Category: News in the Field

FAFSA Completion Numbers are Down; House Bill Seeks to Move Upcoming  Release Date to Oct. 1 (July 14, 2024)

The number of high school seniors who completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid stalled this June, spawning fears of enrollment declines this fall,

According to the latest analysis from the National College Attainment Network, as of June 28th some 46% of the high school class of 2024 had submitted the new FAFSA form, which is drop from 53.2% at the same time in 2023. That is a decrease of about 250,000 applicants.

As a result, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced a handful of FAFSA support strategies for increasing completion rates. In fact, one $50 million investment has funded over 65 groups to encourage form completion by, among other things, allowing them to hire more advisers and coaches, as well as offering extended hours throughout the summer.

In addition, on July 10, 2024 the U.S. House education committee advanced a bill that would require the USDE to release the FAFSA by Oct. 1 each year. At present, the USDE is legally required to release the FAFSA by Jan. 1 each year. However, it typically makes the form public on Oct. 1.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

Title IX Athletics Rule Delayed Again; Title VI, 504, and Medicaid SBS Rules Also Delayed (July 13, 2024)

As reported by K-12 Dive, a July 5th regulatory update from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shows the Title IX athletics rule proposal has been moved to a “long-term action” without a rough deadline, meaning the agency doesn’t expect a regulatory action within at least the next year. Originally, OMB’s Spring 2024 Unified Agenda had also included updates for high-profile forthcoming regulations on race discrimination and Section 504 and the athletics regulation was listed as being in the “final rule stage,” or one step away from release. The US Department of Education (USDE) has now set a December 2024 deadline for releasing a proposed Title VI rule on protecting students from discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, in addition to other forms of racial discrimination. The USDE has also set November as the new deadline for a proposed rule for Section 504 covering students with disabilities in schools and colleges.

Another disability-related regulation — also now expected by November — is aimed at easing the process of obtaining parental consent for Medicaid school-based health services. School administrative groups advocating for the proposed change aver that it would make the parental consent process more efficient and cost-effective for schools while still protecting participating students’ benefits.

However, in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the longstanding Chevron doctrine complicates the path of all of the proposed agency rules changes.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

2024-25 PA Budget Addresses Higher Ed. Needs (July 13, 2024)

With the passage of the 2024-25 Pennsylvania budget, higher education in the commonwealth received the following:

-The creation of a new State Board of Higher Education that will, for the first time, coordinate every sector of higher education in Pennsylvania and utilize student-level data to determine what’s working and what’s not. The board will ensure higher education in Pennsylvania supports critical workforce needs and serves as an economic driver for generations to come. The board will also create a performance-based funding council that will develop recommendations on how to create a performance-based funding formula to drive funds to state-related institutions.

-Investments in public higher education institutions, including a $15.7 million increase – a 6 percent increase – for community colleges and $35.1 million increase for PASSHE schools – also a 6 percent increase.

-Funds to makes higher education more affordable for students with over $120 million in increased funding for scholarships and grants, including $28 million for scholarships to students pursuing a degree in a high-demand field, a $54 million increase to PHEAA student grants, and $5 million for disadvantaged students’ scholarships.

-Double the funding for student teacher stipends for a total of $20 million to ensure student teachers are compensated for their hard work. For more information, click here.

PA Budget Boosts K-12 Education & Helps to Ensure Pennsylvania Students Have the Freedom to Chart Their Own Course (July 12, 2024)

In the 2023-24 budget, Governor Josh Shapiro secured the largest increase in K-12 basic education funding in Pennsylvania up to that point and secured universal free breakfast for 1.7 million students.

The 2024-25 budget builds on this historic progress and makes the largest investment in Commonwealth history in K-12 public education and delivers a comprehensive solution on K-12 education in Pennsylvania, including:
-$1.11 billion in total increases in K-12 public education funding – and drives those dollars out in a more equitable manner to the schools that need it most under a new formula.
-$100 million in sustainable funding for environmental repair and other facilities in schools to create safe and healthy environments for students to learn in and teachers to teach in, including $25 million for Solar for Schools.
-A $100 million increase for special education funding, reinforcing Pennsylvania’s commitment to equitable education for all students.
-A $100 million cyber charter reimbursement to better align tuition with the actual costs of providing an online education and save school districts millions annually.

In the 2023-24 budget, Governor Shapiro secured $100 million for student mental health services and $20 million for county mental health support. The final 2024-25 budget matches those investments and takes a step further by continuing an annual $100 million in mental health funding for K-12 schools, building upon one-time federal funds to ensure schools have the continued resources to provide mental health services to students and staff and increasing another $20 million for county mental health.

Also, to help parents and families in the PA workforce cannot succeed if there is a lack of affordable childcare – and the new budget makes a critically needed $17.7 million increase for early childhood education, including:
-$15 million for the Pre-K Counts program.
-$2.7 million for the Head Start Supplement Assistance program to support our early learners and stabilize our workforce.

For more information, click here.

State Board Holds 381st Meeting (July 11, 2024)

On July 11, 2024, the PA State Board of Education held its 381st meeting at the PDE offices and via Zoom. At the meeting, Bureau of Career and Technical Education Director Judd Pittman delivered a report from his bureau and thanked the Board for its support. He also acknowledged action items seeking re-accreditation as applied for by the Clearfield County Career and Technology Center and Indiana County Technology Center. Those requests were approved by the Board later in the meeting.

There was also discussion as to the Lebanon County Career and Technology Center’s not seeking re-accreditation for its Licensed Practical Nursing program and the affect it will have on current LPN program students. The Board was informed by committee chair Ernest Hadrick of that issue, which will be further addressed at the September meeting.

The Board also approved the updates to the accreditation guidelines for public postsecondary career and technical education.