The White House announced late last month that it plans to work with Congress to expand access to free school meals for 9 million more children by 2032 as a first step toward creating a pathway to universal school meals.
The plan was outlined among other steps in the White House’s National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health one day before the Biden administration convened a conference on the topic. Ahead of the gathering, President Joe Biden set an ambitious to end hunger and increase healthy eating and physical activity by 2030 to reduce the number of Americans with dietrelated diseases, according to a report by K12 Dive.
“While school meals have demonstrated strong positive impacts on children’s nutrition and other key outcomes, we have not yet fully leveraged school meals as a core intervention to improve child health or child hunger,” the White House said in the plan.
The White House also announced support for expanding the Summer Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer program, which provided benefits to families of more than 36 million children to pay for groceries during summer 2021
Recent U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows food insecurity among children decreased across race and ethnicity between 2020 and 2021 when pandemic era universal school meal waivers were first in place.
After the congressional provision expired June 30, an independent Task Force on Hunger, Nutrition and Health composed of professors, advocates and food industry executives was among those advising the White House to bring back universal school meals.
Days before the pandemic-era meal waivers were set to expire, Congress passed the bipartisan Keep Kids Fed Act, which extended some waivers but not universal school meals. Bill co sponsor Rep. Virginia Foxx, R North Carolina, said on the House floor that the pending legislation at the time would bring school meal programs back to “regular order.”
As you’ve likely already heard, and perhaps experienced, districts have been struggling with bus staff shortages this school year. Nationwide, schools are actively working to recruit more bus drivers through various methods, like increasing their pay. Other
districts, however, are facing a trickier problem, according to a report from District Administration.
Over the past couple of weeks, several school districts have reported being targeted by thieves after discovering that their buses’ catalytic converters were stolen overnight. Catalytic converter theft has steadily increased nationwide, especially among larger vehicles since they contain larger amounts of highly sought after metals. Repairs can cost districts several thousands of dollars, depending on the number of converters stolen.
In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, bus routes were recently disrupted for two days in a row due to theft Parents were told they had to find an alternative option to get their kids to and from school. According to the sheriff’s office in the area, a total of 35 converters were stolen in the course of two nights, and two buses were further damaged.
The district used buses from schools that weren’t currently in session to bridge the gap after a few days, and staff is working to repair the affected buses, but timing for returning to a full fleet is still up in the air.
Little Axe Public Schools in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, faced a similar situation just days before the start of their school year in August. Four converters were stolen, according to Superintendent Jay Thomas. Two belonged to work cars and the other two belonged to buses for students with special needs.
And in mid-September in Burlington County, New Jersey, police were on the lookout for the suspects who stole nine converters from school buses. Dedicated transportation team workers spent most of a weekend fixing the buses to avoid disruptions for students.
With catalytic converter theft becoming a trend for school bus fleets, it’s a good time to review your district’s bus security systems and alert transportation staff.
A new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom late last month requires state agencies to design a survey that could help lawmakers learn why teachers are resigning from the profession, according to a report from EdSource.
California’s persistent teacher shortage, coupled with higher-than-usual retirements and resignations during the pandemic, has had district officials scrambling to fill classrooms.
Districts have tried several methods to keep teachers, including increasing teacher pay, developing new hiring strategies and trying to ease teachers’ workloads by hiring more support staff, according to a report by the Learning Policy Institute, a nonprofit education research organization.
The California Department of Education and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing are tasked with developing the survey, which will be given by local school officials as teachers leave their districts.
The bill encourages school districts to begin surveying exiting teachers during the 2023 24 school year, and to report the results to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing A final report will go to the California Department of Education and the state Legislature. It also will be posted on the commission’s website.
CASBO’s Business Executives Leadership (BEL) Program will soon open enrollment for its Accelerated CBO path to certification. This six month, mostly virtual program offers an accelerated curriculum, designed for the busy professional
already serving in a CBO or equivalent leadership position. The majority of sessions will be held live online, with some in person instruction.
