- The average age of a public school was 40 years; the functional age (i.e., years since the last major renovation) is 16 years;
- Four out of 10 schools reported unsatisfactory environmental conditions;
- Some 36 percent of schools used portable classrooms, and 20 percent reported using temporary instructional space, such as cafeterias and gyms;
- About 25 percent of schools report less than adequate conditions for plumbing, and for exterior walls, finishes, windows, and doors;
- Some 20 percent of schools indicate less than adequate conditions for life safety features, roofs, and electric power.
- Elimination of the class size reduction program that has already helped schools hire 29,000 highly qualified new teachers
- Failure to guarantee funds to help states and local communities fund emergency repairs in high need schools
- Inadequate investment in teacher quality programs, such as the Eisenhower Professional Development program. While the business community invests some 10 percent of its budget in staff development, schools are able to invest less than three percent.
- Elimination of program funds for Comprehensive School Reform, i.e., schoolwide, research-based programs to improve student achievement. Over 1,000 schools would lose their grants.
- Underfunding the GEAR-UP program that provides mentoring, tutoring, academic, and career counseling services to low-income middle and high school students.
- Undermining the 21st Century Community Learning Centers after-school and summer programs by allowing funds for extended learning opportunities to flow directly to community agencies, obstructing the school-community partnerships and diluting the focus on learning.
- Title I funding level insufficient to serve eligible children.
- Provide guaranteed funding for both class size reduction and school modernization, and
- Provide additional resources needed for Title I, after-school, education technology, GEAR-UP, and other critical programs.
- providing guaranteed funds for class size and school modernization, not for block grants;
- maintaining the current school-based 21st Century Learning Centers (after-school and summer) program with increased funding;
- restoring Comprehensive School Reform funding.
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School Modernization - A federal/state/local partnership to accomplish needed school repair and renovation and to relieve overcrowding has bipartisan House majority support. No matter. The Leadership refuses to allow a vote on the NEA-supported, bipartisan school modernization tax-credit legislation (H.R. 4094) introduced by Representative Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY).
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Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) - The House reauthorized a number of programs in flawed, NEA-opposed bills. Action on the NEA-opposed Senate bill (S.2) has stalled. The bills allow governors to block grant most education programs and to turn Title I into a voucher program.
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Rural Education - NEA supported legislation (S. 1608) addressing education funding in timber-dependent areas is pending in the Senate. The House passed a companion bill (H.R. 2389) last year.
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School Safety - House and Senate-passed juvenile justice bills remain stalled in conference. NEA supports critical gun safety provisions contained in the Senate bill.
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Social Security Reform - Congress enacted a repeal of the earnings limit for persons over 65 years of age, but no action is expected on major Social Security reform. NEA supports reform that protects the economic security of families, elimination of the government pension offset, and expansion of survivor benefits. NEA opposes mandatory coverage for public employees.
Federal Legislative Update Archives
June 2000
Federal Legislative Update Archives
June 2000
Federal Legislative Update Archives
June 2000
June 30,
2000
June 23,
2000
June 16,
2000
June 9,
2000
06/30/00
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News from Capitol Hill...
EDUCATION FUNDING
LET THE BARGAINING BEGIN!
The Senate passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education spending bill (S. 2553, H.R. 4577) today as Congress heads home for a July 4th week-long recess. The Senate- and House-passed FY 2001 Labor, HHS, Education spending plans differ sharply. NEA opposed both bills. The President threatens a veto. In short, the scene is being set for "the end game" - the House/Senate and Congress/Administration bargaining on education funding.
The House bill fails to invest in critical programs; uses IDEA needs to cut funds from education programs that help all children, including special needs children; eliminates successful programs by block funding; and makes Title I a voucher program.
The Senate bill provides an historic bipartisan overall education funding increase, including increased funding for special education. However, a number of the bill's provisions undermine a quality public education for all students. NEA supports efforts to improve and build on the Senate support for education. But in spirited debate throughout the week, amendments to continue the class size reduction program, to increase resources for professional development, for Title I, and for after-school/summer school extended learning opportunities, and other improvements to the bill, failed. [Note: Details on this week's votes are attached.]
