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House Republicans have unveiled a fiscal 2027 education spending proposal that would significantly reduce federal education funding, revive several previously rejected budget cuts, and impose new restrictions on schools that support transgender students. The proposal would cut Title I funding for low-income students by $1.6bn, or 9%, reduce annual investment from $18.4bn to $16.8bn, eliminate billions of dollars in funding for teacher professional development and English learner services, and end several competitive grant programs, including those supporting community schools and teacher training initiatives. At the same time, the bill would provide modest funding increases for special education, Impact Aid, Native American education programs, and Head Start. Funding for after-school programs, rural education, homeless student services, and charter school grants would largely be maintained, with charter schools receiving an additional $60m. The legislation would also allow the federal government to withhold education funding from K-12 schools and colleges that permit transgender girls to participate in girls’ sports or that withhold information about a student’s gender identity from parents. Education policy experts have warned that such provisions could trigger legal conflicts with state laws and existing federal civil rights protections. The proposal aligns with several elements of President Donald Trump’s education budget, including eliminating Title II-A and Title III-A programs, which together provide roughly $3bn annually for teacher development and English learner services. However, House lawmakers are proposing even deeper cuts to Title I funding than those included in the president’s budget request. The proposal now moves to the committee process, with months of negotiations expected before Congress reaches a final spending agreement. 

 

Education Week News

Title IX & State-by-State Sexual Harassment Compliance Requirements

Preparing for the upcoming school year? Vector Solutions’ state-by-state guide helps districts better understand Title IX, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment training requirements. Use it to review reporting and prevention mandates, align role-specific training, and simplify compliance tracking before the school year begins.

Download Guide

 

More than half of the candidates seeking seats on Chicago’s first fully elected school board are facing ballot challenges that could determine who ultimately appears on the November ballot. The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners received 35 objections against 28 of the 51 prospective candidates, with challenges primarily focused on the validity of petition signatures and filing paperwork. Candidates for district seats were required to submit between 500 and 1,500 signatures, while candidates for board president needed 2,500 signatures. The election marks the first time all 21 seats on the Chicago Board of Education will be elected as the district transitions away from a system dominated by mayoral appointments. Several incumbents are among those facing challenges, including appointed board members and current elected representatives. The Chicago Electoral Board will review the objections, examine signatures and records, and issue rulings in the coming weeks. Candidates or challengers will have the option to appeal decisions through the courts.

 

Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Tribune

Boston City Council has approved a $1.73bn Boston Public Schools budget for the next fiscal year, despite opposition from educators and several council members over plans to eliminate more than 400 student-facing positions, including paraprofessionals and other school support staff. School officials said the cuts are being driven by rising healthcare costs and a sustained decline in enrollment, with the district having lost nearly 9,600 students over the past nine years and expecting enrollment to fall by another 3,000 students by 2027. While councilors described the reductions as painful, supporters argued the budget was necessary to maintain the district’s financial stability. The Boston Teachers Union urged the council to reject the proposal, warning that the cuts would disproportionately affect vulnerable students and calling for alternative solutions, including additional state aid and the use of reserve funds. The budget ultimately passed by an 8-5 vote.

 

Boston Globe

Nearly three-quarters of K-12 teachers believe artificial intelligence will have a greater impact on education than the internet or personal computers, according to a new NPR/Ipsos survey, underscoring how quickly the technology is reshaping classrooms. While 60% of teachers reported using AI for work-related tasks such as lesson planning, assessments, and professional development, many expressed concerns about its effect on learning. More than half said AI makes it harder for students to develop critical thinking skills, while 55% view it primarily as a shortcut that helps students avoid doing their own work. The survey also found that nearly six in ten teachers believe AI is eroding trust between students and educators, leading some schools to require more handwritten assignments and in-class work. At the same time, almost 80% of teachers said schools should teach students how to use AI responsibly, recognizing that the technology is likely to become a permanent part of education. 

