Leadership Link Newsletter
NCASA provides its members with a weekly e-newsletter sharing the latest education news and resources from across the state and country. Members can access the current newsletters by clicking on the links below.
MAY 15, 2025
In this issue: NCASA NEWS - NCASA 2025-26 House Budget Proposal Summary; May Professional Educator Preparation & Standards Commission Meeting Summary; STATE NEWS - ‘Want More? Do More!’ Is A New, Online EPP For Teachers Who Need A License And Want To Better Their Craft; A Conversation With Mo Green, NC's Superintendent Of Public Instruction; FEDERAL NEWS - House Republicans Propose $5 Billion For Private School Vouchers; Federal Private School Choice Program Advanced By House Committee; Senate Approves Repeal Of E-Rate Wi-Fi Hotspots For Schools, Libraries; What Is ‘Illegal DEI?’ Trump Admin.'s School Probes Start To Paint A Picture; States Must Now Define And Label ‘Persistently Dangerous’ Schools; and more…
MAY 8, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - North Carolina House Passes Math And Social Studies Graduation Requirement Changes; How Did Open Enrollment, Posting Teacher Lesson Plans, And Other K-12 Bills Fare Ahead Of Policy Bill Deadline?; May Charter Schools Review Board Meeting Summary; STATE NEWS - ‘Threat Actor’ Claims To Have NC Student Data Months After PowerSchool Assured Officials It Was Safe; Republicans May Send Gov. Stein A Budget By June. Will It Have Democratic Votes?; New Report Finds North Carolina At Risk Of Falling Behind In Pre-K Spending, Enrollment; State Board Hears From Educators On Needs Of Beginning Teachers, Importance Of Support Personnel; Teacher Of The Year Rachel Candaso Will Chair The Governor’s Teacher Advisory Committee; FEDERAL NEWS - Trump’s FY26 Budget Would Slash More Than $4.5B From K-12; $1B To Support Student Mental Health Is Gone. Schools Fear What’s Next.; Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Canceling COVID-Related School Aid; Technologists Welcome Executive Order On AI In Schools But Say More Detail Is Needed; and more…
MAY 1, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - School Performance Grade Changes, Calendar Bills, & More Move Forward; House K-12 Education Committee Schedules More Bills Just Ahead Of Crossover Deadline; May State Board Of Education Meeting Summary; STATE NEWS - Many Are Seeing Red After A Premium Hike In The State Health Plan. But Being In The Red Is What Led To It.; NC Drops In Rankings Of Average Teacher Pay, Improves In Beginning Teacher Pay, New Report Says; Enrollment Forecasts Suggest Shrinking Share Of NC Students Will Be In Public Schools; NC House Passes State Cryptocurrency Investment Bill Over Democrats’ Objections; FEDERAL NEWS - Will Trump’s School Discipline Order Drive Wider Disparities Or ‘Restore Common Sense’?; New COPPA Rule To Take Effect In June; Can Charter Schools Be Religious? If So, What Does That Mean For Public Education?; and more…
APRIL 24, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - NCASA Report Compares LEA Requirements With Those Of Charter, Private, Homeschools; K-12 Open Enrollment Bill, Many Others Scheduled For Next Week; STATE NEWS - Gov. Stein, Cross-Sector Child Advocates Check In On The ‘State Of The Child’ At Second Annual Summit; Green: NC Schools Comply With Nondiscrimination Laws, But Feds Can’t Change Rules Overnight; FEDERAL NEWS - Fewer Subjects, Students, Data Points: Feds To Scale Back NAEP; Layoffs, Cuts, Chaos: The Education Department In Trump’s First 90 Days; Supreme Court Appears Split In Key Curriculum Opt-Out Case; Trump Targets AI, School Discipline In New Executive Orders; and more…
APRIL 17, 2025In this issue: NCASA PUBLIC SCHOOL MATTERS PODCAST - Episode 36: The Art Of Education Advocacy; NCASA NEWS - Senate Passes 2025-2027 State Budget Proposal With Small Raises And Some K-12 Cuts; Dozens Of Bills Move Through Legislative Committees As Crossover Looms; STATE NEWS - Weight Loss Drug Coverage Could Return For Some State Workers Under Proposed NC Budget; North Carolina Schools Consider Stricter No-Cellphone Policy, Student Safety Council Debates; FEDERAL NEWS - Bills In Congress Detail Path To Closing The Education Department; Schools Lined Up For Help Getting Cleaner School Buses. Then Came The EPA Freeze; School’s In Session For SCOTUS: 3 K-12 Cases To Watch In April; and more…
