Nivens鈥� commitment to leadership, communication, professionalism and community involvement helped him achieve the on Thursday at The School Superintendent Association鈥檚 national conference in Nashville.

The organization selected Nivens from three other finalists in Maine, Kentucky and Maryland. He鈥檚 led a district of nearly 50,000 students west of Houston since 2021, part of his 30 years of education experience that began with teacher and principal roles in Dallas.

鈥淚f you’re smart, you realize you don’t get here by yourself,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of people 鈥� 49,000 kids back home, 6,500 staff are working right now doing a phenomenal job. But it’s a tremendous honor.鈥�

Nivens spoke with 社区黑料鈥檚 Lauren Wagner on Friday at the conference. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

What initiatives and developments are you most proud of during your tenure at Lamar Consolidated?

We are opening an in-district charter school for kids with autism spectrum disorder. The traditional setting works for some, but not for all. So what can we do to support a group of students who want that support? I sat with a parent back in November, and they were paying $40,000 a year to get their child support outside of school. So we want to try to support kids and families. That’s our purpose. It鈥檚 opening in August, but we’ve been planning this for two years.

I would also say we’ve increased the number of students who are thinking about post-secondary [plans]. I secured private funding for a college superintendent trip. So I take two juniors from every high school 鈥� 14 kids who are first-time college goers 鈥� and I take them out of state. It’s fully funded by private donors. Those kids haven鈥檛 even been out of the county. We’ve done it three years in a row now. The first year was Louisiana, last year was Arizona and then North Carolina.

We鈥檙e opening a brand new career technical education center in August. Lamar didn鈥檛 have a CTE center when I got there 鈥� we were partnering with different colleges. I don’t believe kids should have to decide what they’re going to do so early. The system is built where you have to say, 鈥極kay, child, you have to choose advanced academics or advanced band or athletics. Pick and choose.鈥� Give them options. You know, they鈥檙e 14 years old. We wanted to make sure everybody had options on what they wanted to do. 

Your district has rapidly grown since you started your role in 2021. What challenges have you dealt with to keep up?

We’ve added about 14,000 kids. There are 49,000 now and when I got there, there were around 36,000. I’ve opened 15 schools in five years, and that takes planning. My chief operations officer and his team do a great job helping me and bringing me data, and we think about where schools would go and when they need to go. 

Another challenge is that since we’re growing so fast, we have to rezone schools. We’ve had a lot of resistance from parents. Finally, I publicly intervened, because we may take students out of one historic school and put them in a brand new campus, and parents are like, 鈥楴o, I went to that school.鈥� But that’s not fair. I was like, 鈥楯ust because you went there 50 years ago doesn鈥檛 mean these kids should still be in that school.鈥� Our first bond issue in 2022 was $1.5 billion, and the one in 2025 was $1.9 billion. And the community supported it. 

What鈥檚 your favorite part about your job?

Definitely campus visits. I love listening to our babies. I taught elementary school and didn鈥檛 like it because they were too small 鈥� I was a high school guy. But now when I have a tough day, I go to a campus and go see some pre-K babies, some kindergarten babies. They’re the sweetest. And they don’t judge anything. One kid was like, 鈥榊ou’re as big as a truck!鈥� And I said, 鈥楾hat’s the laugh I needed today, man.鈥� By far, that’s my best part of my job.

Did you want to become a superintendent when you first began teaching?

No. I didn鈥檛 want to. I wanted to be a head football coach. That was it. I worked with a lot of great people, but I worked with a few who were not good with kids. I would have my [students] call me and say, 鈥楥oach, I don’t have a ride.鈥� Or, you know, 鈥楳y mama’s high.鈥� All kinds of stuff. And I would go pick them up or whatever I needed to do. After school, I would take them home, and I would buy them food. And I didn’t see [some teachers] doing that. And I was like, 鈥榃hy are you in this job if you’re not doing that?鈥� They always would talk bad about the job and I was like, 鈥楧o you hate kids?鈥� So I would go home and talk to my wife about it, and she would say, 鈥榃hat are you going to do about it?鈥� And I said, 鈥榃ell, I’m their peer. I can’t do anything about it.鈥� She said, 鈥榊eah, you can. Become a principal.鈥�

So as a principal, I did all the hiring, and if you didn’t know how to teach math, that was fine. If you’re a good person and you love kids, we could teach you how to teach math, right? Then I started working with other principals who I thought weren’t doing as much as they could for their campuses. So it was kind of the same mindset 鈥� you know what, I’ll become a superintendent.

What keeps you up at night right now as a superintendent?

In general it鈥檚 the contrast between COVID and now. When COVID hit, all the parents had to teach their own kids and their teachers were heroes, right? Now it’s like the world has forgotten that, and the reverence for the job and for the profession is gone. You know, give teachers an opportunity. It’s an automatic, 鈥楳y son said this.鈥� And, 鈥榃hy did you do that? I’m going to get you fired.鈥� It’s a cancel culture. So I talk a lot in my community about grace. We’re all human. The teacher might have done something wrong, and I’m not saying we’re always right, but let’s have a conversation about it. I don’t think anybody has bad intentions, right? But let’s have some grace with each other. Let’s be more kind to each other.

The , which publishes a national district leader survey every five years, found in a that finance and budget problems are consuming the most time and inhibiting job effectiveness. It also details small gains in superintendent gender and race diversity, but researchers say wide gaps still remain. 

The nonprofit collected responses in September 2024 from nearly 1,100 superintendents from 49 states. About 56% worked in rural districts, while 13% were in a small city and 31% in a suburban or urban area.

About 62% of superintendents said inadequate financing of schools was the largest issue that hindered their job effectiveness, but only 18% chose fiscal management as a top strength. More than half (54%) of respondents said financial issues consumed most of their time, an increase from 45% in 2020.

Underfunding from state governments, the expiration of federal pandemic aid, enrollment declines and funding cuts under the Trump administration have contributed to budget shortfalls for many U.S. districts. The federal education budget for fiscal year 2026 is still under negotiation and .

In a Dec. 4 virtual briefing about the results, Ann LoBue, a Columbia University policy analyst and one of the study鈥檚 contributors, said decreased school funding hasn鈥檛 kept up with the rising costs of student and family needs.

鈥淎s the survey showed, it’s money that matters,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen asked about the most important problem facing the districts they lead, funding was the most common answer.鈥�

More than one-third of superintendents surveyed said finance and budget planning is a needed area of improvement. Other top answers included stress management, school reform, district politics and community relations. Nearly half of respondents said their district鈥檚 financial condition was the most important factor in decisionmaking. 

David Law, superintendent of Minnetonka Public Schools in Minnesota, said at the briefing that the state education budget is declining as the . While lobbying in the legislature this year, he reminded lawmakers that schools aren鈥檛 asking for more money, but instead for a smaller reduction of state aid. 

鈥淥ur portion of the state budget and the federal budget is shrinking at a time [when] utilities and health care and transportation are growing at three and four times the rate of investment,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s a superintendent, we’re having all these conversations about finances, because we’re in this unprecedented time where we’re getting less and things are costing more at an accelerated rate.鈥�

The survey also explored demographics among superintendents nationwide. About 10% of respondents were people of color, an increase from nearly 9% in 2020. The percentage of female superintendents increased from 27% in 2020 to 30% in 2025. 

Despite the upward trend, survey authors said in the briefing that there鈥檚 still a lot of work to do to improve gender and race equity among U.S. superintendents. 

The study found that superintendents who were female and identified as Black or Hispanic were more likely to lead districts with higher diversity and more student needs. About 18% of males reached superintendency with just two to four years of teaching experience, versus 9% of females. About 25% of female superintendents had more than 13 years as a classroom teacher, compared with 15% of men.

While 48% of white superintendents said they felt very supported by their communities, only 37% of Black district leaders said the same. 

The survey also projected the percentage of superintendents of color would increase to 12% by 2030. Shawn Joseph, a contributor to the study and superintendent of Prince George鈥檚 County Public Schools in Maryland, said during the briefing that he鈥檚 not optimistic the nation will reach that goal. 

鈥淲e’ve got a problem in America with how we prepare leaders of color. In many institutions around the country, you’ll go through a master’s program, a doctoral program and you’ll never experience frameworks that center Black thought or Latinx thought,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 went to some decent universities to get my doctorate [and] master’s and I was ill equipped to come out and be a Black superintendent.鈥� 

Joseph recommended that professional learning, conferences and workshops focused on superintendent diversity should become more accessible to local leaders to improve the numbers.

In other survey findings: Three-quarters of superintendents said they are spending less time with their family, and 56% reported having fewer or no children because of the job. 

About 89% said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their job, compared with 92% in 2020. Nearly 60% of those surveyed said they planned on being a superintendent in the next five years, which is the same finding as in the 2020 survey. In 2010, the response was 51%.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which argued that districts were spending the money to advance a 鈥渞adical left-wing agenda,鈥� has completed its review of five different programs totaling $5.5 billion, said Madison Beidermann, spokeswoman for the department. 

The funds support education for English learners and migrant students and pay for staff training and extra instructional positions. The news came a week after the administration released over $1.3 billion for summer and afterschool programs, which was also held up for review.

The department alerted states June 30, one day before they expected to receive the money, that the review was in process, forcing programs to cut staff and end summer programs early. Congress appropriated the funds for this coming school year, and President Donald Trump signed the budget in March. 

The release of the funds, announced just hours before Education Secretary Linda McMahon was scheduled to meet with the nation鈥檚 governors in Colorado Springs, Colorado, comes as superintendents nationwide were preparing to eliminate services like literacy and math coaches, according to conducted by AASA, the School Superintendents Association. Half of the 628 chiefs who responded from 43 states said they would have to lay off staff who work with special education students if the funds weren鈥檛 released. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten brought the message to attendees at the union鈥檚 annual TEACH conference in Washington, D.C. 

鈥淭he administration backed down and we are getting the money,鈥� she said to a cheering audience. 鈥淭hose of you who lobbied yesterday, thank you. Those of you who brought the lawsuit, thank you.鈥�

Attorney generals from 24 blue states and the District of Columbia over the freeze, arguing that the administration鈥檚 actions were harming schools. School districts, parents, unions and nonprofits filed a on July 21, saying that OMB has never stood in the way of the department鈥檚 practice of releasing the funds in two steps, first on July 1 and the rest on Oct. 1. joined their Democratic colleagues in pressuring the administration to free up the money.

Friday鈥檚 announcement doesn鈥檛 mean the legal fight is over. In a statement, Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which is handling the second case, said the legal team would 鈥渃ontinue to monitor the situation and work in court to ensure the administration fully complies with the law and that these resources reach the schools and students who need them most.鈥� 

Districts can now start the school year without the shortfall, but that doesn鈥檛 mean advocates鈥� worries are over about future disruptions to funding. The July 1 distribution date is a longstanding practice, not something written into the law. 

Tara Thomas, government affairs manager for AASA, said her organization wants to 鈥渉ave additional conversations鈥� with Congress or the administration to 鈥渆nsure that this type of uncertainty at the last minute doesn’t happen again. Districts need to continue to rely on stable, timely, reliable federal funding.鈥�

Another fight over education funds could also be ahead. The White House is reportedly preparing another that would target education funding. Thomas said she didn鈥檛 know what might be included, but it could be cuts that the Department of Government Efficiency made to grant programs.聽

On Friday, Trump signed a , pulling back $9 billion in funds from public television and foreign aid.

