Shirleen Guerra | March 2, 2026 (The Center Square) – Virginia lawmakers are weighing competing K-12 budget proposals that differ on per-pupil aid, teacher raises and special education funding, with hundreds of millions of dollars separating some of the major line items. Under the introduced budget, per-pupil funding is listed at $9,477 in fiscal year […]
Virginia House, Senate Budgets Differ on School Pay Read More »
Esther Wickham | February 19, 2026 (The Center Square) – National teacher unions continue to collect hundreds of millions of dollars annually in membership dues, according to new federal filings with the U.S. Department of Labor. The National Education Association, which reported 2,846,104 members from September 2024 through August 2025, reported approximately $454 million in total receipts
Taxpayer-Backed Teacher Unions Receive $390M in Dues Read More »
Esther Wickham | February 18, 2026 (The Center Square) – Public school enrollment has declined in recent years even as staffing and spending have increased, prompting debate among education leaders over how resources are being used and whether they are improving student outcomes. Total annual public school spending is nearing $1 trillion nationally, according to a Reason
K-12 Spending Rises Amid Enrollment Decline Read More »
Esther Wickham | January 25, 2026 (The Center Square) — Democrats in the Virginia Legislature proposed a bill requiring public schools to include diversity, equity and inclusion topics in their curriculum. House Bill 614, introduced this month by Delegate Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, would require all public elementary and secondary schools within Virginia to adjust their history
State Lawmakers Push Mandatory DEI Curriculum Read More »
Shirleen Guerra | January 18, 2026 (The Center Square) — Abigail Spanberger was sworn in Saturday as Virginia’s governor during an outdoor inauguration ceremony at the state Capitol in Richmond. Spanberger took the oath of office at noon, officially beginning her term after defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in November’s general election. Making history
Spanberger Inaugurated as Virginia Governor Read More »
Shirleen Guerra | January 13, 2026 (The Center Square) — A new bill introduced in the Virginia House of Delegates would set limits on how public schools may teach about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol. House Bill 333, introduced by Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, would allow local school boards to
Virginia Bill Would Limit How Public Schools Teach Jan. 6 Read More »
Shirleen Guerra | January 8, 2026 (The Center Square) — Virginia’s attorney general is urging local school boards to update student conduct and discrimination policies following the commonwealth’s 2023 adoption of a definition of antisemitism into state law. The office of Attorney General Jason Miyares sent guidance this week to school divisions across the commonwealth,
Miyares Urges Schools to Update Antisemitism Policies Read More »
Elyse Apel | December 12, 2025 (The Center Square) — Satisfaction is very high for the parents of the nearly 21,000 K-12 students in Michigan enrolled in online public charter schools. This is according to a new report from Michigan Parents for School Options. The 2025 survey of parents found that 87% are satisfied or
SURVEY: Parents Highly Satisfied With Online Charter Schools Read More »
Esther Wickham | December 6, 2025 (The Center Square) — House representatives passed three bills last week aimed at protecting K-12 classrooms from the influence of the Chinese Communist Party. The bills — PROTECT Our Kids Act, CLASS Act and TRACE Act — essentially prohibit funding from foreign sources and reinforce protections for American students
House Bills Target Beijing’s Influence on Schools Read More »
Esther Wickham | December 4, 2025 (The Center Square) — Legal battles over the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools continue with a new brief filed this week, backed by 46 members of Congress. First Liberty Institute and Hacker Stephens LLP filed a friend-of-the-court brief this past week at the U.S. Court of Appeals
Advocates Push for 10 Commandments in Schools Read More »
