Letter to the U.S. Senate: March 12, 2010

Member
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20515

Re: Budget Reconciliation and Education Provisions

Dear Senator:

On behalf of more than 95,000 local school board members who represent more than 49 million students in the 15,000 public school districts across the nation through our state associations, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) urges your strong support to retain the educational investments in the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), as you consider the legislation in the budget reconciliation process. Additionally, NSBA urges your strong opposition to amendments that would undermine investments in education and create further deficiencies in resources to close achievement gaps and advance student achievement.

The SAFRA provisions would authorize much-needed investments in school infrastructure and early childhood education, and would help our students and schools succeed with 21st Century skills and knowledge. SAFRA would provide more than $4 billion in grants to states and local school districts to help supplement limited resources for school modernization projects that are essential to safe and healthy learning environments. The grants would also support “green” schools programs that will help conserve energy and enhance learning curricula around environmental education in some schools.

The legislation’s provisions for school modernization are also critical to both local and national economies because they will stimulate the creation of more than 100,000 new jobs needed to modernize, renovate and repair many school facilities that are no longer sufficient for today’s educational needs. NSBA has fielded more than 1,300 responses from school board members regarding priorities for school modernization, which include expansion of preschool and school buildings; classroom additions to accommodate growth/overcrowding; modernization/repairs of roofing, plumbing, electrical wiring, restrooms, maintenance facilities; purchasing and repairing technology facilities/equipment; and, improving building security/safety projects. Moreover, this provision in SAFRA will be mutually beneficial to student achievement and will provide the employment and contracting opportunities that small businesses and retailers need during this time of economic instability.

The Early Learning Challenge Fund in SAFRA would provide $1 billion annually for eight years and represents a strong start for a national effort to improve the quality of early childhood education programs and provides incentives and resources for states. School board members recognize the critical role that quality early childhood education programs play in helping to set a positive trajectory for student success, and believe strongly in the need for increased federal investment in this area.

Research proves that quality early childhood education programs help improve children’s school readiness and can help close achievement gaps that exist among children even before they enter school. Research also finds that children who participate in high-quality programs demonstrate greater interest in learning, are less likely to repeat a grade or require special education classes, and are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college. For every dollar invested in prekindergarten programs, the return can be as high as $16, making it both smart education and economic policy.

Conversely, proposed amendments to the budget reconciliation bill that would place statutory discretionary limits on education investments would hinder the progress of our school systems and reduce federal support for key programs, such as the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act and Title I Grants for Disadvantaged Students, at a time when our students and communities need it the most. As states, local governments and school districts continue efforts to mitigate extremely severe fiscal conditions, many programs critical to academic achievement and school performance are impacted. The imposition of federal caps on discretionary investments for education would exacerbate these grave conditions for Fiscal Year 2011 and future years. Therefore, NSBA urges your strong opposition to such measures, including Amendment No. 3453.

For further information, please contact Lucy Gettman or Deborah Rigsby at (703) 838-6722, or via email at lgettman@nsba.org and drigsby@nsba.org. NSBA greatly appreciates your support for our nation’s students and public schools.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Resnick
Associate Executive Director