Only she wasn鈥檛.

But before the day was over, that innocent mistake reached the ears of Lee鈥檚 supervisor in her West Virginia district. Lee had just taken on the challenge of consolidating two struggling schools serving high-need students, and her boss was less than congratulatory. 

鈥淪he told me there was no way that I could handle those expectations if I had a baby,鈥� Lee remembered. After that encounter, she never considered having another child for fear she would be overlooked for promotions. 鈥淚t is a regret I carry,鈥� she acknowledged.

Sixteen years later, Lee is a deputy superintendent in Beaufort, South Carolina, and jokes with her now-22-year-old son that it鈥檚 his fault he鈥檚 an only child. But her story demonstrates what many women give up to advance in the education sector. In a new , three-fourths of women superintendents and other top female district and state leaders said they make sacrifices that men in the same jobs don鈥檛 have to endure.聽

Julia Rafal-Baer, founder and CEO of Women Leading Ed, which conducted the survey, called the results 鈥渁 reality check.鈥�

鈥淎cross the country, women are shaping the future of America鈥檚 schools. They鈥檙e making high-stakes decisions, driving results and shaping the future for tens of millions of students,鈥� she said. But the survey, from leaders in 37 states, shows women are 鈥渟econd-guessed more, scrutinized for their style instead of their strategy, and expected to 鈥榦vercome鈥� being women.鈥�

The results, shared exclusively with 社区黑料, also show that 86% of respondents feel expectations to dress, speak or behave a certain way because they are women in senior leadership positions 鈥� a 4 percentage point increase over last year. 

鈥淣o one will take you seriously with a ponytail. No one will take you seriously if you aren’t wearing a suit,鈥� Candace Standberry-Robertson, executive director of system-wide programming for NOLA Public Schools in New Orleans, wrote. Sometimes casual attire is more appropriate for the tasks that come with her position, she said. 鈥淲ho wants to be all dolled up and sweaty while delivering boxes of instructional materials to schools?鈥�

Others said they鈥檝e faced questions from hiring managers or school board members about balancing work and family life. One superintendent wrote that when interviewing for the top post in a small district, the school board president asked her: 鈥淗ow can you manage being a mom while being a campus leader? We have never hired a lady before.鈥�

And sometimes they don鈥檛, regardless of qualifications.

Over half of respondents said they鈥檝e been passed over for leadership positions that later went to men, and over 70% of the women surveyed reported feeling pressure to earn a doctoral degree in order to be considered for a leadership position. show 45% of superintendents have a doctorate, with women more likely than men to earn the advanced degree.

鈥淔emale superintendent candidates won鈥檛 apply until they know they鈥檙e 110% ready, and male superintendent candidates apply when they鈥檙e like 55% ready,鈥� said David Schuler, executive director of AASA, the School Superintendents Association. There鈥檚 been progress in districts hiring more women over the past 20 years, but he added, 鈥淲e need more female superintendents, hands down.鈥�

Not a 鈥榞reat look鈥�

Data shows that about in the top 500 districts are women, even though women make up of the teacher workforce 鈥� an imbalance that some leaders say robs young educators of strong role models. 

鈥淭he people actually doing the work are women, and the people telling them what to do are men,鈥� said Julia Drake, an assistant superintendent in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District, north of New York City. 鈥淚 don’t think that’s a great look.鈥�

Before Rafal-Baer founded Women Leading Ed in 2021, Drake attempted to figure out why bias against women was so pervasive in the field. She grew intrigued by the topic as a young principal in New York City. When her assistant principal went on maternity leave, Drake recalled, her male supervisor commented, 鈥淒on’t expect her to come back as productive as she was when she left.鈥�

She focused her on the issue, compiling a sample of over 500 female leaders from 41 states. 

One top finding was that people viewed ambitious women in education as 鈥渂ossy,鈥� but ambitious men as strong-minded. Respondents also felt that staff members were less comfortable being supervised by women. 

鈥淚 think women are very capable, but also very empathetic and can really bring people together,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat is sometimes seen as weaknesses is actually a leadership asset.鈥� 

Suits, heels, makeup

Examining this year鈥檚 data, Emily Hartnett, executive director of Women Leading Ed, pointed to differences in results by age. Leaders under 50 are more likely to say they delayed having children for the sake of their career. They also feel more pressure to conform to a certain image 鈥� 93% compared with 78% of leaders over 50. 

鈥淚 once had a supervisor encourage me to get my nails done,鈥� one woman wrote.

Several said they are expected to wear suits, heels and makeup, even when male counterparts wore golf shirts and sneakers to work. 

鈥淲hen I first started wearing my natural hair, I was told by a mentor that I should reconsider because where I was interviewing to be a principal may not accept 鈥榯hat much of my ethnicity,鈥� 鈥� one district official said. 鈥淥f course, I wore my new afro to every interview.鈥�

In response to a new question this year, more than half of the superintendent respondents said board members often second-guess their expertise or undercut their decisions.

One particular example sticks with Dana Arreola, who became superintendent of the Bessemer, Alabama, schools in 2023. The district was about to undertake an $8 million capital improvement project, with new roofs, paint and lighting at several schools. In advance of a presentation to the school board, she reviewed the bid process, fully vetted the architects and conducted a deep dive on facility needs.

But that wasn鈥檛 good enough. The members first wanted to hear from a state education official, who happened to be a man. 

鈥淢y male counterpart ultimately did a great job of reaffirming the information I had already presented,鈥� she said. 

A year later, a few board members sent messages to say they initially underestimated her and that her hard work was paying off.  

鈥淚 began to question my own confidence,鈥� Arreola said. 鈥淩eceiving notes from my board members felt incredibly validating.鈥�

It dramatized what has become increasingly apparent over the past few years: Students are in the midst of a mental health crisis. The U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has warned of this repeatedly. 鈥淢ental health challenges in children, adolescents and young adults are real and widespread,鈥� he said in this . 鈥淓ven before the pandemic, an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression and thoughts of suicide 鈥� and rates have increased over the past decade.鈥� 

He is not being overly dramatic. In February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its , highlighting trends and experiences of U.S. high school students. The findings are sobering. Twenty-two percent, including 30% of girls, seriously considered suicide during the past year, and 10% actually made an attempt. 

Depression and anxiety are also on the rise among young people: according to recent CDC data, reported feeling so sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks in a row that they stopped their usual activities. Sadly, many young people turn to drugs and alcohol to cope.  

Now is the time to change this pattern.

The Cook Center partnered with the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), the and the to host the mental health summit because school leaders bear much of the weight of mental health concerns among young people. In fact, some 80% of families rely on schools for their child’s mental health.

During the summit 鈥� the first time AASA had sponsored a conference specifically to address student mental health 鈥� educators explored the crisis in depth and collaborated with superintendents from rural, urban, low-income and affluent schools to map out possible solutions. They learned how to discuss mental health in a productive way with teachers, students and parents, using data and language supplied by experts from the foundation and the institute. Since the summit, superintendents have returned to their communities with the knowledge and tools to approach problems more analytically.

Importantly, the AASA Mental Health Cohort was established to help implement real solutions for all students. There are more than 40 members who regularly connect with one another to develop strategic plans, increase support options for all members of their school communities and work toward solutions that can be built into schools鈥� routines and their existing state, local or Title I funding.

In one member’s district, school staff meet with students and their families following a mental health hospitalization under a new school reintegration initiative. The team partners with local behavioral health providers, such as hospitals or inpatient treatment centers, to make sure the school understands the struggling student’s medical needs and can support the behavioral health treatment. The goal is to ease the transition back into a typical school routine without sacrificing the positive effects of the treatment. The program is new, but the district leader is collecting data to improve and expand it. The Jed Foundation has a available that aims to eliminate suicide among young adults, and Mental Health America鈥檚 for schools offers tips to students, teachers and even businesses to support the mental health of young people. 

The Cook Center has developed two resources that are available at no cost. is an animated series that models how the human connection can protect against suicide. The series tells stories of characters who face some of the most difficult issues that young people deal with and shows how they come to the key decision that life is worth living. 

is a free online resource where families can access courses and find answers from therapists. Districts can partner with the site to get additional resources for families, including mental health seminars tailored to local needs.

There has never been a better time to invest in children’s mental health. Unprecedented funding is available: The Department of Health and Human Services has allocated $35 million for mental health services and suicide prevention programs for youth. Congress increased appropriations for the Mental Health Block Grant by $100 million to help state and local governments fill gaps in services. And the Department of Education now has $144 million each year for the next five years to award to state education agencies and districts for mental health support.

Whether that funding is made available long term depends on how well schools implement programs and get feedback quickly. Districts have tremendous leeway in how they gather data and measure their effectiveness of their mental health support programs. Legislators will likely reward initiative and initially fund new programs. But they will also demand accountability, that school leaders gather data and develop improvement cycles. The good news is that fathering data and developing improvement cycles are already institutional skills that education systems do really well.

New coalitions like the AASA Mental Health Cohort and nonprofit groups like the Cook Center for Human Connection and JED are ready to help schools and districts take action to alleviate the mental health crisis among the youth they serve. Time is of the essence. The well-being of millions of young people is on the line.

The justices reversed a decision by the Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit that prohibited Miguel Luna Perez from seeking financial relief under the Americans with Disabilities Act because his family accepted a settlement under special education law.

鈥淲e clarify that nothing in that provision bars his way,鈥� Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the opinion, referring to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. He added that the court took the case because it has consequences for 鈥渁 great many children with disabilities and their parents.鈥�

In a statement, Roman Martinez, Luna Perez鈥檚 attorney, said the family now plans to pursue a lawsuit against the Detroit-area Sturgis Public Schools under the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

The 鈥渃ourt鈥檚 ruling vindicates the rights of students with disabilities to obtain full relief when they suffer discrimination,鈥� he said.

The case focused on whether Congress intended for families to relinquish their rights to sue for monetary damages when they agree to a settlement under IDEA to get their children services as quickly as possible. But advocates for school districts, such as AASA, the School Superintendents Association, argued that districts could be facing multiple lawsuits from the same family.

鈥淭his is a significant ruling, and an unsurprising decision based on the oral argument,鈥� said Sasha Pudelski, advocacy director for AASA. 鈥淲e have deep concerns with injecting a legal battle over money into the IDEA process and how this ruling may undermine parents鈥� willingness to collaborate with districts in crafting an appropriate special education program for a child.鈥�

Luna Perez, whose family emigrated from Mexico, entered the Sturgis schools in 2004, when he was 9. He didn鈥檛 know American Sign Language or English. The district assigned him an aide who couldn鈥檛 sign, invented hand signals to communicate with him and often left him alone for hours. 

He received good grades, but before graduation in 2016, the district told his parents that he would not be eligible for a high school diploma 鈥� only a certificate of completion. The family sued under IDEA, which resulted in a placement in the Michigan School for the Deaf. But the family also argued that their son should be compensated for being left without the skills to get a job. IDEA includes a number of procedural steps before a case can go to court and doesn鈥檛 provide financial relief. 

