Governors

An overflow crowd attends a Temecula Valley Unified School District board meeting July 18, 2023, at which a proposed social studies curriculum was again debated and rejected.
An overflow crowd attends a Temecula Valley Unified School District board meeting July 18, 2023, at which the board again debated and rejected a proposed social studies curriculum.
Will Lester/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG via TNS
States What California Gov. Newsom's Fight With a School District Says About Local Control
Newsom threatened to fine the Temecula Valley school board after it rejected a curriculum that mentioned gay rights leader Harvey Milk.
Libby Stanford, August 11, 2023
8 min read
Illustration of hand placing stacked coins.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Education Funding A Governor Boosted School Funding for the Next 400 Years. But the Reality Is More Complex
Wisconsin's governor enshrined mandatory K-12 funding increases in law until 2425—but the move may not be transformative for districts.
Mark Lieberman, July 12, 2023
4 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Social Studies Opinion DeSantis’ Take on AP African American Studies Was Principled. The Media’s Response Was Not
News coverage characterized the concern as an unwillingness to teach about racism rather than how to teach it.
Rick Hess, March 13, 2023
5 min read
Arkansas Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders answers a question while taking part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, in Orlando, Fla.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders answers a question while taking part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Huckabee Sanders is hoping to increase starting teacher salaries to $50,000 under her new plan Arkansas LEARNS.
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
Teaching Profession Teacher Pay Raise Proposals Are Gaining Bipartisan Support. What's in Them?
More conservative governors are signing onto teacher pay raises, a cause that's typically been championed by Democrats.
Libby Stanford, March 2, 2023
8 min read
Illustration of many hands are raised against a giant hand stopping them
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images
Equity & Diversity Opinion Educators, We Must Defend AP African American Studies
In an open letter to colleagues, a former Florida educator urges teachers to speak out. "No one will save us."
Monika Williams Shealey , February 2, 2023
5 min read
Students and teachers from East High School in Salt Lake City walk out of school to protest the HB15 voucher bill, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. Several years of pandemic restrictions and curriculum battles have emboldened longtime advocates of funneling public funds to private and religious schools in statehouses throughout the country.
Students and teachers from East High School in Salt Lake City walk out of school on Jan. 25, 2023, to protest legislation that would create private-school vouchers in the state. Several years of pandemic restrictions and curriculum battles have emboldened longtime advocates of funneling public funds to private and religious schools in statehouses throughout the country.
Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP
School Choice & Charters The Push for School Choice Is Accelerating
States across the country are considering sweeping school choice bills that would send public funds to private schools.
Libby Stanford, January 27, 2023
6 min read
Arkansas Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders is introduced with husband Bryan, and children Scarlett, George, and Huck prior to taking the oath of the office on the steps of the Arkansas Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Little Rock, Ark.
Arkansas Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders prepares to take the oath of office, with her husband and children by her side, on the steps of the state capitol in Little Rock on Jan. 10.
Will Newton/AP
States The Republican Fight Against 'Critical Race Theory' Continues As Arkansas Enacts New Ban
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order this week banning “indoctrination and critical race theory” in schools.
Sarah Schwartz, January 12, 2023
3 min read
"I Voted" stickers sit in a pile at the Fairview Recreation Center in North Minneapolis.
"I Voted" stickers sit in a pile at the Fairview Recreation Center in North Minneapolis during the midterm elections on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
Tim Evans/Minnesota Public Radio via AP
States Educators Weigh K-12 Impact From an Unpredictable Election
Many of the most contentious issues in the 2022 midterms resonate most at the local level.
Libby Stanford, November 9, 2022
6 min read
Aidan Lau-Struck, 6, helps his mom Stephanie Lau feed her ballot into the machine at the Brighton Green Community Association voting precinct in North Chesterfield, Va., on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
Aidan Lau-Struck, 6, helps his mother, Stephanie Lau, feed her ballot into the machine at the Brighton Green Community Association voting precinct in North Chesterfield, Va., on Election Day.
Eva Russo/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP
States K-12 and the Midterms: What to Watch For
Educators sound off on what the hard-fought midterm elections could mean for K-12 policy.
Libby Stanford, November 8, 2022
6 min read
Illustration of voting.
DigitalVision Vectors
States Election Guide 2022: Results on the Issues and Races Affecting K-12
Education was at the heart of some of the most contentious issues on voters' minds as they weigh candidates from governor to local school board.
Libby Stanford, September 27, 2022
14 min read
Illustration of a helping hand with dollar bill bridging economy gap during coronavirus pandemic, assisting business people to overcome financial difficulties.
Feodora Chiosea/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Education Funding The COVID School-Relief Funds You Might Not Know About, Explained
Governors got $7 billion to spend on COVID relief efforts for K-12 and higher education with broad discretion on how to use it.
Mark Lieberman, August 4, 2022
6 min read
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a news conference in Austin, Texas, on June 8, 2021.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a news conference in Austin, Texas, on June 8, 2021.
Eric Gay/AP
States Texas Governor Sparks Backlash With Talk of Rolling Back Free School for Immigrant Kids
Critics assailed Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's idea as “hare-brained” and “cruel.”
Robert T. Garrett, The Dallas Morning News, May 6, 2022
5 min read
Image of a doctor form.
iStock/Getty
Law & Courts Texas Educators Say They Don't Want to Be 'Transgender Police'
The governor says some medical treatments for transgender children can constitute child abuse, triggering mandatory reporting for teachers.
Mark Walsh, March 10, 2022
8 min read
Chalk sidewalk drawings call on students to wear masks as they arrive for the first day of school at Union High School in Tulsa, Okla., in August 2020.
Chalk sidewalk drawings call on students to wear masks as they arrive fat Union High School in Tulsa, Okla., in August 2020.
Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP
States Four States to End School Mask Rules. Will Others Follow?
Educators await decisions from their governors about whether to continue universal mask requirements in schools.
Evie Blad, February 7, 2022
5 min read