Education Across the States

On November 3, Idaho voters decide more than $307 million in school levies — and not one bond — as supplemental levies that once paid for extras now pay salaries and special education: the $100 million state reimbursement gap, Genesee's $216,000 special education line, Hansen's largest-in-the-levy special services allocation, Coeur d'Alene's quarter-of-the-budget lifeline, the high-needs fund shrinking from $5 million to $1.7 million, Moscow's $65.6 million plant-facilities workaround, and West Ada's November 9 McMillan closure decision.

Sources:

- Idaho Education News, 'Feeling the pinch: Districts get creative with ballot measures' (October 27, 2026): https://www.idahoednews.org/news/feeling-the-pinch-districts-get-creative-with-ballot-measures/

- Idaho Education News, 'McMillan Elementary's declining enrollment prompts decommission vote in November' (October 27, 2026): https://www.idahoednews.org/top-news/mcmillan-elementarys-declining-enrollment-prompts-decommission-vote-in-november/

- Idaho Education News, 'Moscow's unusual school levy draws support, skepticism' (October 15, 2026): https://www.idahoednews.org/news/moscows-unusual-school-levy-draws-support-skepticism/

- Idaho Education News, 'High-needs program faces spending reduction, as Critchfield focuses on K-12 funding formula' (September 2026): https://www.idahoednews.org/top-news/critchfield-requests-high-needs-budget-cut-focuses-instead-on-k-12-funding-formula/

- Idaho Education News, 'I didn't want to compete with myself: Critchfield says budget request focuses on one priority' (September 2026): https://www.idahoednews.org/top-news/i-didnt-want-to-compete-with-myself-critchfield-says-budget-request-focuses-on-one-priority/

To verify anything without a stable URL: on idahoednews.org, search 'Districts will ask voters for more than $307 million in November' for the district-by-district November 3 levy list (31 supplemental levies, about $208 million; five plant-facilities levies, more than $98 million); on the Hansen School District site and in local Magic Valley briefing reporting for October 21, 2026, verify the Hansen supplemental levy ($290,000 per year for two years, $90,000 to special services, $121.57 per $100,000 estimated ballot cost); Idaho special education duties are in the Idaho Special Education Manual, incorporated by reference at IDAPA 08.02.03.004, via the Idaho State Board of Education site.

AI Generated

Nebraska rehearsed a ransomware attack on its own schools in a first-of-its-kind statewide tabletop exercise, and six days before the election the November 3 school bond map grew to at least $218 million across six districts, led by South Sioux City's $95 million second try.

Sources:

- Nebraska Department of Education news release, Cyber Attack Exercise Helps Prepare Nebraska Schools, October 26, 2026: https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/952382196/cyber-attack-exercise-helps-prepare-nebraska-schools

- South Sioux City Community Schools, 2026 Bond Referendum (election November 3, 2026; up to $95 million; no tax levy increase): https://www.supportus.info/south-sioux-city

- Dakota County Star, City blesses School bond (South Sioux City $95 million proposal; earlier $127 million proposal voted down): https://dakcostar.com/stories/city-blesses-school-bond,92978

- Nemaha County Herald / anewspaper.net, Nebraska 2026 Election Ballot (Auburn Public Schools bond up to $22,900,000; Johnson County Central Public Schools bond up to $35,000,000): https://www.anewspaper.net/article/2522,johnson-nemaha-county-candidates-on-november-3-ballot

AI Generated

Illinois replaces its ranked school accountability system with the new Profiles of Performance — how the first Report Card under the model, released October 30, 2026, builds each school designation from core, elevating, and student-group indicators, and what it means for students with disabilities.