The only remedy available under IDEA is compensatory education services. But Rebecca Spar, a special education attorney with the New Jersey-based Education Law Center, said that鈥檚 less important to an adult who needs to support himself.  

鈥淚t was the kind of case where appropriate education going forward could not remediate the harm to the student,鈥� she said.

Advocates for English learners said there are lessons in the case for how districts serve immigrant families whose children have disabilities. Schools need to ensure immigrant families understand their rights and provide interpretation and translation services, said Cady Landa, a researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who has the obstacles facing such families.

In the Sturgis schools, things have changed since Luna Perez was a student, said Superintendent Art Ebert, who has been with the district since 2018. The district has an interpreter and is expanding its special education department. Depending on their needs, some students with disabilities attend programs offered by county-level intermediate districts if local schools can鈥檛 provide the services.  

鈥淚 do believe that every experience provides us with an opportunity to learn and grow,鈥� Ebert said.

There鈥檚 one hitch: According to , districts are already spending, or planning to spend, almost a quarter of funds from the American Rescue Plan on facilities and operations.

鈥淕etting clarifications and new restrictions this late in the game is tough on [districts],鈥� said Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University. 鈥淲hat happens if money is already approved and spent before these recent鈥� guidelines were released?

The department was especially pointed about using federal dollars to build and upgrade sports facilities. The school district, for example, paid for new athletic fields and the in Alabama renovated weight rooms

Such expenses would not be allowed unless districts can connect the project to COVID preparedness and response, the document said. 鈥淚t is unclear, for example, how constructing a swimming pool is related to the pandemic,鈥� according to the department.

The Milwaukee district declined to comment on its use of funds for athletics-related projects, while the Wisconsin Department of Education said it is still reviewing the guidance to 鈥渄etermine next steps.鈥� Alabama officials did not respond to requests for comment.

With billions in COVID relief funds for schools still unspent, school finance experts say the guidance could confuse district leaders who have been waiting for the guidance for months. But with it dropping before the holidays, it could be well into January before states offer webinars or other opportunities to explain it to districts.

The document is not law, but says leaders should be prepared to justify how their projects relate to the pandemic. The has picked up this fall, according to Roza鈥檚 tracking of expenditures. A recent survey from , however, showed that over 40% of those responding said they were struggling to navigate compliance standards related to spending the funds.聽

In March, the department schools Superintendent Richard Woods that it was OK for districts to use the money to cover rising fuel costs. The new guidance doesn鈥檛 specifically address that scenario and only gives expenses 鈥渞elated to improving indoor air quality鈥� as an 鈥渁cceptable鈥� example. 

Department officials told 社区黑料 that the newest information is consistent with past guidance and that they have always 鈥渦rged caution around long-term facilities and capital expenditures.鈥� They said whether an expense is allowable is still up to state officials. 

鈥淚t really isn’t our role to ensure that states are looking at every single situation in the exact same way because 鈥� the context matters,鈥� the official said.

Still, Elleka Yost, director of advocacy for the Association of School Business Officials International, said the 鈥渢one鈥� of the document bothers her.

鈥淭he quality of school facilities impacts student health, well-being, attendance, engagement and learning,鈥� she said. 鈥淚nvesting funds in facility improvements should be seen as part of a district鈥檚 strategy to recover from the pandemic and improve student learning rather than as something contradictory or unessential to achieving those goals.鈥�

Some district leaders have made the case for spending relief funds on athletic facilities by saying they .

Sasha Pudelski, advocacy director for AASA, the School Superintendents Association, that instead of providing flexibility for districts with classroom additions going up or extensive renovations already underway, the department chose to 鈥渃riticize these decisions and chastise districts for these expenditures.鈥�

The department provided no more details in response to the requests for extensions on spending the funds that came from AASA and , but said it will lay out a process 鈥渁t a later date.鈥�

Districts worried about obligating the money by the 2024 deadline could pay ahead for services delivered over multiple years; the document lists a software license as an example. But it also warns that this practice is 鈥渘ot good stewardship鈥� of federal funds.

Teachers and parents

Since the American Rescue Plan passed in March 2021, experts like Roza have also cautioned districts against using the funds for teacher and staff pay raises because it would be hard to continue covering those higher costs when the money runs out. 

But the guidance notes that the funds can be used for 鈥減ermanent salary increases.鈥� Austin Reid, senior legislative director for federal education policy at the National Conference of State Legislatures, finds that advice puzzling, given talk of a .

鈥淔unding full roles or permanent salary increases can still be a risky bet by local districts, especially given the uncertainty in the economy,鈥� he said.

Paying parents incentives to ensure their children go to school, on the other hand, is off the table, according to the department, which called attendance a 鈥渕andatory activity.鈥�

鈥淭his one frustrated me, in part because we have a massive problem with chronic absenteeism,鈥� Roza said. 鈥淪eems like we shouldn鈥檛 be invoking the notion that school is mandatory so soon after school became un-mandatory when it shut down for a year.鈥�

That鈥檚 why some school finance experts are urging districts to redirect some of their plans for federal relief funds toward learning recovery before that money is actually spent. 

鈥淔rom our perspective, a pivot does seem warranted,鈥� Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University, said last week . While it鈥檚 normal for districts to get assessment results after they鈥檝e finalized their budgets, this year, she added, the achievement gaps are 鈥渕ore glaring.鈥�

Her team鈥檚 analysis of National Assessment of Educational Progress data, released last month, showed that almost 2 million middle and high school students 鈥� who would have scored in the proficient range if the pandemic hadn鈥檛 occurred 鈥� are now below proficient. 

And about 700,000 students 鈥渇ell out of advanced level in math,鈥� said Chad Aldeman, policy director at Edunomics. 鈥淭his means 700,000 fewer future scientists, engineers, data and medical experts 鈥� that are now not in our pipeline.鈥� 

While district budgets include costs that are already 鈥渓ocked in,鈥� such as salaries and signed contracts, Roza noted that districts still have some 鈥渨iggle room鈥� to redirect funds toward more academic interventions if positions haven鈥檛 been filled. And when they鈥檙e negotiating contracts with afterschool providers they can require staff to spend time on math 鈥� or other areas where students have fallen far behind. Her comments followed a from McKinsey & Company showing that districts have yet to spend $130 billion of the $190 billion in federal relief funds they received.

Amending an approved budget is not part of a district鈥檚 normal cycle, Roza said. But superintendents and school board members can request it. State education agencies can also require districts to report what they鈥檙e doing to address specific content areas, which might prompt a budget revision. 

And while state lawmakers can鈥檛 tell districts how to spend relief funds, they can districts to offer certain types of programs, like tutoring or summer school. Based on recent state test score trends, Austin Reid, senior legislative director for federal education policy at the National Conference of State Legislatures, said he expects to see similar actions when legislatures reconvene next year. 

鈥淚 also think we may see more legislatures engaging in more oversight activities on [relief funds], which may include strong encouragement of certain strategies,鈥� he said.

Chris Neale, assistant commissioner for federal relief programs at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said he鈥檚 seen several districts reopen their budgets after they鈥檙e finalized. While he doesn鈥檛 know the exact reasons, he said it鈥檚 鈥減lausible鈥� that assessment data is prompting the revisions. Other factors are likely, including 鈥渆mergent needs for mental health services,鈥� he said.

The 鈥榗onstraints鈥� on spending

Using available financial data, Roza highlighted districts 鈥� including Baltimore County, Dallas and Miami 鈥� that are prioritizing math instruction.

A lot of districts are spending the one-time funds on teacher training 鈥� more than 80 of the top 100 districts, according to . In Oregon, for example, lawmakers and advocates to spend the funds on training teachers on elementary reading instruction, with the argument that it would have a long-term payoff. But Roza said professional development wouldn’t necessarily offer an immediate benefit to students.

The McKinsey report estimated that about $20 billion in relief funds might go unspent because of 鈥渁dministrative hurdles,鈥� staff shortages and the inability of leaders to 鈥渙rchestrate spending.鈥�

Districts, meanwhile, are still waiting on the U.S. Department of Education to answer two questions: Will they have more time beyond the September 2024 deadline to fully obligate the billions of dollars in relief funds remaining from the American Rescue Plan? And are there additional 鈥渁llowable uses鈥� for relief funds that the department has yet to clarify?

鈥淚 have a lot of empathy for states and districts that are figuring out the best way to spend [relief funds] within the constraints they have,鈥� said Sheara Kvaric, co-founder of Federal Education Group, a law firm specializing in federal education policy. 鈥淚 think states and districts have innovative ideas, but it鈥檚 hard to commit to them without the assurance the spending is ok.鈥�

Congress has joined education organizations in asking the department to allow districts to keep spending the money through the end of 2026, instead of January 2025. In , six House Democrats asked the department to issue guidance 鈥済iven the crucial need to meet the immediate needs of students and to address the long-term impacts of the pandemic on academic growth and student mental health.鈥�

Last week, the department also responded to a July letter from the AASA, The School Superintendents Association, with the same request. James Lane, senior adviser to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, reminded the organization that 96% of the first round of relief funds from 2020 has been spent and that future extensions would be considered 鈥渦nder extraordinary, case-by-case circumstances.鈥� He said an updated document on allowable uses would be coming soon.

Sasha Pudelski, AASA鈥檚 director of advocacy, said the letter wasn鈥檛 much of a response.

“It鈥檚 the same as before,鈥� she said, 鈥渘o answers, no process, no helpful information for districts and states.鈥�

鈥淓ven before the pandemic we were seeing serious challenges for communities of color and students from low income communities when it came to educational equity,鈥� said interim chief executive officer Denise Forte.

鈥淪o while no one was really too surprised by the numbers, it just tells us we have so much more to do,鈥� Forte said about the recent National Assessment of Educational Progress test scores.

Often called the 鈥淣ation鈥檚 Report Card,鈥� eighth and fourth grade math scores dropped by eight and five points respectively 鈥� the largest decline ever recorded on the test. In addition, eighth and fourth grade reading scores dropped by three points.

From high-dosage tutoring to family-school engagement, advocates and experts weigh in on solutions:

1. Family-school partnerships

Yvonne Johnson, president-elect, said teachers need to build relationships with families to improve student outcomes.

鈥淔amilies might not be 100% aware that it鈥檚 their responsibility too,鈥� Johnson told 社区黑料. 鈥淪o it’s incumbent upon us to bring them into the schools and have family reading nights and math nights and other things that make learning fun for kids.鈥�

A solution Johnson proposed is funding .

鈥淭he goal would be to have these family engagement centers where schools have a centralized area to provide resources, wraparound services and other things families need to help their children succeed in school,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚f we had one in every single state, perhaps we would have been more prepared to help families navigate remote learning.鈥�

2. High-dosage tutoring

Forte said programs such as high-dosage tutoring will expand learning time and target students with the greatest need.

鈥淲e need to give kids more time on task and it doesn’t have to be fully about academics,鈥� Forte told 社区黑料. 鈥淵ou can build out really fun learning programs that include other activities that make sure kids feel included and have a sense of belonging.鈥�

But, Robin Lake, director of the , said parents aren鈥檛 pushing for tutoring because they don鈥檛 understand how much pandemic learning loss damage affected their child.