Currently serving in a CBO position or equivalent; and 1 5+ years of experience in a district/county office of education in said position. finance, budget development and accounting; communications; leadership and operations; and human resources.
The BEL Program has been refined to ensure the content is competency-based and designed for immediate application, with training concentrations in:
The application for this in demand certification is open now! Learn more about the BEL Program and our additional pathway Aspiring CBO.
The 2022 CBO Job Task Analysis Survey launches on Wednesday! The survey explores and validates CBO roles and practices, while increasing the understanding and credibility of the profession. The survey data also enhances the integrity of the
CBO certification exam process and helps shape future exam content.
All CBOs and related titles are encouraged to complete the survey (the CBO credential is not required). The survey only takes about 25 minutes to complete and responses will be kept confidential. No identifiers are used in the results or reporting.
Watch your inbox for an email from the “Certiverse Team” (Certiverse is CASBO’s vendor for managing the survey). If you don’t see the email, please check your spam/junk folder. If you still can’t find it or have any questions, email help@certiverse.com or gsutherland@casbo.org. The deadline to participate is Friday, October 21. CASBO thanks you in advance for completing this important survey.
We’ve all been reading articles about burnout, and this feeling applies to folks in many roles, including school district and sitelevel leaders.
But what can executives really do to assuage this feeling and keep the good work going? Mahfouz, Kathleen King and Danny Yahya of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, have some ideas. Pro tip: Many involve promoting self care.
Currently, though being “burned out” and “busy” seems to be equated with “productivity” in the field of education, staff who are stressed and overworked are actually less effective. That’s why we should start shifting that culture away from holding our state of stress as a badge of honor to one that honors free time and appreciates calm.
In a new, healthier culture, self care is not a selfish act. You don’t expect a car to operate without gas. Similarly, you cannot serve from an empty vessel. School districts, school boards, professional associations, colleagues and staff can support employees’ well being by sending messages that confirm the importance of self-care for school leadership
While these ideas apply to people in all kinds of roles, the people at Greater Good had these suggestions for principals in particular.
District leaders can lower expectations that principals will answer their emails on weekends or after school hours, unless there are true emergencies. This may seem like a small step, but it can be a huge support to principals. Wellness programs for self care also can help school leader stress, since a work life balance can increase productivity and positivity while also providing a model for staff and students
Mindfulness can be another effective tool of self care through development of perspective, being present in the moment, and increased resiliency for effective problem solving. Carving time for connections with people we care about, whether it be through a virtual Zoom call or on a nature hike or over an outing, can help boost mental health, improve our quality of life beyond school or work, and amplify our sense of fulfillment and gratitude.
In the business world, many corporations provide opportunities for leadership teams to participate in social emotional learning (SEL) programs. In the field of education, however, most school systems do not provide such opportunities for their leaders. Professional development programs must be created to cultivate principals’ own social and emotional well being and help them develop the skills necessary to effectively lead SEL implementation.
Although short-term professional development programs may support principals’ social and emotional well being, the learning application process requires sustained support over time. It may be helpful to establish local networks for school leaders to help them connect with others who face similar demands and challenges and with mentors they can trust.
Guidance and support from peers may help prevent isolation, which has become more pronounced in recent years as the role of the principal has become more complex. Mentorship programs that partner veteran principals with novice principals may also promote well being. By providing ongoing professional development opportunities and establishing mentorship programs, schools can help principals attend to their own well being.
Principal turnover is a serious concern, given the critical role school leaders play in implementing long-term school improvement efforts. The numbers of principals and superintendents retiring this past year has skyrocketed with the spread of the pandemic. However, evidence shows that schools with high turnover exhibit lower commitment to improvement. Moreover, principal turnover can lead to teacher turnover, thereby increasing levels of dissatisfaction and burnout and decreasing the likelihood of cultivating satisfying, caring relationships
In neighborhoods with high levels of student mobility and poverty, principal stability is especially important. Schools can support the creation of environments that promote and prioritize well being for all school stakeholders by creating greater stability for principals through longer-term assignments.
