Fernando Valley, which stretches from Encino to Hollywood and from the Pacific Palisades to Venice. And, almost unbelievably, it's all happening amid an environmental calamity that experts say could turn out to be the country's costliest disaster of all time. L.A.'s devastating wildfires of unprecedented strength this year struck Melvoin's board district directly, and consumed entire neighborhoods whole, homes, schools and all. The Palisades fire burned for two dozen days in January, killing 12 and destroying nearly 7000 buildings. Part of a complex of fires that struck the city this winter, the blaze displaced hundreds of families from Melvoin's schools. That's where we start our talk with him. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. How is the recovery going for the neighborhoods destroyed in the Palisades Fire? We're just taking it one step at a time. I was proud of the work we did to relocate to our elementary schools, in their entirety, within eight days. The Army Corps disaster team told me they rarely see anything like that. So that was a nice validation of the work we did. As we think about the permanent rebuild, you know, I'm cognizant that I'm also not just building for the next five years, but the next fifty. Hopefully this was a once-in-a-century sort of disaster. What we're thinking through what is, what do communities need, and how does the school district serve those communities? It's a lot, but I'm inspired by the resilience. There's a lot of change happening right now at the federal level, under the new Trump administration. What are the ramifications for LA Unified? Having served on the school board during the first Trump administration, you don't want to swing at every pitch. We're fully committed to protecting our vulnerable students. But we're also not out there putting a target on their back by talking about it. What's really important to me is the congressional appropriation in Title One. There's over a billion dollars for us to protect there, in that federal funding. It boils down to protecting the federal money for local programs. One hundred percent. So that's why we try to take a fine line. Still, high-profile LAUSD programs like the Black Student Achievement Plan, for example, would seem to catch the eye of the Trump administration's anti-DEI wing. One of the ironies, which you're probably aware of, is that the Biden administration actually came after us because of the Black Student Achievement Plan. I'm just trying to call it like I see it. Because we're in the business of running a school district, and not trying to play politics. But you can't avoid the big, sweeping changes in history, like the larger demographic shifts that are driving local enrollment declines for LAUSD. Part of the solution for enrollment is to see what's working. Let's create options that parents want. But part of it is also acknowledging that the cost of living has skyrocketed. Folks are having fewer kids. We just don't have the enrollment we used to, and we're not going to. So how do we think of our property? Are we going to build housing? Are we going to try to mitigate some of the charter co-locations? You pushed hard for the district's new smartphone ban. Congratulations on getting it done. I had a meeting of my Youth Advisory Council, which is composed of students from each of my high schools. And they shared some really positive feedback. They like not being on phones. I would say it's been successful, as far as we continue to monitor the data. But this is a cultural shift. It wasn't going to happen overnight. Related Teachers liked the idea, but some students and parents were worried about losing touch. Now that the policy is in place, how's it working out? Schools have, like, 95% general compliance. And then, if there's an issue, they just enforce the consequences. If a student violates the rules, their phone is getting confiscated. The first time a parent or guardian has to come into the school and pick up that student's phone, that's usually the end of it. Because those parents are not willing to do that again. But is the absence of phones actually helpful for school climate? I have more evidence of this at schools that were early adopters of cell phone policies. Those schools report that visits to psychiatric social workers are down, and visits to counselors are down. Anxiety is down. Kids report they're happier. Sounds like you're off to a good start then. I'm always of two minds. On the one hand, I think it's a great time when we're trending in the right direction, when we're outperforming the state, or when we're outperforming our peer districts. But I also won't be satisfied until, objectively, we're doing much better.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lee's Summit School District seeks $225M bond for school upgrades, repairs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Lee's Summit R-7 School District is asking voters to approve a $225 million bond, allowing it to update school buildings and address deferred maintenance. The 2025 school and special elections ballot says the bond, if passed, will allow the district to acquire, construct, renovate, furnish and equip new and existing schools in the districts, as well as purchase land. Your Local Election Headquarters: Candidates, races and results on FOX4 Specifically, : Update schools to meet modern standards for accessibility, safety and future ready learning. Prepare the district to address future growth and accommodate the needs of all students. Protect taxpayer investments by prioritizing essential upgrades and deferred maintenance districtwide. Some of the schools that would see improvements and changes would be Pleasant Lea Middle School, Hazel Grove Elementary, Greenwood Elementary, Lee's Summit North High School and Lee's Summit West High School. Additionally, Tuesday's vote will determine the future of Lee's Summit Elementary (LSE) and Westview Elementary. In November 2024, the school district about both schools through a proposed 'renovation' to Westview. The plan would consolidate the schools, moving LSE's students to an updated Westview school. Since news of the consolidation efforts broke in November, the district has from some families who claim there is no legitimate benefit to the proposal and that there could be long-term impacts on students and families who may not live close to the school. However, the district claims that the cause for the consolidation efforts stems from and threats to its Title One status, which provides low-income families with federal funds. The district also said that despite the merge, no jobs would be affected by the change, and the land previously used for the school will be repurposed. Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android If the bond passes, regardless of its $225 million total, there will be . It will stay at $0.87 per $100 of assessed real and personal property valuation if passed, according to the ballot. For a 2025 special election sample ballot, . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A plea for governor, president to visit Portsmouth Public Schools amid plans to abolish Dept. of Education
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — With children squiggling behind desks and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on hand with a rapt audience, President Donald Trump Thursday afternoon inked an executive order to abolish the Department of Education and turn over most assignments to the 50 states. Only Congress can abolish it, but the new Department of Government Efficiency, under the direction of Elon Musk, has already cut the Education Department staff in half. Musk, in a conservative conference earlier this year, burnished his conservative credentials by while describing his goal to cut the size of the federal government. If past is prologue, the chairman of the Portsmouth School Board is concerned DOGE-style budget cuts to a department formed during the Carter administration will harm a school system where every elementary school except one is a school in which . Thirteen Portsmouth schools are Title I schools, and most school buildings are about 60 years old. 'Title I is a huge proponent for students in low-income areas and for low-income families,' said Dr. Cardell Patillo, chairman of the Portsmouth School Board. Title One pays for reading specialists in middle schools. Title One also pays for other special resources. Title One pays for afterschool programs. It pays for extra tutorial assistance for these students who need it,' said Patillo Amid Read Across America week, president writing new chapter on education Shortly after President Trump signed the executive order, Youngkin issued a news release to outline how his administration plans to improve public education. On day one of his administration, the Republican signed an executive order to ban critical race theory, which 10 On Your Side determined is not taught in Virginia K-12 schools. He also opened a controversial tip line in which parents could report suspected CRT lessons in schools. Patillo said the governor has not ever visited Portsmouth Schools, and invited him and Trump to do so. 'He's been to Hampton Roads, but he has not been specifically to Portsmouth Public Schools,' Patillo said of the governor. 'I invite the governor [and] I invite President Trump to please come to some public schools to see the work that educators are doing and see the needs these students have. That need is great. Stability is most important for the success of these children.'According to NBC News, Mr. Trump later said the Small Business Administration will oversee federal student loans and the Department of Health and Human Services will oversee school nutrition programs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dept. of Education collapse could be good for STEM; expert says
AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday, President Donald Trump ushered in the end of the Department of Education. Following an executive order, Education Secretary Linda McMahon was ordered to dismantle DOE. The long-term impacts of this decision have yet to be felt, but experts say it could be a good thing for students studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). 'There's going to be more experimentation on approaches of how to get students ahead, and those approaches are going to be shared out very fast to a lot of these other states,' said Nhon Mah, CEO of Numerade. Numerade is a website and app that offers students help with homework using videos and AI tutors. The company highlights a focus on STEM textbooks on its website. 'Over the past 30, 40 years, the budget within the DOE has gone from 14 billion to then 90 billion, most recently, at the same time, your scores for math, science and reading are at all-time lows,' Mah said. Mah pointed toward improved test scores in Alabama. Experimentation in Dekalb County saw improvements post-pandemic after several teachers altered the way they taught the subject. Supporting these kinds of actions requires funding. 'This is where I think one of the biggest worries are with the elimination of the Department of Education, especially for Title One schools and rural communities or even urban communities,' Mah said. Mah said teacher training might see a decline as a result of the DOE dismantling. Ensuring that Title One schools, those located in lower economic areas, see funds will be on state and local leaders. 'We need to manage these districts, school systems, classes by how many students are actually hitting these objectives and those who are not, let's make sure that they actually get what they need. Everything comes back to accountability,' Mah said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