 

NPR

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has introduced the Educator Misconduct Dashboard, an interactive online tool designed to enhance transparency regarding teacher misconduct. This resource provides access to misconduct reports, investigations, and the Do Not Hire Registry, which currently lists over 4,000 individuals ineligible for employment due to misconduct or criminal history. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath emphasized the importance of transparency, claiming: "This dashboard and associated resources reflect our commitment to ensuring the safety of all students and the integrity of those privileged to serve in our classrooms." The dashboard also includes a Student Protection Resource Center, offering guidance on detecting and reporting signs of neglect or abuse, as required by Texas law. TEA Inspector General for Educator Misconduct Levi Fuller noted that the dashboard serves as a "one stop hub" for critical information.

 

KTRK-TV

Chron.com

Laredo Morning Times

Star-Telegram

Most Americans support providing free public education to children regardless of their immigration status, according to a new nationally representative survey of more than 1,500 adults conducted in April 2026. The poll found that 75.5% of respondents agreed that all children should have the right to public education, despite growing efforts in some states and among conservative groups to challenge the longstanding legal precedent established by the Supreme Court's 1982 Plyler v. Doe ruling. Support varied significantly by political affiliation, with 93.9% of Democrats and 57.5% of Republicans backing universal access to public education, while 95.7% of 2024 Kamala Harris voters and 48.8% of Donald Trump voters supported the policy. However, backing remained above 70% across most demographic groups, income levels, educational backgrounds, and age brackets. The survey also found particularly strong support among Hispanic and Latino respondents (86.9%), African Americans (86.7%), Asian Americans (77.7%), and non-Hispanic white respondents (69.9%). Support exceeded 70% in every income category, and younger adults aged 18-29 were the most supportive at 81.4%, compared with 71.5% among those over 60. Across religious groups, majorities favored allowing undocumented children to attend public schools free of charge, including Muslims (92.9%), religiously unaffiliated respondents (82.2%), Jewish respondents (81.1%), Catholics (79.5%), and mainline Protestants (72.6%). Evangelical Protestants were the least supportive group, though a majority (59.9%) still backed the policy.

 

Washington Post

North Carolina senators have revived efforts to explore open enrollment, approving a proposal that would commission a study of policies allowing students to attend public schools outside their assigned attendance zones within the same district. The provision was added to the broad K-12 Innovation and Transformation Act (SB 1006) and would direct the North Carolina Collaboratory to examine how open enrollment could expand educational opportunities. Supporters argue the policy would give families greater flexibility and reduce the impact of neighborhood boundaries on school access. North Carolina currently has no statewide open-enrollment policy. The measure has cleared the Senate Education/Higher Education Committee and now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further consideration.

 

The Carolina Journal

Iowa has enacted a new immigration law that will require school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and education licensing authorities to strengthen employment eligibility checks for school personnel, with the changes taking effect July 1. Under the legislation, all public and private schools must verify the identity and work authorization of new hires using federal verification systems. The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners will also be required to confirm legal authorization to work in the United States for anyone applying for or renewing an Iowa education license. The law expands employment verification requirements across the public sector and follows concerns raised after the 2025 immigration-related arrest of former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts. For Iowa schools, the most immediate impact will be enhanced hiring and licensing compliance requirements, requiring districts and educational institutions to verify employment eligibility for new staff and educators before they can be hired or licensed.

 

Des Moines Register

Students, immigrant-rights groups, and Austin Community College are asking the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to let them defend the Texas Dream Act, which allowed eligible undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at Texas colleges. The law, passed in 2001 with bipartisan support, was blocked last year after the Trump administration sued Texas and Attorney General Ken Paxton agreed not to defend it. The state and federal government argue the law conflicts with federal immigration rules because it gives some undocumented students a tuition benefit not available to out-of-state U.S. citizens. Advocates say the law’s eligibility rules were based on more than residency, including Texas high school attendance, graduation, three years of residence before graduation, and a pledge to seek permanent residency when eligible. They argue the court should allow them to intervene before striking down a law that helped more than 57,000 students access higher education. The outcome could determine whether the case returns to district court for a full defense of the law or whether the block remains in place.

