Week 2 Funding Mini-Series | Jodie Buenning & Jeff Livingston
In the newsletter this week: Two new unabashed funding podcasts, Sovereign Child, Pandemic Retro, & ASU + GSV.
🎙️ This Week on the Podcast
🎙️ Episode 18, Jodie Buenning, E-Rate for All
The E-Rate program is a crucial funding mechanism that provides discounts to schools and libraries for affordable internet access and telecommunications services. Established in 1996, it has played a vital role in bridging the digital divide, ensuring that students—particularly those in underserved communities—have reliable internet access for learning. Without E-Rate, many schools would struggle to afford the broadband necessary for modern education, leaving millions of students without the tools they need to succeed.
In this episode, Jodie Buenning shares that E-Rate is under threat due to policy changes and budget cuts that could significantly reduce its impact. If funding is slashed, schools may be forced to limit their connectivity, roll back technology initiatives, or rely on outdated infrastructure. This would set back progress in digital learning and disproportionately harm low-income and rural students who rely most on subsidized internet access. With remote and hybrid learning becoming a permanent fixture in education, cutting E-Rate funding would be a major step backward.
To protect and strengthen E-Rate, Jodie argues we must take action now. Advocates, educators, and community members should contact policymakers, submit public comments, and raise awareness about the consequences of funding cuts. Schools and libraries must also document and share how E-Rate has benefited students, demonstrating its real-world impact. By mobilizing support, we can ensure that E-Rate continues to provide essential internet access to those who need it most, keeping education equitable in the digital age.
📖 One Key Quote: “I think as just an American citizen, we forget that we do have a voice. So write to your local congressional member and your state senator and your governor, tell them, invite them to your school or district because if they don't know and if we can't show and if we're not telling the impact, then how can they advocate for us? So I think just the power of your own voice to the people who are there to serve you.”
🎙️ Episode 19, Jeff Livingston, The Funding Mandate: Act Now
In our latest episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jeff Livingston, who provided a candid deep dive into the evolving federal environment. With shifting policies, regulatory changes, and economic pressures shaping decision-making at the federal level, Livingston is paying close attention to the serious and concerning implications of these choices.
One of the key themes Livingston highlighted is the ongoing uncertainty in federal regulations. As agencies respond to political shifts and economic conditions, policy changes have been both rapid and unpredictable.
"It's the chaos that makes this different... It's not knowing how somebody is going to interpret a rule that just got made up that had no public commentary period."
Livingston argues that as a result of this chaos, many folks are wildly uninformed about the current situation and its looming effects. He urges listeners to ask questions of their schools and their local leaders and demands answers.
I, for one, was rapt with attention throughout this conversation and it has become required listening to anyone asking me my thoughts on the federal government’s education department plans.
📖 One Key Quote: "I was born at the end of 1970 in what was still the colored wing of a public hospital in South Carolina. My lifetime, which is not that long, is the whole history of any attempt at real integration."
📘 What I’m Reading
This was a fascinating read. Aaron Stupple—a practicing physician, former public school teacher, and father of five—brings firsthand experience to the subject of childhood. His book explores a compelling question:
What happens if we just let kids do what they want?
On a philosophical level, I found myself in wild agreement with so much of this book. Yes! Childhood should be a time for self-discovery and independence. Yes! Kids should have space to experiment, make mistakes, and learn from the natural consequences of their choices. Yes! Overregulation is exhausting for everyone. Just reading this felt freeing—I caught myself nodding in vigorous agreement throughout.
And yet (you knew an and yet was coming), I couldn’t help but feel that this book was written primarily for an able-bodied, neurotypical audience. Some acknowledgment of the broader spectrum of needs within a home would have been valuable. Having founded, led, and taught in schools with many neurodivergent and differently abled children, I know firsthand that accommodations, including boundary setting, aren’t optional—they’re essential. A child’s ability to navigate freedom and structure varies widely, and recognizing that range is key to truly inclusive conversations about childhood and autonomy. I’d love to hear from teachers, school leaders, and parents raising neurodivergent children—how does this philosophy resonate (or not) with your experience?
Thanks to my colleague, Dennis, for the suggestion to check this book out. Even though “the recommendations in this book don’t come from ‘the research,’” I found it interesting and thought-provoking.
If you’re curious this book is free online and you can read it here.
💭 What I’m Thinking About
It’s been just over five years since COVID-19 began, and I often think about the shared experience of trauma we all endured and the ways our lives shifted indefinitely. I called out roses and thorns from the perspective of a chronically ill person (hi, it’s me) with two kids at home who worried every single day about her health—and, of course, the health of her family and loved ones.
Rose: I had just finished maternity leave and was starting my son in daycare. Instead of being cared for by daycare teachers, he was home with us.
Thorn: Newborns do not understand logic or pandemics and he had a hard time separating from Mama when I was working.
Rose: I got to explore a hands-on, play-based early Pre-K curriculum with my four-year-old—living out all my homeschool parent dreams.
Thorn: Every morning before working a full day, I wrangled my four-year-old into my bedroom to do the play-based curriculum I developed (with Busy Toddler as a foundation).
Rose: We spent so much time walking around the neighborhood, smiling at neighbors, and watching flowers bloom as spring arrived.
Thorn: We isolated very seriously due to my health conditions—our walks struck fear if neighbors wanted to talk too closely and we allowed no visitors in our home for an extremely long time.
Rose: For the first few months, my husband was able to take care of the kids while I worked.
Thorn: My husband was able to take care of the kids because all film, television, and creative arts work was on pause—he was out of work.
Rose: I reconnected with old colleagues and college friends over FaceTime, keeping socialization in my life as an extrovert.
Thorn: I missed family weddings, friends’ weddings, and other milestone events as the world reopened, but our family wasn’t quite ready.
Rose: I was one of those business professionals The Wall Street Journal called out—though to a much lesser extent—thrilled to finally attend an in-person conference in June 2022.
Thorn: With my first real reentry into the world at that long-awaited conference? I caught COVID—and gave it to my son.
What highs and lows are in your reflective garden?
✈️ Where to find me
I’ll be at ASU+GSV in T-2 days! Catch me between the palm trees talking about:
Connecting with Fullmind’s current and future partners
Exploring strategic partnership opportunities
If you’d like to meet up while I’m in town, let’s make it happen—schedule time with me here.