Sources:

- ISBE, An Overview of Profiles of Performance (Oct 2026): https://www.isbe.net/Documents/2026-An-Overview-of-Profiles-of-Performance.pdf

- ISBE, Building a Profile of Performance — thresholds (Oct 2026): https://www.isbe.net/Documents/2026-Building-a-Profile-of-Performance.pdf

- ISBE, Why Profiles of Performance (Oct 2026): https://www.isbe.net/Documents/2026-Why-Profiles-of-Performance.pdf

- ISBE, Know What to Expect — 2026 Report Card calendar (Oct 2026): https://www.isbe.net/Documents/2026-Know-What-to-Expect.pdf

- ISBE Board meeting item, April 15, 2026 — Approval of ESSA State Plan Amendment 5 to redesign the accountability system (search go.boarddocs.com Illinois State Board of Education April 15 2026 ESSA Amendment 5)

- ISBE, ESSA Amendment 5 Executive Summary (search isbe.net for ESSA Amendment 5 Executive Summary April 2026)

- Capitol News Illinois via Capitol City Now, Illinois school report card continues to show wide achievement gaps (2025 Report Card: 52.4% ELA, 38.4% math proficiency; Tony Sanders quote): https://capitolcitynow.com/news/248842-illinois-school-report-card-continues-to-show-wide-achievement-gaps/

- Advance Illinois, Statement on the 2025 Illinois Report Card (students with IEPs lowest proficiency of any group): https://advanceillinois.squarespace.com/news-media/statements/2025-illinois-report-card

- Dynamic Learning Maps, Illinois alternate assessment windows 2025-26: https://dynamiclearningmaps.org/illinois

- Illinois Report Card (live Oct 30, 2026, 9 a.m.): search IllinoisReportCard.com or isbe.net Report Card page

AI Generated

Kansas documented 361 special education teacher vacancies across 52 agencies in spring 2026. This deep dive examines the $4,513,487 federal apprenticeship grant KSDE announced October 1, 2026 (291 apprentices over five years), why special education vacancies persist while overall teacher vacancies fell 28 percent, the 92 percent funding fight underneath the shortage and the January 11, 2027 task force deadline, and the Kansas School for the Deaf superintendent search whose community survey closes October 30, 2026 — with practical takeaways for families, paraeducators, districts, and boards.

Sources:

Kansas State Department of Education, news release, Oct 1, 2026, Kansas receives $4.51 million to expand special education teacher apprenticeships (grant total $4,513,487; first-year $846,831; 361 vacancies across 52 LEAs; 291 apprentices; Commissioner Dr. Jake Steel; Shane Carter, director of teacher licensure): https://www.ksde.gov/news-center/news-releases/2026/10/01/kansas-receives--4.51-million-to-expand-special-education-teacher-apprenticeships

KCLY Radio, Oct 1, 2026, Kansas Gets Federal Grant to Expand Special Education Teacher Apprenticeships: https://kclyradio.com/blog/kansas-gets-federal-grant-to-expand-special-education-teacher-apprenticeships/

KCLY Radio, Oct 22, 2026, Kansas Students Show Improvement in Reading and Math Scores (2026 KAP results; chronic absenteeism 17.8%; teacher vacancies 2,204 to 1,588): https://kclyradio.com/blog/kansas-students-show-improvement-in-reading-and-math-scores/

Aligned, October 2026 Kansas-Missouri policy update (KSDE draft 2025-26 annual report What Matters Most; ELA 45.9%, math 41.0%): https://wearealigned.org/october-2026-kansas-missouri-education-policy-update/

Innivee Strategies, Oct 22, 2026, Kansas School for the Deaf and Innivee Strategies Announce National Search for Next Superintendent (Barron retirement June 2026; interims Allen and Macy; posting before end of 2026; start July 1, 2027): https://inniveestrategies.com/kansas-school-for-the-deaf-and-innivee-strategies-announce-national-search-for-next-superintendent/

Kansas Reflector via KCN Online, June 4, 2026, School Task Force Wrangles Over Data (Roza/Edunomics; Greenfield; McDonald; Fliter; Neuenswander; Erickson): https://www.kcnonline.com/wp/2026/06/04/school-task-force-wrangles-over-data/