鈥淲e’ve seen in a couple big national surveys that they’re not interested in tutoring and other interventions for their child,鈥� Lake told 社区黑料. 鈥淢y biggest concern is how do we help parents understand that they need to ask hard questions about their child鈥檚 mastery of core subjects.鈥�

Lake recommends training parents to become tutors for not just their own children, but other kids in their communities.

鈥淥ne of the barriers that districts are running into is that they鈥檙e trying to hire more teachers or more office aides to provide tutoring or counseling services in schools 鈥� but let鈥檚 open that up,鈥� Lake said. 鈥淧arents want to know how to help their kids and they鈥檇 like to be able to help other kids as well鈥o let鈥檚 get creative about who our after school providers can be.鈥�

3. Technology access for remote learning

Daniel A. Domenech, executive director of AASA, , said that pandemic virtual learning further deepened the digital divide for students nationwide.

鈥淢illions of kids did not have the technology to receive an online education and that was reflected in these test scores,鈥� Domenech told 社区黑料. 鈥淭he lowest performing schools had the greatest loss because those were primarily the kids that didn’t have a laptop at home 鈥� or even if they did, their home didn’t have internet access.鈥�

Domenech believes the priority for the needs to be put into quality instructional material.

鈥淪tudents are in facilities that don’t have, for example, the technology and all of these other factors that wealthier communities have,鈥� Domenech said. 鈥淪o if we want equity and if we want to do away with that achievement gap, then we have to do away with the inequity of technology access.鈥�

4. School climate and student mental health

Ronn Nozoe, the chief executive officer, said schools need to pay attention to the role social media plays on student mental health.

鈥淜ids were troubled by social media even before the pandemic, especially girls feeling the pressure that their peers鈥n school put them in,鈥� Nozoe told 社区黑料. 鈥淲e need to create safe spaces for kids to talk about these issues who don’t feel comfortable talking to their parents.鈥�

He also noted the challenges teachers face, oftentimes serving as secondary sources of support for their students鈥� mental health needs.

鈥淚f we know teachers are the most powerful and most impactful variable in the development of a child, then why would we make teaching the most difficult profession on the face of the earth?鈥� Nozoe said.

5. Teacher shortages

Richard Carranza, chief of strategy and global development, said the shortage of qualified teachers contributed to test score disparities.

鈥淚s it concerning that teachers are leaving the profession? Absolutely it’s concerning,鈥� Carranza told 社区黑料. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a herculean job that teachers have in front of them to make up for lost ground and continue to accelerate students, and it鈥檚 an even heavier lift if you don鈥檛 have credentialed teachers readily available in schools.鈥�

The mental health needs of teachers need to be addressed, Carranza added. 

鈥淚f we pay attention to the social emotional needs of students and teachers in schools,鈥� Carranza said, 鈥渢hey鈥檙e going to create an environment in which they鈥檙e able to do their best work 鈥� which will be reflected in better test scores.鈥�

But 15 months later, the superintendent in Gainesville was after the district defied Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis鈥檚 ban on school mask mandates. DeSantis appointed a board member who tipped the majority 3-2 against her. She was the district鈥檚 sixth leader in close to a decade.

鈥淢y district will have a hard time explaining the turnover rate of superintendents and convincing the right person to pull up roots and move to our community,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he governor’s culture war has impacted the work environment so negatively that a school superintendent would be working to push back a very strong current of low morale.鈥�

Far from being an isolated incident, her termination is part of a COVID wave of superintendent firings from the to . The charged atmosphere is a sign of the times, as toxic national and state politics filter down to local school districts.

A recent poll showed a clear decline in parents鈥� opinions toward their local schools. Those on both sides of the culture war have turned out in force at school board meetings 鈥� sometimes calling for superintendents to. But the issues have not been limited to closed schools or classroom controversies. Even run-of-the-mill decisions, like renovating buildings or replacing staff, have toppled careers. With alarming national test scores released Monday and pandemic relief funds running out in two years, the temperature is only likely to increase.

鈥淲e鈥檙e about to hit a different level of vitriol,鈥� said Julia Rafal-Baer, co-founder of ILO Group, a consulting firm that helps future district chiefs find jobs. 鈥淲e鈥檙e asking our leaders to be a sponge for divisiveness.鈥�

鈥楾aking a risk鈥�

The job of leading school systems has always been tricky. As they navigate complex bureaucracies and clashing constituencies from parents to teachers unions, superintendents are paid well (average salaries are in the ) but frequently burn out.

What鈥檚 changing, according to Jeffrey Henig, a professor of political science and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, is that now 鈥渨e鈥檙e seeing a whole range of issues migrate into districts that in the past were somewhat buffered.鈥�

Recent and point to a general increase in superintendent turnover, but none has directly examined the spike in terminations. In conversations with district leaders and their advocates, however, many say the phenomenon is inescapable.

Kevin Brown, executive director of the 3,800-member Texas Association of School Administrators, said in his 31 years in the profession, he鈥檚 never seen more superintendents fired than he has in the past two years. And Steve McCammon, executive director of the National Superintendents Roundtable, a 100-member network, said it鈥檚 becoming common for members to be fired 鈥渨ithout cause鈥� 鈥� legal language that allows school boards to part ways with their chief executives without offering a reason, a hearing or other elements of due process. Previously, he recalled only one instance in the past 20 years. 

鈥淭he stories are out there all over the place,鈥� he said. 鈥淓verything has become a political decision.鈥�

To get a sense of the scope of the issue, 社区黑料 reviewed news clips detailing nearly 40 no-cause firings or forced resignations in 26 states since the beginning of the pandemic. 社区黑料 also sent an informal survey to leadership networks, including the National Superintendents Roundtable, the Council of Great City Schools, Chiefs for Change, ILO Group and Education Counsel, another consulting organization. Out of 70 superintendents who responded, 15 said they鈥檝e seen several district leaders fired or forced to resign since the pandemic began. Twenty said there have been many more. Nineteen worry they might be next.

鈥淭he role of the superintendent has become a punching bag 鈥� during the pandemic and the attacks are personal,鈥� one wrote. 

Another said: 鈥淚 have board members running to remove me, and I run a very strong and high-performing school district. It is a dark and sad time for superintendents.鈥�

As in Alachua, debates over polarizing issues preceded firings in dozens of school systems across the country. 

Snapshot

A COVID Wave of Fired Superintendents

When school boards fire their leaders, it is seldom done with transparency. Payouts to superintendents and non-disclosure agreements typically mean the public doesn鈥檛 get the full story. The map reflects a sample of school superintendents fired 鈥� primarily without cause 鈥� since the start of the pandemic.

When conservatives took over the board in Spotsylvania, Virginia, last January, they , who was set to step down just five months later. The district was embroiled in debates over books with LGBTQ themes, with some board members calling for not only banning, but burning, library books they deemed 鈥渟exually explicit.鈥� After banning several books, the district after a public outcry. 

In 2021, Kevin Purnell of Oregon鈥檚 was among a for simply complying with the law 鈥� in this case, a state mandate that students wear masks. The terminations prompted lawmakers to pass this year that protects superintendents from being removed for following laws. 

The perception that schools prolonged closures to protect teachers rather than serve students fueled a huge backlash from parents. Dozens of parents鈥� rights groups have sprung up since 2020, and Republicans have seized on the issue as a critical plank for upcoming midterm elections.

鈥淪chool leadership failed students and catered to union agendas during the pandemic,鈥� said Sharon McKeeman, founder of Let Them Breathe, which sued unsuccessfully over California鈥檚 mask mandate. McKeeman, who鈥檚 also in the Carlsbad Unified district, told 社区黑料 that 鈥渋t鈥檚 time for leadership that will put students鈥� needs first and help them recoup the learning loss and social-emotional damage they incurred during school closures and COVID restrictions.鈥�

Part of the problem in tracking the issue is that such firings are typically shrouded in secrecy. For 社区黑料, Rafal-Baer of ILO Group analyzed the departures of 210 chiefs who vacated their positions in the nation鈥檚 11 were fired. But based on news coverage, she suspects many more were forced to resign. Superintendents fired without cause often and agreements for everyone involved not to discuss the terms.

鈥淲e never hear the real story,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey legally can鈥檛 talk.鈥� 

Issues over district management 

But Cheryl Watson-Harris, fired in April from her post as superintendent of the DeKalb County schools in metro Atlanta, refused to go quietly.

Her termination capped off a two-week media storm following the posting of a that exposed mold, crumbling ceilings and other safety hazards at the district鈥檚 oldest school. High school students shot the video after the board voted not to renovate the facility 鈥� an action she . 

Even before she walked into the job, Watson-Harris knew the district had a reputation for turmoil. Before they hired her, board members named former New York City schools Chancellor Rudy Crew as the sole finalist for the job, only to vote against hiring him two weeks later. for discrimination based on age and race, and the board later paid out a $750,000 settlement. Rafal-Baer of ILO Group said she even advised another candidate not to pursue the position.

Nonetheless, Watson-Harris, who previously served as second-in-charge under former New York City Chancellor Richard Carranza, hoped her status as an outsider would help her rise above the district鈥檚 troubled politics. It didn鈥檛 take long for controversy to find her.

She proposed that would require top deputies to reapply for their jobs in an effort to address what she felt was a lack of accountability over school improvement. She the district鈥檚 chief operating officer last year, according to local news reports, after an investigation found he bullied other employees and drank too much alcohol at a work conference. He , arguing that he was falsely accused of 鈥渁 handful of minor violations鈥� and that she retaliated against him for raising questions about accounting irregularities. 

In an interview, Watson-Harris acknowledged 鈥渟potty recordkeeping鈥� in the district, one reason she brought in outside evaluators to review finances and was upgrading outdated systems for managing staff and operations.

The former employee died in a car accident in September near Detroit, according to police reports. His attorney declined to comment on the status of his lawsuit.

Board Chair Vickie Turner declined to answer questions about Watson-Harris鈥檚 termination. The other three board members who voted to fire her, along with the school district鈥檚 attorney, did not respond to requests for comment. 

鈥淲hen you’re dealing with personnel matters such as this, you have to be very, very careful,鈥� Turner said. 鈥淚 don’t think it would be wise to speak to that, because we may have some things that are still not closed.鈥� 

Watson-Harris鈥檚 firing shocked many in the community, even drawing a from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, who said the board chose 鈥減olitics over students, families and educators.鈥�

With just a month left in the school year, the board spent $25,000 to without her signature. 

鈥淚 could have closed out [the school year] and given people some stability,鈥� Watson-Harris said.

Because she was fired without cause, Watson-Harris believes she was denied a chance to respond to the accusations against her. For that reason, she said, she鈥檚 refused to accept a $325,000 severance package and is considering legal action. 

After watching the district go through four leaders in three years, state Superintendent Richard Woods finds the volatility troubling.

鈥淵ou cannot get any continuity of services and support,鈥� he told 社区黑料, adding that consistent leadership is needed to 鈥渉ave some forward growth.鈥�

鈥業n the spotlight鈥� 

Such churn is becoming commonplace. In her review of the nation鈥檚 500 largest school districts, Rafal-Baer found more than 20 have had two leadership changes since COVID鈥檚 arrival. 

