INDIANAPOLIS - Some Indiana educators are speaking out about legislation they contend is anti-union and singles out teachers.

Under Senate Bill 251, teacher unions would not be allowed to automatically renew members. Instead, teachers and support staff would need to re-enroll every year, and personally request that dues be deducted from their paychecks.

Shannon Adams, president of Martinsville Classroom Teachers Association Local 6548, said she sees it as a solution in search of a problem.

"I struggle with seeing how that's a priority during the pandemic, with the issues we have with jobs and the economy," she said. "It feels incredibly discriminatory in practice."

SB 251 also would require school districts to send a yearly notice to teachers, stating that they aren't required to join a union. Supporters have claimed the measure would help teachers by allowing them the chance to review union membership and ensure they're not unknowingly paying fees. However, Adams countered that teachers don't want or need that kind of help.

The Senate's Fiscal Impact Statement showed that the provisions in the bill would mean a workload increase for public schools. Randy Harrison, president of Anderson Federation of Teachers Local 519, predicted it would be "more red tape" for unions and their members.

"It's going to create more paperwork, to the tune of roughly 500 people in Anderson that are going to have to re-up as members every year," he said. "So, it's going to create an undue burden on not only the union office, but it will also create that on the payroll and the business office."

Adams said the bill only targets union dues among many possible paycheck deductions, and it includes only teachers and staff in public schools.

"Why are we attacking public labor? Because that's what it feels like," she said. "Why the urgency? Why is there such a similar bill in Florida? Who's behind it? I just don't see that there is a problem with the way our teachers' associations do their business."

Unlike SB 251, the bill Florida lawmakers are considering does include all public workers. The Indiana Senate had a second reading of SB 251 on Monday, and it could be on the Senate floor by the end of the week.

DENVER -- Women and low-income students disproportionately put their college careers on hold during the pandemic, according to a new report.

Of the 13,000 Coloradans who "stopped out" of college over the past three years, 43% were students of color.

Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, explained when family members got sick and could not go to work, many students stepped in to help.

"We forget that there are extended families," Paccione explained. "Especially in different cultures, where everybody pitches in, and it's not just mom, dad and two children. When you have to pitch in for the entire family, then students of color, in particular, have stopped out."

When elementary schools closed, many adult students who could not afford child care also decided to stay home with their kids.

Paccione pointed out the state is making big investments to help students return to classrooms to finish degrees, or to get skills needed to land higher-paying jobs. Students can connect with scholarships, tutoring, food assistance and other supports online at ReadytoRiseCO.org.

Paccione noted completing a degree or certificate program is critical for maximizing a student's lifetime earning potential. She pointed to the "Finish What You Started" program as a great way to get back on track.

"This is scholarship money and wraparound services at the institutions of higher education that will help students who have started a degree, but had to drop out for whatever reason," Paccione outlined. "Life happens. Finish what they started."

Many of the state's four-year colleges can now award associate degrees to students who completed enough course work before stopping out. Paccione added her team is also working to expand apprentice opportunities across the state.

"To try to give students an early experience in the workforce," Paccione stressed. "Number one, they can see what they're missing, and number two, they can see what they need. And the employer can also try out, so to speak, students before they actually offer them a position."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

PRAIRIE DU SAC, Wis. -- Broadband gaps affect many facets of life, including education. The new federal infrastructure plan includes money to expand high-speed internet access, potentially making learning easier in rural Wisconsin.

The state is poised to receive at least $100 million to help with broadband gaps, with the possibility of more money based on need.

Kim Kaukl, executive director of the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance, said with broadband infrastructure still hard to come by in many remote areas, students face barriers, even in the absence of a global health crisis.

He pointed out being connected can give them a boost with day-to-day assignments.

"Many of our kids, when they get home, they do not have the connectivity," Kaukl explained. "Or, if they have the connectivity, they don't have the download speed to do the research that maybe they need to do for a report, or a project that they're working on."

He said even when many districts around the country were doing distance learning a year ago, smaller schools in Wisconsin had to get creative to maintain face-to-face time. He suggested it was the only real way to ensure learning was not disrupted.

As the funds are distributed, Kaukl emphasized he hopes local internet providers play a prominent role because of their connections to local communities.

Kaukl added establishing more Wi-Fi capability and higher download speeds not only helps families be prepared for the next crisis, but also for snow days. As for schools, the opportunities allow them to avoid falling behind in terms of technology.

"I would say many of our schools are pretty well set," Kaukl acknowledged. "But we've got some areas and pockets, yet that are still struggling with that."

Last year, 80% of districts in a survey from the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association said they need funding for technology training for staff.

According to federal officials, more than 5% of Wisconsin residents live in broadband infrastructure "deserts," and 14% of households don't have an internet subscription.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) has released a new report this week, with recommendations from educators about how best to shape the future of public education in the state.

Andy Pallotta, president of NYSUT, said the union's Future Forward Task Force is suggesting deeper state investments in schools rather than returning students to pre-COVID standards.

He contended it means doing more to meet students' social and emotional needs by funding more school counselor positions.

"Some of the ratios are tremendously high in the state, and we'd love to see those come down, in a big way," Pallotta explained. "Like, let's not just make it one to a thousand or one to 500. Let's try and get it one to 250 students, one to 200 students."

He added cities in New York could be using leftover federal pandemic relief money to fund positions in their school districts. NYSUT also wants state lawmakers to enact minimum employment standards for critical staff, in positions like school social workers, psychologists, counselors and nurses.

As a former New York City educator, Pallotta argued counseling positions were vital to students' well-being.

"When we hired social workers in the school that I worked in, things improved," Pallotta recounted. "There was reach-out, The students had someone to turn to beside the teacher, who has maybe 30 other students in the classroom."

He noted it is especially important with educators across the board reporting burnout in the pandemic.

The report also suggested more districts create "community schools," which coordinate additional food and health services to help connect children and their families.

Pallotta pointed to the Rome Connected Community Schools program as one example.

"They have a food pantry, and they have health services for the children in the school buildings, partnerships with hospitals, and young people can go in and pick out clothing that they would need," Pallotta outlined.

NYSUT recommended new annual state funding of $100 million to create more community schools. According to the report, out of about 730 districts in the state, just under 300 use the model.