Emporia USD 253, Message From the Superintendent, Oct 20, 2026 (state funding around 60 percent vs 92 percent statute; almost $3M local transfer): https://walnut.usd253.org/school-office/news/post

Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education summary of the Education Funding Task Force (report due on or before January 11, 2027; KSEEA expires July 1, 2027): https://www.kac.org/the_education_funding_task_force_and_the_next_school_finance_formula

K-12 Dive, Oct 2026, Kansas Olathe Public Schools to close 6 schools next fall (special education transfer pressure; 6,100-signature petition): https://www.k12dive.com/news/kansas-olathe-public-schools-to-close-6-schools-next-fall/832277/

Citizen Portal, Oct 13, 2026, Wichita reports improved hiring numbers and new retention supports but flags special-education vacancies (319 hires; 8.1 percent turnover): https://citizenportal.ai/articles/11028222/kansas/school-boards/wichita/wichita-reports-improved-hiring-numbers-and-new-retention-supports-but-flags-specialeducation-vacancies

AI Generated

Vermont's 18 merger committees are meeting, but the Agency of Education's own timeline leaves the financial modeling tools undated, the evaluation framework unfinished until December, and Group 7 deadlocked over proportional representation — Springfield holds 42.8% of its group's students, Athens and Grafton 1.7%. Plus the Winooski Valley CESA's organizational agenda, Monday's minimum class size committee, and Tuesday's graduation standards session. Sources: Vermont School Consolidation Progress Update, October 26, 2026, Downs Rachlin Martin Government Affairs Group (drm.com), reporting Agency of Education materials, the Lead Facilitator timeline reported by the Chester Telegraph on October 21, 2026, Group 7 merger committee records, and the Winooski Valley CESA October 26 agenda; Vermont Agency of Education, Weekly Field Memo, October 22, 2026, and updated minimum class size implementation guidance, October 15, 2026 (education.vermont.gov); Vermont State Board of Education Minimum Class Size Implementation Committee (October 26, 2026) and Student Performance Standards Committee (October 27, 2026) agendas and materials (education.vermont.gov). To verify the consolidation timeline, search drm.com for Vermont School Consolidation Progress Update 10.26.2026.

AI Generated

The University of Providence votes to close after nearly 95 years in Great Falls — what happens to its 430 students, its employees, and its campus — plus Great Falls Public Schools hiring today and Terry voters deciding a $1.5 million school bond on November 3.

Sources:

- University of Providence, "University of Providence Announces Closure at the Conclusion of the 2026–2027 Academic Year" (official announcement, Oct. 27, 2026): https://www.uprovidence.edu/about/news/university-of-providence-announces-closure-at-the-conclusion-of-the-2026-2027-academic-year/

- Montana Television Network / Montana Sports, "Amid closure plans, Providence athletics to compete through academic year" (Oct. 27, 2026): https://www.montanasports.com/news/university-of-providence-to-cease-operations-after-end-of-2026-2027-academic-year

- Montana University System Providence student transition page: https://mus.edu/providence (search mus.edu for "Providence" if the page moves)

- Great Falls Public Schools job fair, Oct. 28, 2026, Paris Gibson Education Center — reported by 107.5 The Peak (Townsquare Media, Great Falls): https://1075thepeak.com/ixp/1107/p/great-falls-schools-job-fair-october/

- Terry K-12 School District No. 5, Notice of Bond Election (board resolution Aug. 10, 2026; election Nov. 3, 2026): https://terryschools.org/s/ElectionNotice.pdf

- Terry Tribune, "Terry school officials outline $1.5 million bond proposal ahead of Nov. 2 vote" (Oct. 2026; the district's official notice sets the election for Nov. 3, 2026): https://www.terrytribune.com/news/terry-school-officials-outline-1-5-million-bond-proposal-ahead-of-nov-2-vote/article_89115e15-e9b4-4d89-b48b-e5cf57ebf9a0.html

AI Generated

A federal judge ended most oversight of Calcasieu Parish schools in the Conley desegregation case but kept facilities, finding that separate bonding districts let communities raise unequal construction money, and ordered a parish-wide bonding plan within one hundred eighty days — while Sulphur's District Thirty voters decide a seventy-four million dollar bond on November 3, 2026 under the old system, with the special education stakes of school buildings at the center.