IDEA -- The Senate approved the Voinovich (OH) amendment to allow Title VI block grant funds to be used - as a local option - for IDEA programs and services.
Filtering Provisions -- The Senate also approved the McCain (AZ) amendment - with language added by Senators Hatch (UT) and Leahy (VT) -the Santorum (PA) amendment for Internet blocking/filtering in schools and libraries receiving E-rate funds.
"Go the Distance for Education," NEA and 63 education associations tell Congress. The Committee for Education Funding held a rousing rally on Capitol Hill this week to urge Congress to "Go the Distance...and boost our national investment in education by $5.5 billion, or 15 percent for FY 2001." Rally participants distributed to each Member of Congress a letter that noted record budget surpluses provide Congress the opportunity for a truly bipartisan meaningful investment in education that meets all priorities.
The Fifteen Minute Activist
Urge your Members of Congress
to "Go the Distance...and boost our national investment in education by
15 percent for FY 2001." www.nea.org/lac
PENSION OFFSET REFORM
NEA - "...it is
unconscionable..."
On Tuesday June 27, the House Social Security Subcommittee held the first hearing of this 106th Congress - and the first hearing since May 1998 - on Social Security Government Pension Offset. Within the education community, offset poses a particular problem in the 15 states where school employees are not covered by Social Security.
NEA testified, "...it is unconscionable that those who survive their spouses should see their retirement incomes reduced by thousands of dollars just because they are public employees." NEA is strongly committed to the complete repeal of the government pension offset. In the short-term, however, NEA supports legislation (H.R. 1217) sponsored by Representative William Jefferson (LA) and the Senate companion bill (S.717) sponsored by Senator Barbara Mikluski (MD) to limit the offset and provide a guaranteed minimum benefit."
The Fifteen Minute Activist
You can help! Ask your Senators
and Representatives to take immediate action to pass the
Jefferson/Mikulski pension offset legislation. www.nea.org/lac
MODERN SCHOOLS
A Majority says "YES!" to School Modernization --
The bipartisan Johnson(CT)/Rangel (NY) school modernization bill (H.R. 4094) is supported by a bipartisan majority (219 cosponsors)!
"The Condition of America's School Facilities: 1999" -- Blinking at the need is harder and harder. A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics reveals that 76 percent, or approximately 60,000 schools, need some type of repair, renovation or modernization to reach good condition - the point where only routine maintenance or minor repair is required. The survey found:
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley said, "In this time of tremendous prosperity, it is unacceptable to have students attending schools that are unsafe or unhealthy. Parents have a right to expect their children go to schools in good condition."
Reversing course this week, Republican leaders on the House Education Committee introduced a bill (H.R. 4766) that would amend ESEA to support school construction and renovation. "There is a growing sense that we probably are going to have to do something...," a committee spokesperson said.
06/23/00
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News from Capitol Hill...
SENATE TAKES UP EDUCATION FUNDING
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education bill (S. 2553, H.R. 4577) is on the Senate floor. NEA opposes the bill in its present form. While the bill provides an historic bipartisan overall education funding increase, including a record increase for special education, a number of the bill's provisions undermine efforts to provide a quality public education for all students.
Specifically, NEA opposes
Fifteen-Minute Activist -- www.nea.org/lac
Urge your U.S.
Senators to make education a true priority by supporting amendments
to
SOCIAL SECURITY
Pension Offset Hearing Scheduled
On June 27,
the House Social Security Subcommittee will hold the first hearing of
this 106th Congress - and the first hearing since May 1998 - on Social
Security Government Pension Offset.
NEA has long supported offset repeal and will offer testimony. The little understood offset provision of the Social Security Act imposes severe losses upon public employees not covered by Social Security and who survive their spouses. These widows and widowers can keep only a fraction of their Social Security survivor benefits.
Within the education community, the offset poses a serious problem in the 15 states where school employees are not covered by Social Security. NEA Vice President Reg Weaver, addressing the issue on Capitol Hill, said, “More than a third of education employees are not covered by Social Security. It is unconscionable that those who survive their spouses should see their retirement incomes reduced by hundreds of dollars just because they are public employees.”
