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Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Education Department Budget Request Includes Massive Cuts
Just adding a little flexibility here. The 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Education has been released, and it follows through on President Donald Trump's promise of deep cuts for a department marked for elimination. The budget summary begins by quoting a portion of Trump's speech from his signing of the executive order calling for the elimination of the department. 'But we're going to be returning education very simply back to the states where it belongs,' he promised. The proposed budget seems to indicate that not only will states get more responsibility for education, but additional costs as well. Per Trump's promise, the proposal leaves Title I (support for schools with low income students) and IDEA (funding for students with special needs) intact. But billions of dollars for other programs have been slashed. The budget proposes a new item, the K-12 Simplified Funding Program, which 'would consolidate eighteen currently funded formula and competitive grant programs for elementary and secondary education into a single State formula grant program.' The stated goal is to eliminate 'siloes and bureaucratic red tape," however it appears to eliminate more than that. The K-12 SFP funding request is for $2 billion. The 2024 levels of combined funding for the 18 programs folded into K-12 SFP is over $6.5 billion. The consolidation comes with a $4.5 billion funding cut. One program alone, aimed at supporting effective instruction, was previously funded at $2.19 billion. Other programs to be combined into the K-12 SFP include programs for addressing literacy, supporting at-risk youth, arts in education, and American history and civics education. Community learning centers and rural education supports would also be lumped in. The federal government previously provided $380 million to help fund state assessments; that would also be part of the K-12 SFP. The budget request repeatedly notes that this combining of programs would give the states flexibility and 'discretion to support any activity that was previously allowed' under the previous program, but states will need a great deal of flexibility to make up for a $4.5 billion cut in funding for these programs. I have emailed the department for clarification of what certainly appears to be a cut on top of the consolidation and will add their reply if it arrives. Additionally, there are ten more programs under elementary and secondary education that have been cut entirely. Elimination of teacher-supporting grant programs like the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program and teacher and school leader incentive grants were explained with the line, 'Elimination of this program is part of the Administration's overall effort to restore fiscal discipline and reduce the Federal role in education.' The grants used by states to help with migrant education were likewise eliminated. Others, like Full Service Community Schools grants were eliminated with the note, 'States and localities, not the Federal government, are best suited to determine whether to support the activities authorized under this program or similar activities within their own budgets and without unnecessary administrative burden imposed by the Federal government.' English Language Acquisition, am $890 million program to support students learning English as a new language, was also cut with this language. In other words, if states think they want to do it, they can budget the funds themselves. Those eliminated programs represent another $1.1 billion in cuts. Meanwhile, the Charter Schools Program, with its history of fraud and waste, will get an additional $60 million. The IDEA grant funding is actually increased by around $650 million, but the budget request also consolidates other grant programs into the IDEA grants for state. Those additional programs account for the increase in IDEA funding, but it will apparently be up to states whether to use the funds that way. While the request keeps Career and Technical Education fairly steady, with a $2.3 million drop in national programs. However, the $729 million for adult education is eliminated entirely ("States and localities, not the Federal government, are best suited etc…") Beyond the K-12 funding, there are other cuts in the proposal. International Education and Foreign Language Studies are zeroed out because 'these programs are inconsistent with Administration priorities and do not advance American interests or values.' The Federal TRIO Program, a program aimed at providing college outreach and support to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, is eliminated. The Teacher Quality Partnership, aimed at boosting the teacher pipeline and adding diversity to the teacher pool, is also eliminated. Everything under the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the research wing of the department, is an asterisk until the administration is done 'reimagining a more efficient, effective, and useful IES.' However, the funding for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the test that measures how U.S. students are doing, is still there, albeit reduced from $193 million to $137 million. The salary request for the department moves from the 2025 figure of $2.769 billion to $2.514 billion (with IES still undetermined) even though personnel has been cut from 4,099 in 2024 to a projected 2,179 (though there are still personnel issues to be sorted out in court). The Office of Civil Rights would be cut from $140 million to $63 million. Unlike her predecessor Betsy DeVos, Education Secretary Linda McMahon did not request that Special Olympics funding be cut. This is a budget request, likely to be debated and revised and kicked around the halls of Congress before its done. This proposal is a far cry from actually eliminating the department, but it would certainly undercut the states' ability to support their students.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
IDEA Public Schools to offer free meals to children this summer
