| | | | | |  | | By Juan Perez Jr. | With help from Michael Stratford, Bianca Quilantan and Nicole Gaudiano Editor's Note: Morning Education is a free version of POLITICO Pro Education's morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 6 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day's biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro. | | | — One economist examines how the education workforce has been hard-hit by the coronavirus, as we look ahead to this week's latest jobs numbers. — Opponents of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' private school funding guidance are taking their case to congressional leaders. — Meanwhile, consumer groups are urging Congress to reject proposals that would shield colleges from liability related to Covid-19 as the Senate HELP Committee holds a hearing this morning on how to safely reopen campuses. WELCOME TO THURSDAY, JUNE 4. Defense Secretary Mark Esper declared his opposition to sending active-duty troops into U.S. cities to deal with protesters — the White House isn't happy. The Trump administration has yet to pay out nearly $100 billion of emergency aid to health providers amid a series of setbacks and internal uncertainty over how best to distribute the money. Unrest on American streets is complicating life for those representing the country abroad, current and former officials say. Here's your daily reminder to send tips to today's host at jperez@politico.com — and also colleagues Nicole Gaudiano (ngaudiano@politico.com), Michael Stratford (mstratford@politico.com) and Bianca Quilantan (bquilantan@politico.com). Share your event listings with educalendar@politicopro.com. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter: @Morning_Edu and @POLITICOPro. | | | TODAY'S EDUCATION JOB LOSSES ECLIPSE THOSE DURING THE GREAT RECESSION, Elise Gould of the Economic Policy Institute concluded in a new blog post that lays out some troubling numbers for schools. — "More K–12 public education jobs were lost in April than in all of the Great Recession," she wrote. "And that's before any austerity measures from lost state and local revenue have been put in place." — Half of the job losses in K–12 public education between March and April were among special education teachers, tutors and teaching assistants, Gould said. Other significant job losses occurred among counselors, nurses, janitors, and other building maintenance workers. — Looking ahead: "April's job losses are huge in and of themselves, but it's an even bigger problem that additional public education job losses have probably already occurred — we will find out more details when the May jobs data comes out this Friday," Gould wrote. | | | | FOR NEWS AND CONTEXT YOU NEED IN 15 MINUTES OR LESS, LISTEN IN: The coronavirus death count passed a grim milestone in the U.S. as a growing number of regions reopen parts of their economies. Unemployment claims continue to pile up as the virus continues to spread. POLITICO Dispatch is a short, daily podcast that keeps you up to date on the most important news affecting your life. Subscribe and listen today. | | | | | | | | DUMP DEVOS' GUIDANCE ON PRIVATE SCHOOL FUNDING, 50 prominent education, civil rights and disability advocacy organizations are now asking congressional leaders. — DeVos has been at odds with education groups, Democrats and more than one Republican over her controversial push to boost emergency relief for private school kids, calling on public schools to steer a greater share of coronavirus relief support to students in private schools, regardless of their wealth. — "We urge Congress to swiftly reinforce its intent pertaining to Section 18005(a) of the CARES Act by passing legislation rescinding the equitable services guidance, preempting any future notice from USED that is contrary to the legislation, and further clarifying the allocation requirements for equitable services for non- public schools consistent with Title I," says a letter dated today and obtained by POLITICO. — DeVos has said she will issue a rule on the topic "in the next few weeks" and invite public comments. THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS is nudging school leaders to address racial disparities in their discipline policies and their use of school resource officers in response to the unrest since the death of George Floyd while in police custody. — "This moment in time calls on us as leaders to build our own cultural competence to recognize and address the racial disparities in our discipline policies and our academic systems, and in our use of school resource officers," NASSP wrote in an open letter published Wednesday. Bianca has more on what's next. NYC TEACHERS SHOULD WEAR BLACK ON JUNE 9, United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said in a message to members on Wednesday. — "On the day that George Floyd will be laid to rest at a funeral in his hometown of Houston, we will be wearing black in his memory," Mulgrew wrote. | | | FIRST LOOK: A COALITION OF CONSUMER ADVOCACY GROUPS IS CALLING ON CONGRESS to reject proposals by business and college groups that would make it harder for students or workers sickened by Covid-19 to sue over it. Colleges have been lobbying Congress to protect them from liability stemming from the coronavirus as they discuss students returning to campuses this fall. — Senate HELP Chair Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), whose panel is holding a hearing this morning on reopening colleges, has said that limiting legal liability for colleges and businesses would be a top priority in a next coronavirus relief package. The American Council on Education last week asked Congress to "quickly" enact temporary liability protections, citing concerns that colleges would otherwise face "huge" costs in defending lawsuits over Covid-19. — But the coalition of consumer groups, led by Americans for Financial Reform and the Student Borrower Protection Center, say shielding colleges from liability would deny students or workers an opportunity to seek justice if they are harmed by a college's carelessness. — "Immunity from legal liability could empower the worst actors in the higher education sector to gamble with students' lives," they wrote in a letter sent to the leaders of the Senate HELP Committee on Wednesday evening. The ability to hold colleges legally responsible, they added, "offers a critical counterweight to the economic pressure that may drive colleges to reopen too quickly and hastily, without proper attention to health and safety." | | | CALIFORNIA SUES DEVOS OVER CONGRESSIONAL "FIX" TO PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS. The lawsuit from Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, hits the Trump administration over its implementation of a 2018 law that was meant to give some student loan borrowers a second chance at obtaining public service loan forgiveness. — Congress created — and has continued to fund — the first-come, first-serve program to help the large numbers of borrowers who were ineligible for regular public service loan forgiveness because they had been enrolled in the wrong student loan repayment plan. But 94 percent of borrowers have been rejected for the new program. — The complaint, filed in federal court in San Francisco, accuses DeVos of illegally failing to properly create a simple application process for the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. — Angela Morabito, an Education Department spokesperson, dismissed the lawsuit, saying Congress was at fault for creating a complicated program that only a small fraction of borrowers qualify for. "The PSLF program needs a permanent fix," she said. The Trump administration has repeatedly proposed completely eliminating the program for new borrowers. STANFORD SPEAKS ABOUT FALL QUARTER PLANS. Curtailed class schedules, limited residence hall spaces for undergraduates, a four-quarter schedule that includes summer 2021, and remote instruction are in the works for an iconic campus where life will look much different. — "While in-person classes will be offered on campus, much of our undergraduate teaching will still need to be done online in the 2020-21 year," Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne and Provost Persis Drell wrote in a lengthy message to campus . "It's likely that students will need to wear face coverings regularly while on campus. Physical distancing protocols will be in place for our campus buildings and common spaces. We expect limitations on gatherings. And, we'll likely ask students not to travel outside the local area while they are enrolled on campus, or otherwise to self-isolate upon their return." DOWN THE ROAD FROM THE BAY, the University of Southern California also set out its plans this week. PRESERVE THE OPTIONAL PRACTICAL TRAINING PROGRAM, Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) and a group of colleagues are asking Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf. The lawmakers want to make it easier for international students to enroll on campus this fall while preserving the OPT program, which allows international students to work in the U.S. during or after their studies. — In a letter to Pompeo and Wolf this week, the House members asked the government to share its plans to "address the expected increase in demand for visa services" from foreign students. They also asked officials to "publicly clarify that OPT will remain fully intact so we send the right messages abroad about the U.S. as an attractive destination for international students." — The Wall Street Journal has reported the Trump administration is expected to limit the popular OPT program. The concept has also bolstered sluggish foreign student enrollment growth in the U.S. | | | | THE CRITICAL COVID-19 FACTS AND PERSPECTIVE YOU NEED, NIGHTLY: The coronavirus death count passed a grim milestone in the U.S. as a growing number of regions reopen parts of their economies. The debate on wearing masks continues to rage and schools are indefinitely closed. For critical Covid-19 insight, context and analysis from experts across our global newsroom choose POLITICO Nightly. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | | — A University of Kansas study found that limited capacity, lack of knowledge, limited student engagement and bureaucratic structures are top barriers to effective campus sexual assault policy. — A new report from the American Enterprise Institute found that, four years after graduation, median earnings for college graduates from less selective four-year institutions appear broadly similar to those for graduates from more selective schools. | | | — Debbie Veney joined the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools as its senior vice president of communications and marketing. — Andy Smarick will join the Manhattan Institute as a senior fellow, beginning on June 22. His research and writing will focus on education, civil society, and the principles of American conservatism. | | | — Lawmakers seek over $300 billion for public schools in next Covid relief bill: Education Week — Florida's college faculty union suggests keeping sophomores and juniors off campus: POLITICO Pro — Three Oklahoma State players test positive for coronavirus, freshmen told not to report to campus: CBS Sports — Catholic University ditches SAT, ACT for admissions: POLITICO Pro — Student behavior is the key to reopening colleges: U.S. News and World Report | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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