Watson-Harris was both hired and fired during the pandemic. So was Florida鈥檚 Simon, who said she faced similar resistance from a board reluctant to challenge the status quo.

Alachua board member Tina Certain, who voted against Simon鈥檚 termination, said the former superintendent鈥檚 and creation of a teacher advisory committee that included non-union members likely contributed to discontent. 

鈥淓very department I looked at had financial efficiency issues and basic management concerns 鈥� lots of 鈥榯his is how we do things around here鈥� excuses,鈥� Simon said.

That issue came to the fore when she raised questions about the that runs outdoor education programs. She found that scholarships meant for poor students were being awarded to those without financial need, including the child of a former superintendent on a six-figure salary. She 鈥� and shared with 社区黑料 鈥� a text message between the camp鈥檚 director and a former staff member about scholarships given as a 鈥渢hank you for being business partners.鈥� 

An internal investigation of wrongdoing, but the district continues to push for of the camp. The director filed a against Simon, the district and the former camp staffer. He denied the allegations and said he didn鈥檛 violate policies because there weren鈥檛 any in place. His attorney didn鈥檛 respond to requests for comment.

But for DeSantis, it would appear that Simon’s vocal opposition to his COVID policies was the tipping point. 鈥淪he went on the national news and put us in the spotlight in a very negative way,鈥� Mildred Russell, the DeSantis appointee who cast the deciding vote to fire Simon, told 社区黑料.

Simon now leads that backs board members and superintendents who push for equity and inclusion. She doubts she could find another superintendent job in the state. 

鈥淚 think every board in K-12 or higher education would be taking a risk of being in DeSantis’s crosshairs in the event they consider my employment,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are asking for people to risk financial and professional stability.鈥� 

The governor鈥檚 office did not respond to requests for comment.

DeSantis 鈥� who is setting the GOP鈥檚 agenda on education policy and is widely seen as a potential 2024 presidential contender 鈥� expanded his reach into nonpartisan school board elections this year, 30 candidates in 18 districts. The majority won their races or have moved to a November runoff. Several of the governor鈥檚 candidates were also backed by the conservative organization Moms for Liberty, a parents鈥� rights group, and the , which has spent over $2 million on school board races in several states.

The charged atmosphere nationally is producing leadership candidates who aren鈥檛 seasoned or politically astute enough to withstand the pressure, said Daniel Domenech, executive director of AASA, the School Superintendents Association.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no time to learn,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going into battle now.鈥� 

That鈥檚 why Alachua is holding off on looking for a new superintendent, said Certain, the board member.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to get anybody who is worth anything at this point because of the turnover,鈥� she said.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Thursday announced 鈥� a partnership with five leading organizations to bring information and research about out-of-school-time programs together into one 鈥渃entralized, readily available location.鈥� The department will seek applications from an outside organization for a $3-$4 million contract in next year鈥檚 budget to run the initiative. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e at a pivotal point In America’s recovery,鈥� Cardona said during an event in Washington D.C. involving students, education officials and advocates. 鈥淚f we can reopen school during a pandemic, we can make sure students have access to quality programs.鈥�

The event coincided with National Summer Learning Week, but Cardona didn鈥檛 offer specific details on how districts already running this year鈥檚 summer programs can benefit.

Coming a week after Cardona joined with White House officials to announce a new effort to recruit 250,000 , the announcement is the latest from the administration to emphasize urgency in addressing learning loss and students鈥� disconnection from school during the pandemic. According to the department鈥檚 release, the effort builds on two decades of funding for afterschool and summer learning programs in low-income schools through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants.The department seeks $1.3 billion in the fiscal year 2023 budget for 21st Century funding, an increase of $50 million over 2021 and 2022.

鈥淲e know that our young people have lost contact with friends, teachers and mentors over the past two years,鈥� Daniel Domenech, executive director of AASA, the School Superintendents Association, said in a statement. The organization is part of the effort, along with the Afterschool Alliance, the National Comprehensive Center, the National League of Cities and the National Summer Learning Association.

The new initiative can be helpful if it advises states how to use existing federal grant programs to pay for summer and afterschool when American Rescue Plan funding dries up, said Nicholas Munyan-Penney, a senior policy analyst at Education Reform Now. This week, the think tank released on how states are already using relief funds for summer school. 

Experts could also help states and districts evaluate which programs improve students鈥� academic performance and mental health outcomes so they can 鈥減hase out less effective programming,鈥� he said.

But Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, a think tank that has tracked districts鈥� responses to the pandemic, said the additional funding seems small compared to the need to better understand what works. And it comes when the Institute for Education Sciences, the department鈥檚 research arm, already doesn鈥檛 have enough funding to meet the demand. 

鈥淚t feels a bit like a 鈥榝iddling while Rome burns鈥� moment for the feds,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur students are facing extraordinary needs. Now is the time for a serious and strategic commitment of resources from the federal government for research and development.鈥� 

The Center鈥檚 research also suggests districts are doing less this year, not more. Its showed a drop in districts planning summer programming, except for students with disabilities. And in June, the Afterschool Alliance released showing that just one in five afterschool providers has received relief funds.

Last summer, many districts also struggled to hire enough staff to meet the demand, despite pay incentives. And the Afterschool Alliance survey showed two-thirds of program leaders were worried they wouldn鈥檛 have enough staff this year. 

Even when districts plan to serve students with disabilities, they often end up cutting back. A Buffalo, New York-area district reduced for special education students because of staff shortages, and the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland shifted its program for about 175 students because of a lack of staff.

Some parents also question whether districts have done enough outside of the school year to move students back up to grade level. Alicia Aleman, who has three children in California鈥檚 Fresno Unified School District, enrolled them in last year鈥檚 summer program.

鈥淭hey offer programs for math or science, but they鈥檙e only making cookies. They鈥檙e watching movies,鈥� she said, adding that low-income families don鈥檛 have choices because they are working and 鈥渘eed someone to take care of the kids during the summer.鈥� 

This year, she tried to sign up for a program through the city, but 鈥渁ll the spots are taken by the time the flyers go to the community.鈥�

Fresno Unified, however, has significantly expanded summer programs with $40 million in state funding, boosting enrollment from about 4,000 at a limited number of sites last year to roughly 15,000 this year at every elementary school and middle school. The district is contracting with a range of nonprofit organizations and colleges to offer sports and arts camps, with tutoring built in. 

The funding 鈥渁llows us to remove historical barriers [like] making kids get on the bus and go across town,鈥� said Jeremy Ward, the district鈥檚 assistant superintendent for college and career readiness. 鈥淢y biggest fear is that we consider this work as a flash in the pan 鈥� we influse money for a year or two and then we pull back.鈥�

Offered the job by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, Carvalho in private, then presided over a televised school board meeting that featured three hours of supporters all but begging him to stay. In the end, Carvalho remained.

greeted the move in Miami, but it didn鈥檛 go over so well in New York, home to the nation鈥檚 largest school district: Eric Phillips, de Blasio鈥檚 press secretary, , 鈥淲ho would ever hire this guy again?鈥�

Four years later, Phillips has his answer: Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation鈥檚 second-largest school system.

The drama of the hire was underscored by Pedro Noguera, dean of the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, who likened the move to 鈥�LeBron coming to the Lakers.鈥� But Los Angeles offers only the most recent example of an oversize personality with huge ambitions taking over a district鈥檚 top job. Right now, all three of the nation鈥檚 largest school systems are run by energetic reformers, a rarity even in big-city schools circles.

All of them greet Spring 2022 full of promise 鈥� and problems. Over the next few years, they鈥檒l enjoy unprecedented funding as taxpayers throw billions of dollars at schools to scrub away deficits caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But all three districts are rapidly losing students. And unions, emboldened by 2021 victories around remote instruction and, in recent years, high-profile strikes, could be formidable obstacles to their priorities. In Chicago, new schools CEO has already faced down a citywide teacher walkout.

In addition to Carvalho and Martinez, who are both immigrants, New York City Mayor Eric Adams in December named , the founder of a small network of public boys鈥� schools, as the new school chancellor. Banks鈥檚 schools have stood out for, among other reasons, employing many male teachers of color.

All three 鈥渄efinitely seem reform minded, which I think is super exciting and a real breath of fresh air,鈥� said , superintendent of the Catholic independent Partnership Schools network. 

鈥淚 think it really speaks to the moment we’re at as we’re coming out of COVID,鈥� she said. The pandemic 鈥減rovided an uncomfortable reminder鈥� of the need for leaders who will put children鈥檚 needs first. 

Billions in new funding 鈥� until 2024

Martinez, Chicago鈥檚 new schools CEO, is of Chiefs for Change, a group that advocates for increased school choice, effective teacher preparation, and standards-aligned curricula. But it also rails against 鈥渙nerous bureaucracy鈥� in schools. That credo will certainly be challenged by the sheer scale of federal intervention: some in COVID-related relief since 2020.

In New York, state lawmakers in 2021 increased funding to New York City by nearly half a billion dollars. By next year, a lawsuit settled last year to equalize urban school funding could bring that to $1 billion, said president of Bank Street College and New York City鈥檚 former senior deputy chancellor. 鈥淪o there is a significant infusion of new dollars into the school system that can be used to dig into systemic issues. And that’s very rare.鈥�

As in districts large and small elsewhere, the three leaders are 鈥渁ll drinking from a firehose鈥� of funding, said of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. But that also places extra responsibility on them: 鈥淣o one can blame lack of funding as their excuse for not getting things done,鈥� she said.

But unless Congress acts, all that extra funding will run out in 2024. None of the three new leaders agreed to be interviewed for this piece.

, who leads the AASA, the nation鈥檚 school superintendent鈥檚 association, said many leaders are using the cash to upgrade facilities. But spending it on generous raises or new instructional positions could actually put them at odds with unions, since those jobs won鈥檛 be sustainable.

鈥淭he financial cliff is only two years away,鈥� he said.

A 鈥榝riend of charters back at the helm鈥�

A product of New York City鈥檚 public schools, Banks cut his teeth founding and the network of five unionized Eagle Academy public schools in New York City and Newark.

While the schools aren鈥檛 charters, Banks has said he supports charter schools. He told in December that families 鈥渁re desperate for quality seats, quality schools 鈥� And if the traditional public schools were offering that, you wouldn鈥檛 see such a mass rush to the charter schools.鈥�

Banks created the Eagle Academy schools to serve academically struggling boys of color in grades six through 12 who often face harsh discipline. As chancellor, he said, his first priorities are to expand early childhood education, improve career pathways for older students, and to combat students鈥� trauma.

, president of the United Federation of Teachers, the city鈥檚 union, has known Banks for years. 鈥淚’ve been at his schools and I found them to be quite well-run,鈥� he said. All the same, running the largest school district in the nation will force him to tame the city schools鈥� 鈥渕ammoth bureaucracy.鈥� 

The last two mayors have restructured the school system six times, Mulgrew said. 鈥淎nd every time, all they did was add another layer.鈥�

In his , Banks on March 2 acknowledged that many families have 鈥渄ecided to vote with their feet, and to say, 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to find other alternatives and other choices for our children.鈥欌�� 

He promised an overhaul of the bureaucracy, including requiring district superintendents to reapply for their jobs. And he took direct aim at the way many schools teach reading, criticizing a method developed by a Columbia University Teachers College professor that 鈥渉as not worked鈥� with many children. He promised to shift to a method that emphasizes explicit phonics instruction, among other changes.

