Student Vouchers Set, Finding

Sunday Solutions — July 27, 2025

Good morning! We’ve got updates, work toward community solutions, and a look at a world without data science. August is almost here, so let’s end July with purpose. Dig in.

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NEWS: K-12 EDUCATION

8,600 students likely to get vouchers

Parents are counting days until school starts, and some are waiting to hear whether their children will be included in Georgia’s new home school and private school voucher program this year. The fund has more money than applicants, with 8,600 students eligible for $6,500 in public money for private schools, home school materials or other educational services. However, the state is still reviewing applications and conducting data checks — The Current’s Maggie Lee reports the early review shows errors in eligible districts. The fund is intended for children whose schools have the lowest test scores in the state, but about 1 in 4 of the eligible students come from families that earn more than 4 times the federal poverty income level.

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DATA: CULTURE

News doesn’t always come from ‘the news’

Over the past week, we’ve been reading about fallout from the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which is often critical of government and the Trump administration. The show may have been snagged in the show’s owner’s merger approval talks with the federal government. Pew Research reminds us why this is important: Talk shows, social influencers and comedy sets often provide timely information with commentary that influences younger viewers that other information shows might not. Research done in 2014 on Colbert’s old show “The Colbert Report” found 1 in 10 U.S. adult internet users said they had gotten news from the show in the past week, and 15% trusted the show for news. Has that influence changed? Yes – those sources of news are more influential than ever. Here’s a look at recent data showing 4 in 10 adults under 30 get news from news influencers like Colbert. In the meantime, we’re glad you’re reading The Current…

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NEWS: UPDATES

Job Corps gets a reprieve

Hundreds of Job Corps students on 99 campuses like the ones in Brunswick and Albany will stay open, at least for now. A judge on Friday ruled that a lawsuit can go forward and agreed to an injunction to the closures, ordered earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Labor. Students and staff of the job training initiative were ordered to leave by June 6 but were granted a stay while the courts deliberated. This story by Jabari Gibbs in June describes the situation the students face.

Also from the week:

• Georgia nursing students gain transfer path from tech campus to four-year colleges: Program is designed speed efforts to fill nursing gaps in the state. From Capitol Beat
• Political fundraising for U.S. House, Senate seats accelerates ahead of midterm elections: The money is flowing and candidates are crowding in quickly. From The Current’s Craig Nelson
• Fewer than half of ICE arrests under Trump are convicted criminals: As detainments continue in Georgia and across the country, Stateline has a look at the data on reasons for arrest or detainment.
• Georgia health commission hasn’t met this year despite looming federal spending cuts: Without meetings or input, panel members say chair still plans to release a report. From The Current’s Margaret Coker
• New Georgia Senate panel to take up abolishing state income tax: Legislators say it’ll help state compete. From Capitol Beat
• Billions in federal education funding unfrozen by Trump administration: Districts across the country and state will get the money promised for teacher training, afterschool programs and more after it was held back. From Chalkbeat

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NEWS: COMMUNITY

Partners work toward community solution

Coastal Georgia counties and cities have been addressing the challenges of a growing unhoused population in various ways. On Wednesday, community partners in Savannah provided another view of what it looks like to follow up a serious problem with long-term answers. And, as we all know, execution of the plan is always the hard part. Union Mission, which serves the Savannah area, showed off its next working solution: converting a closed store into a day center packed with resources for unhoused Savannah residents health care, day shelter, job placement and other empowering resources.

The effort got a kickstart from philanthropist Greg Parker through Parker’s Kitchen and the Parker’s Community Fund with a $1 million pledge and the plans have been designed through SCAD SERVE, a student-led effort to create a space to serve a range of specific needs. This comes after the Savannah City Council voted recently to ban urban camping, followed by a noteworthy heat wave that continues to pack the mission’s day shelters. The new resource center, which will expand the mission’s current day shelter capacity, is expected to open in early 2026.

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NEWS: GOVERNING

☕ Your second cup: Forewarned is …

Regular readers will know that we’re fans of data as info that empowers us all to make better choices. In recent moves, the abilities of the government and other research arms to collect or interpret data are being cut or diminished. (We’ve already reported on data losses at NOAA just before hurricane season.) Two pieces this week look beyond the cuts and at the people and potential problems ahead.

• This one from nonprofit environmental journalists at Inside Climate News looks at the pending shutdown of the Enivronmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development work to assess risks in chemicals: We won’t know what’s dangerous.
• And since school is on our mind, here’s one from the nonprofit education site, The Hechinger Report. It’s an interview with the recently fired commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, the top data officer for education in the U.S. Her department is being dismantled. When it comes to student achievement, we won’t know what students don’t know or how to help them.

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