APRIL 10, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - School Calendar Bill Amended, Approved By Senate Ed. Committee; House And Senate Education Committees Move More K-12 Bills; April Charter School Review Board Meeting Summary; STATE NEWS - NC's K-3 Class-Size Limits Would Go Away Under New Bill; NC Bans Tobacco In Schools. The Law May Expand To Cover Vaping And Hemp Gummies; Proposal To Give NC’s Republican Auditor A DOGE-Inspired Team Passes The Senate; NC's State Treasurer Wants To Share Control Of Retirement Investments.; Stein Is Creating Spaces For Cooperation Across Party Lines, Establishes Advisory Council On Student Safety And Well-Being; FEDERAL NEWS - Supreme Court Maintains Freeze On Teacher Training Grants; ‘New Sheriff In Town’: DOJ To Enforce Anti-Trans Trump Orders; ‘Let’s Shake It Up’: Linda McMahon Defends Massive Cuts At Education Department; Trump Admin. Funding Cuts Could Hit Efforts To Restore School Libraries; and more…
APRIL 3, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - Senate Files Flurry of Bills Which Include New School Calendar Option; Bill On Rehiring Retired Teachers Passes House K-12 Education Committee; House And Senate Education Committees Move K-12 Bills; April State Board Of Education Meeting Summary; STATE NEWS - North Carolina Librarians Could Be Charged Over Books 'Harmful To Minors'; NC GOP Bill Would Allow The Public To Sue Schools Over Parents’ Bill Of Rights Law; NC Bill Would Order End Of ‘Offensive American Indian Mascots’ In Public Schools; In Surprise Announcement, NCASA Honors Superintendents For Exemplary Leadership In Hurricane Helene; State Board Of Education Vice Chair Alan Duncan Receives 2025 Champion For Children Award; Federal Cuts, NC Tax Cuts Leave Legislators Wrestling With How To Solve Projected Deficit; New Hanover Republican Is New NC Senate Majority Leader; Trump Seeks To Close The Dept. Of Education. Mo Green Wants To ‘Minimize The Impacts’ In NC; FEDERAL NEWS - K-12 Schools Must Sign Certification Against DEI To Receive Federal Money, Administration Says; Education Department Cancels ESSER Spending Extensions; McMahon: Lack Of Transparency On ‘Ideological Indoctrination’ Violates FERPA; Trump Admin. Tells States, Schools How To Use Title I For School Choice; House Panel Weighs AI’s Pitfalls, Potential As Education Dept Cuts Loom Large; and more…
MARCH 27, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - Governor Josh Stein and Superintendent Mo Green Headline NCASA’s 2025 Conference on Educational Leadership; STATE NEWS - School Safety, Funding Cuts Top Of Mind At NC Educators Leadership Conference; NC Supreme Court Ruling Opens Path For Parents To Sue Schools,Health Clinics Over Covid-19 Vaccines; North Carolina Public Schools Could Start Earlier In The Year Under New Bill; NC House Passes Ban On Cellphones In Class. Will It Reduce Distractions In School?; NC Republicans File Sweeping Bill Targeting Transgender Rights To Bathrooms, Documents; North Carolina Lawmakers Advance Bill Banning Legal Hemp Products From Schools; Wealth And Health: NC Treasurer Talks New Pension Strategy, Weight-Loss Drug Coverage And More; Following Expansion Of School Choice, Fewer Families Apply For Vouchers This Year; FEDERAL NEWS - Trump Says Special Education Oversight Will Move To HHS; Only Congress Can Close The Department Of Education, And Republicans Are Going To Try; Judge Blocks 3 Agencies From Disclosing Troves Of Sensitive Personal Data To DOGE; GOP-Led States Push For Control Of School Aid As Trump Promises A Smaller Federal Role In Education; and more…