Sources:

- The Calcasieu Post, A Federal Judge Ordered Calcasieu to Change School Funding. So Why Is Sulphur Voting on a $74 Million Bond?, October 27, 2026: https://www.thecalcasieupost.com/a-federal-judge-ordered-calcasieu-to-change-school-funding-so-why-is-sulphur-voting-on-a-74-million-bond/

- U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana, Conley v. Calcasieu Parish School Board, Case No. 2:80-cv-01709, Memorandum Order, August 27, 2026 (as reported by The Calcasieu Post) — verify via PACER or CourtListener for docket 2:80-cv-01709, and see the February 4, 2026 reopening order (Document 110) at archive.org under gov.uscourts.lawd.122872

- Calcasieu Parish School Board, District 30 Sulphur Bond — Frequently Asked Questions (bond amount, ten schools, tax table, trimmed projects, FEMA and riverboat answers): https://www.cpsb.org/our-district/bonds/district-30-sulphur-bond/frequently-asked-questions

- Calcasieu Parish School Board, Letter from Dr. Jason VanMetre regarding Federal Court status conference, February 11, 2026: https://www.cpsb.org/news-page/news-details/~board/cpsb-news-feed/post/letter-from-dr-jason-vanmetre-regarding-federal-court-status-conference

- Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, Conley v. Lake Charles School Board case page (1964 filing; related dockets 2:64-cv-09981 and 2:80-cv-01709): https://clearinghouse.net/case/13810/

- National Center for Education Statistics, CCD district detail for Calcasieu Parish (27,851 students, 2024-25; 55 schools, 2025-26): https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&details=1&ID2=2200330&DistrictID=2200330

- The Calcasieu Post, $150,000 a Year for Calcasieu Schools. Seven Board Members Wouldn't Sign. (October 6, 2026 board split on the Persimmon Gulch Solar contract): https://www.thecalcasieupost.com/150-000-a-year-for-calcasieu-schools-seven-board-members-wouldnt-sign/

- Associated Press via ListenUpYall, Federal appeals court ends a decades-old school desegregation order in Louisiana (Concordia Parish, July 2026): https://listenupyall.com/2026/07/14/federal-appeals-court-ends-a-decades-old-school-desegregation-order-in-louisiana/

- Louisiana First News, Candidates running for East Baton Rouge School Board in Nov. 3 election, October 27, 2026: https://www.louisianafirstnews.com/news/local-news/east-baton-rouge-parish/east-baton-rouge-school-board-election/

- Verification steps: search the Calcasieu Parish School Board site (cpsb.org) for 'District 30 Sulphur Bond' for the campus project list, tax calculator, and bonding district map; search the Louisiana Secretary of State elections pages for the November 3, 2026 District 30 proposition result after polls close.

AI Generated

St. Louis Public Schools' final Future Ready recommendation would close nine schools in fall 2027, with a board vote on November 10, and DESE sets its November 3 special education finance webinar and an October 30 records-response deadline.

Sources:

- St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Blythe Bernhard, 'Nine schools would close under latest SLPS plan' (October 27, 2026): https://stltoday.cms.us-corp-qa-4.vip.tnpreprod.net/news/local/education/fewer-buildings-would-close-in-latest-st-louis-public-schools-consolidation-plan/article_c161d064-a754-5e8f-a202-1e75a6836f82.html

- St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 'Here are the St. Louis Public Schools the district is proposing to close' (October 27, 2026): https://stltoday.cms.us-corp-qa-4.vip.tnpreprod.net/news/local/education/here-are-the-st-louis-public-schools-the-district-is-proposing-to-close/article_95ab4ae1-3166-58ae-9c40-9f0c133017f7.html