Banks has also said he鈥檇 like to transform city schools from the bottom up by handing to 鈥減rincipals who know what they鈥檙e doing,鈥� according to the speech. He also wants to tweak how standardized tests are used, allowing students to show they鈥檝e mastered content in other ways.

His ascendance stands in contrast to previous leaders who have looked suspiciously on the charter sector. New York actually caps the number of charter schools statewide at 460, with just 290 allowed for nearly 1 million students in New York City. While it鈥檇 take a state-level change to allow more, choice advocates said Banks can eloquently make the case.

鈥淚t feels to me like this is the moment where we can really see that there is a friend of charters back at the helm of New York City schools, which I think is really great to see, and I know is probably sending some shockwaves,鈥� said Porter-Magee.

So far, at least, Banks hasn鈥檛 forcefully pushed to lift the cap, in December, 鈥淲e want to scale excellence. So if that means opening a few more charter schools, that’s what we’re going to do … if we can get the state to approve it.鈥� But he said he鈥檚 also encouraging the philanthropic community 鈥渢o lean in on the traditional public school system, because at the end of the day, most of our children will continue to go to our traditional public schools.鈥�

Enrollment downturns

Carvalho, who led Miami-Dade schools for 14 years, has been able to compete with charters by creating centralized data systems that allowed him to keep track of students鈥� academic progress better than most big-city leaders during the pandemic, Rees said. 

A Portuguese immigrant, Carvalho grew up in Miami and worked restaurant and construction jobs early on. He came up through the ranks in Miami-Dade, starting out as a high school science teacher and becoming a new breed of area leader: one who sticks around. Before he took the top job in 2008, Miami-Dade 鈥渨as a revolving door for superintendents coming and going,鈥� Domenech said.

Sticking around paid off. In 2012, the district won the coveted $1 million Broad Prize for Urban Education, which recognizes school districts that have shown academic improvement while narrowing the achievement gap. More recent findings from the district鈥檚 Office of Academics and Transformation paint a : While Black students鈥� graduation rates rose from 62.4 percent in 2011 to 85.6 percent in 2020, just 40 percent of Black students in 2019 were proficient in reading; 44 percent were proficient in math. 

With parents clamoring to remediate lost instructional time during the pandemic, Domenech said Carvalho brought in 鈥渁 very creative鈥� program that contracted with camps to provide summer school.

Carvalho鈥檚 long tenure 鈥� the average big-city leader sticks around 鈥� is 鈥渁 testament to his savvy in terms of the politics, in dealing with the board, in dealing with the community, in dealing with employee groups,鈥� Domenech said.

He鈥檒l need that savvy in Los Angeles, which also has recently featured a revolving door of superintendents, a strong union and an outspoken, ever-shifting school board 鈥� it currently has three seats open in the next election. In Los Angeles, Carvalho will work at the pleasure of the school board. Meanwhile, Banks and Martinez will work for the mayors of their respective cities.

During his second week at LAUSD, Carvalho unveiled a that includes expanded preschool, year-round learning and a 鈥淧arent Academy鈥� offering coursework to help parents understand their children鈥檚 education. He鈥檇 also lengthen the school year and offer teachers more professional development. He acknowledged that he鈥檇 have to negotiate with the city鈥檚 teachers union about those last two ideas.

Carvalho last month told 社区黑料 the district must expand school choice if it wants to keep from 鈥渂leeding out students鈥� from a system that, while much bigger than Miami, has fewer than one-third as many school choice options.

Los Angeles students, he said, basically have two choices at the moment: magnet schools and charter schools. 鈥淲hoever decided to restrict choice on the basis of those parameters?鈥� he asked. 鈥淲here are the programs in L.A. where we see long waiting lists of parents? Why aren鈥檛 we expanding more of those programs to where the demand is?鈥�

He has the district consider an 鈥渆xplosion of offerings鈥� for students, including dual-enrollment programs, International Baccalaureate programs, fine and performing arts magnet schools, and single-gender schools, among others. 鈥淚鈥檓 less concerned about the dynamic of dialogue that usually separates people into two camps: charter versus non-charter. I鈥檓 more interested in programmatic offerings that benefit kids 鈥� period.鈥�

Carvalho suggested that the district analyze which programs motivate students to travel long distances from their neighborhoods and offer more of these. 鈥淚 can fill an entire wall with a repertoire of options for parents. Why aren鈥檛 we offering all of that?鈥�

Throughout the pandemic, all three cities have struggled to retain and, in some cases, even find their students. All have seen in .

of the California Charter Schools Association said a crashing birth rate across California is a cause for concern. And net migration has actually dipped 鈥渋nto the negatives鈥� as home due to anti-immigration policies and economic uncertainty.

鈥淭his is not about 鈥楾he affluent went to Tahoe during the pandemic to hunker down,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淭his is real and it’s permanent and it’s creating challenges across the state.鈥�

An 鈥榠nnovative and data-informed鈥� school integration experiment

Born in Mexico, Martinez emigrated to the U.S. with his family when he was 5. He is in a family of 12 children with deep ties to Chicago鈥檚 public school system 鈥� three of his sisters and some 28 nieces and nephews attend local public schools. 

Martinez was working in finance for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2003 when then-Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Arne Duncan hired him as chief financial officer. He remained there until 2009 鈥� Duncan moved on to serve as U.S. Education Secretary under President Obama. Martinez made a name for himself leading the San Antonio Independent School District through a redesign, beginning in 2015, that 社区黑料 dubbed 鈥渙ne of America鈥檚 most innovative and data-informed school integration experiments.鈥�

Using family income data, he mapped poverty levels for each city block. Then he integrated schools not by race but by income and, among other factors, by parents鈥� education levels. Three years later, San Antonio鈥檚 90 schools and 47,000 students were among the fastest-improving in Texas.

In Chicago, he faces something entirely different: a 330,000-student system that鈥檚 as families leave the city. Recent enrollment data show that while 43,500 new students enrolled for the first time this year, 54,000 left between the last school year and this one.

On the job in Chicago for seven months, Martinez has already his first major crisis: the city鈥檚 teachers in early January voted to not show up for work until COVID-19 safety demands were met. 

Martinez proposed a host of measures, including building-level testing to determine when to close schools. But the union, with memories of an that ended with millions in extra spending, insisted on more strict measures, including negative PCR tests for all staff, students, and volunteers in order to keep schools open. 

The strike lasted just under a week after the district agreed to increase testing options, allow remote learning on a case-by-case basis, and secure more KN95 masks. Despite the agreement, union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates Mayor Lori Lightfoot as 鈥渦nfit to lead our city. She鈥檚 on a one-woman kamikaze mission to destroy our public schools.鈥�

鈥楾his is the moment that unions should be at their strongest鈥�

, a school consultant and occasional columnist for 社区黑料, said the political climate in all three cities reflects a desire by voters more broadly and parents specifically, to pull back from 鈥渟uper-progressive鈥� policies, such as the Defund the Police movement, to more centrist strategies that simply ensure a solid education for all. Parents 鈥渏ust want a school system they can count on, that’s reliable, that is just serving their kids.鈥�

, president of the education advocacy group 50CAN, said Adams, the New York mayor, campaigned on not just a return to moderation but normalcy: 鈥淭he schools are open, the subways are safe. The restaurants work. People are back in their offices. That’s almost nostalgia now, and people crave that. And I think these candidates got that. And their education choices reflect that too.鈥�

At the same time, unions are on the ascent. With their to in-person instruction amid COVID-19 spikes and a handful of recent in recent years, they鈥檝e seen their and influence grow after years of declining membership. 

鈥淭his is the moment that unions should be at their strongest,鈥� said , a resident senior fellow at the R Street Institute, a libertarian Washington, D.C., think tank. 鈥淭his is a health crisis, and unions are designed to make sure that they’re protecting the health and safety of their members.鈥�

But over the past few years, he said, unions in many places have 鈥渙verplayed their hands鈥� by demanding that instruction stay remote. The arrival of these new leaders may signal something different altogether: The new leaders are by no means union supporters, even if voters in each of their solidly blue cities are.

Rees, of the charter schools group, noted that Banks hired Dan Weisberg as first deputy chancellor. Since 2015, Weisberg has served as , a national nonprofit (formerly called The New Teacher Project) that has trained thousands of teachers outside of traditional teachers colleges. Since its founding in 1997, it has had a complicated relationship with unions. 

In 2018, after the U.S. Supreme Court dealt unions a blow by making a portion of members鈥� dues optional, Weisberg wrote that he disagreed with the decision, calling it 鈥渁 matter of basic fairness that teachers who reap the benefits of collective bargaining should also share in the costs.鈥�

But Weisberg also called the decision 鈥渁 blessing in disguise鈥� for unions, which he said 鈥渁re now forced to finally confront an existential threat that鈥檚 been brewing for years: They鈥檙e losing touch with more and more of their members.鈥�

Rees said Weisberg鈥檚 hiring 鈥済ives us confidence that there’s a new sheriff in town and that things are going to be a little bit different, or at least that the reform community and the charter school community will have a seat at the table.鈥�

But with even Biden concerned that Republicans could of the House 鈥� and Congress increasingly unable to pass an annual budget on time 鈥� the chances that K-12 schools can count on next year鈥檚 budget for a reprieve appear slim.

鈥淚 am hopeful that this is a down payment for what鈥檚 to come,鈥� said Jos茅 Mu帽oz, director of the Coalition for Community Schools. Congress appropriated $75 million for schools that work with outside providers to address hunger, mental health, housing and other non-academic issues for families 鈥� an increase of $45 million. But Biden proposed a $413 million increase. Mu帽oz said he was disappointed by the 鈥渆xtreme shift.鈥� 

鈥淣ow, we all have to go back to work to correct what just happened,鈥� he said.

The White House has already indicated that Biden will request at least $400 million for community schools when he releases his fiscal year 2023 budget proposal, expected later this month. Advocates also expect to see him once again request big increases for Title I and special education. But based on this year鈥檚 process, some are highly skeptical that Congress will be able to pass a budget before the midterm elections or break out of its cycle of passing multiple short-term budget extensions to keep the government operating.

鈥淲e鈥檒l welcome the commitment to education 鈥� but we saw how that shook out this year,鈥� said Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director for advocacy and governance at AASA, the School Superintendents Association. She added that she could see another series of continuing resolutions that stretch into the new year. 鈥淭hat brings up all the questions of who鈥檚 in leadership come January and how that shapes overall numbers and program allocations.鈥�

The organization’s top priority will once again be full funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,or IDEA 鈥� meaning that the federal government would pick up 40 percent of the costs of services for students with disabilities. Biden pledged that he would meet that requirement of the law. He proposed a $2.7 billion increase for fiscal 2022, but the budget includes far less 鈥� a $448 million increase 鈥� bringing the total to $14.5 billion.

