School closings tracker: Closures are spreading throughout northern U.S. – By Matt Zalaznick, District Administration

After a big drop in closures earlier this fall, more schools are now shutting down as colder weather spreads and COVID rates climb in various parts of the country.

Some districts in once-hard-hit areas of the South and Midwest areas are now even dropping their mask mandates even though vaccinations rates have only climbed slowly.

But COVID is continuing to shut down classrooms, schools and entire districts in northern states that experienced less severe outbreaks of the delta variant.

And, as many of this fall’s closures have been caused by shortages of teachers, bus drivers and other staff as have been caused by COVID outbreaks among students.

Supreme Court to decide on public assistance for religious school tuition – By Kara Arundell, K-12 Dive

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in a case that could have significant consequences on the use of public funding for student tuition at schools with religious affiliations and teachings. 

The justices spent much of the nearly two-hour session questioning attorneys on both sides of Carson v. Makin (2021) about whether a public tuition subsidy program that excludes religious schools discriminates against families who want their children to have a faith-based education, as well as the potential harm of allowing public funding to support religious instruction. 

Although the case centers on a small tuition program for students in rural Maine with limited access to public schools, legal experts and advocates on both sides of the debate say the high court's decision could have widespread ramifications for either opening more opportunities for public tuition-based programs or severely limiting their availability. The justices are expected to issue a decision next year.

It’s official: David Banks will be NYC’s next schools chancellor – By Alex Zimmerman, Chalkbeat

David Banks, a former principal who helped launch a small network of public schools that primarily serve boys of color, will be the next leader of the nation’s largest school district, Mayor-elect Eric Adams is expected to announce Thursday.

A trusted education advisor to Adams during his campaign, Banks was widely expected to become the New York City schools chancellor, and Adams did not appear to seriously consider many other candidates for the role.

Banks currently helms the Eagle Academy Foundation — which supports five schools in New York City and one in New Jersey — and will assume his new role when Adams takes office on Jan. 1.

Banks, who is moving back to the city from New Jersey this month, won’t have much time for a honeymoon. He takes the reins amid a third consecutive school year disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, as virus cases are rising, and the threat of the omicron variant looms. He will immediately face questions about how he will approach health and safety rules and whether the administration will make any adjustments. Adams has already signaled he is open to mandating vaccines for students, an idea Mayor Bill de Blasio has resisted.

State Board of Education asks Missouri to study open enrollment, raise teacher wages in '22 – By Galen Bacharier, Springfield News Leader in Yahoo! News

Missouri's State Board of Education is asking the state's education department to study "best practices" in allowing students to attend public schools outside of their assigned districts, alongside a slate of other legislative priorities and proposals for 2022.

The board is also putting its support behind a $10,000 raise in minimum wage for teachers, required school board meetings for parents to weigh in on districts' curricula, and ways to change teachers' salary structure. Missouri's General Assembly will return to Jefferson City for its annual legislative session in January.

Encouragement for the state to look at open enrollment for schools comes as Republican lawmakers take aim at public education, criticizing their governance and curricula and proposing charter, private or home schooling as alternatives. Students in Missouri are currently placed within the district corresponding to their home address.

A bill proposed last year would have allowed students to transfer districts but died in a Senate committee. It saw hesitation and pushback from a number of lawmakers along the way, passing the full House with an 82-68 vote.