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USA
1st October 2026
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THE HOT STORY

Rising student meal debt pushes school districts to launch fundraisers

School districts across the U.S. are increasingly launching their own fundraising efforts to address rising student meal debt as higher food costs and changes to federal assistance programs put additional pressure on families. Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, which has accumulated more than $1m in meal debt, has opened an online merchandise store whose proceeds will help reduce the districtwide balance, while districts in Iowa and Idaho have pursued community donations and other fundraising initiatives. Districts have also increasingly moved away from denying meals or providing alternative food to students with unpaid balances, instead serving the same meals while seeking payment from families. With meal prices rising and some schools losing the ability to provide universal free meals because of changes in federal eligibility, education leaders expect districts to face continued challenges managing unpaid balances.

INSTRUCTIONAL COHERENCE

No More Patchwork Literacy: Teachers Need Cohesive Resources

How can you spend more time teaching instead of countless hours scouring the internet for engaging authentic texts, supplemental worksheets, foundational skills support, standards-aligned activities, or assessments that pinpoint student progress? Piecing together fragmented resources isn’t just exhausting; it creates inconsistent learning experiences for students who need steady, structured growth. When instructional tools lack alignment across grade levels, critical skills fall through the cracks during key transitions. You shouldn't have to act as a curriculum designer on top of everything else you do.

Educators deserve a unified, evidence-based instructional approach that meets every learner, from PreK through high school, at their precise point of need. Consistent, high-quality materials free teachers to focus on what matters most: delivering impactful, engaging instruction.

Discover how a unified PreK-12 literacy strategy empowers teachers and elevates student reading outcomes.

 

FINANCE

Arkansas school choice payments set for first annual decline

Most participants in Arkansas’ Educational Freedom Account program are expected to receive about $100-$150 less in the 2027-28 school year, marking the first annual reduction since the school choice program began in 2023. The decrease follows a reduction in the state’s per-student foundation funding from $8,162 to $8,037 for 2026-27, reflecting a change that moves public school employee health benefit costs outside the funding formula rather than reducing overall public school support. Because most Educational Freedom Accounts equal 90% of the previous year’s foundation funding, the state cost per account is expected to fall from $7,346 this year to $7,233 in 2027-28. With around 50,000 participants, the program would cost approximately $362m next year at that participation level, compared with more than $367m this year.

Idaho schools put more than $307m in property tax measures before voters

Idaho school districts will ask voters to approve more than $307m in property tax funding in November, nearly double the $159m placed on ballots last fall and up from $183m in May. No districts are seeking bonds, while five districts are requesting more than $98m through plant-facility levies for maintenance and upgrades, and 31 districts are seeking about $208m in supplemental levies, largely for staff salaries, benefits, extracurricular activities, and other operating needs. The increase comes after election changes limited districts to seeking additional property tax funding in May and November. Idaho requires 66.7% voter approval for school bonds, while supplemental levies require a simple majority, and most plant-facility levies require 55%.

North Carolina weighs per-student school funding model amid calls for reform

North Carolina lawmakers are considering an overhaul of the state’s school funding system, with House Education K-12 Committee Chair David Willis describing the current model as “broken” after district finance officials detailed the complexity of managing multiple funding sources and position-based allocations. The state budget has allocated $300,000 for a work group to develop a potential per-student funding formula, with recommendations due to lawmakers by July 15, 2027. Currently, the state largely funds teachers, principals, and other licensed employees by position, leaving districts to combine state, local, and federal funding to cover other costs. Finance officials said the system can result in districts shifting employees between funding sources and returning unused money to the state, including one district that had approximately $600,000 in unspent teacher funding last year despite filling every allocated position.

DISTRICTS

DOJ ends monitoring of Cedar Rapids schools after behavioral reforms

Cedar Rapids Community School District has met the requirements of a 2022 settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, ending federal monitoring following four years of reforms to how schools respond to student behavior. The district eliminated student seclusion, restricted physical restraint to situations involving an immediate risk of injury, introduced crisis prevention and de-escalation policies, and invested $3.5m in additional staff and professional development. Restraint incidents fell to 190 in the 2025-26 school year, compared with 4,145 incidents recorded between the 2018 and 2021 school years. The district has also reported declines in major office referrals, fights, aggression referrals, and out-of-school suspensions.

TECHNOLOGY

Google.org backs nationwide expansion of Micro:bit coding program

The Micro:bit Educational Foundation is expanding its coding and computer science program nationwide after a Los Angeles County pilot reported improvements in teacher confidence, instructional capacity, and student engagement. The 2025 pilot, supported by Google.org, reached more than 3,100 students and 154 teachers across 84 schools, with 95% of participating teachers reporting increased confidence in teaching computer science. Google.org is providing an additional $520,000 to expand the initiative to schools across 49 states, Washington, D.C., and two U.S. territories during the 2026-27 school year, bringing its total support to more than $1.1m. The expanded program will use the programmable BBC micro:bit for hands-on coding and will also provide access to micro:bit CreateAI, which allows students as young as eight to explore machine learning through physical AI projects.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Education and Justice departments issue school guidance on swatting threats

The U.S. Department of Education and Department of Justice have issued voluntary guidance urging K-12 schools and colleges to develop plans and train employees to respond to swatting, the practice of making false emergency reports to trigger a law enforcement response. The agencies recommend training staff who may receive threats, establishing teams to evaluate incidents, conducting drills, and improving coordination between campus security and outside law enforcement. Officials said swatting incidents in educational settings have increased in recent years, disrupting learning, causing trauma, and costing taxpayers millions of dollars, while noting that some threats may originate outside the United States. Schools are advised to initially treat reports of violence as credible and prioritize campus safety while determining whether a threat is genuine or a hoax.

