NSBA's Letter to Chairman Harkin, Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, Education & Related Agencies

April 13, 2010

The Honorable Tom Harkin
Chairman
Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, Education & Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Re:     Keep Our Educators Working Act of 2010

Dear Chairman Harkin:

On behalf of the 95,000 school board members who govern our nation’s 15,000 public school districts and employ millions of teachers and school personnel who are vital to the success of our students, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) greatly appreciates your leadership to pass an extension of fiscal stabilization funding to school districts. NSBA and our nation’s state school boards associations write in support of the Keep Our Educators Working Act of 2010 to help save thousands of jobs in our schools and communities.

An extension of State Fiscal Stabilization Funding (SFSF) for education is urgently needed to help school districts throughout the nation save jobs that directly benefit student achievement and school performance. The funding provided through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is already utilized and/or obligated by districts and states. And, as state governments struggle to close a collective budget shortfall of approximately $180 billion for Fiscal Year 2011, funding for elementary and secondary education is at risk. The impact of such drastic budget cuts to education includes: cuts to core instruction and larger class sizes that do not facilitate the type of interaction and specialized curriculum for many students and teachers; the loss of specialists for intervention programs, such as reading and math coaches and after school tutoring; and, discontinued extracurricular programs that help provide a well-rounded education program for our students.

Without a targeted extension of state fiscal stabilization funding for education that will save jobs and enable school districts to continue effective programs to close achievement gaps and raise proficiency levels, the progress made through ARRA will not be sustained. Without a targeted extension of stabilization funding for education, unemployment rates will not be reduced. The effect of intervening now to save jobs in our nation’s school districts—especially as districts continue to develop budgets for the next fiscal year—will yield immediate benefits in our communities and help our children become globally competitive for the future. The jobs sustained for teachers, math and reading coaches, after school programs staff, bus drivers, and other personnel will help alleviate unemployment, benefit other sectors of the economy, and continue a path of success for our students and schools.

Please contact Deborah Rigsby at (703) 838-6208 or drigsby@nsba.org for additional information. NSBA appreciates your strong support for our students and school districts, and urges the Senate’s consideration of this very urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Resnick
Associate Executive Director