Families In Schools’ Post

Districts in California are a little different…but this applies accords the board. I’d add that during COVID, LEAs added new programs and roles thanks to ESSER funding—but now that funding is drying up, we need to think smarter about staffing. By partnering with local agencies and businesses for some fractional support districts can keep costs low while ensuring that students don’t suffer and staff burnout is minimized. Focusing on partners who lighten the load so schools can focus on what they do best—educating students.

NEW: ProGov’s new Education roadmap is out now! Read about the best strategies being implemented by municipalities around the country to ensure that students succeed in schools. From funding universal pre-K to school lunches to promoting equitable outcomes for students of all backgrounds, our February release has you covered. Read the full roadmap here: https://lnkd.in/eERnbfvF

For over a decade, Children Now and other equity groups fought for accountability and transparency in the funding California provides to schools, to ensure it goes to the students who need it most. Unfortunately, the State's regulation plans have instead led to frustrated school leaders, excessive paperwork, and communities feeling left out. Please read our latest blog on how over-reporting has hurt equity in California's education system: https://bit.ly/4a71kIS

For over a decade, Children Now and other equity groups fought for accountability and transparency in the funding California provides to schools, to ensure it goes to the students who need it most. Unfortunately, the State's regulation plans have instead led to frustrated school leaders, excessive paperwork, and communities feeling left out. Please read our latest blog on how over-reporting has hurt equity in California's education system: https://bit.ly/4a71kIS

California public schools will be facing major budgetary challenges in the years ahead due to declining enrollment. Because districts lose funding when they lose students, maintaining the status quo becomes fiscally unsustainable and district reorganization becomes inevitable. How can district leaders build stronger and more equitable school systems with fewer resources?   In our new publication, my wonderful colleagues Carrie Hahnel, Tanvi K., and I offer strategies for how district leaders can use this period of fiscal transition to redesign high schools.   https://lnkd.in/g9Un2B7t

As we head into the 2024 election, free school meals are becoming a major issue—but this conversation goes beyond politics. It’s about equity. When students are hungry, they can’t focus, learn, or reach their full potential. Free meals are a critical step toward leveling the playing field and ensuring all students—especially those from marginalized communities—can thrive in the classroom. At 228 Accelerator, we believe in redesigning systems to support equitable outcomes for all students. Free school meals are one way we can help dismantle barriers to education. 🧑🏽🏫🍎 🔗 Read more about the role of free school meals in the 2024 election in the Education Week article. https://lnkd.in/gnM-rtkH #FreeSchoolMeals #EquityInAction #EducationalEquity #FeedingFutures #PolicyForChange

For over a decade, Children Now and other equity groups fought for accountability and transparency in the funding California provides to schools, to ensure it goes to the students who need it most. Unfortunately, the State's regulation plans have instead led to frustrated school leaders, excessive paperwork, and communities feeling left out. Please read our latest blog on how over-reporting has hurt equity in California's education system: https://bit.ly/4a71kIS

Do we still need public schools? Karen Pittman’s essay, Why Does Public Education Require Public Schools?, dives deep into the critical role that public education plays in shaping a future society – and why schools must lead the way. Pittman underscores how schools are more than just buildings; they’re anchors for community, equity, and opportunity. She highlights how the pandemic showed us both the strengths and limitations of schools taking on extended roles like public health and social services. Her take is that schools can’t (and shouldn’t) do it all alone. Instead, they should operate as community learning hubs, collaborating with other local resources to meet students' academic, emotional, and social needs. This “learning hub” model envisions a more sustainable system where schools focus on their core mission while partners offer wraparound support. By sharing responsibility across community institutions, this model aims to make education more efficient, effective, and equitable. The takeaway? If we want students to thrive, we need a collaborative approach that builds from the strengths of both schools and communities. Schools alone can’t carry the weight of societal change – but they can, and should, lead the charge. I know public schools get a bad rap but that's been a systemic failure on the part of policy and funding. What do you think -- How can we advocate for educational equity for all students? #PublicEducation #CommunitySchools #EquityInEducation #LearningHubs #YouthDevelopment #EducationPolicy https://lnkd.in/eC5AaZpG

Today's report from Wisconsin Policy Forum is an important - and sobering - reality check on where things stand for Milwaukee's students and schools. Across the board, far too many of our city's more than 110,000 publicly funded students are not receiving the educational opportunity they deserve. I often reference James Baldwin's quote that nothing can be changed, until it is faced. We City Forward Collective are committed to facing these realities head-on, and continuing to advance the conditions necessary to ensure that every Milwaukee child has access to high-quality schools of their choice, and is prepared to thrive. We'll continue to fight for fair funding -- for all students, schools, and sectors, including special education and early learners -- for meaningful accountability for student outcomes, and for a common-sense, citywide, collaborative approach to addressing critical challenges like chronic absenteeism and student mental health. As Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Jill Underly, Ph.D. said in response to today's report: kids in Milwaukee, across all sectors and schools, have real needs that aren't being met -- and we cannot accept the status quo because they each deserve the best from all of us.

I read this article last night, and it has been on my mind ever since. As a nation, we can not deny that many school districts are losing enrollment. While the drop in enrollment is not a huge issue, it does affect a school district's overall funding. This presents two issues. The first is obvious - declining enrollment means declining revenues and less funding for learning. While there are options to help alleviate this issue, including restructuring at the district administration level, the quickest way to cut costs leads to the second issue - closing and consolidating schools. At a certain point, it would make sense to consider the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of keeping a site serving a small number of students open. However, this also brings up issues of equity. Whose school closes? What programs need to be cut to balance the budget? Which neighborhoods lose their schools? In the case of rural school districts, where the school is the heart and soul of many towns and counties, what happens to the community when the school closes? Where do students go if the school is the only one in the area? This is a thought-provoking piece that highlights an issue that will continue to affect communities across the nation. https://lnkd.in/gu83GU4u