Our top story: ”It’s taxation without representation. The taxpayers don’t get to pick who these private companies are that our tax dollars are going into. So that is not a free market.” https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-vendors-millions-legislature/
Is anyone surprised that teacher vacancies in England are at a record high?
Teachers have been under-paid & over-worked, are treated by the press as enemies of a mythical idea of 'common-sense eduction', have been exposed (post-Covid) to worsening student behaviour in schools, and have working lives that allow little space for resetting or time away from work.
We have abused them & strangely fewer people want to become teachers, even as more leave.
#education #schools
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/mar/13/teacher-vacancy-rates-record-high-england-report
Two programs that aid #state, #tribal, and #TerritorialGovernment #food purchases, canceling over $1 billion in funding for local #FoodBanks & #schools. The move... has been criticized by #Democrats and advocates for impacting #students and #farmers.
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5188283-usda-local-food-banks-schools-free-meals-snap/
#USDA terminated the second round of the #LocalFood for #Schools and #ChildCare #LFSCC program. This decision is seen as detrimental to #farmers, #ranchers, and #ChildNutrition programs, prompting calls for action from the #NationalFarmToSchoolNetwork #NFSN.
https://www.farmtoschool.org/news-and-articles/action-alert-usda-terminates-660m-program-for-local-food-in-schools-and-child-care
#USDA cancels programs providing funds to #schools & #food banks to purchase from local #farms & #ranchers. The programs aimed to support local #agriculture & build a more resilient #FoodSupply chain, will result in over $1 billion in #FederalSpending being halted.
“If we truly want to support students with #disabilities, we must strengthen, not abandon, our public schools instead of draining money from our public schools. Why not fix our system, fully fund our special ed schools, reduce those class sizes, hire and train more special ed teachers, and expand access to transition programs to prepare students for life after high school?”
https://www.texasobserver.org/house-hearing-2025-school-vouchers/
“What matters is who actually gets the funds; who actually gets admitted; or who’s already been admitted.”
New from @josephinelee: A House committee heard over 23 hours of testimony from those concerned about the future of public education if #vouchers become law. Objections came from both sides of the aisle. https://www.texasobserver.org/house-hearing-2025-school-vouchers/
On Tuesday evening, the U.S. Department of Education released a statement saying it would cut nearly 50% of the department's workforce.
Getting ready for our "Education for #Wellbeing" programme dissemination events in London (today) and Manchester (tmrw).
You can find event details, resources, and other important information (linked) here:
https://www.annafreud.org/research/current-research-projects/education-for-wellbeing/
USDA cancels $1B in local food purchasing for schools, food banks
States have been notified that they will not receive 2025 funding for #schools to buy food from nearby #farms.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/10/usda-cancels-local-food-purchasing-for-schools-food-banks-00222796
"State officials were notified Friday of USDA’s decision to end the LFS program for this year...
“Donald Trump and #ElonMusk have declared that feeding #children and supporting local #farmers are no longer ‘priorities,’""
Education Department plans to lay off 1,300 employees as Trump vows to wind the agency down… If you have an autistic or special needs child, you will be impacted.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department plans to lay off over 1,300 of its more than 4,000 employees as part of a reorganization that’s seen as a prelude to President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the agency. #education #schools #SpecialNeedsStudents https://apnews.com/article/education-department-layoffs-job-cuts-linda-mcmahon-ce9f6a8a63972aede0d8fbdf057ab788
I keep learning about (or being reminded of) good programs — as the Trump administration cancels them.
One example:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/usda-cuts-over-1-billion-023638343.html
“The U.S. Agriculture Department has cut two federal programs that spent over $1 billion annually to help schools and food banks buy food from local farms and ranches, according to a school group and a Politico report on Monday.”
The Texas House of Representatives has begun debating vouchers today.
Our coverage of the problematic private contractors who would earn big bucks if vouchers become the law:
https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-vendors-millions-legislature/
"In truth, academisation should never have happened. It serves solely an ideological purpose: the removal of democratic accountability and the transfer of state funds into private hands."
Morning Star Online: An end to the academy school gravy train?
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/end-academy-school-gravy-train
“It’s more government, more bureaucracy, more money, and there’s no oversight. And it’s taxation without representation.”
New today from @josephinelee and Justin Miller: The Legislature’s current proposals put a handful of private contractors in the driver’s seat. Other states have already seen problems.
https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-vendors-millions-legislature/
Featured story, from Molly Ivins: ”Three strikes and you’re out? Watch Texas spend more on prisons than it does on schools. Thinking of making your tax structure more regressive? Come to the Lone Star State and see how it’s done.” https://www.texasobserver.org/molly-ivins-school-vouchers-1997/
Featured story: “How are they able to get away with not giving them [all] PE? … I saw the way they do it is by falsification of documentation.”
https://www.texasobserver.org/mike-miles-third-future-schools-midland-classes/
The district may call it "bonuses." It's called #corruption, pure and simple.
> This Charter School Superintendent Makes $870,000. He Leads a District With 1,000 Students. https://www.propublica.org/article/valere-public-schools-superintendent-salary-texas
