Key Points:

Republican leaders seek to block court order to fix school funding system

Judge Dewain Fox declares current system unconstitutional, citing unsafe buildings and lack of equipment

His ruling may halt state funding if schools remain unfixed

Calling it an illegal intrusion on their authority, Republican legislative leaders are moving to block — or at least delay — a court order requiring them to fix the system of public school funding that left some students in disrepaired buildings and without the equipment necessary to learn.

Miami-based developer and investor Fortec is betting that one of the nation’s most overlooked real estate sectors, early childhood education facilities, is also one of its most needed.

The company has committed to building between 50 and 60 preschool and early education centers across the country, fueled in part by a $100 million investment fund launched in 2025 and a recent $30 million institutional investment backed by Equiturn Holdings.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — State Representative Brian Stewart (R-Ashville), Chair of the House Finance Committee, today formally introduced Ohio’s highly anticipated Capital Budget bill. The massive two-year capital improvements plan maps out nearly $3.7 billion in total appropriations to modernize the state’s infrastructure and jumpstart vital community initiatives.

The influx of nearly $8.5 billion to Texas schools last year was not enough to stop schools from making tough budget cuts, district officials told state lawmakers during a Capitol hearing Monday.

School leaders  across Texas have already had to eliminate jobs and close campuses because of financial pressure. The El Paso district, for example, faces a nearly $53 million budget shortfall and may soon declare a financial emergency, while the Crystal City district in South Texas recently told families that it has less than $500 in its bank account.

One Northeast Kingdom town took an unusual step to retain some control over its school’s fate just as the state Legislature finalized passage of this year’s landmark education reform bill on Friday evening. 

Around 40 Peacham voters unanimously approved an article authorizing the selectboard to purchase the town’s elementary school building for the nominal amount of $1. The pre-K-6 school of around 60 students continues to operate, but the town will now retain the facility and grounds for community use in the event that its school district merges with another, which is likely because of the district’s small size.

PHOENIX — Calling it an illegal intrusion on their authority, Republican legislative leaders are moving to block or delay a court order requiring them to fix the system of funding public schools.

A judge previously ruled that system unconstitutionally leaves some students in buildings needing major repairs and without the equipment necessary to learn.

Alaska would more than triple the funding it devotes to school construction and maintenance projects next year under a budget approved this month by the state Legislature. The funding, which awaits Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s signature, follows reporting by KYUK, ProPublica and NPR last year that documented a severe health and safety crisis inside the buildings used daily for public education.

Top Takeaways

At issue is whether districts with more property wealth per student receive a greater share of matching funds for school renovations.
Plaintiffs worry that funding from a voter-passed state bond will run dry by the time a verdict is reached; the state argues the plaintiffs failed to justify an injunction.
Judge Patrick McKinney said the facilities lawsuit could win on merits, but he’s concerned about halting funds for school modernization before the trial.

Attorneys pitched their arguments this week to an Alameda County Superior Court judge who acknowledged he was torn about whether to temporarily stop billions of dollars of school construction grants that plaintiffs charge discriminate against low-wealth districts.

ATLANTA (WJBF) – Now that the 2026 legislative session has wrapped up, some education advocacy groups are shifting their focus toward next year’s budget discussions, calling for increased funding support for Georgia charter schools.

The School District of Philadelphia has adopted a $4.6 billion operating budget for the 2026-2027 school year amid a $300 million structural deficit.

The board unanimously approved the operating budget, while passing the capital budget in a 7-1 vote. Board member ChauWing Lam was the lone no vote. Wanda Novalés was absent during the meeting.

Superintendent Tony B. Watlington has said the deficit is due to “chronic underfunding and the loss of federal COVID-19 relief funds.” To cover the gaps, a preliminary budget passed in March ordered $50 million in classroom cuts and an additional $169 million in central office cuts.

BRANFORD, CT — As promised, Branford's legislative delegation announced $29.4 million in additional state reimbursement for Branford school construction projects at Mary T. Murphy Elementary School and Mary R. Tisko Elementary School through the recently passed state budget at a media event Thursday.

The Pittsburgh Public Schools board voted 6-2 with one abstention Wednesday to approve a realignment plan that shutters nine school buildings and shifts many others, despite public pushback.

It is well-known that most students in public schools in Maryland do poorly in reading and math. But less well-known is the poor condition of schools, even though over the past five years, state funding has exceeded $3 billion.

Last year the Comptroller of Maryland, in a remarkably forthright report, stated, “81% of schools are functionally unreliable or need repairs.”

The Interagency Commission on School Construction, known as IAC, the state agency which allocates school construction funds to school districts, concluded a few months ago, “Overall facilities conditions are below desired levels and declining.”

A new national report suggests local governments may face another long-term fiscal challenge that rarely appears in budget headlines: the growing cost of replacing aging public assets already in service.

A recent analysis from Merritt Research Services estimates that US cities carry more than $1 trillion in infrastructure and capital asset obligations tied to aging roads, buildings, equipment, and other public assets. The report attempts to measure the replacement cost of assets that continue operating after consuming much or all of their expected useful life.

In April, the Illinois General Assembly passed House Bill 4739 to improve the indoor air quality for schools, WAND News reported. This plan requires school districts to ensure that all active classrooms are equipped with air-quality monitors.

Advocates expect the state to spend roughly US$10 million to buy monitors for classrooms statewide. The plan would also require the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to work with the Illinois Department of Public Health to create a document explaining the values of good indoor air quality for districts.

In a significant change of stance, Gov. Phil Scott and his team appeared likely to agree not to push for mandated mergers if lawmakers agreed to accelerate the path to voluntary mergers and a new education funding formula.

Top Takeaways

Plaintiffs in Rodriguez v. State of California argue that the state’s match for modernizing schools denies low-wealth districts a fair share of funding. 
They want to suspend state modernization funding until the court rules on the merits of their case.
An injunction might pressure Gov. Gavin Newsom to settle the case before he leaves office. 

School districts across Kentucky face challenges as they craft their budgets for the 2026-2027 year, and falling state funding is a primary reason why. Recent projections from the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) show that two-thirds of Kentucky school districts expect to receive less from the state to support the core funding formula (known as SEEK) in 2027 than they are receiving currently. The challenges school districts face become even greater when considering inflation, which has spiked recently with the rise in gas prices. Adjusting for inflation, 95% of districts will receive fewer state SEEK dollars in 2027, and 89% will receive less on a per-pupil basis.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Texas Education Agency released its annual audit report on school safety and security in Texas.

The agency told ABC13 that school districts are tasked with strengthening school security and ensuring they're prepared for emergencies.

Around 90% of the school districts and campuses in Texas had no issues with the initial phases of security preparedness, according to the report.

Payette Superintendent Glen Croft knew voters in his district might not go for an increased plant-facility levy, but he thought they would support raises for paraprofessionals and other staff members who make less than burger flippers at local fast food joints.

Instead, voters rejected both the plant-facility and supplemental levy proposals.

“The community is very tax sensitive,” Croft said, noting that Payette County has one of the lowest property tax rates in Idaho