In 2018, we set out with 30 goals for 13 million children. Here’s how we did.

ConnCAN

• Support the equitable funding of public charter schools.
  • ConnCAN secured a $250 per pupil funding increase for students attending charter schools in the state budget, which resulted in $2.5 million in additional funds available to families for education per year.
• Streamline teacher certification rules and open up flexible pathways to give quality candidates the opportunity to teach or lead in Connecticut schools.
  • ConnCAN worked with partners across the state to secure the passage of SB 455, a teacher certification bill that focuses on subject mastery and testing relief for out-of-state teachers, allowing the best teachers from around the region to lead Connecticut classrooms.

DelawareCAN

• Change the state’s funding formula to one that provides sufficient flexibility and accounts for student poverty, English-language learners and special education.
  • DelawareCAN and its partners helped pass a law that requires clear and consistent school-level reporting around finances. (SB 172)

• Ensure Delaware’s 2019 budget restores full investment in tiered reimbursement for early childhood centers.
  • The governor’s 2019 budget included, and the General Assembly approved, $3.8 million to support the tiered reimbursements that providers receive from the state based on achieving high quality in the Stars quality rating program.

GeorgiaCAN

• Support high-quality school options by ensuring all public schools are equitably funded and eliminating the funding disparities public charter schools face.
  • The GeorgiaCAN team and charter school partners across the state successfully advocated for the passage of HB 787, which increased funding for state charter schools by $18 million. Additionally the bill established a grant program to replicate high-performing charters that focus on serving low-income students, students with special needs and students in rural communities.

• Pass legislation to raise the cap of the tuition tax-credit scholarship program to benefit more children seeking an educational alternative and increase the transparency of the program.
  • GeorgiaCAN worked with coalition partners to pass HB217, which raised scholarship tax credit program cap from $58 million to $100 million annually. The legislation also included increased transparency and better annual reporting, requiring student scholarship organizations to disclose both the number of students they serve in income brackets based on the federal poverty level and the average size of scholarships awarded by income bracket.

• Restore the AP exam subsidy for low-income students.
  • GeorgiaCAN worked with the state legislature to restore funding to allow low-income students to take an AP exam in a non-STEM field at no cost. Through funding in HB 683 and HB 684, all low-income students in the state can now take one STEM and one non-STEM AP exam for free.

HawaiiKidsCAN

• Pass a bill that enables all high schools to offer computer science professional development to teachers.
  • HawaiiKidsCAN saw the passage of HB2607, a $500,000 appropriation that doubles the number of high-quality computer science teachers and classes available to Hawaii students and will require every high school to teach computer science by 2021.

JerseyCAN

• Create more equitable and sustainable school and facilities funding solutions that address the needs of all schools, including district and charter schools.
  • The JerseyCAN team and partners secured budget language which held charters harmless on a per-pupil basis and ensured funding for each new seat added in 2019.

• Promote and protect high standards for NJ students and aligned assessments so we can accurately measure students’ progress and college readiness.
  • JerseyCAN assisted in negotiating a compromise before the State Board of Education, maintaining four of the six PARCC exams for high school students.

• Create broader and more equitable access to STEM learning opportunities.
  • JerseyCAN collaborated with the Computer Science Teachers’ Association of New Jersey on the inclusion of the governor’s “Computer Science for All” initiative in the budget for 2019. The $2 million grant program seeks to expand college level Computer Science courses in The Garden State.

TennesseeCAN

• Continue the state’s investment in the Charter School Facilities Grant Program to support charter schools’ success, or open additional avenues for funding through policy change.
  • TennesseeCAN worked with partners to support Governor Haslam’s budget, which made several critical investments in education including $6 million for charter school facilities grants and $10 million in school turnaround grants for priority schools.

• Increase funding for special education and response to intervention and ensure access to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act high-cost reimbursement for all public schools.
  • TennesseeCAN championed the passage of HB 1870 and SB 1901, which opened avenues for public charter schools to receive funds for support services dedicated to special education students and allocated over $13 million across state districts.

We are so proud of the hard work from our teams across our network. Our advocates have secured great wins this year that have resulted in real change for the 13 million kids across these states. We can’t wait to return in the new year to share out our goals for 2019.