MARCH 20, 2025In this issue: NCASA PUBLIC SCHOOL MATTERS PODCAST - Episode 35: A New Way To Talk About NC’s Public Schools; NCASA NEWS - Governor Stein Releases 2025-2027 Budget Proposal Investing In Public Schools; Central Office Compensation Bill Approved By House State & Local Government Committee; Governor Stein Signs Hurricane Relief Bill That Includes Public School Measure; March PEPSC Meeting Summary; STATE NEWS - NC Bill Overhauls High School Math Graduation Requirements. See What Could Change.; ‘Highlights’ Report Of The Budget For North Carolina Public Schools Is Out For 2024-25; NC GOP Bill Would Expand Vaccination Exemptions As Measles Cases Rise Nationwide; A Deep Dive On The Prohibitions In The K-12 Anti-DEI Bill; NC House Panel Advances Bill Restricting K-12 Student Cell Phone Use; FEDERAL NEWS - Trump Signs Order Gutting Department Of Education; How A Republican Plan To Cut Universal Free School Meals Could Affect 12 Million Students; Democrats Unveil School Lunch Debt Cancellation Measure; New Lawsuit Alleges Education Department’s Office For Civil Rights Cannot Fulfill Responsibilities After Cuts; Congress Passes CR To Complete FY25; and more ...
MARCH 13, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - Share Thoughts And Concerns About Publishing Central Office Compensation; March Charter School Review Board Meeting Summary; STATE NEWS - NC Gov. Josh Stein Calls For $4B School Bond, Careful Government Reform In First State Of The State Address; State Seeks To Reinstate Weight Loss Drug Coverage For NC Government Workers; Health Insurance Costs Expected To Go Up For NC State Government Employees In 2026, Treasurer Says; ‘Inclusion Is Not A Divisive Word.’ Ban On DEI In Public Schools Divides NC Senate; FEDERAL NEWS - USDA Cuts Over $1 Billion In Funding For Schools, Local Food Purchases; Education Department Cuts Half Its Staff As Trump Vows To Wind The Agency Down; Republican Lawmakers Tout Proposal For National Private School Choice; Urge Your Federal Lawmakers To Oppose National School Voucher Program; and more ...
MARCH 7, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - Meet NCASA’s New Legislative Affairs & Policy Manager; Senate Committees Approve Bill To Ban DEI In Public Schools; House Bill 82: Study Commission For LEA Size Bill Advances In House Education Committee; March State Board Of Education Meeting Summary; STATE NEWS - NC Lawmakers Reverse Themselves, Move Ahead With Bill To Invest State Pension Plan In Cryptocurrency; NC Schools Chief Says ‘Avoid Overreacting’ To Trump Deadline To End DEI Programs; Why The Relationships Between Superintendents And Community College Presidents Matter; NC Teachers Want More DEI In Schools. What Else A New Report Shows About Educator Morale.; FEDERAL NEWS - New Secretary Linda McMahon Unveils ‘Final Mission’ For U.S. Department Of Education; Education Department Launches ‘End DEI’ Website To Solicit Complaints About Schools; U.S. Department Of Education Releases FAQ About Letter Banning Consideration Of Race; Bill To Ban Trans Athletes From Girls’ And Women’s Sports Teams Fails To Advance In Senate; Education Department Sued Over Cuts To Teacher Training Grants; and more ...​
FEBRUARY 27, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - Joint House And Senate Education Appropriations Begin Budget Process; Legislators Support Restricting Student Use Of Cell Phones, Other Bill Action; STATE NEWS - NC Schools Lose Tens Of Millions In Teacher Grants After Trump Administration DEI Cuts; EdExplainer | Exploring Weighted Student Funding In North Carolina; Dual Enrollment Is Increasing In North Carolina, Report Shows; NC Teachers Could See Annual Pay Bump Of Up To $12K Under New Bill; NC House Passes $500M In Helene Aid, $100 Boost To Weekly Unemployment Checks; Leaders Address The State Of Child Nutrition In 2025; Superintendent Mo Green To Host Eight Listening Sessions Across North Carolina; FEDERAL NEWS - SCOTUS Decision Safeguards Schools’ E-rate Discounts; DOGE Blocked From Accessing Education Department’s Sensitive Student Data Until March 10; Education Department Approves More ARP Spending Extensions For Districts; Teachers Union Sues Over Trump Admin’s DEI Warning To Schools; and more ...
