Augusta Baker: Twentieth Century Librarian, Author, and Champion of Inclusive Literature
Cuts Commence as Budget Statement Persists - With the state budget more than seven weeks overdue, delayed payments are straining Pennsylvania libraries, foster care agencies, and schools, prompting service cuts, borrowing,...more
The U.S. Solicitor General recently sought Supreme Court review of an en banc decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which found the Federal Communications Commission-run Universal Service Fund (USF) to...more
Recently, NAVEX connected with Michael Terrell, Senior Managing Director and Edwin Harris II, Manager, Business Solutions, to talk about Per Scholas and their impact. Per Scholas originated more than 30 years ago in the Bronx...more
On June 11, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") issued a Report and Order creating the Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program ("Pilot Program") to provide funding for K-12 schools, libraries, and...more
The FCC has adopted a three-year pilot program that will disburse up to $200 million from the Universal Service Fund (USF) to schools and libraries seeking to cover eligible cybersecurity services and equipment. The pilot...more
In 2022, state and local governments banned 2,571 different books. This is more books than were subject to such bans in the previous three years combined (2,436). Most of these efforts are taken at the local level. Texas’...more
As a new wave of book banning appears to be to be sweeping the nation, public school libraries are relying on a 1982 plurality opinion for guidance and coming up with more questions than answers. Pico, in which the United...more
Win in Court doesn’t Assure More Pennsylvania School Funding - “Pennsylvania is the latest state where the public school funding system was found to be unconstitutional, but the experience in other states suggests there’s...more
The expansion in federal and state funding coupled with low interest rate financing options now promise to make the goal of “middle mile” and “last mile” broadband connectivity a reality for local communities. Whether your...more
For some time now, improving broadband internet access has been a priority for school districts and other political subdivisions across Ohio. Moreover, one of the main challenges faced by school districts in their efforts to...more
The recently enacted $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief legislation includes $7.1 billion in emergency funds to support broadband connectivity for schools and libraries, as well as additional funding support for broadband...more
On Monday, March 8, 2021, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into a law a bill that amends the signature requirements for petitions for small city school districts, union free and central school districts, as well as libraries under...more
On July 17, 2019, after a 17-day delay, Governor Mike DeWine and the 133rd General Assembly completed work on House Bill (H.B.) 166, the state’s general operating budget for the biennium. It concludes several months of...more
On February 8, 2017, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau waived several of its rules with respect funding year 2017. The eligible services list (“ESL”) for FY 2017 contained several changes pertaining to whether a service...more
Despite announcing with much fanfare back in December 2014 that the FCC had changed its rules to permit schools and libraries to obtain E-rate funding to self-provision fiber, it appears that USAC has only just approved an...more
A decision this week from the D.C. Circuit shed light on three important issues. United States ex rel. Heath v. AT&T, Inc., No. 14-7094 (D.C. Cir. June 23, 2015). In 2008, the appellant, Todd Heath, filed an FCA qui tam...more
On April 29, several entities filed comments on Cox’s Petition for Reconsideration of the FCC’s December E-rate Order. That Order provided new support for schools and libraries to “self-provision,” or build their own...more
On December 29, 2014, Governor Cuomo signed a law granting school districts the authority to "charge back" real property tax certiorari refunds to school district public libraries. Until now, school districts that levied real...more