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A new proposal from the U.S. Agriculture Department would make more schools eligible to offer free breakfast and lunch to students in low-income communities. The USDA on Wednesday said it planned to lower the threshold of a program aimed at making it easier for schools and school districts in low-income areas to offer free meals to all students, without requiring their parents to apply for the benefits. Currently schools are eligible to participate in this program, known as “community eligibility,” if 40% of their students receive food stamps or participate in another safety-net program tied to household income. The USDA on Wednesday proposed lowering that threshold to 25%. President Biden endorsed expanding the program last fall and the White House requested $15bn over 10 years to bolster the program as part of its most recent budget proposal. The administration estimated those changes would help feed nine million more students. Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack said making school meals “healthier and available to more students are some of the best ways we can help our children thrive early in life.”

 

Wall Street Journal

Amid delays in planned salary increases for teachers in some districts, members of the State Board of Education are considering how to put “pressure” on local leaders of teachers' unions and school board members. The state board Wednesday discussed efforts to distribute money approved by the Legislature, including $800m earmarked in this year's state budget for raising teacher salaries to a minimum of $47,500. Adam Miller, a senior chancellor with the state Department of Education, said the department has “fully approved” salary-distribution plans for 69 school districts, which include county districts and other types of districts, but pointed to a handful of districts that are either at impasse in negotiations with unions or are in negotiations. The Hillsborough, St. Johns and Seminole county districts are at impasse, while the Gadsden County district is negotiating with the teachers' union. Notably, state board member Ryan Petty has floated the idea of bringing local union officials before the board because “at a minimum, we'd be hearing both sides of the story.”

 

The Miami Herald

Kara Arundel highlights how a federal budget reduction could affect U.S. Department of Education services. Earlier this month, President Biden released his administration’s proposed FY24 budget seeking to raise the Education Department’s budget by $10.8bn or 13.6% over FY 2023 allocations. While GOP leaders have not yet put forth an official proposal, they have nonetheless stressed a need to trim spending for the FY 2024 budget cycle. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has told Committee on Appropriations Ranking Member Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., that any reductions would have a “very real and damaging” impact on families, communities and the economy. According to Cardona, Title I grants to districts would come down by $850m if spending were reduced to FY22 levels. If the Department of Education's budget were cut by 22%, back down to FY22 levels, Cardona also claims Title I schools would have 60,000 fewer teachers and related service providers. A spending cut of 22% would also reduce state grants for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by $3.1bn and equal about 48,000 fewer special educators. A 22% cut to IDEA would also lower the federal per-pupil support to its lowest share since 1997.

 

K12 Dive

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ′ administration is moving to forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, expanding the law critics call “Don’t Say Gay” as the governor continues to champion cultural issues ahead of his expected presidential run. The proposal, which would not require legislative approval, is scheduled for a vote next month before the state Board of Education and has been put forward by the state Education Department, both of which are led by appointees of the governor. The rule change would ban lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity from grades 4 to 12, unless required by existing state standards or as part of reproductive health instruction that students can choose not to take. The initial law that DeSantis championed last spring bans those lessons in kindergarten through the third grade. While State Board chairperson Tom Grady has defended the approach, arguing that the law is not as restrictive as what those who have dubbed it “don’t say gay” would have the public believe, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre blasted the initiative, claiming that the proposal would reach beyond the current law and proposed legislation. “It's completely, utterly wrong,” she said.

 

AP News

Florida Phoenix

Tampa Bay Times

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has called on state and local school leaders to focus on raising academic standards, expanding mental health supports for students and creating more career and technical education programs. Speaking in Washington on Monday, at the legislative and policy conferences for the Council of Chief State School Officers, he called on education leaders to rework systems so they better support students’ academics, well-being, and life after graduation. “Now is the time for systems in education that deliver on our nation’s potential and put us in the position to raise the bar and lead the world for years to come,” he asserted.

 

Education Week

Nine months ago, SMA Healthcare in Daytona Beach created “Navigate” – the first and only place so far in Volusia and Flagler counties where children as young as 15 can come and get complete, coordinated care for episodes of psychosis. The multiple buildings at SMA Healthcare in Daytona Beach each house the different components of care – case managers who design a treatment plan, family counselors, individual counselors, employment or education counselors and an onsite pharmacy if medication is prescribed. Jason Thompson, director of Navigate, says 21 of the 30 Navigate spots are already filled and the program opened less than a year ago.

 

Click Orlando

Teachers at six Collier County schools have been celebrated with the Golden Apple award for their best practices in the classroom. Sylvie Certa of Gulfview Middle, Anne Coots of Osceola Elementary, Ashley Crosby of Golden Gate Middle and Michael Gonzalez of RCMA Immokalee Community Academy were among them. This year’s Golden Apple teachers won a $5000 grant.

 

Naplesnews

The Education Department has confirmed that it will launch the redesign of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid in December, missing the annual October 1 release of the form. The news wasn't unexpected, as a senior official had told members of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators in February that the agency could not commit to the form’s traditional launch date. The department’s Federal Student Aid office has been working to carry out a bipartisan law simplifying and easing requirements for the FAFSA, but it said the "unprecedented complexity" of the new form demanded more time and effort than anticipated.

 

Washington Post