Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos recently provided some clarifications on the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and released an updated template for the consolidated state plans. The hope, Secretary DeVos said, is that the updated template “ensures greater flexibility for state and local education leaders to do what they know is best for children, while also maintaining important protections for economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and English learners.”
Also, recently the Senate voted 50-49 to block the accountability rules for ESSA prepared by the Obama Administration. This move by the Senate is consistent with Secretary DeVos’ early emphasis on providing states and local school districts with the ability to determine what fits their students and communities best.
On the other hand, the President’s recently released Budget Blueprint would propose direct and indirect federal incentives to promote charter school and voucher programs at the state and local level.
Husch Blackwell Education Attorneys, John Borkowski and Aleks Rushing, will present at the National School Boards Association Conference in Denver on March 26, 2017 on what school board members need to know about the Every Student Succeeds Act. The presentation will cover the key changes in the law, the latest on new federal regulations, and what it all means for public school districts.