AASA was hoping Congress would at least maintain the higher level of funding special education received under the American Rescue Plan, which provided an additional $2.5 billion for students with disabilities.

Congress is missing 鈥渁 true opportunity to redirect itself forward on the IDEA glidepath,鈥� Dan Domenech, executive director of AASA, said in a statement. 鈥淲e applaud them for the small increases included in [the] bill, while also holding them accountable for once again leaving IDEA severely underfunded.鈥�

No more free meals for all

Domenech summed up educators鈥� less-than-enthusiastic reaction to the budget by calling it a 鈥渕ixed bag.鈥� The bill, for example, includes new funding to address students鈥� mental health and $30 million more for afterschool programs, but not a major increase for high-poverty schools.

The budget provides a $1.77 billion increase over fiscal 2021 for school nutrition, but leaves out waivers that would have allowed such programs to continue serving free meals to all students and have flexibility in meal planning to cope with food and supply shortages. 

That means after more than two school years of free meals for all students, regardless of income, families in poverty will need to apply for the National School Lunch Program for the 2022-23 school year in order for their children to receive free or reduced-price meals.

And 鈥済iven the , schools will likely need to raise prices on those families that do pay鈥� said Diane Pratt-Heavner, spokeswoman for the School Nutrition Association. With the end of pandemic meal programs, schools will also 鈥渉ave to significantly curtail summer meal services,鈥� she said.

Biden also campaigned on tripling Title I funding for high-poverty schools. He proposed a $20 billion 鈥渆quity鈥� grant program to help close funding gaps between rich and poor districts and between those serving primarily white students and those that enroll more Black and Hispanic students.

The budget instead raises Title I funding by $1 billion, bringing the total to $17.5 billion. That鈥檚 the highest increase in more than a decade, but doesn鈥檛 include the new funding to reduce disparities.

鈥淭he Title I equity grants would have given the neediest districts greater assurance that they could continue effective academic interventions beyond the pandemic,鈥� said Robert Tagorda, who led equity initiatives in California鈥檚 Long Beach Unified School District and now consults with districts on their recovery efforts. 鈥淒istricts are coming to terms with the one-time nature of COVID relief funds. They’re wondering how they can sustain the tutorials, summer programs and other student services once the funds expire, knowing that it will take a long time to get kids back on track.鈥�

Advocates for young children had a similar response after being hopeful last year that Biden would be able to push through his $400 billion plan to pay for child care and universal pre-K as part of Build Back Better. That legislation is now stalled and it鈥檚 unclear whether universal pre-K will resurface in a of the bill. 

For fiscal 2022, Biden originally proposed almost $20 billion for early-childhood programs, including Head Start and child care. The budget bill instead provides about $17.5 billion for programs serving preschoolers.

鈥淲ithout more significant funding increases, these programs will continue to serve only a small portion of the children and families that are eligible to participate in them,鈥� said Aaron Loewenberg, a senior policy analyst at New America, a center-left think tank.

Other advocacy groups say their recent lobbying efforts made a difference in the final numbers. The National Association of Secondary School Principals, for example, sent 350 members to Capitol Hill two weeks ago to press for increases in principal preparation programs and mental health services for students 鈥� a topic Biden addressed in his State of the Union address. 

The budget includes a $27 million increase for state grants that fund teacher and principal training and $111 million 鈥�  a $95 million increase over fiscal 2021 鈥� that can be used to train more school counselors, social workers and psychologists. Beth Lehr, assistant principal at Sahuarita High School, south of Tucson, Arizona, was among the administrators advocating for those increases to address the aftermath of the pandemic. There are some teachers, she said, 鈥渨ho dread coming to work and parents who are struggling because they feel they can鈥檛 keep their kids safe.鈥�

Sixty-one percent assigned top grades for how their child鈥檚 school is 鈥渁ddressing any learning challenges related to the pandemic,鈥� and 60 percent gave an A or B for 鈥減roviding resources to support students鈥� mental health.鈥�

Schools get higher marks, however, for keeping parents updated on school policies, assessing where children stand academically and even requirements regarding vaccines, masks and quarantines. Almost three-quarters of parents give schools an A or B in these areas.

Keri Rodrigues, president of the National Parents Union, which conducted the survey, said the results suggest parents are 鈥渟till in the trenches with teachers鈥� but have less faith in the nation鈥檚 leaders to make bold improvements to schools. Thirty-eight percent of the sample of just over 1,000 parents give President Joe Biden an A or B on handling schools鈥� responses to the pandemic, and thirty-six percent give Education Secretary Miguel Cardona high grades on that question.

Over half of respondents said they鈥檝e heard 鈥渘ot much鈥� or 鈥渘othing at all鈥� about federal relief funds or how they can be used for education.

鈥淲hy does everything look and feel the same?鈥� Rodrigues asked. 鈥淸Parents] are not feeling the impact of this money.鈥�

Conducted 20 times since the beginning of the pandemic, the advocacy organization鈥檚 poll captures parents鈥� opinions on the most pressing COVID-related issues facing schools and families 鈥� from parents鈥� willingness to vaccinate their children to how well they think schools are serving students with special needs. Over time, Rodrigues said she has seen parents consistently say they鈥檙e concerned about their children鈥檚 well-being, but that overall, schools 鈥渇ailed to listen to us.鈥� 

Some district leaders say they鈥檙e hearing the similar concerns about students鈥� emotional and behavior needs from their staff. In the Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota, Superintendent David Law noted that focusing on students鈥� mental health needs is a top priority for teachers.

鈥淪tudents are needier than they were in the past,鈥� he said, adding that in his district of 37,000, the 20 percent that did not return to in-person learning last year are 鈥渞eally struggling with the transition鈥� this year.

But even though schools now have the money to hire more counselors and social workers, 鈥渢he personnel can鈥檛 be had,鈥� said Daniel Domenech, executive director of AASA, the School Superintendents Association. Addressing those behavioral and emotional needs is 鈥渇alling more and more on the shoulders of classroom teachers.鈥�

The latest results, gathered by Echelon Insights, which conducts opinion research, show 40 percent of parents consider staffing shortages to be a major or moderate problem at their child鈥檚 school. Almost the same percentage responded that student behavior issues are affecting learning, and about a third said behavior issues were serious enough to create safety risks. 

While parent protests and disruptions at school board meetings have dominated the news, just 16 percent of parents responding consider conflicts over masks, vaccines or quarantine policies to be a major problem in their children鈥檚 schools. More than half answered that disagreements over these issues are either a minor problem or non-existent.

But in some parts of the country, those debates are more intense, and Domenich said superintendents over mask mandates don鈥檛 view the issues as minor.

鈥淚n [the Houston Independent School District], we definitely saw the divide with parents on mask mandates after Superintendent [Millard] House and the school board voted for mask mandates,鈥� said Wendy Gonzales-Neal, a National Parents Union delegate in Texas and the executive director of advocacy group My Child My Voice. 鈥淧arents are fighting with schools and our elected officials to keep our kids safe.鈥�

Despite districts鈥� increasing use of test-to-stay policies 鈥� which allow close contacts of students who test positive for COVID-19 to avoid quarantine 鈥� just over half of parents, 53 percent, still think students who have been exposed should stay home from school for at least 14 days. 

About a third said schools should allow students to come back to class as long as they test negative multiple times in a week, and 5 percent said schools shouldn鈥檛 do anything if students are exposed.

Parents just want consistency, Rodrigues said. 

鈥淨uarantines are a toss up. They can change from school to school,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 control COVID, but parents need to know what is going to happen.鈥�

Disclosure: The Walton Family Foundation, the City Fund, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York provide financial support to the and .

Seattle Public Schools announced that its 52,000 students would have due to large shares of staff making Veterans Day into a four-day weekend. And in Montgomery County, Maryland, the Board of Education voted this week to make a scheduled half-day before Thanksgiving a vacation day for the district鈥檚 165,000 students because there are to fill in for the large number of educators taking time off before the break.

In an even more extreme case, in West Michigan made a last-minute call to shutter their doors from Nov. 9 to Nov. 15 due to high shares of staff out for COVID-19, other illnesses or for personal reasons, the district announced Monday.

鈥淲e are unable to sufficiently staff our buildings to meet the needs of our students. Sub shortages are not unique to NPS, and this is a challenge we, as well as many other districts are facing,鈥� the district wrote in a Nov. 9 unsigned to families.

In Seattle, requested substitute teachers for the day after Veterans Day, the district said.

鈥淲e are aware of a larger than normal number of [Seattle Public School] staff taking leave on Friday, and do not believe we have adequate personnel to open schools,鈥� the district explained in an email sent to parents on Tuesday, just three days before the shutdown. 

In Montgomery County, the sudden change to the Thanksgiving holiday prompted outrage from some parents.

鈥淭o give families 13 days of notice 鈥� have you no consideration for parents in health care, parents who are essential workers, parents who basically count on the school schedule that you publish?鈥� parent Dr. Jennifer Reesman told . 鈥淵ou basically told us all that you don鈥檛 care about us.鈥�

The closures further compound the disruptions that schools have weathered over the past 20 months of the pandemic 鈥� exacerbating academic, social and emotional challenges for many students.

鈥淣ow is the time to double down and hopefully get students even more access to even more great instruction, not less,鈥� Tequilla Brownie, executive vice president of The New Teacher Project, told 社区黑料.

With dwindling substitute teacher reserves in many school systems nationwide, Daniel Domenech, executive director of the School Superintendents Association, said there鈥檚 little district leaders can do when educators request leave around the holidays.

鈥淭hese are days that teachers can take,鈥� he told 社区黑料, explaining that the right to use paid time off, known as PTO, is stipulated in many educator contracts. 鈥淥rdinarily, school districts would rely on substitutes to cover for teachers. The problem is, you can’t find substitutes.鈥�

Closures are 鈥渘ot what superintendents want,鈥� the AASA leader continued. 鈥淭hey want to get the kids back to school 鈥� They’re doing everything that they can with the resources that they have to mitigate the situation.鈥� 

The pandemic, however, has shown that school systems can get creative, Brownie pointed out. Some districts tapped central office staff to help out with remote learning. She wonders whether it could have been possible to replicate those solutions to avoid school closures this time around.

鈥淭he most dismal option is to shutter the doors,鈥� said the education equity expert.

In Montgomery County, the scheduling change comes on the heels of weeks of educator frustration and burnout. Two weeks ago, teachers held a to protest staffing shortages that, they said, were exhausting and stressing out employees. Signs taped in vehicle windows lamented 鈥渟keleton crews鈥� and educators 鈥渄rowning鈥� in their workload, The Washington Post reported.

During a press conference Tuesday, union President Jennifer Martin warned of a 鈥済reat resignation鈥� in Maryland鈥檚 largest district if Montgomery County does not improve conditions for its teachers. The school system currently has , including 161 teaching positions, according to local reporting.

鈥淲e hope you are able to take some time to rest and recharge during the extended Thanksgiving Break,鈥� said a Nov. 9 to families and teachers signed Montgomery County Public Schools.

Many school systems across the country have tried to preempt such situations by scheduling extra time for staff and students to recharge. Over a dozen districts 鈥� including and 鈥� recently announced days off or shortened schedules to fight burnout and provide mental health breaks for educators, according to a recent from Burbio, a data service that has tracked school calendars through the pandemic. 

