CER Daily Media Clips for February 23, 2022   Analysis: Pandemic Pods Were Everywhere — Until They Weren’t. Feb 23, 2022 |The 74 | learning pods | National Yet, families who participated in these pandemic learning communities saw possibilities they can’t unsee. Schools, district leaders and state policymakers working to recover from COVID-19 can draw useful lessons from those pods and the factors that caused many of them to quickly vanish. Read More...     Masks in Schools: Districts Get Caught Between Health Authorities and Parent Pushback Feb 23, 2022 |Wall Street Journal | other education issues | National Schools have once again become a battleground over pandemic masking, with districts facing rising public pressure to drop mandatory mask requirements even as public-health agencies largely advise keeping students and teachers in face coverings. Read More...     A Ruse to Block New York’s New Charter Schools Feb 23, 2022 |Wall Street Journal | charter schools | States, Northeast, New York The union war on charter schools never ends, and the latest ruse in New York is to limit who can authorize a charter. A bill from Democratic state Sen. John Liu would give the state Board of Regents veto power over all charter applications—including those approved by the state’s biggest authorizer, the State University of New York. Read More...     Too many lockdowns to count: Gun violence has touched everything at one Philly school Feb 23, 2022 |Philadelphia Inquirer | other education issues | Towns, States, Northeast, Pennsylvania Violence is not new to Philadelphia, but the impact after virtual learning and the city’s surging gun crisis has been especially outsized this school year. An eighth grader was shot to death in October on his way to E.W. Rhodes Elementary in North Philadelphia; less than two weeks later, gunfire injured two, killing one, at dismissal outside Lincoln High. Read More...     Rogers Foundation officials challenge private school voucher initiative Feb 23, 2022 |Las Vegas Review-Journal | school choice | States, West, Nevada Two officials with The Rogers Foundation filed lawsuits Tuesday challenging a private school voucher initiative. Read More...     Teachers unions in Minneapolis, St. Paul plan to file intent to strike Feb 23, 2022 |Star Tribune | teachers unions | States, Midwest, Minnesota The action would set the stage for a strike if contract agreements cannot be reached. State law requires unions to give the districts at least 10 days' notice before the first day of a walkout. Read More...     Commentary: The Chicago Teachers Union’s purpose is not to fix our city’s social problem Feb 23, 2022 |Chicago Tribune | teachers unions | Towns, States, Midwest, Illinois Currently three caucuses are vying for CTU leadership. Members are urged to research their platforms and compare what each has to offer and whether it adds value, not necessarily to solve the city’s social or political problems but rather to address and prioritize educational needs first. Read More...     Black mothers in Phoenix create microschools to provide alternative learning Feb 23, 2022 |KTAR | microschools | States, West, Arizona Five years ago, a group of African American women in Phoenix called the Black Mothers Forum came together because they wanted to create a safe and supportive learning environment for their children — something they felt was lacking at their schools. Read More...     Hillsborough renews 5 more charter schools Feb 23, 2022 |Tampa Bay Times | charter schools | Towns, States, South, Florida Combined with four other charters approved earlier this month, they will consume nearly $50 million in state dollars. Read More...     Tennessee considers new path for charter schools to open without local district input Feb 23, 2022 |WPLN | charter schools | States, South, Tennessee Key Republicans in the state legislature are looking to make it even easier for charter schools to expand by allowing them to bypass the local approval process. Read More...     Parents who started homeschooling during the pandemic don’t want to send their kids back Feb 23, 2022 |Pensacola News Journal | homeschooling | States, South, Florida The number of homeschoolers in Florida has spiked in a dramatic way since the start of the pandemic. Read More...     Mysa school seeks permanent home Feb 23, 2022 |Valley Reporter | microschools | Towns, States, South, District of Columbia Mysa is a nonprofit whose pedagogy is based on individualized, hands-on learning. Its application states the school anticipates growth to 30 students and four full-time staff members over the next three years, though elsewhere in the application it states that students and staff will not exceed 75 people. Read More...     In Chicago, free college for 4,000 students and their parents: ‘This means so much’ Feb 23, 2022 |Chalkbeat | other education issues | Towns, States, Midwest, Illinois Inside a packed auditorium at Benito Juarez Community Academy, Senior Maria Vazquez sat in shock. She had just found out that she, her classmates, — and their parents — would get their college education paid. In full. Read More...     Bill offering private school vouchers to all students could raise property taxes as much as $577M Feb 23, 2022 |Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | school choice | States, Midwest, Wisconsin Republicans in the state Assembly passed legislation Tuesday that would make most private school students eligible for a taxpayer-funded tuition subsidy — a plan that could raise property taxes by as much as $577 million, according to one state estimate. Read More...     Column: Whitmer budget unfriendly to state’s charter schools Feb 23, 2022 |The Mining Journal | charter schools | States, Midwest, Michigan Whitmer wants to provide a $2,000 retention bonus to teachers across the state, but only to those who are directly “employed by” their districts. Most public charter school teachers are paid as contractors and thus wouldn’t be eligible for the bonus. Read More...     Eight ways Ohio Republicans are working to remake public education Feb 23, 2022 |The Columbus Dispatch | school choice | States, Midwest, Ohio Ohio GOP lawmakers have proposed several reforms to public K-12 education, including a universal voucher program and changes to how often school board members are elected. Read More...     WV Legislature pushing more bills supporting charter schools Feb 23, 2022 |Charleston Gazette | charter schools | States, South, West Virginia On Tuesday, the Republican-dominated Legislature reiterated its support for charter schools — publicly funded institutions that are nonetheless freed from many state personnel laws and other public school rules, and can be entirely overseen by unelected boards and private management companies. Read More...     Teacher shortage is a ‘crisis,’ N.J. state legislators say after educators raise alarm Feb 23, 2022 |The Star Ledger | general teacher issues | States, Northeast, New Jersey More than two dozen educators raised alarms about declining interest in teaching and other jobs in public schools during a hearing Tuesday with New Jersey state legislators. Read More...     Wisconsin Assembly passes parental bill of rights, MPS breakup bill Feb 23, 2022 |Wisconsin Public Radio | other education issues | States, Midwest, Wisconsin Assembly Republicans advanced legislation Tuesday to create a parent bill of rights and break up Milwaukee Public Schools into a number of smaller districts, along with other bills revolving around education. Read More...     Minneapolis Public Schools predicts enrollment decline, budget shortfall Feb 23, 2022 | Star Tribune | enrollment | Towns, States, Midwest, Minnesota Minneapolis Public Schools is predicting a continued enrollment decline over the next five years, further stretching the district's budget, which was balanced this year with one-time federal funds. Read More...     Charter schools awaiting Supreme Court order on lifting injunction Feb 23, 2022 |Weirton Daily Times | charter schools | States, South, West Virginia If the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals doesn’t rule on a motion to stay a lower court decision blocking approved public charter schools from opening next year, that could push their start dates to the 2023-2024 school year unless the Legislature can move up key dates. Read More...

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