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USA
25th September 2026
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THE HOT STORY

Districts turn to shared buses, vans, and new campuses to expand CTE access

School districts are developing new transportation strategies as growing demand for career and technical education and work-based learning requires more students to travel between high schools, technical centers, community colleges, and workplaces during the school day. Transportation can become prohibitively expensive when relatively few CTE students need to travel from widely dispersed locations, with costs potentially reaching $30,000 to $50,000 annually per student in difficult cases. Districts are responding by aligning school schedules, consolidating bus stops, combining buses with smaller vehicles, and collaborating on transportation services. The Western Maricopa Education Center, which serves more than 37,000 students from 48 high schools in the Phoenix area, has moved from grant-supported transportation to agreements under which it shares driver costs with partner districts. West-MEC is also building campuses closer to students, including a site near Agua Fria High School that opened in 2025 and will add four more CTE programs in summer 2027, reducing the need for students to travel long distances.

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NUTRITION

Federal funding, staffing, and kitchen capacity strain U.S. school meal programs

AASA, The School Superintendents Association (AASA), has surveyed 429 school district leaders across 43 states, finding widespread financial and operational challenges in school meal programs. Among respondents, 67% said current federal funding levels present a moderate or significant challenge, while 40% reported diverting money from elsewhere in their budgets last year to cover meal program costs. Beyond funding, 69% identified compliance with federal nutrition standards as a challenge, and 37% cited student acceptance and participation as their greatest operational difficulty under current regulations. Infrastructure and staffing are also limiting districts’ ability to expand scratch cooking, with only 44% reporting full kitchens at every school, and 64% and 61% identifying staffing and funding, respectively, as barriers. AASA said insufficient reimbursement, staffing shortages, procurement difficulties, limited kitchen capacity, and low student acceptance are putting pressure on districts and, in some cases, forcing them to choose between absorbing rising meal costs and funding other educational priorities.

LEGISLATION

Senate hesitates on permanent daylight saving time amid concerns over students and schools

The Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent and end twice-yearly clock changes, faces uncertainty in the Senate amid concerns about its effects on students and schools. The House passed the legislation 308-117 in July, but some senators have raised concerns that permanent daylight saving time could leave students traveling to school in darkness during winter mornings, particularly in northern states. The article cites sleep experts who argue that permanent standard time would better align with circadian rhythms, particularly for teenagers, and could support sleep, learning, and mental health. Supporters of permanent daylight saving time emphasize the benefits of additional evening daylight, while some educators warn that moving school start times later could conflict with sports, extracurricular activities, and instructional schedules.

LEGAL

Federal judge blocks Oklahoma from excluding religious schools from charter program

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction preventing Oklahoma from excluding the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation from its charter school program because of its religious character, potentially clearing the way for the nation’s first taxpayer-funded religious charter school. U.S. District Judge David Russell ruled that Oklahoma’s requirement for charter schools to be nonsectarian discriminates against otherwise eligible religious schools and violates the First Amendment’s free exercise clause. Ben Gamla’s lawyers said the ruling gives the organization a fair opportunity to serve Oklahoma families, while groups defending the state law argued that public schools should remain secular and open to all students. The decision follows a 4-4 U.S. Supreme Court split last year in a separate Oklahoma case involving a proposed Catholic charter school, which left unresolved the broader constitutional question surrounding publicly funded religious charter schools.

Nashville Public Schools settles two student assault and harassment lawsuits

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) has approved a $250,000 settlement covering two lawsuits filed by Juana Martinez, who alleged that the district failed to protect her daughter, a student with Down syndrome at Harris-Hillman School, from sexual assault and harassment. The first lawsuit alleges that another student sexually assaulted Martinez’s daughter on a school bus in August 2023 despite a previous report of inappropriate touching and assurances that the student would be kept away from her. A second lawsuit alleges that, about a year later, another student showed her sexually explicit images during class, causing further distress. Both lawsuits accused MNPS of negligence and reckless conduct, while the first also alleged that the district failed to properly investigate the earlier inappropriate touching. MNPS largely denied the allegations in its responses, and the school board approved the settlement covering both cases on September 22.

