by Dan Rossmiller | Feb 6, 2023 | Federal Issue, Legislative Update Blog, State Issue
Last Friday (Feb. 3), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is proposing significant changes to standards governing school meals. The changes are aimed at making the meals healthier, with a particular emphasis on reducing sugar and salt.
A 60-day public comment period on the proposal starts tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb.7). The proposed changes are the product of a multiyear effort, and were developed with input from school nutrition professionals, public health experts, industry and parents, according to a USDA statement.
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by Dan Rossmiller | Oct 11, 2022 | Federal Issue, Legislative Update Blog, State Budget, State Issue
A new report from the Education Law Center finds Wisconsin school districts collectively faced a bill of $1.25 billion in unfunded special education costs in the 2019-2020 school year, even after accounting for state special education reimbursement and federal IDEA funds.
The report calls on the State to significantly boost the reimbursement rate for special education to enable districts to retain revenue in the general fund and increase spending on essential programs and services for all students.
Statewide, unfunded special education costs borne by Wisconsin school districts have grown from $1.03 billion in the 2015-16 school year, a figure reported by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. (more…)
by Dan Rossmiller | Aug 29, 2022 | Federal Issue, Legislative Update Blog
The U.S. Department of Education’s Proposed Rule to modify/amend the federal Title IX regulations is currently subject to a public comment opportunity for school districts and other interested parties to submit feedback to influence the final version of the regulations. The deadline for submitting comments on the Proposed Rule is September 12, 2022.
The WASB has prepared a general summary of the amendments found in the Proposed Rule, with brief commentary, that is intended to help Title IX Coordinators and other school district leaders understand the scope of the Proposed Rule and determine whether their school district wishes to submit any comments for purposes of their local advocacy. The WASB has attempted to identify the proposals that are likely to be of greatest interest to most school districts, however, the overview highlights only some of changes that are included in the Proposed Rule. (more…)
by Chris Kulow | Jul 14, 2022 | Federal Budget, Federal Issue, Legislative Update Blog
From EdWeek: “The federal government contributes roughly 8 percent of the $795 billion that annually goes toward educating the nation’s 50 million children. In many cases, however, the federal share falls short of its self-imposed targets, shortchanging schools on everything from high-need students and special education to facilities and school meals.
“This shortfall will persist without more vigorous and reliable federal intervention, argue the authors of a new report on funding sources for K-12 schools.
“Instead of asking school districts to rely on volatile state and local revenue, they say, the federal government needs to dramatically step up its investment in K-12 education and proactively establish funding programs that help schools during economic downturns.” (more…)
by Dan Rossmiller | Jun 30, 2022 | Federal Issue, Legislative Update Blog, National Issue
On June 25, President Biden signed the bipartisan Keep Kids Fed Act into law, thereby extending several pandemic-era school nutrition waivers. Those waivers, first issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as the pandemic disrupted school operations in 2020, had been set to expire on June 30.
Those 2020 waivers provided school food programs with more flexible nutrition requirements that helped them combat supply shortages, offer options such as “grab-and-go” meals, and provided school meal programs with higher than normal reimbursement rates for meals. The waivers also allowed school food authorities to provide free school meals to all students regardless of family income for the first time in U.S. history. (more…)
by Dan Rossmiller | Jun 27, 2022 | Federal Issue, Legislative Update Blog, National Issue
The new bipartisan school and gun safety law signed by President Biden on Saturday (see previous post) also includes a host of programs providing additional federal resources for schools, children and families. These programs are summarized below.
The new law builds on a couple of school security measures that were adopted in the wake of the 2018 Parkland, Florida school shooting, including:
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