There’s nothing but speculation just yet on the direction of federal education policy in the next Trump administration. We’ll be sharing insights on Trump’s education staffing and policy priorities as they emerge. For now, here are a few notable education-related results from Tuesday’s elections,
School Choice Isn’t Popular on the Ballot
Ballot measures in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nevada that would have allowed for private school choice programs in those states were handily defeated. But don’t expect the drumbeat of choice to quiet down. Several new Texas state legislators were elected yesterday, bolstered by support from Governor Greg Abbot, who has said that he’s working to get the votes he needs to pass a private school choice package in the state’s 2025 legislative session. Republican state legislators in Tennessee, meanwhile, introduced a private school choice bill on November 6th that would allow 20,000 students to use up to $7,000 in public funds to pay for private school tuition.
Massachusetts Does Away with High School Exit Exams
Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly passed a measure ending a requirement that high school students demonstrate proficiency in math, English, and science through the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) in order to graduate. Opponents of the testing requirements spent more than $10 million during the referendum campaign, with the bulk of the money coming from the state’s largest teacher union. That’s five times the money spent by MCAS supporters, who say that the tests have served as a cornerstone of the state’s academic success since their introduction more than two decades ago.
Between the defeat of private school choice measures and the ending of the MCAS requirement, teacher unions demonstrated at the ballot box their enduring political clout in many states.
More Democrat Education Governors?
Two winning gubernatorial candidates seem positioned to join Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee as leading Democrat voices on education in the states.
Delaware voters elected Democrat Matt Meyer to be their next governor. Meyer taught in the District of Columbia Public Schools for three years through Teach for America before attending law school and going into public service. Josh Stein, the next governor of North Carolina, has proposed expanding vocational education, increasing teacher pay, and providing students with more mental health support.
Noteworthy Funding Measures
Arkansas voters overwhelmingly passed a measure to allow state lottery proceeds to fund scholarships and grants for vocational-technical schools and technical institutes. Lottery proceeds already provide college scholarships in the state, but state-run voc-tech schools weren’t previously included in the program.
Utah passed an amendment to increase the limit on annual distributions from the State School Fund from 4 percent to 5 percent, making more funds available for Utah schools each year. The fund is a permanent endowment created from the administration of Utah Trust Lands and currently stands at approximately $3.3 billion. The new amendment will make available another $13 million or so next year for schools.
Chicago School Board Elections
Chicago elected school board members for the first time on November 5, when 10 candidates won seats. Four were endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, a close ally of Mayor Brandon Johnson, and three by the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. Three others were unaligned. The winners will join 11 members appointed by Mayor Johnson at the board’s first meeting in January 2025. We’ll be watching how the elected members shift the Windy City’s education policy.