PERMIAN BASIN, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – IDEA Public Schools' Child Nutrition Program (CNP) is excited to announce they will be serving FREE meals during the summer to any child in the community aged 18 years and younger beginning Monday, June 2, whether they are an IDEA student or not. IDEA Travis will serve breakfast and lunch beginning Monday, June 2 through June 27th. IDEA Yukon will serve breakfast and lunch beginning Monday, June 2 through July 31. The offering is made possible through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. According to Feeding America, nearly 1 in 5 children in the state of Texas face hunger. The free meals are part of IDEA's commitment to local communities to help promote a healthy and active lifestyle through the Seamless Summer Meals Option. For the children who rely on school meals during the academic year, these meals offer a source of good nutrition when school is out for the long summer vacation. 'We know nutrition is essential for all children in our community—not just during the school year, but throughout the summer as well,' said Fernando Aguilar, Vice President of the Child Nutrition Program at IDEA Public Schools. 'With nearly 1.7 million children in Texas at risk of hunger this summer, we're proud continue helping fill that gap by providing nutritious meals that ease the financial strain on families during the break.' The summer meals will include breakfast and lunch and must be consumed in the cafeteria of any IDEA campus Monday through Friday. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Food service will be closed on federal holidays, June 20 and from June 30 through July 4. Families seeking more information regarding summer meals on campus may contact the cafeteria manager at any IDEA campus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
U.S. Dept. of Education says special education funds untouched in reduction process
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building in Washington, D.C., pictured on Nov. 25, 2024. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom) Before a federal judge temporarily halted the dissolution of the agency Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education ensured 'uninterrupted services' to children and youth with disabilities, in response to probing questions by U.S. Senators from Virginia and other states about the future of special education. The questions, spearheaded by Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware in a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, came after President Donald Trump and his administration launched efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. A key point of concern for the lawmakers was the one-month freeze on investigations into discrimination complaints that left a backlog of 12,000 complaints, 'half of which involve students with disabilities,' Democratic U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia and 20 of their colleagues wrote. The agency's plans are of particular significance for Virginia, where a federal investigation found that the Virginia Department of Education failed to meet federal requirements to help resolve disputes involving students with disabilities beginning in 2019. In December 2024, the investigation ended after the Office of Special Education Programs wrote in a letter that all of its findings and required actions for the agency were closed. Virginia was responsible for nearly 186,000 students with disabilities this past school year, an increase of almost 5,000 students from the 2023-24 academic period. As federal law requires, Virginia must provide all students with disabilities a 'free and appropriate public education' through personalized plans under the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Facing special ed teacher shortage, Va. education board votes to expand educator pipeline Sarah Ursprung, acting assistant secretary for legislation and congressional affairs for the federal department, wrote to lawmakers in April that no formula funding to states, including Title I and IDEA, was cut, and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) continues its enforcement work with a reduced workforce and the same commitment to vigorous vindication of students' civil rights. 'The department remains committed to ensuring uninterrupted services to meet the needs and develop the potential of children and youth with disabilities pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),' Ursprung wrote in a letter provided to the Mercury. The senators' letter also highlighted their reservations about limited staff at the agency. U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine from Virginia signed Rochester's letter in April that said the cuts would have 'immense harm' to all students. 'While we appreciate receiving a response from the Department of Education, we still have serious concerns about how the department can ensure services for students with disabilities aren't interrupted when Secretary McMahon has already reduced staff by nearly 50% and said she intends to close the department,' the senators wrote. Ursprung said that no employees in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Rehabilitation Services Administration or the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) were subject to the staff cuts on March 11. Employees involved in policy and administrative functions, whose duties the agency said can be reassigned or eliminated, were the ones subject to firing. NCSER-supported research continues with obligated funds, according to Ursprung. The research center helps experts understand more about children who have or may have disabilities by studying them from infancy through college. The trajectory of the federal education department, and the fallout in Virginia, remains uncertain, after the Massachusetts federal judge paused its dismantling and ordered the Trump administration to reinstate over 1,300 employees. The department is expected to appeal the decision. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Business Wire
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Wire
Toyoda Gosei Launches Horizontal Recycling Technology for Plastic Automotive Parts
