Students were learning about financial literacy. The class was given $400 to shop for holiday gifts, but they decided to raise the ante. They started with doing chores to add to the pot.

The vote laid bare divisions on the Texas State Board of Education over how students learn about climate change. In recent years, the panel has faced other heated curriculum battles surrounding how evolution and U.S. history are taught to more than 5 million students.

Teacher retention grants and other forms of recruitment assistance are available from state and federal agencies and a wide range of other sources. Here's how K12 leaders are deploying the funds.

In 2018, West Virginia school employees went on strike for the first time in two years in large part over concerns about the Public Employees Insurance Agency's long-term solvency. Gov. Justice created a task force to study the issue as part of his agreement with labor unions. But it never resulted in any significant policy changes to stabilize the budget.