SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah educators, initially concerned about possible cuts in next year's school budget, got a surprise last week from the normally stingy state Legislature: a funding increase.

With an eye on reopening public schools this fall, the Utah Legislature used a combination of federal CARES Act funds and money from the state's Rainy Day Fund -- and delayed some non-essential programs -- to give educators an increase to work with.

Brad Asay, president of the American Federation of Teachers' Utah chapter, said his group worked closely with lawmakers to make sure schools can safely reopen.

"We're pleased that the state Legislature and lawmakers listened to the community, listened to different organizations that were saying, 'We need to open back up. Please hold education harmless.' And they did listen to that," he said.

The Utah State Board of Education has published basic guidelines for reopening public schools, but will require districts to submit their own, local plans by Aug. 1 for approval.

Asay said legislators found the extra funds for education despite a $1.5 billion revenue shortfall as a side effect of the pandemic. He said they turned a potential disaster for education into a workable budget by increasing what's known as the "weighted pupil unit" -- or funding allocation per student -- by 6%.

"Some programs [will] not be funded, that they could wait for a year," he said. "We're going to use that 6% increase in funding. So, a good chunk of change was able to whittle that down and make up for the shortfall."

Lawmakers also spent about $50 million for new students and $125 million for technology upgrades. Asay said the budget was crafted to help school districts meet the needs of students and teachers in the COVID-19 era.

"Our numbers for COVID over the last several weeks have really gotten high, so we're not sure what's going to happen in the fall, as we open up," he said. "Probably have to go to a hybrid system; there might be some online -- so, they needed to fund that."

He said educators also are looking to Congress to do its part. AFT is backing passage of the HEROES Act, which would provide up to $60 billion in future aid to schools nationwide. The bill was approved by the U.S. House, but is still pending in the Senate.

The text of HB 5011 is online at le.utah.gov, and the HEROES Act is at documentcloud.org.

Enrollment in Indiana's 21st Century Scholars program has surged, reaching record levels. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education reports the program has enrolled more than 90,000 students for 2027 and 2028, more than double previous numbers. The boost follows a 2023 law allowing automatic enrollment for eligible students.

Rep. Earl Harris, D-East Chicago, authored the change. He hopes it helps more low-income students access a debt-free college education by meeting academic requirements.

"There are a lot of people that did not know it existed," he said. "I would ask people when they asked me about ways to fund their children's education, and I would mention 21st Century Scholars and almost 100% of the time the person would look at me and go, 'what's that?'"

The 21st Century Scholars program was created in 1990. It offers tuition-free college at Indiana's two- and four-year institutions for students who qualify based on income. Students eligible for the National School Lunch Program are automatically enrolled, though they may opt out. To remain in the program, they must meet certain academic and behavioral standards.

Harris commended the program's success and voiced optimism for expanding bipartisan educational efforts.

"I believe we as a state should do everything we can to help our young people continue their education post high school. We know funding is a big roadblock for a lot of people, and 21st Century Scholars is a great way to make sure that those funds are in place," he continued.

State education officials say over 50,000 students enrolled for 2028, with an additional 46,000 for 2027. Before automatic enrollment, sign-ups typically saw between 16,000 and 19,000 students.

Parents and educators in Massachusetts are celebrating an end to the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System graduation requirement.

Nearly 60% of voters approved Question 2, which ensures students still take the standardized test but does not require passage to receive a high school diploma.

Carolyn Scafidi, a retired special educator in Tyngsborough, said the results show voters trust teachers.

"The educators are the professionals, so let us do what we do best, not other outside sources saying that this is what you should be doing," Scafidi stressed.

Skafidi pointed out students must still complete district-certified coursework to demonstrate their comprehension and she predicted students will fare better without the added stress of a high-stakes test. Opponents said removal of the MCAS test will only loosen academic standards and increase inequality.

Roughly 700 students each year do not pass the MCAS exam and do not receive their high school diploma. Educators said the majority are students of color, English language learners and those with disabilities.

Joy Ahmed, a parent in Ashland, said her son has a learning disability and gets nervous before tests. She hopes more special education students and those put in transition programs after age 18 will no longer be penalized.

"Which would be a huge change in the special education community in the way that we treat students who are unique learners in this state," Ahmed observed. "They were often denied access to getting a diploma, so I'm thrilled for those families."

Ahmed added teachers will also have more time to be creative in the classroom without having to spend so many hours "teaching to the test." Massachusetts was one of just eight states to still require passage of a standardized test to receive a high school diploma.


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As New York considers new graduation requirements, the alternatives might not be easy to implement.

The state's Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures said Regents exams will no longer count toward graduation. Studies show exit exams do not raise a high school diploma's value or student achievement.

Arlen Benjamin Gomez, executive director of Ed Trust-New York, said while one alternative is performance-based assessments, the Department of Education might not provide resources for all districts to shift away from the Regents exams.

"In that process, we're concerned about what districts will do in order to look at other ways of demonstrating proficiency for students and whether students will be given a full menu of opportunities," Gomez noted. "Or whether some students will be pushed toward Regents exams and other students pushed towards untested ways of demonstrating proficiency."

Critics said Regents exams present barriers and biases for students. Along with racial biases, studies show exit exams can impact multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Before new requirements can be implemented, she argued fixing underlying issues such as minority students being undereducated should be addressed first.

Beyond new graduation requirements, Gomez pointed out another way to improve education is by fully funding schools. The Rockefeller Institute is studying the formula since many education advocates said it is ripe for change.

She contended the current education system is not preparing students for college and beyond.

"What we are doing is setting kids up to not be proficient, not being able to graduate demonstrating that proficiency, and then going on to college and careers where they're going to struggle, taking entry-level work-based assessments, or they might have to take remedial courses in college," studying the formula outlined. "We know that can lead to increased debt or students dropping out of school."

Current statistics show fewer than half of eighth graders statewide are proficient in math in a 2022-2023 assessment.

Students of color fared worse, with only 32% of Latino students and 31% of Black students being proficient in math. The numbers were still less than half for the same groups' reading proficiency.