Use this address for sending invoices, cards, regular mail, or other non-payment correspondence:

      Association of Educational Service Agencies,

      P.O. Box 404,

      Cheshire, CT 06410

We are thrilled to announce that the Annual Women’s Leadership Network Gathering is now open to ALL women in our membership base! This is your chance to join an incredible community of women leaders from across the ESA network—whether or not you’re part of the Women’s Leadership Network.

 

Dates: March 4-5, 2025
Location: Thompson Palm Springs
Address: 414 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, CA

 

This gathering is designed to:

• Foster Connection: Build relationships and expand your professional network.
• Inspire Growth: Exchange ideas, tackle leadership challenges, and spark innovation.
• Recharge Your Leadership Journey: Gain fresh perspectives and motivation to lead with confidence.

An exciting agenda is in the works! Expect thought-provoking discussions and collaborative sessions that will leave you empowered and energized.

 

Let’s come together to celebrate the strength and leadership of women in education!

• Signed a large number of executive orders, including ones about equity, gender (note: this explicitly rejects the application of the Bostock case to Title IX), birthright citizenship (note: putting aside whether this will withstand legal scrutiny, it’s worth flagging that the order appears to apply only to children born on 2/20/25 or later), and rescinding 78 Biden administration executive actions. Several other orders will affect the education systems, especially those related to immigration enforcement.
• Named Denise Carter as Acting Secretary of Education (pending the confirmation of Linda McMahon), along with a full list of Acting agency heads. Carter previously was serving in USED as the Acting Chief Operating Officer, Federal Student Aid. According to Politico, Carter “served previously as the department’s acting assistant secretary of finance and operations, where she was responsible for oversight of the financial, human resources, security and property operations. Carter was also a deputy assistant secretary for human resources at the Department of Health and Human Services.”

Congress is considering significant cuts to the federal Medicaid program that could have widespread consequences for school districts and negatively affect their ability to provide and sustain essential student health services.
 

To assess the potential impact on school health services, resources and funding, it is requested that superintendents participate in a survey that will inform federal and state policymakers and other stakeholders about the school Medicaid program and the impact of proposed federal cuts. Individual responses are voluntary, and respondents will be kept anonymous. 

 

A new update to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is raising concerns for schools and educators. In this guest blog post, we explore how these changes may compromise student privacy and place additional burdens on schools.

AESA joined 20 other national organizations in an amicus brief filed this week, in support of the E-Rate and Universal Service Fund. The Supreme Court is set to hear the Consumers v. FCC case, challenging the constitutionality of the underlying funding mechanism. AESA is proud to support an amicus so strong in its defense of the program and its long history in helping schools and libraries access the internet. 

The FCC released the latest Universal Service Fund monitoring report, using information available as of September 2024. The section specific to E-Rate starts on page 54. Read some key points.

Read the latest update from CoSN.  The primary focuses this month are on how to assist school leaders when it comes to assuring data privacy and information about how school districts can earn the Trusted Learning Environment Seal. 

Budget season is upon us! Pencils are sharp, contracts are being reviewed, ESA leaders  are sharing recommendations from their vendor partners. But… have you paused to explore one of the largest line items in your budget to see if you can save money and provide more attractive compensation plans for your employees?

 

We’re talking about medical benefits. You know, those plans that come with all the numbers… premiums, deductibles, max out of pockets, co-insurance, and all those other facts and figures that make your eyes glaze over. What if it didn’t have to be so hard?

 

As you think about your current medical plan, we hope you can answer YES to the next four questions! If not, we’d love to help.

Do you…

1. Understand how your benefits package is built and managed?
2. Have input on what it looks like and how it’s funded?
3. Know the difference between a self-funded, fully-insured, or level-funded plan? Which is best for your needs, both financially and from a plan design perspective?
4. Know how your plan is performing month over month throughout the plan year? (Hint: you should have an advocate helping tailor communication for you based on how your plan is doing throughout the year, not just see someone at open enrollment and renewal time).
5. Have custom features built into your plan to offset large expenses to your medical plan that drive up premiums year over year (i.e. free telemedicine and behavioral health, free outpatient surgery and complex imaging for MRIs, PET scans, CT scan, etc., and an international pharmacy component to offer free or greatly reduced brand or specialty medications from Canada)?

At Universal Benefits Consortium (UBC), our goal is to provide you with top-tier medical benefit plans that you can be proud of, afford to use, and are a factor when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent. But what’s equally important is that you are partners in this process. That you understand how the plan is built and funded and you have input in what’s best for your specific needs.

 

If you feel like the messenger each fall, telling your employees premiums have gone up again or saying, “it is what it is,” let’s connect! If UBC can help you, we’ll be the first to let you know. If you truly have a good plan already in place and UBC cannot help, we will let you know that too. 

 

Join us on Wednesday, February 19th at 2 pm ET to hear from UBC’s Managing Director Mark Woolery and ask questions to see if a new medical benefits partner might make sense for your needs. (P.S. You can keep your existing broker relationship and still leverage the price advantage Universal Benefits Consortium offers if that’s a factor for you!)