RICHMOND, Va. -- A medida que más trabajadores necesitan capacitación para ingresar a la economía pospandémica, el senador de Virginia Tim Kaine y el presidente Joe Biden proponen expandir el programa de subsidios Pell para llegar a más estudiantes necesitados.

El proyecto de ley JOBS Act de Kain, permitiría a los estudiantes utilizar los subsidios Pell para programas de certificación a corto plazo.

El plan presupuestario del presidente aumentaría los montos de las becas Pell en 400 dólares y permitiría que los estudiantes de DACA las reciban por primera vez.

Kristen Westover, presidenta de Mountain Empire Community College en Virginia, dice que los subsidios son de gran apoyo para su universidad y ampliarlas daría un impulso muy necesario a los estudiantes quienes a menudo tienen dificultades para pagar la tarifas.


"Mas de dos tercios de nuestros estudiantes reciben algun tipo de apoyo Pell, y casi ese mismo numero no tiene representacion o tiene dificultades economicas," Westover explica. "Estoy muy feliz de que tambien financie a los estudiantes de DACA."

Ella cree que es importante ampliar la educación superior para los estudiantes indocumentados y desde el año pasado, han sido elegibles para la inscripción estatal en Virginia.

Más de 450 mil migrantes indocumentados están inscritos en colegios y universidades de Estados Unidos y aproximadamente la mitad son beneficiarios de DACA, según datos de una investigación del grupo New American Economy.

Westover señala que estas propuestas son parte de una tendencia nacional para hacer que la educación post-secundaria sea más disponible. Ella dice que la investigación muestra que muchas personas que podrían no asistir a la universidad se sienten atraídas por programas de capacitación a corto plazo los cuales podrían llevarlos a una formación ampliada o a una vida de aprendizaje.

"Sabemos que en esta epoca el aprendizaje es algo de lo que no nos podemos escapar," agrega Westover. "En terminos de rapidez y el aumento de la tecnologia, y nuestra necesidad de que la fuerza laboral se mantenga continua y no sea solo durante el comienzo de su empleo."

Pero algunos legisladores se oponen al uso de los subsidios Pell para cursos certificados, argumentando que podría hacer que los estudiantes ingresen a programas que conduzcan a trabajos mal pagados. Más de la mitad de los adultos empleados con certificados a corto plazo ganaban 30 mil dólares o menos por año, según datos de la organización sin fines de lucro New America.

La Fundación Lumina proporcionó apoyo para este informe.



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Ohio's charter schools have been a topic of debate for more than two decades, with strong opinions on both sides.

Charter schools operate independently of traditional public school districts, often promising more flexibility and innovation. However, concerns about funding persist.

Steve Dyer, former chair of the Ohio House Finance Committee and member of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding, highlighted a new report exploring the significance of charter schools in Ohio which pointed out nearly half of all charters in the state have closed.

"Ohio's charter school experiment, which is now about 25 years old, has been an utter failure," Dyer asserted. "Because the state has so heavily invested in charter schools, the average charter school student gets more than double the amount of state funding that a kid in a local public school gets."

Dyer's concerns focus on the disparity in funding between charter and traditional public schools, with charter students receiving significant state support despite some schools underperforming.

According to the Ohio Department of Education, charter schools have higher closure rates, with nearly 50% of them closing by their 10th year. Critics argue the financial investment in a less stable educational system could take away from local public schools, which rely on a combination of state and local funding.

Others contended charter schools offer parents additional choices in educating their children.

William Phillis, executive director of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding, stressed the quality of the options is critical.

"There's no qualifications established by the state of Ohio," Phillis pointed out. "Many operators have no clue as to what education is all about, have no clue in some cases how to operate a business. They just see it as a financial opportunity."

Ohioans remain divided on whether charter schools deliver on their promises. On one side, advocates believe in the value of offering educational options to parents. On the other, opponents question the sustainability and financial strain on the broader public education system.


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Following a Georgia high school shooting in early September, there's been a surge in school threats across the country.

In South Dakota, safety experts are teaching people to report threats - and teaching schools how to field them.

In mid-September, a threatening social media post caused the Meade School District to move into "secure" status.

After it was proven to be noncredible, County Sheriff Pat West pointed out that social media shares "spread like wildfire," and make investigations much more difficult.

Brett Garland is director of the South Dakota School Safety Program, within the Office of Homeland Security. He advised people to - "report, don't repost."

"We would prefer that schools, parents, students, community members, immediately get in touch with their law enforcement agency if they receive information regarding a threat," said Garland. "Definitely we would prefer they not share those threats in any way."

An anonymous tip line for concerns in South Dakota, called "Safe2Say," is available online or by phone 24/7.

Threatening a school, school transit or other place of assembly is a Class 4 felony in South Dakota.

The School Safety Center offers behavioral threat assessment training, teaching school staff and educators to recognize potential flags for violent behavior.

Garland said more than 200 schools have already participated.

"This training that will help schools," said Garland, "hopefully interrupt somebody on that pathway to violence, before it gets to any sort of active attack."

He said school staff learn to develop a "multidisciplinary behavioral threat assessment team," to identify and evaluate threats before deciding on the right intervention.

But he added that there's no specific profile for someone who may be making threats.



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Custodians are often the unseen workers who ensure school buildings operate but in Washington state, understaffing can make their work difficult.

Custodians run a gamut of tasks in schools from cleaning to maintenance.

Amanda Shull, head custodian at Kentlake High School in Kent and a member of the American Federation of Teachers Kent Classified, said when there is not enough staff, they have to pick up more tasks during the day.

"I have to say that all the time: we are understaffed," Shull emphasized. "Somebody called out today and we weren't sent any help. So, it greatly affects us because receiving that extra task determines the rest of our day."

A report from the League of Education Voters found Washington state lawmakers are struggling to properly fund the state's 295 school districts. While the state has increased spending on staff, the costs for other items like food, repairs and natural gas have gone up at an even faster rate since the start of the pandemic.

Shull noted her staff often works out of sight of the rest of the people at the school.

"People see me but you never see the real ones that come after school is out, after the events are over, the quiet ones that clean up and make everything presentable for the next day so classes can happen," Shull explained.

Shull stressed the lack of proper funding affects custodians in other ways, such as with equipment shortages. She added she always tells her team when a teacher or student offers appreciation for their work.