NAfME News
Arts Education Is Essential
NAfME joined with 50+ national organizations to come out with a unified statement speaking to the importance of arts education for all students. The statement is meant to be a support for music and arts education advocacy efforts at the national, state and local levels as schools grapple with diminished funding and developing guidance on scheduling, etc. for next school year.
Homework Gap
NAfME has launched a campaign to ask that Congress address the ‘Homework Gap’, the unequal learning opportunity experienced by students who lack home internet access. NAfME is joining the efforts of other national education organizations to advocate for emergency funding to be provided to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) E-Rate program, which is the largest federal education technology program. For more information, visit nafme.org/advocacy/grassroots-action-center
State & National News
CDC Issues New Guidance to Colleges
5/21/2020- ‘New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlines considerations for colleges to take into account in reopening.’
With higher ed in limbo, students are switching to community colleges
5/20/2020- ‘Chris Smith wasn’t planning to spend the summer at a community college. He was going to sublet an apartment in Tallahassee and take classes at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, where he just completed his first year.’
5/26/2020- ‘In a special legislative session called in response to the coronavirus pandemic, state lawmakers debated bills through masks and the Illinois House met on the floor of a downtown Springfield convention center to provide proper social distancing.’
Five education issues to watch for as Tennessee legislature resumes business this week
5/26/2020- ‘Four months ago when projecting another revenue surplus for Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee’s administration proposed more than $600 million in new investments to public schools, including a teacher pay hike, bolstering early literacy, and tackling the mental health needs of K-12 students.’
Mississippi universities told to prep for in-person classes
5/23/2020- ‘A governing board is asking leaders of Mississippi’s eight public universities to prepare for at least some classes on campus during the fall semester, even amid the coronavirus pandemic.’
Florida revenues fall by nearly $900 million amid pandemic
5/27/2020- ‘The state of Florida might have lost nearly $900 million in tax revenues in April — far more than state officials anticipated — as the coronavirus pandemic siphoned away tourist dollars and other revenues from the state’s coffers, according to estimates released Tuesday.
$68 million in CARES Act funding going toward South Dakota education
5/26/2020- ‘Gov. Kristi Noem announced Tuesday that $68 million in federal CARES Act funding has gone toward education funding in the state.’
A tale of two states: Ohio and New York take different paths to budget cuts for schools
5/26/2020- ‘Ohio had an economic crisis to deal with and a budget to balance. So it made cuts to public schools — $300 million worth.’
Research and Analysis
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Revised State Revenue Projections
NCSL is tracking the budgetary and economic consequences of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This page summarizes projected revenue shortfalls and revised estimates by state and fiscal year.