A new survey suggests that Americans generally like their jobs but it also identifies where we're struggling.
The American Psychological Association (APA) commissioned a survey of over 2,000 adults in the U.S. who were working full time, working part time or are self employed. They answered questions about how they were feeling at work and which aspects of their work environments were helping or hindering their well-being
Their responses point to a few key areas where organizations might focus to better support their workers and they highlight how inequalities shape well being on the job.
There may be some recent progress in how mental health is addressed at work, because over 70% of respondents believed that their employer was more concerned about employee mental health than in the past.
The kind of mental health supports people want include flexible hours and remote work, a workplace culture that respects time off and a four day work week.
Office workers are faring better than other professions.
Most of the respondents to the APA survey fell into three categories: office workers, manual laborers and service workers (people who interact with customers, clients or patients, including food and retail workers, teachers, and health care workers).
More office workers say that their work schedules – including how much they work and how flexible their hours are – have improved during the pandemic, and more manual laborers and service workers say their schedules have gotten worse.
Work should be a safe place, but large numbers of employees report feeling frightened often at work. These numbers are higher for Black (29%) and Latino (31%) adults, and for younger workers.
What makes people scared? The threat of COVID-19 and other illnesses is one possibility. More research is needed, especially because of the disparities in who feels fearful at work.
Concerns about compensation may be hurting well-being.
With the U.S. inflation rate on the rise throughout the pandemic, 71% of workers are worried that compensation has not kept up with inflation And these workers – compared to those who aren’t worried – are more likely to say that work is hurting their well-being, feel tense or stressed often, and want to quit.
People feel worse when their employer is monitoring them.
Employee monitoring is common, with more than half of the respondents’ employers using computers, cameras and other technology to keep an eye on them
Most people who are being monitored are uncomfortable with it, and they believe their work environment is bad for their mental health. Compared to employees who don’t believe they’re being monitored, they are more likely to feel tense or stressed, and to consider their workplace toxic.
Still, people are largely satisfied at work.
Despite all these challenges at work, an overwhelming 91% of Americans surveyed are somewhat or very satisfied with their jobs.
The constant pursuit of connectivity is causing our brains to lose mental focus. Raise your hand if you’ve experienced this feeling.
The good news is that experts have plenty of recommendations to help the brain rest and renew. Here are tips for how to do just that from Marcel Schwantes for Inc.
1. Treasure your downtime. Downtime means calming your brain down with activities that can take as little as 5 to 10 minutes. Try these:
Practice mindful meditation.
Listen to music
Look at artwork.
Watch a YouTube clip of your favorite comedian to make you laugh. Have positive conversations with friends (negative conversations appear to overly activate your brain).
Go on a short nature walk.
2. Take a break from tech. Do you suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out)? You know, that uneasy and sometimes all consuming feeling that you're missing out on what your peers, friends and connections may be sharing or commenting? If you find yourself checking social media like a nervous twitch so you don't feel out of the loop, you probably suffer from it and should give your tech a break.
3. Try a digital detox. In extreme cases, a digital detox program may be the solution to break your tech addiction. A National Sleep Foundation (NSF) poll found that 95% of Americans use technology within the last hour before lights out Our brains pay the price for these late night tech fests. It's important to learn what brain-calming activities you personally find relaxing and enjoyable, and which ones cause it to be overactive.
Try these digital wind-down rituals every night:
Unplug one to two hours before bed to allow your brain a chance to unwind and get ready for sleep.
Replace tech with some invaluable “ me time” that includes reading, writing, praying or meditating.
Read hard copies of your favorite book, preferably one where the topic and writing style requires using less brain power.
You'll find some television shows relaxing and others invigorating, so use your best judgment.
Try a crossword puzzle, if it feels brain calming.
Store all digital devices in an area of the house other than the bedroom. Use an alarm clock rather than your smartphone as a wake-up device
