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Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: Congress Needs to Protect Resources for Homeless Students in Next Year's Budget
As more Americans struggle to find affordable housing, homelessness is increasingly a reality for families with children across our country. This is why it's particularly concerning to see that the president's 2026 budget proposal not only cuts funding for public schools by 15% but would effectively remove existing support for children experiencing homelessness. When Congress takes up the fiscal year 2026 budget, leaders should maintain dedicated funding to support these vulnerable children. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Roughly 1.4 million children in schools across the U.S. are homeless. These children currently have legal protections that remove barriers to enrollment and attendance. This has been the case since the signing of the federal McKinney-Vento Act by then-President Ronald Reagan in 1987. The law recognizes the challenges faced by children who lack a 'fixed, stable, and adequate nighttime residence' and protects children's right to enroll in and remain in school when their lack of stable housing might otherwise make this impossible. Along with legal protections, the law authorizes federal funding that helps schools identify and support children experiencing homelessness. These funds are used most frequently to provide transportation and school supplies to students and hire outreach staff who work with community agencies and train school personnel on how to connect children and families with needed services at their school and in the community. Related Since the enactment of the McKinney-Vento Act, a growing body of research has demonstrated why the protections are needed. My research shows children experiencing homelessness are more likely to be chronically absent from school and less likely to graduate high school, compared to the entire student body, as well as economically disadvantaged students. Teens experiencing homelessness also face significantly greater risks to their health and well-being, with a risk of attempted suicide more than four times greater than their high school peers. While annual funding designated for helping schools serve students without stable housing makes up less than 1% of past years' federal education budget at roughly $129 million annually, these funds have a substantial impact. In an evaluation of American Rescue Plan funding targeted to improve identification and services for homeless students (ARP-HCY), school districts that received additional funding saw a 25% increase in the identification of students experiencing homelessness, as well as reduced rates of chronic absenteeism, improvements in reading, science and math, and increased graduation rates among homeless students. Additionally, in a separate study of New York State schools that I worked on at Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan in partnership with SchoolHouse Connection, school personnel reported that school districts that had previously had little awareness of the impact of homelessness on children in their schools were better able to identify and serve students as a result of receiving dedicated funding. Related The president's 2026 budget proposal will gut the McKinney-Vento Act and leave children who are homeless without the vital support of their schools. The proposal rolls 18 programs –- including McKinney-Vento funding for homeless students –- into a single flexible state block grant, and it cuts the collective funding for those programs from $6.5 billion to $2 billion. Proponents argue that the block grant approach does not eliminate funding for homeless students and simply provides states more flexibility in how they spend their education dollars. However, previous state block grants tell a different story. When funding for an established program is transferred to unrestricted block grants, grants often do not continue to be used for their original purpose. The best example of this is the replacement of federal cash assistance with the block grant for states known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Since the TANF block grant was put in place, the total amount of cash assistance provided to families fell by 78% in real value from 1993 to 2016. This decline did not coincide with a decrease in need; instead it was driven by fewer needy families receiving assistance. The most recent fiscal data available shows that as of FY 2023 only one-quarter of TANF spending nationally went to basic assistance, with some states spending as little as 2%. By cutting the overall budget for the 18 federal education programs covered in the proposed state block grant by 70%, states will be in a position of scarcity trying to cover program needs that cannot all be met. We saw this during the pandemic when only 18% of school homelessness liaisons surveyed said their districts spent federal coronavirus relief education funding on services for homeless students –- despite that being an allowable use of the funds. Without the backing of a federal requirement that homeless students be identified and served by schools and a corresponding budget allocation, funding for students who are homeless will be eaten away by other programs in many states, and legal protections will disappear. There is still time to ensure that the final education budget does not strip away the educational rights of students experiencing homelessness. Congress should not include the McKinney-Vento program in any block grant, but rather keep it in its current form, as the budget proposal does for both Title I programs that serve students in high-poverty areas and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act programs. By preserving the McKinney-Vento program, we can ensure that being homeless as a child does not determine the course of that child's education or future. Solve the daily Crossword
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Mississippi judge pauses the state's ban on DEI programs in schools and universities
JACKSON, Miss. — A Mississippi law that bans diversity, equity and inclusion programs from public schools and universities was temporarily blocked by a federal judge Sunday. U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate approved the request for a temporary restraining order brought by a group of plaintiffs, including the Mississippi Association of Educators.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Howard County schools superintendent says special education audit affirms progress
