State of Michigan’s Post

The state Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to Gov. Tony Evers’ partial budget veto last summer that set school funding levels to increase annually for the next 400 years. Wisconsin Public Radio analyzes the likely outcomes of the case https://lnkd.in/gJ99D5iv #WisconsinSupremeCourt #BudgetVeto #SchoolFunding #LegalAnalysis #StatePolitics #EducationReform #LegalChallenge

ACTION ALERT: The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Alumni of Color Network Advisory Council strongly opposes Legislative Bill 1330. The repercussions of passing a bill such as LB 1330 will have negative long-lasting effects on students, faculty, and staff. Eliminating programs that foster inclusion and belonging may lead to students and faculty seeking out other institutions. If Nebraska wishes to attract and keep the best and brightest, then passing a bill such as LB 1330 does nothing to set our higher educational institutions up for success. Although our particular concern is ensuring UNL lives up to its land grant mission and promises to be a welcoming place for all, this concern encompasses all institutions of higher education in our state. ALUMNI WE NEED YOUR VOICE AND I WILL BE SHARING WAYS TO ENGAGE ALL WEEK. NEXT UP: Send a letter to your state legislator - Email a letter to your State Legislator asking them to oppose LB 1330. Contact information for each Senator and a tool to look up who your Senator is can be found on the Nebraska Legislature’s website: https://lnkd.in/gtU-QVzG.

Good luck to all those running for elected school board this fall! Collecting 1,000+ signatures is HARD WORK. It will take listening, humility, teamwork, and coalition-building to best serve the young people of Chicago. This democratically elected board is charged with protecting what works and advancing equity by changing what doesn't. Those skills and more are what aspiring school board members and education advocates are learning at the Academy for Local Leadership. As we navigate this transition as a city, it’s crucial for stakeholders—parents, educators, organizers, and community leaders—to stay informed and engaged. For a deeper dive into the details and implications of this change, I highly recommend reading the comprehensive article by WBEZ Chicago. Here are a few key takeaways: Elections and Appointments: In this first phase, Chicagoans will elect 10 of the 21 board members, while the mayor will appoint the remaining members and the board president. The board will be fully elected in fall 2026. District-Based Representation: For this first election, 20 districts have been combined into 10. Each of the 10 districts has been divided into sub-districts—A and B. Each district will elect one board member from either A or B. Appointed members must be selected from the other sub-district. Candidate Engagement: Prospective candidates must secure between 1,000 and 3,000 signatures from their district to qualify. This process is now underway, emphasizing the importance of community support and involvement. Candidates began turning in their signatures on June 17th.

A new bill proposed in the California Assembly would require high schools to help students who are at least 16 to preregister to vote. While students have been legally allowed to preregister in California since 2014, many lack the time or resources to do it themselves. Engaging young voters is crucial, as they make up a critical demographic in our electorate. Bills like this one would help empower our youth to take ownership of their civic duty and make voting more accessible along the way. https://bit.ly/3WqsuVV

ICYMI | Republican legislators across the U.S. have rallied for laws to limit or deter college students, who typically skew liberal, from voting in the district where they go to college. Most recently, Wisconsin lawmakers proposed a bill, which never advanced, that would have required the state’s university system to inform all incoming students about how to vote absentee in their home states; the state had the highest youth voter turnout in the nation in the November 2022 midterm election. Bills that seek to disqualify student IDs from counting as a form of identification at polling places have also become increasingly common. The legislative push illuminates an intriguing question: Are students more likely to vote where they go to college, or at their parents’ home or other permanent address? A number of factors may influence the choice: which community feels more like home, which region they are more knowledgeable about, or even where they feel their vote is more important. But, according to Meagen Rinard, assistant director for community and civic engagement at The Ohio State University, one factor is by far the most important to students: convenience. Students typically opt to vote wherever it is easiest, she said, whether that means voting absentee in their home district or at the polling place on OSU’s campus. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/46ph9du

Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday came out in support of a proposal to limit book bans in schools—the direct result of his own stupid policies. In a press conference, DeSantis tried to claim that accusations that he has enabled book bans in the state of Florida are “a fraud” and “a big hoax.” He blamed “activists” on both the left and right for “hijacking” the process of banning books, accusing them of submitting book challenges solely to create a media narrative. And finally, he directed the Department of Education “to take appropriate action to deal with some of the bad actors who are intentionally depriving students of rightful education by politicizing this process.” Even as DeSantis basically admitted he made a huge mistake, he used a press release to link to a strange video he posted on Rumble, with the warning “***EXPLICIT CONTENT NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN***.” The video showcases so-called “non-age-appropriate books” that have “rightly” been banned by libraries, while defending “classic” books like The Diary of Anne Frank. (At least one Florida school has removed an Anne Frank novel, thanks to DeSantis.) It’s clear that DeSantis is trying to walk back these sweeping book bans—and creating a distinction between justified and unjustified bans. Essentially, DeSantis is now trying to point fingers at anyone besides himself and his allies, calling the book bans “theater” and “performative.” In reality, these ridiculous book bans are a direct cause of DeSantis signing House Bill 1069 into law in May 2023. Other legislation in Florida, including the Parental Rights in Education Bill and the Stop WOKE Act, have led to further restrictions.

As promised, I'm going to post every Tuesday until the election about how we in #HigherEd can encourage student voting. Here's today's resource for you with ideas and guidelines including an example syllabus statement. ✅ Are you planning to share voting info with your students? Do you have a syllabus statement encouraging students to vote? Let's share resources and ideas. #HigherEdVotes

Hey #HigherEd: a lot of our students are living with us and away from home, and I'm assuming will need to vote via an absentee ballot this fall. Do folks have plans in place to make sure students have registered and are reminded to complete their ballots? What do we know about this? What do we need to know/do? I'll start: here's a link to info by state on voting rules: https://lnkd.in/eqvuC3UM Faculty: can we get this info out to students early and often through course announcements and syllabi? Staff: do we have this info added to our communication plans for the fall? #Vote #VoterRegistration #HigherEdVotes

What have State Board of Education and School Board candidates learned during this campaign cycle? Learn more from our Question of the Week: https://lnkd.in/gT8Uz3Dk

when made official, will take effect July 1