KIYOSU, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:7282) has developed a new technology to recycle high-quality plastic from end-of-life vehicles (ELV) in order to meet the growing demand for recycled plastic in the automotive industry against strengthened environmental regulations. 1 This technology will contribute to decarbonized, circular economy through its use in various vehicles models starting with the Toyota Camry. 2 In the recycling of waste plastic, it has been difficult to obtain plastic with performance equivalent to that of new material due to impurities or other factors, and so waste plastic has generally been burned to recover heat (thermal recycling) or reused for purposes with lower required performance (downcycling). Toyoda Gosei has developed a recycled plastic with performance equivalent to that of new material even with 50% ELV plastic (polypropylene). To achieve this, Toyoda Gosei has collaborated with Isono Co., Ltd. to procure quality raw materials for recycling and leveraged Toyoda Gosei's original material modification technology, meeting the quality standards for automotive parts for practical application. This technology accelerates horizontal recycling for reuse in the same parts and contributes to CO 2 reduction. 3 It is the first time in the world 4 that recycled plastic containing 50% ELV plastic is used in interior parts such as glove boxes that require impact resistance. Toyoda Gosei is advancing recycling plastic and rubber with decarbonization as a key aim, based on its medium- and long-term 2030 Business Plan. Going forward, Toyoda Gosei aims to expand applicable products, such as those associated with vehicle design, and will move ahead with the improvement of recycled plastic. 1 In the European Commission policy to strengthen environmental regulations (ELV directive), the use of recycled plastic is expected to be mandated in new vehicles sold from 2031 onward. 2 Manufactured in Japan, used on the Camry launched in Europe and other parts of the world since 2024. 3 Use of this recycled plastic leads to a CO 2 reduction of up to about 40% when used in parts manufacture (depends on product size and other factors; calculated using IDEA developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology) 4 Expand
Winnipeg Free Press
22-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Huddle up with accountability, hard work
A Pro Football Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl winner's Winnipeg visit elicited advice, an award and — as expected — an audience dotted with San Francisco 49ers jerseys. Steve Young received the International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award (IDEA) on Wednesday. It's an accolade given annually by the Associates of the University of Manitoba's Asper School of Business, a group comprised of more than 365 senior executives. Young was the guest of honour Wednesday evening at the IDEA reception. First, though, the NFL quarterback-turned-private equity firm co-founder directed his attention towards 475 high school and university students. Aspiring entrepreneurs watched the businessman intently as he gave a speech and answered questions. 'I'm just sharing, paying … forward, the things that I learned that have created the most long-lasting effect,' Young told reporters after his morning talk. His key messages: be accountable and work hard. He learned both on the field. Young played 13 of his 15 NFL seasons with the 49ers, which landed him a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio, after two league MVP and one Super Bowl MVP awards. (He was named to the U.S. College Football Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.) In early days, Young said he didn't always take responsibility for interceptions. He'd point out others' errors. 'But, No. 1, the ball was in my hands and now it's in their hands, and I'm responsible,' said Young, 63. 'No matter what truth happened in between, that's the truest truth.' He began taking accountability, he told the crowd. 'Mitigation' techniques — or avoiding ownership of mistakes — happen both in sport and the corporate world, Young said. Other lessons he took from football translated to his new career. He co-founded Huntsman Gay Global Capital in 2007. 'When I started private equity, I couldn't believe how poorly people got along,' Young said. '(In football), to be great, you have to lose yourself in the group.' Business also thrives with teamwork and a common goal, he said. Building connections in the corporate world requires setting values and following through, he later told reporters. Young also differentiated between transactional business — the way U.S. politics is being played, he said — and 'abundance' business, which aims to make positive change. 'If it's just you getting a paycheque and going home, then it's never going to be the place that you care enough to really make a difference,' Young stated. He has degrees in law and finance from Brigham Young University. Law was his backup plan if pro football didn't work out. Young's shift to corporate came after football had worked out, including a then-record rookie contract with the now long-defunct USFL. He decided to tackle something new following his 1999 retirement from the NFL. 'The rest of my life, do I wander around trying to talk about something that I was great at or am I going to try to be good at something else?' he recounted. So Young shifted into private equity. In between and after, he worked as an ESPN analyst; the job never felt permanent, he said. During his transition to business, he leaned on people who had the expertise he didn't, Young told reporters. Huntsman Gay Global Capital now manages more than US$7 billion in assets. Young also began the Forever Young Foundation, which touches a number of initiatives like music therapy for children suffering chronic illness and school builds in Africa. 'These talks are greatly valuable,' Medhavin Kapoor, a third-year Asper student, said after Young's presentation. Kapoor is majoring in entrepreneurship and accounting. Young recommended students balance a dream and a plan — something Kapoor said he admires and strives to do. 'I would love to have my business set up, work upon it continuously and go for that grind,' Kapoor said. Saad Hayat, president of Commerce Students' Association, called Young's talk 'powerful.' 'Really happy that he decided to come and make the trip,' Hayat said. 'He's got a busy schedule, so coming here and highlighting an award like this, seeing the effect that Winnipeg business has at an international level is spectacular.' Mayor Scott Gillingham used the Wednesday event to encourage students to stay and establish themselves in Winnipeg. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'On this stage, it'll be you … telling your story to the next generation of students,' Gillingham said. High school students travelled from Arborg, Morris and Portage la Prairie to hear Young speak. Last year, local businessman Gerry Price received the IDEA award. Four decades' worth of business leaders have earned the accolade. Paul Soubry, president and chief executive of NFI Group, chairs the Associates' IDEA branch. Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