A highly anticipated audit on special education in Howard County public schools highlighted some longstanding issues staff and parents have raised for years. Ahead of a presentation on the audit on Thursday at a Board of Education meeting, Howard County Public School System Superintendent Bill Barnes called the audit affirming. Barnes said the audit shows the school district is working toward fixing the right issues in special education. Some Board of Education members, though, felt the audit wasn't productive. For Barnes, undertaking this audit means the school district is responding to the concerns raised for some time. "We're not sitting still. We're moving. We're moving forward now with them," Barnes said. Barnes said the audit gives HCPSS a good picture. It was conducted by the nonprofit Research Triangle Institute, or RTI, from December 2024 to June 2025. The audit highlighted some longstanding concerns, including increasing caseloads with fewer staff and providers, not enough professional learning for staff, a lack of supports for students and their IEPs, and families feeling they can't effectively communicate concerns. One parent who was surveyed for the audit said, "It's always a fight. Every single time." "We know that we have to do better in helping families," Barnes said. "It's our goal to ensure that families feel as if they are true partners in the process. Not every family is feeling that, so we have work to do." Some of RTI's recommendations include developing supports to better monitor students' progress, including families more in the process, and reviewing staffing formulas. At the Board of Education meeting, board members questioned how actionable the recommendations are. Some board members went as far as to question the whole audit process, feeling it didn't go far enough. "I was hoping that the report would actually include a recommendation for what Howard County should use. This is a summary of things we already know," said Board of Education member Antonia Watts. Earlier this month, HCPSS unveiled dozens of new and repurposed special education positions to ease teachers' workloads. Barnes said moving forward, the audit will be influencing the creation of a strategic plan that's set to be released early August. "There are no quick fixes; we didn't get here in one day," Barnes said. "We're not gonna get out of here in one day. The improvements are gonna take some time."
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Largest teachers union slams 'unlawful' cuts to Department of Education after Supreme Court ruling
The president of the nation's largest teachers' union, the National Education Association, slammed the Supreme Court's ruling on Monday for siding with the Trump administration on dismantling the Department of Education. "Everyone who cares about America's students and public schools should be appalled by the Supreme Court's premature intervention in this case today, which stays preliminary relief ordered by the lower courts. Today's decision does not resolve the underlying merits of Trump's unlawful plan to eliminate the Department of Education," Becky Pringle said in a statement. She added, "Parents, educators, and community leaders won't be silent as Trump and his allies take a wrecking ball to public schools and the futures of the 50 million students in rural, suburban, and urban communities across America. We will continue to organize, advocate, and mobilize until all students have the opportunity to attend the well-resourced public schools where they can thrive." The Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to fire hundreds of Department of Education employees, a move that advances President Donald Trump's plans to dismantle the department. The high court's decision in McMahon v. State of New York was issued 6-3 along ideological lines. The decision temporarily pauses an order by a lower court judge that had reinstated roughly 1,400 employees at the Department of Education. In March, Education Secretary Linda McMahon laid off half of the department's workforce as part of the Trump administration's broader reduction in government efforts. Later that month, Trump announced in an executive order that he planned to shutter the department altogether. The Supreme Court's order arose from two lawsuits, including one brought by 20 Democratic-led states that challenged the Education Department's layoffs and planned closure. McMahon praised the ruling, vowing that the federal agency can now "carry out the reduction in force to promote efficiency and accountability and to return education back to the states." "Today, the Supreme Court again confirmed the obvious: the President of the United States, as the head of the Executive Branch, has the ultimate authority to make decisions about staffing levels, administrative organization, and day-to-day operations of federal agencies," McMahon said on X. "While today's ruling is a significant win for students and families, it is a shame that the highest court in the land had to step in to allow President Trump to advance the reforms Americans elected him to deliver using the authorities granted to him by the U.S. Constitution."
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zimmer announces reelection run for Senate District 35
Iowa State Senator Mike Zimmer has announced he will be running for reelection to represent Senate District 35 in the Iowa Senate. 'Back in January, I was honored to be given the opportunity to represent Clinton, Jackson, and Scott Counties in the Iowa Senate,' Zimmer said in a news release. 'Since then, I've hit the ground running for all of my constituents in the Capitol, fighting for stronger public schools, protecting landowners' rights, better wages, affordable housing, and childcare and a future where working families can get ahead, not just get by.' 'The work to bring Iowa values back to the Senate has just begun, and there's so much left to do, like fully funding our public schools and AEAs, expanding Highway 30, raising wages and lowering costs for everyday Iowans. That's why I'm excited to announce that I'm running for re-election in Senate District 35: to bring our Iowa-raised, Iowa values of hard work, fairness and integrity to the state capitol in Des Moines.' Zimmer has been married to his wife Tammy for 42 years and they have five children and 10 grandchildren. Mike is an active member of St. Ann Catholic Church in Long Grove, is a 3rd Degree Knight of Columbus and serves as the volunteer driver coordinator for Humble Dwellings. Click here for more on Zimmer and his campaign. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
