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ACTION ALERT: Support Federal Education Funding
Please contact your U.S. Representative, who serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, HHS, & Education, and urge strong support for a progressive federal investment in K-12 education programs for Fiscal Year 2010. Such an investment will help ensure that school districts can continue the progress underway with the investments made in key programs through the economic stimulus, the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
The President’s FY2010 budget request to Congress includes proposals to facilitate greater innovation and accountability for schools, from teacher quality to school-community partnerships. However, the budget request includes proposals to cut funding for key programs and/or provide level funding for others. Urge Congress to:
- Oppose any reduction to Title I grants for disadvantaged students
- Support increased funding for Title I school improvement grants that is not at the expense of a reduction to Title I basic grants to schools
- Support an increase in special education (IDEA)
- Support innovative programs targeted towards specific needs to ensure greater student achievement, including proposals for Early Childhood Grants, a Teacher Incentive Fund, a High School Graduation Initiative, and Promise Neighborhoods
Staff contact: Erika Hoffman, Pr. Legislative Advocate, ehoffman@csba.org
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Please Support Federal Education Funding!
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
As your constituent and a school board member representing schoolchildren in your congressional district, I am writing to urge you to support a progressive federal investment in K-12 education programs for Fiscal Year 2010. I urge you to please:
*Oppose any reduction to Title I grants for disadvantaged students -- The budget request would reduce Title I funding from the FY 2009 level of $14.5 billion to $13 billion, and redirect the $1.5 billion reduction to Title I School Improvement Grants and new programs including Early Childhood Grants ($500 million). The proposed reduction of $1.5 billion would come from Title I basic grants, which would prove more harmful to schools that have experienced reductions in Title I funding under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). By reducing Title I basic grants, the budget request would contribute to a "funding cliff" that the U.S. Department of Education has warned against in a similar vein regarding ARRA programs.
*Support increased funding for Title I school improvement grants that is not at the expense of a reduction to Title I basic grants to schools -- The proposed budget would increase funding for this program from $545.6 million to $1.5 billion. However, the increase would come from a reduction in Title I basic grants, as noted above, which could have a disproportionate effect on schools that are continuing to lose Title I basic grant funding.
*Support an increase in special education (IDEA) -- The increased funding level will enable districts to continue fulfilling this mandate after the two-year ARRA funding allocation ends without compromising services and experiencing budget cuts due to a "funding cliff" at the federal level. The budget request would provide level funding of $11.5 billion for IDEA, which is below the amount Congress promised ($23.8 billion) for FY2010 in the IDEA reauthorization of 2004.
*Support for innovative programs targeted towards specific needs to ensure greater student achievement including proposals for Early Childhood Grants, a Teacher Incentive Fund, a High School Graduation Initiative, and Promise Neighborhoods that would provide resources for school-community partnerships and integrated services.
Such an investment will help ensure that school districts can continue the progress underway with the investments made in key programs through the economic stimulus, the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA). On behalf of the teachers, school district staff, and schoolchildren in your district, I thank you for your attention to my concerns.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
July 10, 2009
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