Mayor Parker, Council President Johnson Reviving 90s-Era Collaboration -Over the first year in their respective positions, Mayor Cherelle Parker and City Council President Kenyatta Johnson have intentionally worked to build a...more
Gov. Shapiro Urges Moral Clarity After Minnesota Lawmaker’s Assassination - Following the politically motivated killing of Minnesota House Leader Melissa Hortman and the shooting of state Senator John Hoffman, Pennsylvania...more
On May 22, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a per curiam decision in Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, resulting in a 4-4 split due to the recusal of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. The Court’s split decision...more
Gov. Shapiro Launches “Deliberative Polling” to Foster Bipartisan Dialogue -Governor Josh Shapiro (D) launched a three-day deliberative polling event in Philadelphia aimed at encouraging informed, cross-partisan discussions...more
FY26 Budget Negotiations Entering HOME Stretch - Thursday marks the final opportunity for the City Council to advance bills—including those tied to Mayor Cherelle Parker’s $6.7 billion proposed budget and Housing...more
The State of Oklahoma has a charter school law similar in many respects to New York’s Charter Schools Act. Like in New York, Oklahoma charter schools are authorized by a state board via charter agreements between the state...more
Federal Funding Uncertainties Send PA Budget Talks into Limbo - State lawmakers are struggling to agree on funding priorities in time to meet the budget deadline of June 30 as federal uncertainties in transit, education, and...more
As the academic year is now wrapping up, we hope that the final weeks of school have been relatively stress free, and that our clients are now looking forward to some slower summer days. Here at Franczek, we have continued to...more
In a one-sentence, 4-to-4 per curiam decision, the Supreme Court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's ruling that approval of a religious school's participation in the state's charter school program would violate the...more
On May 22, 2025, the United States Supreme Court issued a one-sentence order affirming the judgment of the Oklahoma Supreme Court in the consolidated cases of Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, and St....more
On Thursday, May 22, the Supreme Court of the United States issued two decisions: Kousisis v. United States, No. 23-909: This case addresses the elements of the federal wire fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1343....more
Yesterday, an evenly divided 4–4 U.S. Supreme Court, with Justice Barrett having recused herself, decided in Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond to leave in place the holding of the Oklahoma Supreme Court...more
Welcome to our fourth issue of The Academic Advisor for 2025. In this edition, we cover the following topics of interest for schools, institutions of higher education, and other education-focused organizations: - How a...more
On April 30, 2025, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the consolidated cases of Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond and St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond. If the...more
Today, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of the Office of Inspector General and Office of General Counsel, one of just a dozen or so agencies reporting directly to the secretary....more
On March 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order (“EO”) titled “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities,” directing the Secretary of Education to undertake all...more
Esperanza Academy Charter School v. The School District of Philadelphia, 2024 WL 4875053 (Pa.Cmwlth. 2024). (Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court held that school districts’ deductions of federal grant expenditures from charter...more
On Jan. 29, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” executive order (EO) and the “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families” EO, directing federal agencies to...more
Some of us measure our year in weeks, months, or, for the readers of this article, likely by the school calendar. The Supreme Court, however, has its own measurement. The Court operates, hears cases, and issues rulings each...more
On January 24, 2025, the United States Supreme Court granted two petitions for certiorari in the cases of Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond and St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond,...more
On January 24, 2025, the Court granted certiorari in three cases: Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond, Nos. 24-394, 24-396: These consolidated...more
On January 9, 2025, a federal court in Kentucky vacated the 2024 Title IX regulations that had been adopted by the U.S. Department of Education and which have been in effect since August 1, 2024. (Tennessee v. Cardona (E.D....more
SEC to Charter Schools: Avoid these risks when you engage your financing team - If you’ve financed a school facility – or you’re thinking about it – the SEC is watching (out for) you and the financing team you hire. They’ve...more
The SEC is reminding charter schools to seek advice on municipal securities only from registered municipal advisors. A bulletin from the SEC’s Office of Municipal Securities and Division of Enforcement’s Public Finance Abuse...more
By law, public schools in the United States must provide services and support for students with special needs. However, some families find that an alternative to public schooling, known as microschools, better suits their...more