Category Archives: Donald Trump

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On the Futility of Federal Vouchers

Trump’s education scam is a federal school voucher scheme. And it won’t help public schools, despite some who suggest otherwise.

Point is– federal voucher dollars are not going to go to public schools unless the public schools can figure out a way to create the new funding stream for students carrying cash backpacks, and that create a whole new set of issues. If a special tutoring program is available to Susie because she has a backpack of federal voucher money, then why shouldn’t that tutoring be available to any or all students, regardless of backpack status?

Addendum: If a district already has a program that charges fees, then the federal voucher would help families pay that fee, but that would result in zero new revenue for the district.

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Tennesseans for School Segregation Seeks to Build Power

Jerri Green’s Plan for Public Schools

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TEA Calls Out Harms of Trump Budget

The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) is calling out the President’s budget, saying the changes supported by Congress will negatively impact Tennessee schools.

The Tennessee Education Association (TEA) is urging state leaders to guarantee funding for public schools as nearly 1 million students return to classrooms facing teacher shortages and potential federal cuts this school year.

Washington County Schools and Johnson City Schools officials have also expressed concern about potential federal funding reductions, following President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and the passage of Trump’s budget bill.

“Steep cuts to federal programs like TennCare and SNAP contained in [the federal budget] would jeopardize Title I funds, which are vital for serving economically disadvantaged students,” Coats, a 28-year Knox County educator, said in a public statement. “We need a firm commitment that any cuts to federal education funding will be backfilled by the state.”

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Arizona Families Fight Back Against Voucher Scam

Virginia Lawmakers Take on Trump Voucher Scheme

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Trump Voucher Scheme Makes Education Worse

Far from making schools or education great, the Trump private school coupon scheme will, new analysis shows, make things worse.

As an example:

Subsidize private education for the rich. School vouchers, on average, cover just 39% of middle school private school tuition across the sampled states. Even with a private school voucher, tuition prices are often out of reach for working-class families, meaning that the vouchers function as a subsidy to the rich who can already afford to pay for private education.

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Florida Eager to Make Education Worse

Alarm About AI

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Student Support in the Age of ICE

A changing American landscape also means students are experiencing change – and challenges.

My latest at The Education Report offers resources for educators.

All of us are watching a nation that is changing.

If it is difficult for adults to understand, it is also challenging for students.

As the “AI School Librarian” notes:

Our students need adults who can stay steady, protect their dignity, and respond with something more than silence.

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Bill Lee Focuses on Keeping Kids Hungry

The GOP’s Education Goal: Ending Public Schools

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Resources to Meet the Moment

How to help students in disturbing, uncertain times

Over at The Education Report, I explore a post that provides resources for students during uncertain times.

Students in places where ICE is active need safety and stability.

Students watching this from a distance need understanding and help with processing.

The truth is out there – and it matters.

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Rhode Island and Federal Vouchers

Vouchers and School Closures in Arizona

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Moving Toward the End of Public Education

The Trump Education Agenda is clear: End public schools.

Education Department officials are openly calling for plans to move a majority of kids to private schools (by way of vouchers, for example) within just 5 years.

One official even suggested that the ideal number of kids in traditional public schools would be “zero.”

For all the talk of the benefits of “school choice,” the reality is more stark: Choicers simply mean they want ZERO government responsibility for education, other than handing taxpayer cash to private school operators.

Tennessee’s Gov. Bill Lee is no exception, as he and his allies work to rapidly increase the state’s new, universal school voucher scheme.

Gov. Bill Lee promoting school privatization

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Will Bill Lee Feed Hungry Kids in 2026?

Jack Johnson, Bill Dunn, and DEI

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Donald’s Dangerous Vouchers

Among the ways the current President is taking down public institutions is the federal school voucher scheme embedded in the Big, Beautiful Bill.

These federal vouchers divert public funds to private education uses, with all the attendant harms, and they must be recognized as such, even if it may be possible to use the voucher money for public school students.

All vouchers harm students and undermine public education, and the federal voucher law is no different:

o Vouchers divert public funds to private schools.

o Vouchers lead to worse educational outcomes for students.

o Vouchers put students’ civil rights at risk.

o Vouchers lack quality and accountability standards and encourage fraud and abuse.

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That Time Jack Johnson Supported DEI

What Happens When You Lose Track of 30,000 Students?

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Outsourced

Trump and McMahon are outsourcing core functions of the U.S. Department of Education – and looking for more opportunities to effectively “end” the agency.

What they call “partnerships” essentially represent the department ceding responsibility for large portions of its current work.

The Washington Post has more:

The department has signed interagency agreements to outsource six programs to other agencies, including offices that administer $28 billion in grants to K-12 schools and $3.1 billion for programs that help students finish college.

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The Plan to Privatize Tennessee Schools

Solving the Teacher Shortage By Letting Machines Teach

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Trump Pardons Voucher Schemer

Former House Speaker and convicted felon Glen Casada was instrumental in passing Gov. Bill Lee’s initial, limited school voucher scheme.

Then, he got in some legal trouble. Now, he’s been pardoned by President Trump.

Speaking of questionable leadership, word out of D.C. this week is that former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his chief aide Cade Cothren will receive presidential pardons from Donald Trump.

The pair were convicted on more than a dozen public corruption charges tied to a scheme where they, along with former Rep. Robin Smith (R-Hixson), defrauded taxpayers through a state-funded legislative mailer program. They were just weeks away from prison.

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Vouchers vs. Schools: Arizona Edition

Keeping America Hungry

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Trump Can’t Stop Trampling Schools

Donald Trump keeps pushing an anti-school agenda – or, at least an agenda that undermines public education:

Donald Trump and his oligarch-friendly Administration are no fans of public education.

The latest evidence? Trump’s attempts to dismantle protections for students protected under the IDEA – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

The Administration is also proposing to cut billions of dollars sent from the federal government to districts. And is supporting an expensive federal voucher scheme.

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Vouchers Hit Local School Districts in the Pocketbook

Trump vs. Hungry Kids