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Politico reports that the Department of Education has struck agreements to send billions of dollars to the Labor Department to administer a suite of education grants and detail several agency employees to the Treasury Department. The plans are currently on hold due a federal judge's ruling to temporarily block the Trump administration's efforts to cut the department's workforce. The agreement with Treasury was finalized in April, according to documents that identified nine Education Department employees, including a person originally assigned to work as part of billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE effort, who are detailed to the Treasury Department as advisers. An Education Department spokesperson confirmed the agency signed an agreement with the Labor Department to administer some of the education agency’s career, technical and adult education grants. “The Workforce Development Partnership will allow ED and DOL to better coordinate and deliver on workforce development programs and strengthen federal support for our nation’s workforce, a top priority of the Trump Administration,” department spokesperson Madi Biedermann said in a statement on Wednesday. The measures laid out in the documents show how the administration is making significant moves to outsource portions of the Education Department’s operations to other Cabinet agencies

 

Politico

School Leadership’s Guide to Career and Technical Education

Economic impacts are changing the employment landscape. Now more than ever it's critical to prepare students for careers in current and emerging professions through Career and Technical Education (CTE). Having developed 200+ award-winning digital courses, FlexPoint knows that CTE offerings look different for every school, based on location and student population.
School and district leaders can learn how to enhance their CTE programs through the free FlexPoint guide.

In the guide, you’ll have access to:

• An overview of nationally recognized Career Clusters and Programs of Study
• Tips for selecting the best career pathways that evolve with the employment landscape
• Sample survey questions to gauge students’ interests in future career opportunities
• And more!

Download CTE Guide

 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott discussed the potential benefits of a state takeover of the Fort Worth school district during an interview. This follows a warning from Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath regarding the district's risk of state intervention due to Forest Oak 6th Grade Center receiving an F rating for five consecutive years. Abbott stated, “We've seen time and again that when there is a takeover, they lead to better results,” referencing the successful turnaround in the Houston school district. He also expressed the need to change the law that mandates a five-year wait before state intervention can occur. Fort Worth officials plan to appeal the F rating, while Morath emphasized that the closure of Forest Oak 6th Grade Center does not exempt the district from potential state action.

 

Star-Telegram

At its June 10 meeting, Alvin ISD's board of trustees approved a balanced budget for fiscal year 2025-26, totaling $391.4m in revenue and expenses, marking a nearly $25m increase from the previous year. The budget reflects increased funding from the state due to rising student enrollment and enhanced support for special and early education. Notable expenses include a cost of living adjustment for teachers and staff, with raises of $2,500 for those with three to four years of experience and $5,000 for those with five or more years.

 

Community Impact Newspaper

On June 5, the Judson ISD board of trustees unanimously approved the elimination of 25 vacant non-teaching positions and the reduction of four vacant nursing staff positions to licensed vocational nurse roles. This decision is expected to save approximately $1.43m in the 2025-26 fiscal year budget, which faces a projected shortfall of $40.82m.

 

Community Impact Newspaper

Teachers and employees in Pearland ISD will receive a pay increase in the upcoming school year, following the board's approval of an $8.7m compensation package on June 10. This includes nearly $8.4m in salary increases and about $310,000 in stipends. The funding is made possible by House Bill 2, which allocates $8.5bn to public schools over the next two years. Superintendent Larry Berger noted that the updated salary plan will cost the district $8.4m, with $6m funded by the state. The remaining $2.4m will be covered by the district's general fund, creating savings and eliminating projected shortfalls.

 

Community Impact Newspaper

Parents and students gathered outside the Texas Education Agency to express their concerns over turnaround plans for three underperforming North Austin middle schools. The group, part of ATX United for Public Schools, requested more time and support for developing plans for Dobie, Burnet, and Webb middle schools, which have not met state standards since 2018. The district's proposed plans include increased math and reading instruction, but parents worry about the impact of teacher reapplication requirements. The Austin School Board is set to discuss these plans further, with a vote now scheduled for June 26, ahead of the June 30 submission deadline to the TEA.

 

Austin American-Statesman

Hays CISD is confronting a significant budget shortfall of $14m, which has increased from an initial deficit of $6.29m at the start of the fiscal year 2024-25. Christina Courson, HCISD chief human resources officer, stated that the district needs to find an additional $294,284 in cuts to fund a $1.39m compensation plan for staff. The shortfall is attributed to various factors, including the addition of 32 teachers and increased costs from a new payroll system. House Bill 2, signed into law on June 4, will provide salary increases for educators based on experience, with some teachers set to receive up to $5,000 more.

 

Community Impact Newspaper

A 30,500-sq-ft expansion at Cedar Creek High School is currently 40% complete, according to Bastrop ISD administrators. Lee Raspberry, the district's director of planning and construction, reported that structural steel work, roofing, and the first-floor stud framing have been finished, along with the decking for the second floor. The skyway connecting the new expansion to the main campus is also complete. This project is part of bond initiatives passed in 2021 and 2023 aimed at accommodating local student population growth and upgrading critical systems.

 

Community Impact Newspaper

The El Paso ISD board has accepted Superintendent Diana Sayavedra's retirement agreement, which includes a payout of $347,000. The board voted 4-2-1, with some members advocating for her retention. Martha Aguirre, the district's chief financial officer, will step in as interim superintendent, overseeing budget development and business operations.

 

El Paso Times

InterMotive Vehicle Controls has introduced a new safety solution called the School Bus Flasher, aimed at enhancing the visibility of school buses as they approach stops. This system alerts nearby drivers, indicating that children may be exiting the bus and crossing the street. The School Bus Flasher operates key safety features such as amber warning lights and stop arms, and can be integrated with InterMotive’s FlexTech system. Additionally, Pro-Vision's second-generation stop arm cameras improve low-light recording for better enforcement of school bus passing laws.

 

School Bus Fleet

According to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, bisexual medical students are twice as likely to drop out or be dismissed from medical school, while gay and lesbian students face a 47% higher risk. Dr. Sarwat Chaudhry, associate dean for student research at Yale School of Medicine, noted that "LGB students experience discrimination within medical training environments, which may lead to risk of attrition." The research analyzed data from over 45,000 medical students between 2014 and 2017, revealing that 4.2% of bisexual students and 3.7% of gay and lesbian students did not complete their studies, compared to 2.4% of non-LGB students. Notably, Hispanic queer students exhibited the highest attrition rates, being three-and-a-half times more likely to leave medical school. The study emphasizes the need for further research into how ethnicity and sexuality intersect to impact student retention.

 

U.S. News

French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to advocate for European Union regulations that would prohibit social media access for children under 15, following a tragic stabbing incident at a middle school in Nogent, Haute-Marne. Police questioned a 14-year-old student on Tuesday over the knifing of a 31-year-old school aide during a bag search for weapons. In an interview, Macron said of the proposed E.U. social media ban, "If that does not work, we will start to do it in France. We cannot wait," emphasizing the urgency of the situation. He attributed rising violence among youth partly to social media, echoing sentiments shared by Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, who noted that the stabbing was not an isolated event. Macron's comments align with a global trend of increasing restrictions on children's social media use, as seen in Australia, which recently implemented a ban for those under 16.

 

Politico

U.S. News