District announcements generally did not mention substitute teacher shortages, though it鈥檚 possible the desire to avoid needing more coverage for teachers than they could supply also played into the calculus for some school administrators.

Policy varies on whether the days off will have to be made up later in the school year. Most states require that schools be in session 180 days a year. A local that Montgomery County鈥檚 2021-22 school calendar had 182 days built in so the additional day off would not affect it. The Newaygo Public Schools used up five of its snow days in the current closure, .

The disruptions, planned and unplanned, are yet another byproduct of the pandemic, said Domenech. He鈥檚 hopeful that newly authorized vaccines for younger children will help make the situation more normal by the spring. 

But in the meantime, he acknowledged that the scheduling changes may frustrate many families.

鈥淲orking parents very much are dependent on [having their children in school],鈥� he said.

鈥淲e keep cohorts together during lunch, so if you’re in a mask-required classroom, you’re eating as a group 鈥� socially distanced,鈥� said Superintendent Mark Hansen. 鈥淲e’re keeping those bubbles pretty tight.鈥�

Until now, elementary schoolers couldn鈥檛 get a COVID-19 vaccine. No longer. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Tuesday endorsed the unanimous vote of a CDC vaccine advisory panel recommending Pfizer-BioNTech鈥檚 pediatric coronavirus vaccine for use in children ages 5 to 11. That means as many as 28 million children can begin receiving shots this week. 

But just as parents split on masks, they鈥檙e also divided on vaccines: Nearly half say they may pass on vaccinating their children for now, mostly because they aren鈥檛 especially worried their children will get seriously sick from coronavirus 鈥� even as doctors warn the virus will become endemic and virtually unavoidable in coming years, much like the annual flu.

That could set up a tense confrontation in coming months between schools and parents as public health officials push to make the shots part of mandatory school vaccine regimens. And as with the divide over masking, social distancing, and other practices, it could also change how schools operate, as pro-vaccine parents insist on keeping their kids apart from unvaccinated classmates.

Even requiring the vaccine for enrollment might not settle the dispute: An Oct. 23 poll found that 46 percent of parents simply wouldn鈥檛 send their child to school if COVID vaccinations are required.

In southern California鈥檚 ABC Unified School District near Los Angeles, Superintendent Mary Sieu said many cautious families are already hesitant to send their children back to school 鈥� about 700 have remained in remote instruction programs this fall. Overall, she said, the district has lost more than 1,400 students over the past two years, forcing her to consider closing one of her schools next year.

鈥淚 just feel that a lot of people are afraid of coming back to school,鈥� she said.

While suggests that children remain at a lower risk than most adults of contracting serious illness due to the virus, outbreaks happen. In , conducted in early October, nearly one in three parents said their child鈥檚 schooling had been disrupted by COVID-19.

鈥淟ook at your ZIP code and see what your vaccination rates are, and your infection rates are,鈥� said Daniel Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators. 鈥淭hat’s going to tell you the quality of education that those kids are getting in those schools. If a child isn’t in school consistently, they’re not going to be getting the quality education that they need. That’s the bottom line.鈥�

Domenech, a former superintendent in Fairfax County, Va., said he fears that the vaccination gap taking shape between districts could replicate the existing achievement gap. Recent research in has found, for instance, that communities with high poverty rates had COVID-19 infection rates in 2020 that were two to three times as high as those in wealthier areas.

鈥淲hat we’ve seen is that the areas that are suffering the most in terms of lack of a vaccine and high infection rates are exactly [high-poverty] areas, where families of color are afraid to get their kids vaccinated and are afraid to send their kids to school,鈥� Domenech said. 

鈥楻ipe for a contentious situation鈥�

Though they typically get a raft of vaccinations just to attend school, children鈥檚 COVID-19 vaccination rates have already shown evidence of parental hesitation. In September, the CDC said just of children ages 12 to 17 had gotten at least one shot and 32 percent had completed the two-shot dose by July 31. That鈥檚 more than two months after the FDA granted it emergency use authorization 鈥� and more than seven months after it first approved the vaccine for adolescents aged 16 to 17. 

In Marshalltown Community School District, northeast of Des Moines, Iowa, as many as 90 percent of school employees are vaccinated, said Superintendent Theron Schutte. But just 40 to 50 percent of eligible students have been vaccinated so far. For the youngest eligible students, ages 12 to 13, the vaccination rate is closer to 40 percent. 鈥淢y guess is that a lesser percentage of the younger kids’ parents will probably get them vaccinated,鈥� he said. 鈥淚’m hoping that more of them do.鈥�

Dr. William Raszka, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Vermont鈥檚 Larner College of Medicine, said the risk-benefit analysis for vaccination 鈥渋s just so overwhelming. I have trouble understanding why someone wouldn’t get vaccinated at this point in time.鈥�

So far, he said, life-threatening illnesses associated with the vaccines 鈥渁re awfully rare.鈥� One of the most common reactions to Pfizer鈥檚 vaccine 鈥� the only one approved for emergency use in children 鈥� is 鈥渁 sore arm,鈥� he said.

From the beginning of the pandemic, said Schutte, 鈥淲e operated on the premise that we know COVID’s going to come into the school. There’s no way we can know whether it is or isn’t coming in 鈥� but what we can control is its opportunity to spread.鈥�

He couldn鈥檛 immediately predict how his school board would respond to the recent FDA approval of childhood COVID vaccines. 鈥淭hey’re a reflection of our community. So if our community is split on whether we should or shouldn’t require vaccinations, I think it’s always going to be ripe for a contentious situation.鈥�

Mandates are years off

Once COVID vaccines earn full FDA approval, states could move quickly to mandate them for school attendance 鈥� California Gov. Gavin Newsom has he plans to add it to the list of vaccinations required to attend school in-person for middle and high school grades, as with vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and the like. 鈥淲e want our kids back in school without episodic closures,鈥� on Oct. 27.

Speaking after he received a COVID booster shot in Oakland, Newsom said children already receive 10 other vaccinations in order to attend school. 鈥淭he politics around this are disturbing to me. Lives are quite literally at risk.鈥�

Leaders in four of the state鈥檚 鈥� Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and Oakland 鈥� have already said students must get a first shot of the vaccine or attend school virtually from home in January.

But former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb in October predicted that any COVID vaccination mandate for school attendance would be 鈥渁 couple of years away, perhaps a little longer,鈥� for children ages 12 to 17, and even further for children ages 5 to 11. Appearing on CBS鈥檚 , Gottlieb said CDC has typically taken several years to add most childhood vaccines to their immunization schedule. 

That will leave the decision for now to parents like Debra Garrett, a mother of four children, all of them under 12, in Troy, N.Y. 

Garrett said she鈥檚 vaccinated, but added, 鈥淚’m not really sure about my kids getting it done right now.鈥� Parents need more information about how the vaccines affect children, she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all brand new. We don’t know how anybody’s going to respond to it.鈥�

That sensitivity is heightened, Garrett said, because she grew up Black in a country with a history of mistreating Black research subjects in the name of medicine. 鈥淚 just don’t want my child to be looked at as 鈥榯he tester,鈥欌�� she said.

Garrett鈥檚 four children all attend , part of the Uncommon Schools network of charter schools in six Northeastern cities. She said the school has given parents of students 12 and up the choice to vaccinate. 

But if Uncommon makes vaccination mandatory, 鈥渢hat’s when it’s going to be tricky 鈥� and it’s going to get tough for the school, and for parents. I just feel like there is going to be some kind of push and pull on both ends. I can’t say whether one is right or wrong, but what I do know for certain is that we have to educate people in order for them to be able to fully get it and fully feel like, 鈥楾hey’re not just pricking my kid.鈥欌��

Many parents will likely find themselves agreeing with Garrett. In a June survey , as the more-contagious Delta variant began to take hold in the U.S., the parents of just 51 percent of students under age 18 said they鈥檇 鈥減robably鈥� or 鈥渄efinitely鈥� have their child vaccinated, with vaccine hesitancy much higher for parents of younger children. They鈥檙e far less likely to say they鈥檒l vaccinate their kids compared to parents of high schoolers 鈥� 46 percent vs. 59 percent. 

Political party affiliation also plays a role: Republican-identifying parents of 35 percent of children say they鈥檒l vaccinate their kids, while that figure is much higher for Democrats at 66 percent.

A September Gallup poll suggests that of parents of children under 12 would get them an available vaccine. Parents鈥� own vaccination status strongly predicted their attitude toward their kids: 82 percent of parents who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 said they鈥檇 vaccinate their child, while just 1 percent who don鈥檛 plan to get vaccinated themselves planned to vaccinate their kids. 

Dr. Benjamin Lee, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and associate professor at the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, said the findings are cause for concern.

鈥�It’s discouraging to me to see how many parents have already sort of expressed that they don’t want to get their children vaccinated as soon as vaccines are available,鈥� he said.

While it鈥檚 natural for parents to hold out a high threshold for vaccine safety, he said, no vaccine carries zero risk. 鈥淎nd that includes all of the vaccines that we use routinely鈥� for both children and adults. 鈥淚n all scenarios, the data are so overwhelming that risks from vaccination are far lower than the risks of natural infection.鈥�

Schutte, the Iowa superintendent, said it鈥檚 true that children are less likely than adults to get seriously ill due to COVID, but he urged parents to see the bigger picture: Even if kids don鈥檛 get sick, they could take the virus home. 鈥淲e have a lot of multi-generation (families) living under the same roof in our community,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o it’s not only the parents, but the grandparents, and maybe in some cases, the great-grandparents.鈥� 

The longer it takes to get most people vaccinated, he said, 鈥渢he longer the situation is going to stretch out.鈥�

In reality, said Lee, the Vermont pediatrician, SARS-CoV-2 鈥渋s going to be with us from now on. Any chance to completely eradicate this virus is long gone. And this will become an endemic virus,鈥� like the annual flu, sticking around for years. Because it鈥檚 so contagious, he said, 鈥渨hat we should recognize is that all of us are going to get this virus. And the question is: Under what conditions or terms do we want to catch it?鈥�

So far, the only statistically significant side effect of the vaccine is a mild case of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, in adolescent males. But it鈥檚 enough to prompt physicians in a few countries to give young people of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, offering at least partial protection from the virus without this side effect. 

鈥淲e should acknowledge that that is a known risk of vaccination,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淗owever, when you look at the risk of myocarditis from vaccine versus the risk of myocarditis from COVID-19, the risks are far higher of catching myocarditis if you catch COVID-19 than from the vaccine itself.鈥� 

Also, he noted, 鈥渁lmost without exception鈥� the myocarditis associated with the vaccine is 鈥渁 very, very mild illness that completely resolves.鈥� COVID-19, by contrast, carries a higher risk of severe outcomes. 

Lee also warned against taking to heart the many unsupported claims about the vaccines鈥� quick development and emergency approval, claims that might turn parents, like Garrett, off to vaccination. 鈥淲hen all is said and done, these will end up being the most heavily scrutinized vaccines in terms of safety perhaps ever, compared to any vaccine that we’ve ever used.鈥