Kids First Chicago’s Post

“School district boundaries can and should be drawn intentionally to define school systems that are neither separate nor unequal.” - Zahava Stadler, New America Last month, we announced $5.8 million in grants to promote #integration and #equity in U.S. public schools. One of our grantees, New America, is modeling changes to school district boundaries to improve diversity and funding equity. By exploring options like district consolidation or redrawing boundaries based on existing census data, they aim to inform the creation of more balanced and equitable school districts. New America emphasizes, "Just as legislative districts need fair maps, school districts are crucial for an equal society." We are excited to support New America as they work towards creating fairer and more inclusive school district boundaries.

Parents! School choice strengthens all communities, but it is most effective where it is most needed … where there has effectively been no choice. Tom Newell and yes. every kid. make this point so simply and clearly in this recent WSJ opinion piece. #choosenow #universalschoolchoice

QUESTION: Why does the district need to re-build more schools? ANSWER: Keeping 55 school buildings safe, modern and ready for growth requires a long-range, phased approach to re-building and updating our schools. District leaders anticipated the need to gradually construct new, replace or update aging school buildings 20 years ago, and set out on a long-range plan that continues today. Many of the projects on the 2024 bond, the latest phase in this ongoing plan, are for schools that are 60 to more than 100 years old. With more than 55 buildings to maintain for approximately 29,000 students and 5,000 staff, the district’s phased approach addresses the needs of the district and keeps tax bills stable. This process is explored in further depth in a video at https://lnkd.in/dTPP5V6M. More Frequently Asked Questions about the bond and levy can be found at https://lnkd.in/gF5VyEXC. If you have questions that haven’t been addressed, please reach out at bit.ly/SPSContactUs so we can make sure your question is answered. The bond and levy will be presented to voters on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Remember to vote. https://lnkd.in/g7d4TKvF

Check out this article from Forbes that outlines the importance of making school meals for all students free regardless of socioeconomic status and highlights the recent implementation of free school meals in Massachusetts. Learn more: https://ow.ly/9ZmL50PFYUo

"We must always be thinking about how to put deep roots on each forward piece of progress so that we can sustain them over the long haul" Our advisory board member and long-time leader in educational equity, Linda Darling-Hammond, gives incredible insight into practical policy approaches and frameworks for achieving Brown's promise. Check out the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gtGMNPZw

From The Daily Signal: "In an explosive report by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, William Flanders analyzed data from Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction and revealed that the sudden tidal wave of new students displaced by the end of school choice would have overwhelmed the state’s public schools, severely compromising the quality of education available to Wisconsin students. For example, the Milwaukee Public Schools would have gone from a surplus of more than 20,000 seats to a deficit of more than 17,000—necessitating the immediate purchase or construction of at least 17 new school buildings. Likewise, to maintain its current student-teacher ratio, Milwaukee Public Schools would have needed to hire almost 2,400 additional teachers—a nearly 57% increase in its current teaching staff." https://lnkd.in/gWNws3X7 #wisconsin #schoolchoice #supremecourt #educationforall #educationreform #parentalchoice #parentalcontrol #studentsuccess #studentsfirst

In honor of #schoolchoiceweek, Chad Aldeman writes: “Voters like school choice. By demonizing it, the left is missing out on opportunities to shape the debate over the future of public education.” THE 74 https://lnkd.in/g5VG2nDS #PublicEducation #EducationReform #SchoolChoiceMatters #EducationPolicy #EducationDebate #EducationOpportunities

Annahi Donjuan’s story illustrates the determination of a young scholar and shows how policymakers, administrators, teachers, and organizations like Dallas County Promise are working together to make the education journey a success for more and more students. Read more about it here⌄ https://ow.ly/hjuP50QusNj

Texas educators and school leaders—check out the latest article by Amanda List on education-related Texas policy and politics. Dive into the details of House Bill 3, the School Safety Bill, from the 88th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature. https://lnkd.in/gT8yiJjy #texas #texasschools