PEP (Public Education Policy) Talk: An AASA Podcast

On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant sits down with Noelle Ellerson Ng, Chief Advocacy & Governance Officer about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopting a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that raises serious concerns for the future of the E-Rate program, and what that means for districts.

 

You can check out a helpful one-pager on the program here. The website to advocate is forthcoming.

On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant explores the findings of the new AASA/ASBO report, "Rising Premiums, Falling Opportunities: The Budgetary Impact of Health Care Costs on School Districts," with Sasha Pudelski, director of advocacy at AASA and Elleka Yost, director of advocacy and research at ASBO International. This report is the first national study of its kind examining how rising healthcare costs are affecting public school district budgets, staffing and operational decisions, and educational opportunities for students. AASA & ASBO surveyed over 520 superintendents and school business officials in March–April 2026 to examine the effects of insurance premium increases on district budgets, staffing, operations, and educational programs and services.

You can read the report here.

On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant catches up with Jon Bernstein, president of Bernstein Strategy Group and Joey Wender, executive director of the Schools Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB) to talk about the FCC's new centralized E-Rate bidding portal for K-12 districts and what it means for school district leaders and technology officials.

 

You can register for SHLB's webinar Making Sense of the New E-Rate Bidding Portal on June 3 here.

On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant speaks with Tiffany Kessler, partner at The Bruman Group about the Interagency Agreements at the Department of Education; what programs are moving, what are the challenges and benefits, and what superintendents need to plan for.

 

Tiffany Kessler will also be part of a webinar with AASA on April 7 about Schoolwide Fund Consolidation, which you can register for here.

On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant catches up with Amelia Vance, founder and president of the Public Interest Privacy Center who staffs the AASA Student and Child Privacy Center, to discuss recent legislative developments on Capitol Hill related to student and child privacy bills and the role of AI in schools.

On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant interviews two of the authors of AASA's new report Rethinking Special Education Dispute Resolution at IDEA’s 50th Anniversary. Angela L. Balsley, Ed.D., founder of Unified Leadership and David Bateman, PhD., answer questions about what dispute resolution reforms could look like in 5 - 10 years and why this report is important and timely.

 

To read the full report, please check it out here.

On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant chats with AASA's senior government affairs manager Tara Thomas about the proposed changes to the H-1B Visa program, a key tool some districts use to alleviate staffing shortages for teaching positions. Kat also spoke with Tobin Novasio, superintendent of Hardin Schools in Montana, about how the proposed changes would affect his district.

 

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this podcast, Tara mistakenly stated that the fee was not currently active due to the court challenge. An injunction has been requested, but not yet provided by the court. As of October 24, 2025 the fee is applicable. 

On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant speaks with Quincy Natay, superintendent of Chinle Unified School District #24 in Chinle, AZ about the critical need of Impact Aid funding, the nation’s oldest federal K-12 education program that turns 75 this year.

• The Basics of Impact Aid booklet
• Impact Aid Overview One-Pager

On this episode of PEP Talk: Kat Sturdevant interviews superintendents from around the country about how they advocate for public education not only for their schools, but also for their communities and families, and asks if they have advice for others looking to get involved.

The featured superintendents are:

• Wendy Birhanzel, superintendent, Harrison School District Two, CO
• Quintin Shepherd, superintendent, Pflugerville Independent School District, TX
• Sharonica Hardin-Bartley, superintendent, University City School District, MO
• Stephanie Burroughs, assistant superintendent, Foxborough Public School District, MA

What’s at stake for K-12 schools at the U.S. Supreme Court? Kat Sturdevant interviews Sonja Trainor, executive director of the National School Attorneys Association, to break down the key education cases on the docket and what they could mean for educators, students, and school leaders across the country.