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School districts face tough choices as the end of federal pandemic funding nears

Aug 24, 2023
Districts have been using the funds to renovate HVAC systems, hire staff and more. Now, some may need to cut program and jobs.
School leaders are anticipating job cuts as federal pandemic funding ends, a recent survey from the School Superintendents Association finds.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Some districts are trying year-round school to alleviate learning loss

Jun 15, 2023
But having some students on a different schedule comes with challenges both societal and economic.
There’s an idea that year-round schooling prevents what educators call “summer melt:” forgetting fractions or nouns over the summer.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Schools call on FCC for cybersecurity funding

Sep 22, 2022
School districts big and small are increasingly popular targets for ransomware attacks.
Students arrive at a Los Angeles elementary school in August 2021. The district is grappling with the fallout from a ransomware attack early this month.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

For 2 years, there was such a thing as a free lunch — at public schools. Not anymore.

Aug 18, 2022
The pandemic relief program that provided free meals was an outlier in the 75-year history of the federal school lunch program.
The federal government's universal free school lunch program has expired, though the idea is popular with parents.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Education support specialists keep schools running, but their pay doesn't reflect that

May 27, 2022
ESPs, or classified employees, are a chronically underpaid part of the education system. Low wages are driving them out of the profession.
Education support specialists on average make $35,000 a year, but they often go the extra mile to help students succeed.
Illustration by Julia Schiff

Declining enrollment affects how public schools balance budgets

Apr 13, 2022
It can be challenging to figure out whether pandemic-related changes will end up being permanent.
The recipient school districts are now considering how to use their donations, whether on improvements like a new gym or investments like college scholarship funds.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Public schools see fewer enrolled kindergartners. Where'd they go?

Sep 23, 2021
Kindergarten enrollment declined by 10% in Michigan public schools last year, according to a new study. It's not only happening there.
There's been an uptick in kindergarteners taken out of public schools over the past year.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

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California and Maine will offer free public school lunches

Jul 20, 2021
These are the first statewide programs, though some cities already have universal free lunch in schools.
The two states will begin providing free lunches to students in public school during the 2022-23 school year.
George Frey/AFP via Getty Images

Stimulus could fund ventilation improvements in classrooms

Mar 15, 2021
Run-down public schools made air quality a problem before COVID.
Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

K-12 public schools still count on kids to show up for funding

Nov 9, 2020
With so many schools online, screen fatigue, parents opting out and other coronavirus-driven variables, how will districts get the funds they need?
A teacher and student wearing masks speak between classes at Rippowam Middle School in September in Stamford, Connecticut.
John Moore/Getty Images