FEBRUARY 20, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - February Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission Meeting Summary; STATE NEWS - Education Issues On The Table For The 2025 Long Session; How Much Money Does NC Have To Spend?; NC House, Senate Bills Would Return Calendar Flexibility To Local School Districts; State Senate Bill Would Okay Students Attending Off-Campus Bible Classes During School Hours; What Happens In North Carolina If The U.S. Department Of Education Shuts Down?; A Month Of Trump: NC Educators Feel The Impact Of Fast And Furious Orders From Washington; FEDERAL NEWS - Senate HELP Committee Advances Trump's Education Pick; Trump Picks Long-Serving State Chief With Bipartisan Fans For Top Ed. Dept. Role; OCR Tells Schools To Cease Race-Based Programs; Education Department Slashes Grants For Training Teachers On ‘Divisive Ideologies’; Trump Orders End To Federal Funding For Schools That Require Covid Vaccines; and more ...
FEBRUARY 13, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - Bill Filed To Revive, Expand Program On Rehiring Retired Teachers; February Charter School Review Board Meeting Summary; Lawmakers Approve Amendments To Helene Recovery Bill; STATE NEWS - The Number Of NC Private School Vouchers Has Doubled; Board Of State Health Plan Moves To Set Premiums Based On Salary Tiers; Could Lawmakers Break Up Wake, CMS? Bill Would Study NC’s 5 Largest School Districts; Morrow Calls On DOGE To Dismantle US Department Of Education; NC Teacher Of The Year Finalists Announced; Meet Sen. Kevin Corbin: Why The ‘Voice Of The Far West’ Believes In Public Schools; DPI, State Board Approve Legislative Priorities And Welcome Superintendent’s Cabinet; FEDERAL NEWS - DOGE Cuts $900 Million From Agency That Tracks American Students’ Academic Progress; Trump Loses Bid To Pause Judge's Order Barring Funding Freezes; Education Department Reverses CTE Policies After Criticism; What Happens To A School That Refuses To Obey The Trump Ban On Transgender Athletes?; and more ...
FEBRUARY 6, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - Legislators Discuss Healthcare, Numerous K-12 Bills Introduced; State Board Of Ed. Sets Legislative Goals, Seeks Voucher Expansion Moratorium; STATE NEWS - Regional Principal Of The Year Finalists Announced; NC Lawmakers Propose Next Helene Package That’s Half The Price Of The Governor’s; Legislators Seek To Allow Private, Home School Students Chance To Play Sports At Public Schools; Some Teachers Report Higher Medical Co-Pays. NC's Treasurer Explains Why.; Consolidated Data Report Shows Decrease in School Violence, Dropouts; FEDERAL NEWS - Trump Takes Action To Ban Transgender Women From Women's Sports; Trump Is Weighing Big Cuts To The U.S. Education Department; Dozens Of Education Department Workers Are Put On Leave Over Trump’s Anti-DEI Order; The Trump Administration Disbanded A Federal School Safety Board. Now What?; Education Department Will Enforce 2020 Title IX Rule; House Republicans Float Plan To Cut Community Eligibility Provision; and more ...
