October 29, 1999

A weekly review of progress on the Quality Public Schools Agenda and other legislation that impacts our students, classrooms, and public education.

On Capitol Hill

CONGRESS COMPLETES BUDGET
After bookkeeping gimmickry and political gimmickry in the form of a one percent across-the-board cut in FY2000 appropriations, H.R. 3064 increases total education spending by $1.229 billion, less than half the increase necessary to meet student needs, and $544 million less than the Senate's original proposal. Some programs receive no increase. Others are cut.

Class Size Reduction - Cut!
Funding was frozen at the 1999 level and then the one percent cut applied. School district 's would receive one percent fewer dollars, not enough to maintain the 29,000 new teachers hired.

Despite strong evidence of the positive impact of class size reduction, the bill siphons off funding by making class size reduction money available "for any educational need." In communities with voucher programs, like Milwaukee and Cleveland, the bill paves the way for class size reduction dollars to fund vouchers.

Title I - Frozen!
The one percent cut zeroes out the modest $75 million increase. Current Title I funding provides help for only one-third of eligible children. Providing comprehensive Title I services to all eligible children would require $24 billion, almost three times the current funding.

Teacher Quality - Cut!
One percent cut applied to a funding freeze results in one percent fewer dollars for this program that helps ensure every student a highly qualified teacher.

President Clinton has warned Congress he will veto the budget; then negotiations between Congress and the White House begins.

The tiff between Congress and the District of Columbia stalled education funding. The House never acted on a Labor-HHS-Ed spending bill, the biggest of the 13 spending bills that make up the fiscal year budget. Faced with sharp disagreement in its own ranks, the House Leadership moved the issue to a House-Senate Conference Committee. Without a bill, the Conference Committee needed a "vehicle" to carry Labor-HHS-Education spending and attached it to the District of Columbia appropriations bill. The "vehicle" was stuck for days on issues affecting only the District of Columbia and finally broke loose this week. When the District of Columbia/Labor-HHS-Education spending bill returns to Congress after the President’s veto, the controversial issues affecting the District of Columbia could stall action again.

THE UNFINISHED AGENDA
Action on Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) now moves to the Senate. The Senate draft proposal largely continues the more than 40 ESEA programs, including the landmark Title I, Eisenhower Professional Development Grants, Gifted and Talented Education, and Reading Excellence. This week, seven of the nine majority members of the committee pressed Chairman Jim Jeffords (R-VT) to include the House approved Teacher Empowerment Act (H.R.1995) and Academic Achievement for All Act (Straight A's - H.R.2300). Under the Straight A's bill, at the discretion of the governor and state legislature, the funds could be used for vouchers. The bills are unacceptable to NEA and the education community. The Senate is unlikely to act on ESEA until next year. Meanwhile, the Straight A's and Teacher Empowerment Act proponents in the Senate are pressing hard. Go to www.nea.org/lac/ESEA.

Juvenile Justice legislation is still in conference committee. The Senate-passed bill includes some gun safety provisions such as background checks for purchases at gun shows. The bill is unlikely to see action this year. Go to www.nea.org/lac/safety.

E-Rate funds roll out. Every school and library that applied for e-rate subsidies of telecommunications costs will receive discounts this year, the second year of the $2.25 billion program, thanks to your strong support when the program was challenged some months ago. More than 32,000 schools applied for $2.4 billion in discounts. Requests exceeded the program’s $2.25 billion cap, and so some schools will receive less than requested.

FROM THE STATES: VOUCHER ACTIVITY
Milwaukee: The voucher team was very much in evidence last week at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s “Forum for Progress.” The panel, “Redefining Public vs. Private Education,” included Ohio Secretary of State (and Steve Forbes’ campaign manager) Kenneth Blackwell; Bradley Foundation head Michael Joyce (Note: the Bradley Foundation is funding construction to expand the capacity of Milwaukee’s private schools.); and Milwaukee mayor and voucher supporter, John Norquist.

NEA Vice President Reg Weaver, the sole voice for public education on the program, challenged the voucher proponents point by point in a spirited exchange. When Blackwell invoked “a 1992 NEA study they don’t want you to see” that allegedly revealed 50 percent of teachers enroll their children in private schools (long ago and many times disproven), Weaver fired back. “I assume you were taught the importance of telling the truth.” According to the 1990 U.S. Census, nine percent of teachers--less than the 12 percent of the general public--sent their children to private schools.

Georgia: A group of state senators has proposed vouchers to give school choice to students at low performing schools. State School Superintendent Linda Schrenko opposed vouchers last year during her re-election campaign. Now, however, she says her position has shifted. Georgia's Education Reform Study Commission, created by Gov. Barnes as the linchpin of his education reform efforts, has been focusing on standards-based reform with accountability. The Commission is leaning towards mandating state assistance teams for the lowest performing schools. The governor has set a December 1 deadline for Commission action on his school reform package.

Ohio: A statewide coalition is supporting legislation to increase accountability for tax-funded voucher schools and public charters. The legislation would require tax-funded voucher and charter schools to give their students the same state-sponsored proficiency tests as public schools and to report their scores. Schools that choose to accept tax-funded vouchers would also be required to employ certified teachers. Employees would be subject to state ethics laws. State audits would be required and open board meetings mandated.

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