The Chairman’s Call - The hearing will focus on why the government pension offset was created, how it works, and suggestions for modification. The hearing will also discuss how modifying the offset would affect the solvency of the Social Security Trust Funds.
In announcing the hearing, Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Clay Shaw (FL) said: "We need to determine whether it [the offset] should be changed to improve the fairness of the Social Security program." What the Chairman left unsaid: The hearing reflects strong support for Representative William Jefferson's (LA) proposal (H.R. 1217) to limit the offset. Two hundred forty Representatives - a bipartisan majority - have joined with Representative Jefferson to cosponsor the bill. Cosponsors include Representative Max Sandlin (TX), who initially introduced legislation to repeal the offset (H.R. 742). Congress, however, has manifested no interest in repeal.
NEA and CARE - NEA is an active member of the Coalition to Assure Retirement Equity (CARE), a coalition of some 50 organizations committed to work for offset repeal. While the coalition remains strongly committed to repeal, the member organizations have also encouraged support for H.R. 1217, as the vehicle with the strongest potential to move Congress to act. Stay tuned…
06/16/00
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News from Capitol Hill...
EDUCATION SPENDING
"Thumbs Down" for the House. On to the Senate!
"Education-deficit" funding --
On June 14, the
House passed the NEA-opposed education spending bill
(Labor-HHS-Education, H.R. 4577) by a vote of 217-214. The bill would:
eliminate the successful class size reduction initiative; deny teachers
professional development opportunities; deny more children access to
after-school programs; fail to help schools make urgently needed
repairs; and fail to support full funding of special education.
How they voted --
The YES votes - a
WRONG vote for education - included all Republicans present and
voting and three Democrats: Martinez (CA), Pickett (VA), and
Traficant (OH). The NO votes (a RIGHT vote for
education) included all Democrats present and voting and seven
Republicans: Barr (GA), Hostettler (IN), Lazio (NY), Morella (MD),
Paul (TX), Sanford (SC), and Schaffer (CO).
"Do no harm" - not quite!
A string of amendments
to increase IDEA funding by stripping funds from other critical programs
failed: #192 (Vitter-LA); #202 (Hoekstra-MI); #7 (Bass-NH); #186
(Ryan-WI); #2 (Gary Miller-CA); #203 and #205(Schaffer-CO). The
House also rejected amendments to increase IDEA funding without doing
harm to other critical programs: #6 (Bass -NH) to increase
special education funding by $1 billion failed; #16 (DeLauro-CT)
to increase special education funding by $1.5 billion was struck down on
a Point of Order.
NEA strongly supports and specifically advocated fully funding IDEA. NEA strongly opposes, however, increasing special education funding by cutting funds for other important programs that benefit all children. NEA urged House members to help boost student achievement with meaningful investments in special education and all critical education programs.
The House earns a "Thumbs Up" for refusing to pit one education program against another, and a "Thumbs Down" for failing to support meaningful investments in special education and all critical education programs.
Next - On to the Senate!
Senate action
may come the week of June 19. The Senate bill, S. 2553, would
provide a significantly greater investment in K-12 programs. However,
like the House bill, it includes block grants and fails to target funds
for critical programs, such as class size reduction and emergency school
repairs.
The 15 Minute Activist - www.nea.org/lac
Once the Senate
acts, the scene is set for the House/Senate conference and the "end
game." The President has vowed to veto a bill that does not include a
meaningful investment in critical programs, such as class size reduction
and school modernization.
To send students and public schools into "the end game" running strong, tell your students' stories, and urge your Senators to improve S. 2553 by
PENSION PORTABILITY
Keeping our sights on the goal - NEA and a coalition of public employee groups are urging lawmakers to keep in sight the several low-cost, bipartisan proposals on the table that can strengthen retirement protections. Few separate bills are likely to see action in the race to early adjournment. But a number of the proposals - such as enhanced portability between retirement plans - could be attached to tax bills on which Congress is more likely to act.
Rollovers and Flexibility to Purchase Prior Credit- When an employee leaves a public sector job, contributions to a 457 deferred compensation plan remain in place until the account is distributed to the employee. Enhanced portability would allow rollovers to other contributory pension plans, including IRAs, 403 (b) and 403 (k) plans, when an employee changes jobs. Related flexibility provisions would allow assets held in 457 plans to be used to purchase permissive prior service credits or to repay refunds in defined benefit plans.
