Luke Corry

It’s not a voucher vote. It’s a dollars-for-kids vote. Will Democratic governors let flexible federal funds slip away?

Two big problems here: 1. As @HeatherPeske notes, giving Master's pay bumps is an ineffective budget practice. It's bad for the district. 2. It forces teachers to pursue worthless Master's degrees, taking time away from the classroom while incurring more student loan debt.

I keep giving the same answers to the same queries about the Executive Order on the Department of Ed. So, as a time-saver, here’s my take: 1. In principle, I think downsizing or eliminating ED is sensible. As always, though, what really matters is whether the practical result works as promised. 2. As written, the EO is careful to respect Congressional authority. This is good. 3. That means, as written, the EO doesn’t really change anything. It tells the EdSec to keep doing what she’s doing and asks Congress to abolish ED. 4. The R’s don’t currently have the Senate votes, so ED isn’t getting abolished unless they get at least 7 D’s. 5. Today’s announcements about moving student lending to SBA or special ed to HHS appear inconsistent with statute. That means this is headed to court. 6. None of what’s been proposed involves cuts to funding for major programs (like Title I, IDEA, or Pell). The only cuts are to federal staff and organizational boxes. That means the claims about how much all this matters for students are grossly exaggerated. 7. Meanwhile, if you really want to empower states, we need to not just cut staff or abolish ED but repeal rules, revamp requirements, issue waivers, or overhaul legislation. Otherwise, all the accumulated red tape actually remains, whether it’s supervised by ED or someone else. 8. The only thing that the EO really changed is that it put Trump squarely into the “abolish ED” push— publicly and viscerally. This will energize supporters and opponents alike.

Half of people at the U.S. Department of Education are being laid off. Here's my best guess of what this will mean:

Someone should tell him what happened with VHS predictions.

Via @ChadAldeman, behold the results of a movement that convinced itself they held the high ground on equity and commitment to historically marginalized students:

.@DOELouisiana is prioritizing education focused on foundational phonics and math skills. The result? Louisiana students have achieved some of the most significant academic progress in the nation, according to new @NAEP_NCES data.

Couple of quick NAEP takeaways starting with, if you freaked out about the proposed funding freeze, you should probably be more worried about these NAEP results. One is a potential uncertain problem, the other an immediate crisis. whiteboardadvisors.com/major-educatio…

This isn't just an education problem—it's a preview of our future workforce and society. When 24% of 8th graders don’t have even “partial mastery” of grade-level math skills and knowledge, we could be looking at a large cohort of students that will struggle in the future. 7/n

Before there was NIL there was Buddy Garrity, the most legendary booster of all time. 10 reasons why he's the GOAT 🧵

A number of people in the administration were very frustrated about this. Unfortunately they didn't prevail.

@StuLoren Where is this 30k per pupil figure coming from?

Some context: The average Chicago teacher salary is $94.3k compared to $63.8k for the average American (or 47.8% higher). As of 2019, the average Chicago teacher pension benefit was $6,376/month (eligible at age 55) vs $1,783/month for Social Security in 2024 (eligible at age 62). I realize there is variation between individuals and the average, and the numbers get skewed by teachers with more tenure and higher pay. I also think teachers do vital work, and it can be a challenging profession. We need to be honest, though, about what we can afford as a city. Especially so given our structural deficits, unfunded pension liabilities, distressed credit ratings and an already uncompetitive and burdensome tax regime (sales + property + state income taxes, which together rank among the highest in U.S.). Moreover, compared to other states, Illinois residents pay the 5th highest amount of their income toward public K-12 spending in the U.S. (at 4.5%, or $21.8k) - and spending is materially higher for CPS compared to the rest of state (at around $30k per pupil). Spending isn’t the main issue... I get that many have taken a hit with inflation and that everyone always wants more. But in the scheme of things, current Chicago teachers’ benefits are quite generous. And as a reminder, CTU is not only asking for higher pay and benefits, but also for hiring many more teachers despite CPS enrollment down about 20% over the last decade. The city, its residents and taxpayers don’t exist simply to serve the CTU’s financial and political interests. Voters need to wake up and realize what the officials we have empowered are enabling. Public policy and finances are essentially captured by a relatively small (but well-organized and often-times radical) public sector union’s interests. An offshoot of a Federalist No. 10 problem (see below post). The status quo is in no one’s interest but the CTU’s and the politicians they have in their pocket. And I’d argue that longer-term, the city going into financial distress isn’t in CTU’s interest either. Financial reality will eventually bite. Perhaps sooner than later.

Autzen Stadium singing “Shout” between the 3rd and 4th quarters.

You've got till Aug. 17 to submit FY 2023 per-pupil Site-Based Expenditure via IWAS. Annual reporting guidance + a recording of the most recent webinar are available here okt.to/fVkeHv. Our team is also available for on-demand office hours 👉 okt.to/KBgapz

I asked ChatGPT to rewrite the bar scene from Good Will Hunting to focus on the legacy of a Nation at Risk. Amazing results. @Dyrnwyn @marcportermagee @MichaelPetrilli @RbnLake

@meathead Tips for freezing corned beef? I have cured it following your recipe. I'd like to save half for smoking later. The other half I will cook today.

@alexanderrusso There are certainly districts that offered choices. It would be interesting to hear more about parent experiences in those places.

One thing that I regret is falling into the all-or-nothing debate set up by the districts. What I really wanted was for parents to have choices.

Debt-Ridden 4th-Grader Shouldn’t Have Recklessly Invested In Lunch bit.ly/3IUtUTr

ITSA SIGN 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

An Army Veteran Says He Went Into ‘Combat Mode’ to Disarm Club Q Gunman - The New York Times nytimes.com/2022/11/21/us/…