NJ Spotlight--The 2% Question: Will Murphy Sign on to Cap Waiver?
Some 40 school districts across New Jersey could bypass state’s property tax cap under bill awaiting governor’s signature
With millions of dollars in education spending hanging in the balance, Senate President Steve Sweeney made a bet in offering an olive branch to school districts facing deep cuts in state aid.
But it’s still wait-and-see if Gov. Phil Murphy will go along with it.
https://www.njspotlight.com/2019/12/the-2-question-will-murphy-sign-on-to-cap-waiver/
John Mooney | December 20, 2019 | Education
The Atlantic--When Schools Try to Tweak Winter Break, Families Fight Back
Controversies over minor changes show how invested parents are in the end-of-year school calendar.
New York City’s families started thinking about the winter holidays early this year, but they weren’t exactly jolly about it. In May, just as classrooms were preparing to close for the summer, the city released its proposed K–12 calendar for the 2019–20 school year. The calendar included a tweak to the winter-break schedule that would delay its start by a day—classes would continue through December 23.
This did not sit well with many of those affected. “Educationally, it's completely unsound because the kids won't be into it at all,” one New York City parent—a retired schoolteacher—told the outlet NY1 at the time. “The teachers don’t want it. The principals don’t want it. The parents don’t want it."
Alia Wong| December 18, 2019
Education Week--2010 to Now: A Turbulent Decade for Schools
The new year brings to close a decade of stormy education policy debates, challenging issues for the nation’s schools, and the maturing of a new federal education law—the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Between 2010 and 2020, enrollment at U.S. public schools grew more diverse. The public narrative on the teaching profession swung between calls to fire ineffective educators and sympathy for those who must work two jobs to keep up with their bills. And U.S. education secretaries caused controversy like never before.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/12/18/2010-to-now-a-turbulent-decade-for.html
Evie Blad and Andrew Ujifusa| December 18, 2019
Politics K-12 (via Eduction Week)-What the FAFSA Simplification Trump Signed Means for Students
A change to the FAFSA included in a new higher education bill will eliminate as many as 22 questions for students filling out the lengthy, 108-question student aid form.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2019/12/fafsa_simplification_trump_signs_students.html
Evie Blad on December 19, 2019 3:45 PM
Education Dive--These court cases could shift the K-12 landscape in 2020
From a dispute over Houston ISD's takeover to allowing transgender students to access bathrooms of their choice, these cases stand to significantly impact public education.
The country is three years deep into Donald Trump’s presidency, which has seen, among other changes, significant policy overhauls from the U.S. Department of Education and a right-leaning Supreme Court bench ruling on landmark cases.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/these-court-cases-could-shift-the-k-12-landscape-in-2020/569292/
Naaz Modan| Dec. 19, 2019