JANUARY 30, 2025In this issue: DPI Shares Information On State, Federal Immigration Requirements; NCASA NEWS - 2 Legislative Committees Review Hurricane Recovery Needs; House Speaker Announces Committees For 2025-2026; NCASA K-12 Education Bill Tracking; STATE NEWS - As Lawmakers Return To Raleigh, Education Supporters Call For Improved Public School Funding; Green Names Chief Academic Officer; Proposed Bill Would Require Schools Accept Cash, Tar Heel Card At High School Sports Events; Could North Carolina Restrict Phones In Schools? Lawmakers Plan To Push New Proposals; FEDERAL NEWS - Trump Rescinds Freeze On Federal Funding; Memo Calls For Review, Analysis, Pause, And Oversight Of Federal Financial Assistance; Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Administration Freeze On Federal Grants And Loans; NC Joins More Than 20 States In Suing Trump Administration Over Federal Funding Freeze; UPDATED: Federal Funding Freeze and Potential Impacts; Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze Was Blocked. But Confusion Among Schools Remains; Trump Signs Executive Orders Prioritizing School Choice, Ending K-12 ‘Indoctrination’; Nearly 5 Years After Schools Closed, The Nation Gets A New Report Card; Education Department Rescinds Biden-Era Book Ban Guidance; Trump’s Education Department Nixes DEI Initiatives And Guidance; SCOTUS To Hear School Disability Discrimination Case; and more…
JANUARY 23, 2025In this issue: NCASA PUBLIC SCHOOL MATTERS PODCAST – Episode 34: A Conversation With New State Superintendent Mo Green; NCASA NEWS - NCASA Creating Messaging Toolkit And Training As Free Resources For Promoting Public Schools; New House Speaker Names Committee Chairs For 2025-26 Session; STATE NEWS - New State Treasurer Brad Briner On Wegovy Coverage, Premium Hikes And North Carolina Pension Fund; Mark Dessauer To Lead Communications For DPI, Derrick Jordan And Michael Maher Remain On Leadership Team; ‘Outstanding Public Servant’: Joe John, Longtime Raleigh Lawmaker And Former Judge, Dies; FEDERAL NEWS - Trump Administration Strips Schools, Churches Of Immigration Enforcement Protections; Trump Names Acting Education Secretary Ahead Of Linda McMahon’s Confirmation; SCOTUS To Hear Case On LGBTQ+ Inclusive Curriculum Opt-Outs; What Will Trump’s Orders For Federal Workers Do To The Education Department?; and more…
JANUARY 16, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS - January Charter School Review Board Meeting; AASA Awards Mini-Grant To Johnston County Public Schools; STATE NEWS - Meet Destin Hall, The New Speaker Of The House; Former Republican State Superintendent Candidate Michele Morrow Launches Lobbying Group; Perspective | Gov. Josh Stein On Education In His Inaugural; Address; The North Carolina Education Lottery, By The Numbers; FEDERAL NEWS - Federal Judge Strikes Down Biden Administration’s Title IX Rule Nationwide; Veteran NC Congresswoman Virginia Foxx To Lead House Rules Committee; CDC Releases New Report On Youth Dietary, Physical Activity, And Sleep Behaviors; Schools Brace For Clash With Immigration Officials Ahead Of Trump Term; House Passes Bill To Restrict Transgender Students’ Participation In Girls’ Sports; and more…
JANUARY 9, 2025In this issue: NCASA NEWS – New State Superintendent Shares Entry Plan, Government Affairs Hires; January State Board Of Education Monthly Meeting - Jan 9; Senate Leader Berger Appoints Education Committee Leadership; STATE NEWS - ‘Uncomfortable Things’ Necessary To Fix NC Health Plan, New Treasurer Says; Hacker Stole North Carolina Student And Teacher Data From System Used To Record Grades, Attendance; For Counties In Western NC, The Loss Of This Federal Funding Will Matter; North Carolina Legislature Opens Session With New House Speaker, Promises Of Helene Relief; All In The Family; FEDERAL NEWS - Biden Administration Withdraws Medicaid Parental Consent NPRM; Biden Signs Bill Expanding Social Security Benefits For Retired Teachers, Public Employees; House Republicans Prioritize Bill To Restrict Transgender Students’ Sports Participation; 6 Trends That Will Shape K-12 In 2025; and more…
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