In their 2026 State-of-the-State addresses, governors proposed a range of education initiatives for the year ahead, with many emphasizing school choice programs, higher education affordability and access to early childhood services. FutureEd analyzed speeches from 39 governors, highlighting key themes, moments of bipartisan agreement and persistent partisan divides.
School choice was a central point of disagreement, with Republican governors more likely to advocate for increased use of public funds for private schooling. A subset of Republican governors also focused on restricting transgender participation in women’s sports. Some Democratic governors fervently criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement for conducting raids in and around schools.
But governors from both parties prioritized improving student achievement — especially in literacy — and increasing funding for public education and teacher pay. School nutrition emerged as a newly prominent area of shared focus.
School Choice
Thirteen governors — all Republicans except for Arizona’s Katie Hobbs — referenced school choice in their speeches, with the vast majority promoting the use of public dollars for private education.
Several governors advocated for expansion of their state’s private school choice programs, either by increasing funding or by broadening eligibility for participation. Missouri’s governor, Mike Kehoe, for example, proposed investing an additional $10 million in the MO Scholars Program. By contrast, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster focused on eligibility, calling for universal access to the state’s education scholarship trust fund, which is currently limited to low-income families.
Three governors announced that they will opt in to the new federal tax credit scholarship program. South Dakota’s Larry Rhoden praised the program and said the state will work with private school, public school and homeschool leaders to prepare for implementation in January 2027.
Other governors highlighted the need for more guardrails in private school choice programs. Hobbs continued to call for increased oversight of Arizona’s universal ESA program, arguing
that a program originally designed to support students with disabilities and military families
has become vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse, while Idaho’s Brad Little called for greater accountability in his state’s choice program.
Meanwhile, Kehoe and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who are both Republicans, urged state lawmakers to support more choices for students within public education. Kehoe set aside $7.5 million for open school district enrollment, and Iowa’s Kim Reynolds proposed that per-pupil funding follow students to charter schools.
Higher Education
Twenty-two governors discussed higher education priorities, largely centered on financial aid and affordability. Colorado’s Jared Polis continued his commitment to making the first two years at the state’s public colleges free for low-income high school graduates, and Indiana’s Mike Braun announced a freeze on tuition and mandatory fees at every public university for the next two years.
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Others proposed targeted scholarships. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen promised that every in-state student who scores a 33 or better on the ACT will receive a full scholarship, including housing, to the University of Nebraska. Georgia’s Brian Kemp proposed a $325 million investment in the state university’s needs-based DREAMS Scholarships.
Five governors proposed health sector-related higher education initiatives. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the construction and endowment of a new medical school. Idaho’s Little committed $1 million to support graduate medical education, while Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear proposed $25 million for nursing student loan forgiveness.
Workforce Development
Looking beyond traditional post-secondary pathways, 15 governors highlighted workforce development initiatives and the importance of aligning career and technical education with the demands of a dynamic job market.
Both Republican and Democratic governors proposed expanding K-12 and postsecondary programs that connect students to apprenticeships in skilled trades, health care, education and technology. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, who proposed construction apprenticeships directly tied to affordable housing initiatives and partnerships between schools and nonprofits to train the next generation of climate stewards — key priorities for the state.
Kehoe announced support for a specific trade: pet grooming. His budget includes funding for expanding a Kansas City nonprofit called Pawsperity, which he said has helped 200 low-income students achieve financial stability through a stable career.
The governors of Colorado and South Dakota called for stronger state-level coordination, proposing new agencies to track workforce readiness and expand access to CTE.
Early Learning/Child Care
In line with initiatives to strengthen the workforce, 20 governors — Democrats and Republicans — proposed expanding early care and learning to increase access and affordability for working parents.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged to fully fund New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s universal child care program for 2-year-olds for its first two years, while Grisham called for universal child care statewide in New Mexico.
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Seven governors — six Democrats and South Carolina’s McMaster — highlighted continued or new commitments to universal pre-K, while others suggested incremental expansions to early learning. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, for example, proposed using private investment to add 10,000 new seats in free early learning programs statewide, and Indiana’s Mike Braun suggested requiring businesses to have “skin in the game” to help reduce child care costs and expand access.
Student Health
In last year’s addresses, several governors — predominantly Republicans — announced plans to ban cellphones in schools, with many framing the policies as necessary to protect students’ mental and behavioral health.
This year, six Democrats and three Republicans proposed similar restrictions, though many emphasized improving student learning as the primary rationale. Kansas’s Laura Kelly, for example, proposed a school cellphone ban because the devices “are making it much harder for our children to learn and for our teachers to teach.”
Still, student mental health was a concern, particularly regarding online safety. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned parents about artificial intelligence chatbots, citing concerns about their connection to teen suicides. Democratic governors in New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts proposed restrictions on social media use for children — Hochul’s plan includes disabling AI chatbots, blocking location sharing and restricting access to online sports gambling.
Notably, only two governors, Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro and Wisconsin’s Tony Evers, proposed new investments in K-12 mental health services.
School Nutrition
Nutrition and school meals emerged as a new priority in this year’s addresses, with many governors referencing the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again campaign to improve food quality and wellness nationwide. Ten governors, both Democratic and Republican, introduced initiatives aimed at improving student nutrition.
Kansas’ Kelly proposed making school meals free for all students now eligible for reduced pricing, and Hawaii’s Green extended free school meals to families at 300% of the federal poverty level.
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Regarding the food itself, Little proposed a bill to remove artificial dye from school lunches, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom encouraged the continuation of efforts to remove highly processed foods from school cafeterias. Despite tightening restrictions, no alternatives or funding for healthier food were proposed.
Three Republican governors, citing health concerns such as obesity, proposed removing candy, soda, energy drinks and other unhealthy foods from programs that provide federal subsidies for students when school is not in session: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT).
This report was produced through a partnership between FutureEd and The 74. Senior Producer Megan Gallagher of The 74 developed the interactive maps.
