In San Diego County, $145 million for school meals goes untapped

The children who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches at school are also eligible for federally subsidized breakfasts, after-school suppers and summer lunches. The report says districts and service providers are not offering those meals—or they are paying out of pocket for food the federal government would cover. Read more>>

The number of school districts receiving top state ratings has more than doubled from a year ago. Approved ratings show 48 districts received an A grade. That's nearly 17 percent as compared to 8 percent receiving the top rating last year. Read more>>

A new website launched by the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia makes it easier for donors to address the needs of specific schools. So far, 220 schools have listed between one to three projects that principals have identified on the Philly FUNDamentals site. Read more>>

More than two months before legislators convene in Pierre for the 2018 session, statewide public school groups are resolving to oppose bills that would expand school choice. The Associated School Boards of South Dakota added the new resolution to its list of priorities this year. Read more>>

State leaders looking to overhaul the way North Carolina divvies up billions of dollars for local schools got to work on the issue. The legislative task force started by hearing how the system works now and going over a lengthy 2016 General Assembly report. Read more>>

Student reporters in the San Ramon Valley USD are pushing back against the decision to seal court documents containing a controversial video made by a fellow student running for student body president. Read more>>

Aresta Johnson, superintendent of Bridgeport Public Schools in Connecticut, has restructured her administrative team to provide continuity for students progressing from elementary to high school. Read more>>

Opponents of any more than minimal oversight of the Florida private schools receiving public dollars suggest regulation would somehow damage the scholarship programs. In fact, it could strengthen those programs by weeding out poor-performing schools. Read more>>

Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced some decent anti-bullying measures—without noting that the New York City Department of Education has been fighting for more than a year to avoid reforms. The changes will make it easier for bullied kids to transfer schools and an online “portal” will allow for safer reporting of bullying. Read more>>

The kind of parent involvement that gets the best results requires schools to proactively partner with families by welcoming them into school, teaching them about curriculum and school policies, asking for their input on all manner of issues, and supporting their children’s needs, no matter how challenging. Read more>>

Open Up Resources is partnering to develop two English language arts curricula. Bookworms K–5 Reading & Writing was created with the University of Delaware’s Sharon Walpole. And an enhanced version of Louisiana state’s ELA Guidebooks 2.0 for high school was built with the state of Louisiana and Odell Education. Read more>>

The CentralReach PK-12 software helps schools foster communication and coordination of instruction and care for students in special education programs. Educators also have access to professional development resources and the capability to assign courses to colleagues. Read more>>

Built on the success of the K5 program, the Bring Science Alive! online learning platform now offers hands-on STEM learning for grades 6-8. Resources include interactive HTML5 presentations with in-class investigations, interactive student notebooks, tutorials, formative and summative assessments, and more. Read more>>

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Eleven of the 20 school districts asking voters for property tax increases would put the money into new and/or better buildings. Ohio's largest school district, Anoka-Hennepin, is proposing two new elementary buildings in its $249 million bond package. Read more>>

State lawmakers voted to back a proposal that would use a percentage of state mineral royalties to pay for school maintenance and construction, while also diverting the 1 percent severance tax to that end. Read more>>

Idaho voters will decide on more than $200 million in school bond issues and levies. In Idaho Falls, a $110 million bond issue would pay for two big-ticket projects—replacing and rebuilding two high schools. Read more>>