ENROLLMENT

Chicago schools lose 11,500 students as underenrollment pressures intensify

Chicago Public Schools enrollment has fallen by more than 11,500 students from last year to about 304,000, extending a decade-long decline of roughly 76,000 students and leaving the district with more than 135,000 unfilled seats. Small high schools on the West and South Sides have been particularly affected, with several losing more than 20% of their enrollment and two serving fewer than 40 students. Falling birth rates, slowing immigration, outmigration, and some loss of students to private schools and homeschooling have contributed to the decline, while several neighborhoods and former charter schools have experienced particularly sharp losses. The trend is intensifying debate over the future of underenrolled schools as the district’s closure moratorium approaches its expiration at the end of the 2026-27 school year. The Chicago Teachers Union and community groups are seeking an extension of the moratorium, while some school board candidates have said closures should remain an option following community consultation.

EMPLOYMENT

Hawaii teacher vacancies rise as schools turn to 1,200 emergency hires

Hawaii public schools are increasingly relying on unlicensed educators, or emergency hires, as teacher shortages persist, particularly in Hawaiian language immersion programs. The Hawaii Department of Education is employing roughly 1,200 emergency hires this academic year, up 20% from last year, while reported teacher vacancies have risen to 142 from 73, although they remain well below the roughly 1,000 vacancies recorded in fall 2022. Just over 40% of emergency hires already hold teaching licenses from another state or country but have not yet received Hawaii credentials, and state law now gives these educators up to five years to become licensed. Staffing pressures are particularly acute in Kaiapuni Hawaiian immersion programs, where 18% of 186 teaching positions are filled by unlicensed educators, and another 7% are vacant and covered by substitutes. The state is offering licensed Kaiapuni teachers an $8,000 annual bonus, alongside mentoring programs, but officials say schools face intense competition for fluent Hawaiian speakers as demand for immersion education continues to grow.

SOCIAL & COMMUNITY

Poll links confidence in K-12 schools with belief in the American Dream

A new Gallup and Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream survey found that 92% of Americans consider a quality education important to achieving the American Dream, even as dissatisfaction with K-12 education remains widespread. Adults who are more satisfied with schools are also more optimistic about upward mobility and opportunities for future generations, while most respondents said schools are not doing enough to prepare students for the workforce or help them improve their circumstances. A separate recent poll found that just 32% of adults are satisfied with U.S. education options. However, views are more positive at the individual level, with 58% saying they received a quality education, and 57% saying they have access to good schools for themselves and their families.

EARLY YEARS

Proposed Head Start overhaul sparks debate over bilingual instruction and school readiness

The Trump administration has proposed requiring English-only classroom instruction in Head Start, potentially affecting nearly 290,000 dual-language learners nationwide, including thousands of children in Los Angeles County. The proposal would remove requirements for staff to speak students’ predominant home languages, provide certain assessments and screenings in families’ preferred languages, translate essential parent materials, and maintain foreign-language classroom resources. The administration says the changes would give providers greater flexibility and strengthen English proficiency and school readiness, while critics argue they could hinder language acquisition, family communication, and student development. The Administration for Children and Families estimates that one-third of non-tribal Head Start programs would need to change curricula, replace materials, and retrain or replace teachers, at an estimated one-time cost of at least $99m. The proposal is undergoing public comment through October 6.

SCHOOL TRANSPORT

Illinois schools grapple with soaring bus costs, driver shortages, and funding gaps

Illinois school districts are facing mounting transportation pressures as higher labor, fuel, insurance, and special education costs collide with declining state reimbursement rates. Statewide school transportation spending has risen 60% over the past five fiscal years, reaching more than $1.8bn last year, while special education transportation costs have climbed 75%. Emily Warnecke of the Illinois Association of School Administrators and Illinois Association of School Business Officials said annual transportation cost increases have accelerated from around 2% before the pandemic to 12%-13% in recent years, partly because districts and private contractors are paying higher wages and rapidly rising health insurance costs to attract workers. Warnecke noted that state reimbursements have failed to keep pace, with special education transportation now reimbursed at around 55% and regular transportation at about 68%, leaving an estimated $800m gap from fully funding claims. Record diesel prices and driver shortages are adding further pressure, forcing some districts to consolidate routes, reduce field trips, and seek savings from athletics and other transportation.

COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS

MPS targets 4,500 students with seven-year college readiness initiative

Milwaukee Public Schools is rolling out a seven-year college and career readiness program backed by a $23m U.S. Department of Education GEAR UP grant, serving about 4,500 students across 20 schools. The initiative provides mentoring, summer programs, college tours, advanced learning opportunities, and support with college applications, while University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee researchers will track student progress. MPS and partner organizations are expected to match the federal funding, bringing total spending to $46m over seven years. The district previously participated in GEAR UP from 2011 to 2018 and reported higher graduation rates and participation in college-preparation activities at participating schools.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Education Department announces $174m investment In HBCUs

The U.S. Department of Education has announced a one-time investment of more than $174m in historically Black colleges and universities, in addition to their regular annual federal funding. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the funding is intended to help HBCUs continue providing education and preparing students for a changing economy, while addressing barriers to federal and state grants and improving their competitiveness for research and development funding. The latest award follows a $438m one-time investment last year, bringing the administration’s combined one-time HBCU investment for fiscal years 2025 and 2026 to more than $612m. The administration is also providing more than $61m in additional one-time funding for tribally controlled colleges and universities. The United Negro College Fund welcomed the HBCU investment, although its president, Michael L. Lomax, said needs across HBCU campuses remain significant.

Education Department panel deadlocks over ABA’s role in law school accreditation

A U.S. Department of Education advisory committee has deadlocked over whether the American Bar Association should retain its status as the federally recognized accreditor of U.S. law schools, leaving Education Department Under Secretary Nicholas Kent to make the final decision in the coming months. The department previously recommended against renewing the ABA legal education council’s accreditor status, arguing that it is not sufficiently separate and independent from the broader ABA and criticizing the organization for moving too slowly to revise requirements concerning law schools’ diversity policies. Critics of the ABA’s accreditation role argued that ending federal recognition would have limited immediate effects because only five law schools rely on ABA accreditation for access to federal student loans. Supporters warned that removing the ABA could disrupt U.S. legal education and create a patchwork of state lawyer licensing requirements, while also alleging that federal accreditation rules were being applied unevenly to the organization.

Education Department sued over canceled student loans still appearing on credit reports

Two student-loan borrowers have sued the U.S. Department of Education, alleging that loans canceled years ago remain listed as active on their credit reports, damaging their credit scores and limiting their ability to borrow. The Project on Predatory Student Lending, which represents plaintiffs Mandy Woods and Jorge Cortes and is seeking class-action status, says more than 300,000 borrowers still have $4.6bn in canceled debt reported as outstanding. Woods borrowed about $65,000 to attend Ashford University, while Cortes borrowed about $54,000 for ITT Technical Institute, with the Education Department later canceling loans for eligible former students after taking action against both institutions. Woods said her credit report continues to show nearly $72,000 in federal student-loan debt because of accrued interest, despite the discharge, and that she was recently denied three credit cards. The lawsuit alleges that the department is violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act by continuing to report canceled balances, amid broader disruption in the federal student-loan system and a default population that has reached more than 9.3m borrowers.

INTERNATIONAL

Italy moves to ban face-covering veils in schools and introduce 30% classroom limit

Italy’s government has approved measures banning burqas and niqabs in schools and introducing a 30% cap affecting certain students without Italian citizenship or with limited Italian-language experience in first-year primary, middle, and high school classes. The face-covering ban does not apply to hijabs, while the classroom rules vary by education level and include exemptions where students cannot be distributed among nearby schools, with additional Italian-language instruction provided instead. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the measures as tools to promote integration, while Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara said the limit is “purely linguistic” and intended to prevent “ghetto classes.” Schools would also be required to report cases where persistent parental language barriers hinder a child’s integration, with free Italian courses offered. Opposition politicians have criticized the measures as politically motivated and difficult to implement, while the government has rejected claims that it is responding to pressure from the hard-right Futuro Nazionale party. The decree can take effect immediately but must be ratified by parliament within 60 days.
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