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Most clicked story of the week:
The U.S. Department of Education will once again accept grant applications for $270 million across two programs aimed at boosting student mental health, according to notices published in the Federal Register on Monday. The agency had controversially axed the congressionally approved funding for the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program and the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program last spring on the grounds that they conflicted with Trump administration priorities.
Number of the week:
18
The number of states that differentiate compensation for special education teachers. Only one, Hawaii, meets the threshold of at least $5,000 above base pay for teachers that research suggests is needed to make a meaningful impact. Likewise, just eight states differentiate compensation for teachers instructing English learners — none of which do so at a “meaningful” level.
More federal impacts for schools
- What does the federal government shutdown mean for K-12? While day-to-day operations for most schools won’t be impacted due to most funding coming from state and local budgets, the lapse in federal funding that began Oct. 1 is expected to create some disruptions for school districts and state education agencies. Examples include pauses in Office for Civil Rights investigations, new grant-making activities and technical assistance support.
- The Federal Communications Commission voted 2-1 Tuesday to remove both school bus Wi-Fi and internet hotspot services from eligibility for federal E-rate funds. The move means schools and libraries will no longer be able to receive discounts on these services, as allowed under an E-rate expansion approved under the Biden administration. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called for the vote to reverse the expansion in September.
- Just days after President Donald Trump announced employers would have to pay a $100,000 fee for all new H-1B visa petitions, K-12 school leaders are already navigating the fallout. In Colorado Springs, Superintendent Wendy Birhanzel found out a math teacher from the Philippines won’t be able to return under a new visa to instruct in Colorado's Harrison School District 2. Another teacher who applied for an H-1B visa before the Sept. 19 proclamation is working with an attorney to figure out if the fee would apply to their case, said Birhanzel.
Civil rights in the spotlight
- The Education Department can move forward with plans to cut half of its Office for Civil Rights staff as litigation against the reductions proceeds, an appeals court ruled Monday. The decision from the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s order requiring the Education Department to restore the civil rights enforcement office to the “status quo.” Meanwhile, the agency had already begun returning staffers to the office in waves since September.
- A U.S. Commission on Civil Rights investigation found a shortage of special education teachers nationwide is leading to a lack of supports and services needed to help students with disabilities thrive in schools. The commission released its report on special educator shortages amid an increase in the population of students with disabilities qualifying for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
