November 26, 2024

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The U.S. Department of Education released the 2025-26 FAFSA form ahead of schedule, making it available 10 days earlier than their anticipated December 1 goal.

To maintain this momentum, the Department is launching a High School Senior FAFSA Week of Action, set for December 9-13.

Please encourage school counselors, principals, superintendents, after-school programs, parent groups, nonprofits, and other educational organizations to join this initiative by raising awareness about the FAFSA and supporting students in creating their FSA ID and completing their applications.

The U.S. Department of Education recently launched the K-12 Cybersecurity page to support schools in mitigating cyber threats and safeguarding their digital infrastructure. Partnering with federal agencies like CISA and the FBI, the initiative provides schools with training, risk management frameworks, and access to cost-effective tools. It emphasizes a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, focusing on prevention, response, and recovery to strengthen overall resilience. 

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has concluded that the administration of Universal Service Programs adheres to selected FCC requirements, with no recommendations for changes.

The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), a private corporation, oversees four federal programs that manage approximately $8 billion annually in subsidies to expand broadband and telecommunications access for low-income households, high-cost areas, schools, libraries, and rural healthcare facilities.

The GAO’s review of FCC and USAC practices, including goal setting, reporting, and budgeting, confirmed alignment with selected FCC requirements.

Joan Wade, AESA Executive Director, represents the interests of ESAs, K-12 schools, and libraries on USAC’s Board of Directors.

Read the full report and highlights here.

The latest ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas invalidates the entirety of DOL’s overtime final rule. In his decision, Judge Jordan stated that while DOL has the authority to define and delimit the terms of the overtime exemption, “that authority ‘is not unbounded.’” He explained, "the minimum salary level imposed by the 2024 Rule 'effectively eliminates' consideration of whether an employee performs 'bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity’ duties in favor of what amounts to a salary-only test.” Read more here.

We are happy to share this post-election analysis as prepared by EdCounsel, a consulting group that collaborates with AESA. This summary focuses on how the election of President-elect Donald Trump could impact the role and scope of the U.S. Department of Education and explores what a unified Republican government may mean for education, including key risks and opportunities for early childhood, K-12, higher education, R&D, and civil rights. Additionally, this overview outlines several major actions that a second Trump Administration is likely to pursue in an effort to achieve its federal education policy goals, as well as provides key information on what to expect during the presidential transition and early days of a 119th Congress. 

The debate over the federal role in education has taken a new turn with a recently filed bill aiming to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. This proposal has sparked conversations about its implications for schools, educators, and students nationwide. Education Week dives into the details of the bill, its proposed changes, and the broader impact on educational policy. Read the full article here.

Linda McMahon, the co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team who spent much of her career as a pro-wrestling executive, is the incoming president’s choice to serve as secretary of education, the transition team announced Tuesday. EdWeek coverage here.

AESA partners with AASA in federal advocacy efforts. On AASA's episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant, AASA Advocacy & Governance Coordinator who also works on the AESA advocacy team, gets into the weeds on the current saga of the FCC's Universal Service Fund and E-Rate with Jon Bernstein, an education technology and telecommunications lobbyist and president of Bernstein Strategy Group. 

Does your annual spend on health benefits put a strain on your budget and limit what you are able to offer your district? Do your employees complain that every year they are paying more and getting less from their health benefits? Universal Benefits Consortium provides custom strategies aimed at delivering benefits that help retain and recruit top talent for your district.

AESA now partners with Universal Benefits Consortium (UBC) to provide you a valuable resource to help assess your current health benefit offerings and provide guidance about plan design.

With a quick survey, UBC is gathering your interest in a free assessment of your current plan offering. (https://ubc-benefits.com/health-insurance-questionaire/)

For many families and individuals, health insurance is one of the largest household expenses. It is not uncommon for health insurance premiums to equal or exceed 10 percent of income, and oftentimes there are significant additional out-of-pocket costs.

With UBC, benefit packages are customized to your district’s specific needs, starting with how they are funded and which services are provided for your employees.  Benefit packages include not only your traditional medical plans, but they also feature services like telemedicine, an international mail-order pharmacy, and alternatives for outpatient surgery and major or complex medical imaging for FREE or low cost to your employees.

Districts who work with UBC list the following advantages:

• True plan customization and excellent customer service
• No consulting fees
• Comprehensive health benefits aimed at recruitment and retention of top talent
• Communication with UBC throughout the plan year to promote cost saving measures and use of the free or no cost products included in employees’ medical plan
• Partnership with UBC to provide communication, training, printed materials and support for your employees, both during open enrollment as well as throughout the plan year

Are you interested in learning more? Could you be getting better benefits for the funds you are currently investing? We invite you to take this three-minute survey!

https://ubc-benefits.com/health-insurance-questionaire/

We are thrilled to have Universal Benefits Consortium as part of our growing portfolio of companies committed to supporting educators, and we encourage you to have a free conversation to be sure you are getting the most from your medical plan in 2024-25 and beyond!

Read the latest update from CoSN. The primary focus this month is on a special CoSN Report on the Experiences and Lessons Learned During the CoSN 2024 International Education Delegation to Spain.