Speaking up can make the difference! Enhanced portability and flexibility would help employees build their retirement savings and modernize public pension programs. Urge your Representative and Senators, President Clinton, and Vice President Gore to support pension portability for public employees. Send your messages via the NEA Legislative Action Center at www.nea.org/lac
TOBACCO-FREE KIDS
The Hollings (SC)-Durbin (IL) amendment to the Senate agriculture spending bill can make a difference for tobacco-free kids. Tobacco companies are increasing advertising in magazines with a high youth readership, despite a 1998 industry agreement with state attorneys general not to target youth in advertising. The ads are described as “devastatingly effective in reaching large numbers of kids."
Urge your Senators to vote YES on the Hollings-Durbin Amendment. The amendment would remove language designed to derail the tobacco lawsuit. Send your message via the NEA Legislative Action Center at www.nea.org/lac
06/9/00
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News from Capitol Hill...
When all is said and done,
More
Was Said Than Done.
This may be the epitaph for the 106th Congress. Only six weeks remain before the political conventions and campaign frenzy. When Congress returns after Labor Day, members will be looking to an early adjournment (target date - October 6) to return home for the election campaigns. The only "MUST” bills before adjournment are the spending bills. Other critical issues are likely to see little action.
"JUST SAY NO!" TO H.R. 4577
NEA strongly opposes the spending bill for health, education and labor programs (H.R.4577). The bill eliminates the successful Class Size Reduction Initiative; denies teachers professional development opportunities; denies more children access to after-school programs; fails to help schools make urgently needed repairs; and fails to support full funding of special education.
The Program Shuffle - H.R. 4577 is now before the House. Next week, the House will consider a series of amendments to increase funding for IDEA by cutting other critically important education programs. NEA strongly supports full funding for special education and specifically called for a $2 billion increase to fully fund IDEA. NEA strongly opposes, however, increasing special education funding by cutting funds for other important programs that benefit children. NEA urged House members to oppose pitting one education program against another, and called on Congress to help boost student achievement with meaningful investments in special education and all critical education programs.
“Robbing Paul … paying Paul.” Shifting funds from other critical areas to special education reflects a callous disregard for all children and particularly for special needs children. They, too, are served by, and benefit from, the programs whose funding would be raided. NEA lobbyist Joel Packer noted, “This isn’t robbing Peter to pay Paul. This is robbing Paul to pay Paul.”
Debate and votes resume on Monday. Urge your Congressperson to "just say no!" to H.R. 4577 [www.nea.org/lac]. The Senate will take up its education spending bill (S.2553) after the House acts. S. 2553 would provide many more dollars than the House bill for elementary and secondary education. However, like the House bill, it fails to provide targeted funding for critical programs. NEA supports building on and improving the Senate bill.
The Fifteen Minute Activists' Rapid Response -- www.nea.org/lac
** Urge your Representative to oppose the H.R. 4577**
THE UNFINISHED AGENDA INCLUDES SUCH ISSUES AS...
SOCIAL SECURITY
Privatizing Social Security - Last year, Representatives Archer (TX) and Shaw (FL) proposed a Social Security plan anchored to individually invested (and managed) private investment accounts. The individual accounts (minus administrative fees paid to the fund investment managers) would revert back to government control/administration upon the individual's retirement. Retirees would receive an annuity-type payment to augment their base (and presumably reduced) Social Security benefits. Greater market returns on individual accounts, supporters argue, would increase retirees' income without increasing Social Security costs.
The cost - However, if the individually managed account did not perform as well as expected, the retiree would still be guaranteed a basic Social Security benefit. To pay for the diversion of payroll taxes from the current system and simultaneously establish individual accounts, a tremendous transfer of general revenue into the Social Security system would be necessary.
Winners and losers? - Individually managed private investment accounts would require 40-50 million separate individual accounts, and offer a new market in administrative profits to the financial services sector. The individual would lose the benefit of the so-called "law of large numbers" that bestows economic benefits collectively that cannot be realized on an individual basis.
