January 31, 2025
Each month, the State Examiner covers five topics including:
- Legislative Issue Monitoring
- Statehouse News: Education Policy (with links to news items)
- State Budget and Finance Monitoring
- National Reports Impacting Education
- Advocacy Tips
Each topic includes a brief introduction. To read the full articles under each headline, click on the "+" sign next to the topic.
Please find the pdf here for readers who prefer to print a version of the January 2025 State Examiner.
Legislative Issue Monitoring
In each edition of the State Examiner, AESA monitors state-level legislation and legislative trends impacting educational service agencies and their client schools and districts. This month’s report for January 2025 will examine Governors’ State of the State Addresses across the United States.
State of the State Addresses are important and strategic opportunities for governors to use their bully pulpit to articulate the mission, vision and policy priorities of their respective administrations. These high-profile events are followed closely by executive budget proposals the serve as the primary implementation vehicle to advance those priorities.
State Budget and Finance Monitoring
AESA monitors state level budget and finance news impacting preschool and primary and secondary education. These curated articles can provide insights into what is happening in your state and collectively across the U.S. The latest state budget and finance-related news for January 2025 follows below.
Statehouse News: Education Policy
Each month AESA finds representative examples (with links) of news items coming out of the states or impacting the states that may be of interest to ESAs and their client schools and districts:
National Reports Impacting Education
AESA monitors state and national reports highlighting state-level information of interest to ESAs. As always, it is important to view these reports through a critical lens with attention to research design, methodology, data sources and citations, peer review, and publication venue. This month AESA spotlights NAEP Scores from the Nation’s Report Card and National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), The Ohio Education Policy Institute (OEPI), and the National Association of State Budget Officials (NASBO).
Advocacy Tip
With the closeout of the 2024 legislative session calendar, education advocates enjoyed a brief respite over the holiday season before legislative bodies came roaring back to life this month with the swearing in of new members, State of the State addresses, release of executive budget proposals, and introduction or re-introduction of policy and funding bills, many of which may have a direct and substantial impact on educational service agencies and their Pre-k to 16 education and community partners.
Staying on top of the myriads of bills and administrative rules introduced, and understanding the potential impact, can be daunting. But, with the right tools, it’s a discipline that can be learned and a skill that can be mastered. This is important for educational service agency leaders who are often looked to by their client schools and districts for insights, guidance, and understanding.
That is the focus of the January 2025 advocacy tip: bringing clarity out of complexity when identifying, monitoring and taking positions on legislative and administrative proposals.
AESA State Advocacy Resources for ESAs
State-level legislative advocacy plays a crucial role in shaping the educational landscape. While federal policies often set broad educational priorities, state legislatures hold significant power over the funding, governance, and standards that directly impact local schools and districts. AESA supports state-level advocacy by offering training through publications, workshops, and presentations, which can be customized for individual states.
Educational Service Agencies play a critical role in supporting schools and districts, yet their unique needs and challenges often require tailored advocacy approaches. The recently released AESA Advocacy Guide recognizes the distinct position of ESAs and offers targeted strategies to help you navigate the complex landscape of education policy and funding.SHARE YOUR ADVOCACY SUCCESS STORIES
AESA would like to highlight successful state-level advocacy campaigns. Share your triumphs in state advocacy with fellow members! Contribute to our newsletter by submitting your success stories – your experiences can enlighten and inspire others in navigating the often complex landscape of state advocacy. Together, we can amplify our collective knowledge for the benefit of the entire AESA membership. Send your stories to jwade@aesa.us.
STAY CONNECTED & INVOLVED
Have feedback for the AESA State Advocacy Team? Would you like to see a particular issue area addressed in future editions? Send feedback to jwade@aesa.us.