CURRICULUM

Texas Bluebonnet curriculum costs could surpass $1bn by 2029

Texas has allocated at least $504m since 2024 to develop, produce, distribute, and support adoption of its state-led Bluebonnet curriculum, with total spending potentially exceeding $1bn by 2029. The program provides open-source math and reading materials, with about a third of school districts adopting at least one of the curricula, while the state has committed $394m for instructional coaches and an estimated $43m so far for $20-per-student adoption incentives. The Texas Education Agency, which said $120m will be spent specifically on creating and producing materials between 2024 and 2027, is seeking at least another $464m for Bluebonnet in 2028 and 2029. The curriculum has faced criticism over Bible content, factual and typographical errors, and copyright issues, although the agency said districts using Bluebonnet recorded state test score improvements of between 0.2 and 0.6 percentage points compared with non-Bluebonnet districts this year.

SPORTS

Washington voters to decide transgender school sports measure in November

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has called on voters to reject Initiative 638, a November ballot measure that would bar transgender girls from competing in female-only K-12 sports and require students participating in girls’ competitions to provide medical documentation verifying their biological sex. Ferguson and other opponents, including Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), argue that the verification requirement could result in invasive examinations, while Let’s Go Washington, the group backing the initiative, disputes that characterization and says doctors could use existing medical information. The article also cites a Ballot Initiative Strategy Center poll of 400 Washington voters in which 43% said they planned to support Initiative 638.

SCHOOL TRANSPORT

Baltimore students call for more transit funding amid unreliable school commutes

Baltimore high school students have called on Maryland officials to increase funding for the city’s public transit system, arguing that unreliable buses are causing students to arrive late, lose study and sleep time, and face safety concerns during lengthy commutes. Baltimore City Public Schools is the only district in Maryland where students do not receive yellow school bus service after fifth grade, instead relying on free public transit passes, often to travel long distances under the district’s school choice system. Transportation funding estimates are disputed, with outside groups calculating a $362m reduction for Baltimore transit in the state’s draft transportation budget, while Maryland transportation officials have estimated a $249m cut. Officials have said Baltimore will receive additional funding, but acknowledged that the plan does not provide money to build a new east-west light rail line or improve the bus system on which many students depend.

Detroit allocates $500,000 to free student rideshare program

Detroit has launched a free rideshare program with Lyft for around 150 students facing transportation barriers at four high schools, as the city seeks to reduce chronic absenteeism. Mayor Mary Sheffield has allocated $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to the initiative, which provides eligible students with rides to and from school. The program builds on the city’s separate free bus initiative for K-12 students, which has seen weekly student ridership rise from 3,900 at launch to 44,000 in the first month of the current school year. The rideshare initiative also comes ahead of Michigan’s October 7 count day, which will determine 90% of overall state funding for Detroit public and charter schools, with Detroit Public Schools Community District receiving $10,300 per student.

CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION

Connecticut schools face scrutiny over HVAC systems

Hundreds of Connecticut schools have not certified compliance with required annual indoor air quality inspections, as education leaders raise concerns about aging HVAC systems, mold, leaks, and extreme classroom temperatures. The state has introduced grants, inspection requirements, and other initiatives since 2022, but lawmakers and advocates said enforcement, financial constraints, and resource disparities continue to hinder improvements. The University of Connecticut’s Indoor Air Quality Initiative, supported by a state grant, is providing free air purifiers and monitors to schools and is currently operating in more than 18 districts, with enough funding available to offer purifiers to all public schools statewide. Legislators are encouraging more districts to apply for state funding to upgrade HVAC systems and make broader improvements to school air quality.

HIGHER EDUCATION

California launches AANHPI-serving college designation after federal grant cuts

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation creating a state designation for colleges and universities that demonstrate a commitment to supporting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) students. Under AB 2374, public and private institutions will be able to apply by outlining their academic goals, strategic plans, and commitment to these students, although the designation itself does not provide funding. The measure follows the federal government’s decision to end several minority-serving institution grant programs, including initiatives that received approximately $350 million in funding in 2025. The law takes effect January 1, with successful institutions receiving the designation for five years before becoming eligible for renewal.

INTERNATIONAL

AI use surges among Australian students as parental oversight lags

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become widely used for schoolwork among Australian families already engaged with the technology, with 75% of surveyed parents saying their school-aged children use general-purpose AI for studying, research, or school assignments. However, only 42% regularly review or discuss their children’s AI use, despite concerns about data privacy, accuracy, and over-reliance on the technology. The TrendLife survey of 1,030 AI-using parents found that 52% reported regular AI use among teenagers, while 32% reported it among children aged five to 12. Younger parents aged 25 to 34 showed the strongest adoption, with 62% paying for an AI tool, while schools are increasingly being challenged to establish guidance around responsible AI use as students develop habits both inside and outside the classroom.
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