State Articles of Interest
Portsmouth schools push for $14.6m budget amid new buildings, teacher pay demands
Charlottesville parents, teachers and activists ask for revote on school resource officers
Roanoke County family files lawsuit against VHSL, school board over homeschool sports rule
Bill aims to reinforce ‘bell-to-bell’ cellphone ban in Va. schools
National Articles of Interest
Trump’s FY 2027 budget would slash $8.5B from selected K-12 programs
LGBTQ+ students report schools feel more hostile | K-12 Dive
AI is moving quickly. How can districts keep up? | K-12 Dive
How educators can help students learn to navigate polarizing issues | K-12 Dive
Professional development is linked to higher scores, but what works best? | K-12 Dive
3 state education chiefs share how they’re leading innovation efforts | K-12 Dive
DOE Updates
Scholarship Opportunity for Health and Physical Education Teachers to Support Presidential Fitness Testing
Article: 2026-12-156
Audience: Directors, Health and Physical Education Coordinators
Contact: Jennifer Vedder, Coordinator, Health, Family Life, Physical, and Driver Education, jennifer.vedder@doe.virginia.gov
The Science and Health Unit is pleased to announce scholarship opportunities for health and physical education teachers to attend the Health and Physical Activity Institute (HPAI) at James Madison University, July 13–15, 2026.
Selected teachers will attend workshops and participate in interactive activities to explore best practices in health and physical education, including fitness testing, adapted physical education, and innovative ways to enhance health education. Following a train-the-trainer model, each selected teacher will bring these best practices back to their division, positioning colleagues for success when the Presidential Fitness Tests are released.
Instructional leads for Health and Physical Education, as designated in SSWS, will receive a nomination link to identify one health and physical education teacher from their division to be considered for a scholarship award.
Questions may be directed to jennifer.vedder@doe.virginia.gov
Serve Virginia Webinar: Enhancing the Volunteer Experience
Effective volunteer mobilization extends far beyond initial recruitment efforts and requires a comprehensive approach to both attracting and retaining dedicated volunteers. There are also many different ways to approach designing a volunteer experience to fit the skills, needs, and interests of different groups. Join Serve Virginia for a webinar on April 28 at noon, to discuss insights from the 2025 Virginia Community Engagement Index on the volunteer experience and hear from a panel specifically on the lessons learned from cultivating volunteer experiences for younger audiences. Register today!
Ed. Department Updates
The Department Announces Plan to Downsize Footprint in Washington, D.C. and Save Taxpayers Over $4.8 Million Annually
On March 26th, the Department announced a prudent step to save hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars and further reduce the federal education bureaucracy in Washington, D.C., U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and General Services Administration Administrator Edward C. Forst announced that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will move out of the Lyndon B. Johnson headquarters building, and that the building will go to a better-suited tenant: the Department of Energy. ED will relocate to 500 D Street SW, saving taxpayers approximately $4.8 million annually in operating costs and eliminating wasted space in a building that is roughly 70% vacant. The Department plans to move later this year.