- Missouri DESE, Office of Special Education News and Updates (Special Education Finance Monthly Webinar – November 3, 2026, notice dated October 27, 2026): https://oembed-dese.mo.gov/special-education/listserv-news-and-updates

- Missouri Sunshine Law, section 610.023.3 (Education Records Project request ERP-MO-2026-1, response due October 30, 2026)

AI Generated

On October 27, 2026 the U.S. Department of Justice sued Anne Arundel County's school board, alleging it facilitated student gender transitions at school, recorded them in education records, and withheld them from parents in violation of FERPA and the PPRA — a case whose records ruling will govern how every Maryland family, including the county's 11,250 students with disabilities, can see and correct their child's school file.

Sources:

- The Baltimore Banner, Oct. 27, 2026, 'Trump DOJ sues Anne Arundel school board over gender identity policy as midterms near': https://www.thebanner.com/education/k-12-schools/anne-arundel-schools-gender-identity-policy-E34BIXFVW5GEJBOLDBXMTJBQSQ/

- Reuters (Kanishka Singh), Oct. 27, 2026, 'US Justice Department sues Maryland school district over transgender policies' — search Reuters for the headline to retrieve the syndicated text

- The Baltimore Banner, Aug. 19, 2026, 'Anne Arundel schools update gender identity policy after Trump threats': https://www.thebanner.com/education/k-12-schools/anne-arundel-schools-transgender-policy-trump-lawsuit-5VRPSSTXDJDSFP7KB2ENDS6O2A/

- The Baltimore Banner, Sept. 1, 2026, 'Anne Arundel schools change guidance on transgender students' names': https://www.thebanner.com/education/k-12-schools/anne-arundel-county-gender-identity-policy-WLNFJ2FBARAIXC3PTCHCUJTHEA/

- MSDE, Maryland Early Intervention and Special Education Services Census Data, April 2026 (Oct. 1, 2025 child count; Anne Arundel 84,256 enrollment, 11,250 students with disabilities): https://marylandpublicschools.org/about/Documents/DCAA/SSP/20252026Student/2025-Census-Publication-A.pdf

- FERPA, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g and 34 CFR Part 99; PPRA, 20 U.S.C. § 1232h; IDEA confidentiality, 34 CFR §§ 300.610-300.627 — search law.cornell.edu for each citation to verify the text

- MSDE release, Oct. 26, 2026, 'Maryland State Board of Education to Meet Thursday, October 29' — search marylandpublicschools.org for the release title

AI Generated

Eight Mount Desert Island-area towns vote November third on dissolving their separate school districts into a single regional unit effective July twenty twenty-eight — plus an early check-in on Maine's bell-to-bell phone ban and results day for the statewide student mock election. Sources: MDIRSS-AOS #91 Reorganization Plan Core Elements (June 2026), Town of Bar Harbor Document Center: https://www.barharbormaine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9124/Reorganization-Plan-Core-Elements-Flyer ; Bar Harbor Story, School Reorganization Learning Session and Community Conversation, October 20, 2026 (Southwest Harbor Public Library session, October 28, 2026): https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/school-reorganization-learning-session ; Bar Harbor Story, Bar Harbor Town Council Votes Against Regional School Plan, September 2, 2026: https://barharborstory.com/2026/09/02/bar-harbor-council-recommends-against-school-reorganization/ ; Maine DOE Priority Notice, Implementation of Maine's Bell-to-Bell Personal Electronic Device Policy (model policy JICJ, August 1, 2026 adoption deadline) — search mainedoenews.net for 'Priority Notice Bell-to-Bell' ; The Maine Monitor reporting via Bangor Daily News, Maine teachers and students say school cellphone ban is working, October 27, 2026 — search bangordailynews.com for 'cellphone ban is working' ; Maine Secretary of State, Maine Student Mock Election to be held tomorrow, October 26, 2026: https://www.maine.gov/sos/news/maine-student-mock-election-2026

AI Generated