 

Houston Public Media

Michigan health officials are grappling with rising vaccine exemption rates and measles outbreaks after a once-successful effort to reduce school vaccine waivers lost momentum and sparked backlash in some communities. In 2015, Michigan began requiring parents seeking nonmedical vaccine waivers for school enrollment to attend an in-person educational session at their local health department. The policy initially reduced kindergarten waiver rates by 32%, but exemptions later rebounded, and vaccination rates declined further following the COVID-19 pandemic. Local health officials say the in-person sessions increasingly became confrontational and, at times, unsafe for staff, prompting the state to support a new hybrid model in more than 30 counties. Under the revised system, parents complete an online vaccine education course before obtaining a signed waiver from their local health department. Supporters argue the approach provides factual information while reducing conflict and rebuilding trust with families. Critics, however, contend that making the process more convenient could encourage additional exemptions.

 

U.S. News

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) is contemplating the addition of pickleball as an officially sanctioned sport after receiving responses from over 500 schools. Approximately 30% of these schools expressed interest in the sport, with the FHSAA board set to discuss the findings during a meeting on June 8. "The process is still in the early stages," the FHSAA noted, emphasizing that several steps must be taken before pickleball can gain official status. Currently, 48 schools have pickleball as a club sport, but only 56 have dedicated courts. The FHSAA's last addition of new sports occurred in the 2021-22 season, which included girls wrestling and beach volleyball.

 

The Florida Times-Union

Tennessee students have nearly regained their pre-pandemic math achievement levels and have made notable progress in reading, according to a new Education Scorecard report that highlights the state as one of the nation’s strongest academic recovery stories. The report ranked Tennessee second in the country for math improvement between 2022 and 2025, trailing only Washington, D.C. State leaders attribute the gains to a combination of high-quality instructional materials, intensive tutoring programs, teacher professional development, and expanded summer learning opportunities. Math proficiency among students in grades 3-8 rose from 28% in 2021 to 42% in 2025, following the rollout of new literacy and math initiatives backed by more than $130m in state and federal funding. Tennessee also implemented structured high-dosage tutoring programs, requiring multiple weekly sessions in small groups led by certified teachers or trained tutors.

 

The 74

The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) and the PA Education Association have sued the U.S. Department of Education over new federal student loan limits that they argue unfairly restrict borrowing for physician assistant students and could worsen healthcare workforce shortages. Under a rule set to take effect on July 1, graduate students will be limited to $100,000 in federal loans and professional students to $200,000. While medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, and several other healthcare programs qualify as professional degrees and receive the higher borrowing limits, physician assistant programs do not, leaving their students subject to the lower cap. The advocacy groups argue that many physician assistant programs cost more than $200,000 when tuition, housing, fees, and supplies are included, and contend that the Education Department has unlawfully added criteria to determine which programs qualify as professional degrees. They are seeking a preliminary injunction to block implementation of the rule.

 

The Hill

Ohio State University has agreed to pay $100m to former students who accused longtime campus physician Dr. Richard Strauss of sexually abusing them during his tenure from 1978 to 1998, bringing the institution closer to resolving a years-long legal battle. The settlement covers all but one of the 280 plaintiffs with pending lawsuits alleging the university failed to stop Strauss despite complaints dating back decades. An independent investigation previously found that some university personnel were aware of concerns about Strauss as early as 1979 but did not take action. Strauss died by suicide in 2005. The university’s Board of Trustees approved the preliminary agreement on Wednesday. Combined with an earlier settlement of more than $61m reached with 317 survivors in February, Ohio State has now committed more than $161m to resolve claims related to the case.

 

The Hill

A new pilot program called Connecting Futures is helping young people involved in the child welfare system reconnect with education, graduate from high school, and pursue post-secondary opportunities through tailored academic and social support. The two-year initiative, backed by a C$7.5m ($5.4m) investment from the Northpine Foundation and delivered in partnership with the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, operates across eight ventures in Ontario and Manitoba. The program brings together school boards, child welfare agencies, libraries, and community organizations to support students who have disengaged from traditional education. Early results have been encouraging. Participants have collectively earned between 80 and 100 academic credits during the program’s first 10 months, one student has already graduated, and several more are expected to receive diplomas by the end of June. Organizers say the program’s success stems from its ability to coordinate services across sectors and adapt educational delivery to the complex needs of youth in care.

 

CBC News